Palo Alto, California (March 4, 2007) – The CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) Council, a global network of senior marketing executives, announces the launch of CMO Council Middle East North Africa (MENA), to be based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.  The launch will be officially announced and inaugurated at the 2nd World CEO Forum, being held in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, March 6-8, 2007.

The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council (www.cmocouncil.org) is dedicated to high-level knowledge exchange, thought leadership and personal relationship building among senior marketing and brand decision-makers across a wide-range of global industries. The CMO Council's 3,000 members control more than $70 billion in aggregated annual marketing expenditures.  The CMO Council was launched in North America in 2002 in, and was followed by CMO Council UK & Europe in 2005 and CMO Council Asia Pacific in 2006.

Companies represented in the CMO Council have combined annual revenue of over $600 billion and include: Apple, BASF Corp., British Telecom, Clinique, Cisco, Coca-Cola, Continental Airlines, Dell, eBay, Ericsson, Federated Department Stores, FUBU, GE, Google, HP, IBM, JPMorgan Chase, LG Electronics, MasterCard, Microsoft, MySpace, Nintendo, Nokia, Nautica Worldwide, Oracle, Philips Consumer Electronics, Pizza Hut International, SAP, Sony, Starbucks, Target, Time Warner, Toyota, Wal-Mart, The Walt Disney Company, Wipro, Visa International, Yahoo! and many more

“With a high-profile presence in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, the CMO Council’s expansion into the Middle East is fitting given the region’s extraordinary economic and technological boom and mirrors the strategic importance of Dubai and Abu Dhabi as powerful cogs in an emerging global economic engine,” says Donovan Neale-May, the executive director of CMO Council. “All of us are eagerly anticipating the launch of CMO Council activities here, to share global best marketing practices between business and community cultures, learn from our colleagues about the marketing challenges and opportunities they face, and to continue to expand the scope of our dialogue around the critical importance of marketing in an increasingly more interconnected global economy.”

CMO Council Launches in Middle East Africa

James Magee will serve as Regional Director, CMO Council MENA.  Magee is also business development Director of Dubai-based ITD Group and Craft Digital, and has 20 years experience in the exhibition and conference industry. He has spent over 10 years in overseas General Management both in Dubai and the United States and launched such events as the Middle East International Motor show, the Gulf Information Technology exhibition, and the Computer shopper, and was a founding member of the team that launched the Dubai Desert Classic Golf tournament and the Dubai shopping Festival. He has also worked as a business development director for Comdex Europe Middle East and Asia and was the Managing Director of the Emap/Ziff Davis joint venture in Europe.
 
“The emergence of local brands poised for a larger stage, the dramatic success of multinational corporations here, and the powerful economic forces of tourism, retail, high technology, and new media make Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the entire MENA region the ideal new destination for the CMO Council,” commented Magee.  “We have a vibrant, culturally diverse community of local, regional, and expat marketers and the opportunity to bring to them the global perspective, thought leadership, peer-to-peer networking and practices across industries that the CMO Council delivers is truly exciting.  It represents one more aspect of our efforts to further cement the region as an important nexus of the new millenium’s global economy.”

The CMO Council is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to high-level knowledge exchange, thought leadership and personal relationship building among senior marketing and brand decision-makers. The Council is based in the United States, but regional chapters convene worldwide under the auspices of GlobalFluency, The Independent Network of Influence, which has more than 100 offices in 40 countries (www.globalfluency.com). The CMO Council is an exclusive and influential peer-networking group of authority leaders in marketing under the direction of a rotating board of advisors and an annually elected chairperson.

The CMO Council is an invitation-only affinity group working to further the stature, credibility, influence, and understanding of the strategic marketing function among business executives, opinion leaders and critical stakeholders. CMO Council members are drawn from the upper echelons of corporate management to form a trusted, close-knit community of peers who use their access, connections and expertise for mutual benefit, support, referral and professional advancement.

