The Alliance of Independent Agencies Middle East has officially launched in the region as a membership-based professional body, representing and advocating for independent marketing, communications and advertising agencies across the region. The body opens its doors with 25 founding member agencies.
The Alliance comes to life through a partnership between Migrate, a specialist consultancy helping global independent agencies expand in the Middle East, and The Alliance of Independent Agencies in the UK, a body that has spent seven years building a community of over 100 member agencies across Britain.
Nick Walsh, the regional agency veteran who founded Migrate, is leading the Middle East operation alongside UK founder Clive Mishon. “The Middle East is one of the most dynamic and fast evolving marketing markets in the world, yet independent agencies have historically lacked a formal platform to represent their collective interests. This Alliance Middle East exists to change that," said Walsh.
He added that the timing is no accident. “Brands across the region are reevaluating agency relationships, looking for partners that can move fast, bring senior expertise, and adapt to increasingly complex challenges. Independent agencies are already delivering this value. The Alliance Middle East provides the structure, visibility, and advocacy to support that shift whilst growing the middle agency mix that is missing from the region but we see in other markets.”
Leading regional operations as Director is Emily Foreman, an experienced agency growth specialist. Foreman previously set up and expanded an independent experiential agency in Saudi Arabia and brings working knowledge of both the Kingdom and the UAE. Her mandate covers cultivating the member community, driving collaboration across the network, and building out training and capability programmes for members.
A natural evolution
For Mishon, the expansion eastward is a natural evolution of what The Alliance has built in the UK. "The success of The Alliance in the UK has shown just how powerful a united independent sector can be," he said. "The region's independent agencies are ambitious, innovative, and ready for a collective platform that champions their value and accelerates their growth."
The Alliance launches initially in the UAE, with a curated, invite-only membership model designed to "ensure quality, cultural alignment and complementary expertise" across its member base. A full regional expansion across key GCC and wider Middle East markets is planned.
Beyond advocacy, the team at Alliance said that its other focus will be on talent development, capability building, industry standards, research and events – with an overarching goal of supporting a more modern, sustainable and high-performing independent agency landscape across the region.
To stay in the know, follow PRmoment MENA on LinkedIn here. You can also subscribe below to our weekly newsletter.