ABU DHABI — Edelman has appointed Marie-Claire Maalouf (pictured) as chief creative Officer for UAE and KSA, after more than a decade at Impact BBDO. Primarily focused on the Middle East, where she will help build creative capabilities across the region, Maalouf will also be working across EMEA as part of the wider 80-strong creative team. In 2022, she helped win more than 85 awards, including the only D&AD Yellow Pencil won in MENA this year; one of the two Cannes Lions Grand Prix won by the MENA region; as well as the only Grand Lia in Health for MENA.

LONDON — M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment has hired Bukola Garry, formerly head of diversity, equity and inclusion at Adam & Eve/DDB, in the new role of head of cultural impact. She will lead the agency’s Step Up inclusion initiative and be responsible for diversity and inclusion across the agency and its work. The agency has also promoted four people to managing partner. Lois Kettlewell and Nicola Murray will run the entertainment division and oversee women’s sports, production, experiential, social and creative output, while Jenny Mitton and Ross Watson will oversee the sports team.

LONDON – SEC Newgate UK has appointed Tom Nutt to the new role of practice head of The Lab, which brings together the agency’s digital, research, insight and campaigning teams. Nutt joins from Instinctif Partners, where he was a managing partner and head of corporate and campaigns.

LONDON — Strategic advisory consultancy Dentons Global Advisors (DGA) has made two senior hires. Ben Mitchell joins from Hanover Communications as an associate partner to bolster the firm’s growing health practice. Before joining DGA, he held roles at the European Parliament and the Delegation of the European Union to the US. Tim Saunders joins as an associate partner, after more than 10 years at Grayling building its technology, infrastructure and public procurement specialisms.

MANCHESTER — Smoking Gun has strengthened its senior leadership team with the appointment of Caroline Aspinall as commercial director and head of B2B. A former journalist, Aspinall joins from Manchester PR agency Democracy, where she was group commercial director. Since joining Smoking Gun last month, she has led a B2B new business drive and already won new clients in the property, finance and travel sectors.

LONDON — Food, drink, sports and lifestyle specialist agency Hatch has hired Aimee Crossland as its new digital PR lead. Crossland joins after four years at Wolfenden. In addition, Daniel Cayzer joins as paid social media specialist from Search Laboratory, and Matt Vowles and Jack Moore, have been promoted to head of content and head of social media respectively.

LONDON — Specialist property PR agency Building Relations has announced the hire of its first sustainability PR director, to help promote the best sustainable practices in the UK’s housing, property and construction industry. Natalie Daniels was previously at real estate company Savills, where she worked to raise the profile of its specialist ESG division, Savills Earth. She will also work with Building Relations clients across its London, Surrey and Edinburgh offices.