ABU DHABI — Edelman has made two senior hires to its operation in the Middle East to strengthen its corporate and regional offering.

Seth Hand (pictured) joins as corporate managing director based in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. A financial communications specialist, he has led regional expansion into new markets and crisis communications for CEOs and prominent Middle East businesses. He was most recently Finsbury’s Middle East and Africa MD and has also worked at Grayling and H+K in the region.

Yahya Hamidaddin joins as regional director to expand Edelman’s public sector work. Based in Riyadh, Yahya has nearly 20 years communications experience in the private and public sector in the Middle East, including at H+K, and established his own Jeddah-based communications firm, Adalid Public Relations.

Hand and Hamidaddin will report to Omar Qirem, CEO of Edelman Middle East, and join a leadership team in the region that includes Bhavna Thapar, managing director of brand, Paul Slinger, head of the Abu Dhabi office, and CFO Jared Robinson.

Qirem said: “Both Seth and Yahya are experienced operators and I am pleased to welcome them to the team. They have significant experience counselling local and international clients and bring to the business a deep understanding of the market having worked here for a number of years.”

In addition, Ken De Pauw has joined the firm as digital director for the Middle East.

Edelman, which has been in the region for ten years, operates three wholly-owned offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Riyadh. The new hires come after a period of upheaval at the firm, including a number of senior exits and redundancies.