DUBAI — Camilla D’Abo, the founder of Edelman Dabo, is moving to APCO Worldwide as the new managing director of its Dubai office.

D’Abo, who has more than 25 years’ experience across the UK, the Middle East and Australia, founded Dabo & Co with her sister Lucy d’Abo in 2004 after a career in corporate finance. The firm, whose clients included Marriott, BMW and HSBC, was bought by Edelman in 2015, creating one of the biggest agencies in the Middle East.

The two sisters departed the firm in 2017, and d’Abo has since been working as an executive director at Sport In Life Distribution—a retail distribution company based in Dubai – overseeing the firm’s transition to B2C channels and developing customer engagement strategies and an e-commerce platform.

APCO Worldwide’s MENA president Mamoon Sbeih said: “Camilla’s unrivalled focus on quality, integrity and creativity are underlined by her dedication to strategic business-driven communications solutions and quality client servicing.

“From starting and growing her business into a leading communications agency in the region, to helping her clients develop their businesses organically Camilla’s wealth of knowledge and experience will add value to APCO’s Dubai office and presence in the MENA region.”

On her return to PR agency life, d’Abo added: “APCO is a leader in the advisory and advocacy communications sector with exceptional capability in the GCC countries. I look forward to working with the professional team in APCO’s Dubai office and around the world to help clients stay agile and achieve their business goals.”

APCO’s team in the region now consists of more than 200 people working across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Manama and Kuwait.