Among the initial initiatives and activities CMO Council MENA plans to undertake in 2007 will include:

CMO Council Launches in Middle East Africa

Formation of CMO Council MENA Advisory Board: As with regional chapters in North America, UK & Europe, and Asia Pacific, CMO Council MENA will nominate and convene an Advisory Board, comprised of CMO Council Executive Director Donovan Neale-May, Regional Director James Magee, and senior marketers from global and regional brands across representative industries.  The Advisory Board will meet at least
twice annually to help set the tone and direction of the regional chapter and provide insight into initiatives, programs, forums and other activities being planned or executed on behalf of the membership at-large.

Development of Dinner Dialogue Schedule:  To facilitate knowledge and best practices sharing and meaningful interaction among the business-to-business (B2B) and business-to consumer (B2C) marketing communities, CMO Council will schedule a series of dinner dialogue and other networking forums, designed to encourage meaningful dialogue around issues of compelling importance to marketers.

Launch of Mastering MPM On-line Curriculum Program: The CMO Council’s highly-regarded on-line “Mastering MPM” (Marketing Performance Measurement) program attracts mid level (manager/director) marketers seeking a highly focused curriculum centered on the tools and methodologies of effective marketing performance measurement.  Because it is presented on-line, marketers from any region in the world can participate; the Spring 2007 Mastering MPM Quarter has registrants from North America, Europe and Asia Pacific, from companies including Apple Computer, Adobe Systems, Qwest Communications, Seagate Technology, Front Range Solutions, and CEMEX..

Introduction of Authority Leadership Initiatives:  The hallmark of the CMO Council is its highly regarded authority leadership platform initiatives.  CMO Council MENA will seek to launch several initiatives in 2007, including expanding on the current “Global Mobile Mindset,” a landmark CMO Council program taking a comprehensive, deep dive look into the mindset of the global mobile device user, powered by The Council’s “Get to Know Those on the Go” survey of 15,000 early adopter users across 37 countries.

Planning CMO Council MENA Summit:  The CMO Council holds annual, regional summit-style gatherings for members (2006 Summits were held in San Francisco, Tokyo and London).  These exclusive gatherings feature high level attendance and panel, breakout and keynote dialogue and presentations among senior marketers in settings designed to maximize the exchange of best practices, drive new business relationships, and showcase CMO Council thought leadership initiatives.

The CMO Council creates programs and services designed to add to the intellectual capital of the leading marketing thinkers that are members of the Council. Some of these programs and services include:
CMO Council  Launches in Middle East Africa

• Thought leadership surveys and studies


• Advocacy initiatives around strategic agendas


• Intimate peer networking programs and events


• Regular convocations and gatherings


• Discussion groups and invention sessions


• Web conferences, online dialogues and webcasts


• Article sourcing and media commentary


• Knowledge bank and content archive


• Monthly eNewsletter & special eBulletins


• Career opportunity referral


• Internship placement

Membership in the CMO Council is open to top-ranking corporate marketing decision makers only, not consultants or agencies. Members should have extensive marketing experience and have held executive management positions at new venture, emerging growth or established enterprise organizations. Nominees must have demonstrated marketing prowess, a proven track record of accomplishment, and leadership in evangelizing marketing and branding practices.  Senior marketers can learn more about membership here:  http://www.cmoucouncil.org/members 

About CMO Council
The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council is dedicated to high-level knowledge exchange, thought leadership and personal relationship building among senior marketing and brand decision-makers across a wide-range of global industries. The CMO Council's 3,000 members control more than $70 billion in aggregated annual marketing expenditures. Companies represented on the CMO Council have combined annual revenue of over $600 billion.

Media Contacts:
James Magee, Regional Director, CMO Council MENA
971 4 3327907
97150 7154399 (cell)
jmagee@cmocouncil.org

Mark Clemente, CMO Council
001 646.652.5211
001 201.788.8521 (cell) 
mclemente@globalfluency.com