Make the first move
We are the leading independent PR and Influencer Marketing agency in the region
Our Partners
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Gambit launched in 2019 with the objective of shaping stories, shifting perceptions, and setting the agenda
Trophies Won
Awards Nominations
Agency of the Year Wins
The GamePR, Communications & the Next Generation of Social Influence
Consultancy
Through strategic solutions, digital acumen, crisis communications and reputation management, we ask the right questions that will translate our client's vision into measurable results.
Creativity
Our award-winning work is based on the art of story telling. We find and shape the narratives that matter, for brands and for people.
Community
We activate campaigns across the social eco-system: hero influencers, content platforms, and IRL experiences.
DivisionsCharacter and Credibility
Atelier
[noun]:
- an artist's workshop or studio
- a place where creativity and craftsmanship meet
- a collective space for cultural expression
Pulse
[noun]:
- the rhythmic beat of the heart, a sign of life
- a strong, regular flow of energy or emotion
- the cultural tempo, what’s trending and what's next
Sage
[noun]:
- a profoundly wise person, especially one known for sound judgment
- a plant with grey-green leaves used for healing and calm
- a muted green color associated with sustainability and balance
FWD
[noun]:
- an abbreviation of “forward” — indicating progress and direction
- the fast-forward symbol — movement, acceleration, change
- a mindset — optimistic, energetic, always looking ahead
awards & recognition
Shaping the Standard of Success
MENA PR Young Lions 2026
ICCO Global Large Consultancy of the Year 2025
PRCA MENA
'Very Large Consultancy of the Year' and 'Very Large Independent Consultancy of the Year' 2025
Campaign Middle East 2025
Campaign Middle East Best Agency in UAE & Independent PR Agency of the Year 2025
Campaign Middle East . 2024
‘PR Agency of the Year’ 2024 and ‘Independent Agency of the Year’ 2024
MEPRA Awards 2024
HOMEGROWN AGENCY OF THE YEAR
MEPRA Awards 2024
MEDIUM AGENCY OF THE YEAR
PRCA of the Year 2024
PRCA Medium Agency of the Year 2024
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Cannes PR Young Lions 2023 - Gold
MENA PR Young Lions 2024 - Gold
The Players
Meet the Gambiteers
Jamal Al Mawed
Founder and CEO
Palestinian/British/Emirati hybrid with over 18 years’ experience handling the PR and Communications of multinational brands overseeing more than thirty countries, Jamal’s career before founding Gambit Communications took him to senior roles at leading brands such as Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and the Dubai Properties Group.
Gaurang Shah
Head of Finance
Senior Accountant with over two decades of experience in financial operations, Gaurang oversees the Finance department at Gambit Communications.
Tony Sidgwick
Account Director
PR, Corporate Communications and content development specialist with over 15 years’ experience in the region on both client and media side, Tony heads up Gambit FWD leading on property, corporate and automotive practices at Gambit Communications.
Dalia Baddar
Associate Integrated Communications Director
Tech expert of the Gambit team, leading on Gambit FWD’s integrated comms needs across major clients such as Samsung, Acer, SanDisk, LEGO, Lexus and more.
Alexandra Richards
Associate Account Director
Award-winning PR practitioner leading Gambit Atelier team on hospitality, luxury, lifestyle and culture clients including Essilor Luxottica, Marriott, Emirates Festival of Literature, Middle East Film & Comic Con and FIX Dessert Chocolatier (Dubai Chocolate).
Suzana Saoud
Associate Account Director
The B2B PR Queen, Suzana heads up Team Sage at Gambit, overseeing sectors that require niche knowledge such as fintech, cybersecurity, finance, sustainability, and law, handling brands such as Amazon Payment Services, Help AG (Etisalat Cybersecurity), RAKBank, FTI Consulting, Addleshaw Goddard and AUS.
Bassel Barakat
Senior Director
Bassel Barakat is a senior PR and media communications expert with over twelve years of experience advising regional and international brands across the Middle East.
Jana Al Jilani
Senior Account Manager
Palestinian-Jordanian PR professional helming the Gambit Pulse team, where she oversees a team of 10 on disruptive brands such as Red Bull, ASICS, lululemon, Porsche and the entire Majid Al Futtaim portfolio across retail, shopping malls and entertainment.
