LONDON — Edelman is merging its Middle East and Africa businesses into one operating entity, and is looking to expand into West Africa.

As part of the integration, Edelman Middle East CEO Omar Qirem becomes chief strategy officer for Middle East and Africa, while Edelman Africa CEO Jordan Rittenberry is now chairman for the region. Both will run the combined business as equal partners and remain in their respective regional leadership roles.

The merged business has more than 200 employees, with plans to expand further into West Africa. Edelman EMEA CEO and president Ed Williams told PRovoke Media that a decision had not yet been made on whether this would happen organically, or via acquisition: “We are exploring all options to ensure the best outcomes for Edelman and our clients,” he said.

Williams said “connecting the dots” between the Middle East and Africa businesses was “a natural next step” in Edelman’s regional strategy to deepen integration. He told PRovoke Media: “There’s a vast number of fast-growing brands and companies, and a wealth of dynamic local talent in both markets. This move will help us realise the opportunity this presents.

“We have a number of existing clients who are growing at an exponential rate, and this approach will bring together capabilities and specialties from two continents to create the best work for our clients. We are developing our organising structure to help us better mobilise talent across the two businesses. This move advances our global strategy to integrate and drive horizontal collaboration.”

The move is part of “bold plans” for the region, according to Edelman. In March 2020, the firm announced the acquisition of the Gina Din business in Kenya, and Edelman Africa was named PRovoke Media’s African Consultancy of the Year.

Rittenberry, a 14-year Edelman veteran, was previously based in Chicago before relocating to Johannesburg five years ago, while Qirem returned to Edelman in 2018 from Saudi Arabian family business Abdul Latif Jameel.

Qirem said: “This will bring the best of Edelman to both geographies, and help elevate communications capabilities for clients locally, regionally, and globally. We have a number of clients who are growing at an exponential rate, and this approach will bring together capabilities and specialties from two continents to create the best possible work for our clients.”

Rittenberry added: “Our teams have been collaborating for some time, but this move creates the opportunity to best leverage strengths across the region, creating centres of excellence that can compete and win on a global level by combining our shared experience and expertise.”

In the Middle East, Edelman work with a number of regional governments and initiatives, and in Africa its biggest clients include Unilever and Standard Bank. Across the combined MEA region, Edelman works with brands including Nissan.