DUBAI — IPG agency Current Global has launched in the Middle East and appointed Peter Jacob as managing director for the region.

Jacob moves to Current Global after 15 years at sister agency Weber Shandwick, where he was a member of the senior EMEA management team with responsibility for new business and growth across the Middle East. He relocated from London to Dubai in 2016 and has led integrated communications campaigns for brands in the private and public sectors across the region.

Current Global is part of The Weber Shandwick Collective, IPG’s network of specialist creative, marketing, communications and consulting firms that also includes United Minds, KRC Research, DNA Communications and Powell Tate. In the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey, IPG operates as the Middle East Communications Network (MCN).

Ziad Hasbani, CEO of The Weber Shandwick Collective in the Middle East and Jack Morton MENAT, said Jacob’s appointment marked the official launch of Current Global Middle East, which has been ramping up over the past few months. The agency has already won retained assignments in the consumer lifestyle, leisure, entertainment and corporate communications sectors and has made its first hires.

“Pete embodies integrity, strategic thinking, and deep experience across many sectors. He is the right leader to drive Current Global in this region,” Hasbani said.

Jacob told PRovoke Media: “We’ve already had a phenomenal start as we look to offer clients in the region something new: our ‘Human Communications by Design’ approach, combined with the connections and reach of a global agency network and the attitude and agility of a boutique agency. As we grow and evolve over the coming months and years, we have the ambition to define what an earned-first communications agency of the future looks like in this region.”

Current Global co-CEO George Coleman added: “I’ve known and admired Pete for many years, so am thrilled we get to partner with someone of his experience and calibre on this exciting new chapter in the agency’s global growth story. Adding to our global network, our Middle East operation enables Current Global to service clients on a truly global scale as well as provide on-the-ground expertise in such a dynamic and vibrant region.”