Showkat Rather
Associate Account Director
Seasoned communications expert with a specialization in Environmental, Social and Governmental (ESG) communications, Showkat leads on all sustainability-related PR at Gambit, bringing his experience to clients such as Sharjah Sustainable City, Veolia, Aramex, Deyaar and more.
Vanessa Olsson
Account Manager
Our hospitality and lifestyle queen, Swedish-born Vanessa brings an international perspective to her work on luxury clients across The Maldives, India and Indonesia, in sectors including hospitality, culture, entertainment and automotive.
Mariam Bouraoui
Account Manager
Mariam plays a key role in Gambit FWD’s automotive and property PR teams, applying her bilingual abilities and strong interpersonal skills to drive results for brands such as Toyota, Lexus, Geely, Deyaar, Omniyat and Property Finder.
Sara Al Dehni
Junior Integrated Communications Manager
Syrian superstar Sara is an integral part of Gambit’s Pulse team handling flagship clients including MAF Shopping Malls, Uber, Essilor Luxottica, lululemon and LEGO.
Shahnaz Al Jumaily
Junior Integrated Communications Manager
Shahnaz is part of Gambit Pulse, overseeing influencer marketing and experiential on the Majid Al Futtaim Group portfolio of shopping malls, including iconic destinations such as Mall of the Emirates and the City Centre brands.
Chloe Henshaw
Talent Development & Human Resources Specialist
Originally from Ireland, Chloe brings extensive HR and recruitment experience to her role at Gambit, having worked with the country’s largest property developer, where she developed and implemented strategies to attract, retain, and engage top talent
Baiju Sinkarajan
Executive Chauffeur
Bringing two decades of professional chauffeuring experience to Gambit, Baiju supports the leadership team to ensure that they are always on time!
Olufunke Akinwumi
Senior HR & Admin Executive
With experience in everything from script editing to sales and customer service, Olufunke brings a wide range of capabilities to her role as HR & Admin Executive at Gambit Communications.
Shahabin Kamarudheen
Senior Finance Executive
Indian finance professional with a background in accountancy and experience in agencies across media and FMCG sectors.
Aiham Soufi
Arabic Content Manager
Arabic content professional on the Gambit team, Aiham has a proven track record in translation and editing with 6+ years of experience.
Lakshmi Raikwal
Senior Finance Executive
Senior Finance Executive with 14+ years of experience in financial management and accounting. Proven expertise in financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, and compliance, with a strong focus on process optimization and automation.
Tala Maass
Senior Account Executive
Palestinian-German Superstar with an international
upbringing spanning UAE, Germany and The Netherlands, Tala
works on Gambit Sage team handling blue chip clients such as
Deloitte, Aramex and Amazon.
Vivian Weichler
Junior Account Manager
Luxury & Fashion PR expert from Germany, Vivian brings years of experience handling high-end watch brands, eyewear and hotels to the Atelier team, where she currently manages culture clients such as Emirates LitFest and Middle East Film & Comic Con and hospitality brands such as The Ozen Collection and Leela Palaces.
Aisha Almawed
Senior Account Executive
British-Palestinian raised in Dubai, with on-ground work experience in both UAE and UK, Aisha works on Gambit’s culture clients at Team Atelier supporting on the Emirates Festival of Literature, Middle East Film & Comic Con and FIX Dessert Chocolatier (Dubai Chocolate!).
Kate Elizabeth Simmons
Account Executive
is an Abu Dhabi-raised Brit who began her journey in the industry working with luxury fashion house Anya Hindmarch in London, before moving into fashion journalism in the UAE, writing for GRAZIA Middle East and Cosmopolitan Middle East
Mohammad Mardood
Account Executive
An Emirati national with expertise in government protocol and royal patronage, Mohammad is part of Gambit’s Atelier team, working on BMW, MINI, Ski Dubai and VOX Cinemas.
Mariem Elsayed
Junior Account Manager
A PR professional born and raised in the UAE, Mariem brings a passion for creativity and sharp storytelling to Gambit’s team, supporting key technology clients such as Samsung, Sandisk and Acer.
Shade Shalak
Junior Account Executive
German-Libyan PR Executive in Gambit’s Atelier team, Shade brings an international outlook to her clients including BMW, MINI, Ski Dubai, VOX Cinemas, The Ozen Collection and more.
Fadwa Sbai
Senior Integrated Communications Executive
Moroccan influencer queen, Fadwa is part of Gambit’s FWD team, overseeing brands such as LEGO, Geely and Lexus.
Mohammad Chaaban
Senior Account Executive
A Palestinian born and raised in the UAE, Mohammed works on Gambit’s FWD team engaging with tech media and YouTubers on brands such as Acer, SanDisk and Samsung.
Sally Shanableh
Junior Account Executive
Sally Shanableh is a Palestinian-Jordanian raised in Dubai.
As part of Gambit FWD team, she brings creativity and capability to
brands such as Lexus, Toyota, Geely, and Samsung.
Ahmad Ramadan
Account Executive
Graduate from the Rochester Institute of Technology with a BSc in Global Business Management, Ahmad works on Gambit’s FWD team handling automotive accounts.
Sarah Saoud
Integrated Communications Executive
Beirut-born and Dubai-based, Sarah is a marketing graduate from the American University of Sharjah with a minor in supply chain management. As part of Team FWD, she handles tech clients including Samsung, SanDisk and Acer.
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Lina Saeed
Junior Account Manager
Syrian PR professional born and raised in Dubai, Lina is part of Gambit’s FWD team, specializing in the property & real estate and automotive sectors. She joined Gambit following a stellar two years at the iconic Museum of The Future, as a team leader in the operations team.
Julie Yahfouf
Junior Account Executive
is a Dubai-born and raised Lebanese Magna Cum Laude graduate from the American University of Beirut with a degree in Media & Communications.
Larine Yassine
Account Executive
Raised in Dubai with Palestinian-Lebanese roots, Larine is part of Gambit’s FWD team, specializing in the property and real estate sector working on major brands such as Deyaar, OMNIYAT and Property Finder.
Anoud Hamzeh
Junior Account Executive
is a Palestinian-Jordanian fresh graduate from the American University of Sharjah with a degree in Mass Communication, specializing in Integrated Media Communications and a minor in Marketing.
Naya Mehanna
Junior Integrated Communications Executive
Lebanese graduate Naya is part of the Gambit Pulse team, bringing her skills to major lifestyle, entertainment, and retail clients including LEGO, Ski Dubai, Snow Abu Dhabi and VOX Cinemas.
Hana Sabri
Integrated Communications Executive
Honors graduate and valedictorian from the American University of Sharjah with a BA in Media Communications and Luxury Marketing, Hana is part of Gambit’s Integrated Communications team with impressive brands under her portfolio such as MAF Shopping Malls, MAF Lifestyle, Samsung, and Nike.
Jana Bunni
Account Executive
Syrian-Dominican, UAE born and raised, Jana brings a creative and disruptive approach to her work on Gambit Pulse clients such as McLaren, Nike, Red Bull, lululemon and more.
Alaa Arnaout
Integrated Communications Executive
Lebanese, born and raised in the UAE, Alaa is part of Gambit’s Integrated Communications team, where she works with key clients such as Uber, MAF Shopping Malls, MAF Lifestyle, and Marriott Bonvoy.
Miette D’Souza
Account Executive
India-born and UAE-raised, Miette blends her passion for fashion and luxury with her PR career. As part of Gambit’s PR team, she handles clients such as Majid Al Futtaim Shopping Malls, MAF Lifestyle and Uber.
Gazala Parker
Senior Account Executive
A Dubai-born and raised communications professional,
Gazala works across the Gambit Sage team supporting with media
relations, content development and integrated campaigns
Tala Chahal
Junior Account Executive
Awarded the Mohammed Bin Rashid School for
Communication Award for achieving the highest
academic standing in her class, as well as the Outstanding
Journalism Student Award.
In university, Tala produced and co-directed a
documentary and contributed to various multimedia projects,
demonstrating her skills in investigative reporting and storytelling.
Maryam Al Ansari
Junior Account Executive
Emirati born and raised, Maryam Al Ansari brings thoughtful storytelling to the world of PR. As part of Gambit’s Sage team, she works across accounts including Jumbo Group, AUS, Veolia, Help AG, Sharjah Sustainable City.
Stephanie Bechara
Junior Account Executive
Lithuanian-Lebanese PR professional working in
Gambit’s Team Sage, handling B2B and corporate clients.
Falah Al Zarei
Junior Account Executive
Half Emirati and half Tanzanian, Falah Al Zaraei was born and raised in the UAE and brings a thoughtful approach to storytelling and communications. As a member of Gambit Communications' FWD team, he works with technology clients such as Acer and SanDisk, supporting media relations, strategic communications, and impactful storytelling across the region.