R/GA has formally established its presence in Abu Dhabi, marking the creative innovation company’s expansion into the MENA region as demand for AI, technology and digital innovation continues to grow.
The new Abu Dhabi operation formalises more than a decade of R/GA’s work across the region and is intended to place the agency closer to the sovereign initiatives and AI infrastructure investments shaping the region’s next phase of growth.
The establishment of the local entity follows increasing demand from R/GA’s expanding regional client base. Over the years, the agency has worked with organisations including G42, Wio Bank, National Bank of Kuwait (NBK), Banque Saudi Fransi (BSF), Emirates NBD and Bank Al Etihad.
Its regional work has spanned brand system development, digital product launches and customer experience transformation for markets increasingly shaped by mobile-first behaviours and artificial intelligence. R/GA’s business in the region is continuing to expand through additional programmes with existing clients and new engagements across the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Bertrand Morin has been appointed Executive Director, MENA, R/GA, and will lead the regional business.
“We’re thrilled to formally establish our presence in the MENA market, following over ten years of servicing clients and building intelligent brand systems that deliver differentiation, customer value and growth.
“We’re excited to welcome an expanded team on the ground, and turn our award-winning work into a permanent commitment. We’re the region’s ‘newest oldest’ player, with the trust and the track record to prove it. This region always moves forward, it adapts fast, has huge resilience, and bets on innovation, and that’s exactly how we work too.”
The Abu Dhabi hub will support clients across MENA, with further hiring planned alongside additional expansion from 2027 onwards. The local presence is also expected to strengthen R/GA’s ability to work with UAE-based clients and apply emerging technologies to create more relevant experiences connecting brands and consumers.
The agency’s capabilities include developing custom AI models for brands, creating adaptive commerce experiences and designing personalised generative interfaces.
R/GA’s recent work with G42 provides an example of its regional innovation capabilities. Earlier this year, the agency worked with G42 on Alpha.G42.ai, a generative interface positioned as a new approach to how audiences interact with the web.
“At G42, we value partners willing to question the familiar, not simply improve it. With Alpha.G42.ai, R/GA helped us explore a more fundamental idea: in an agentic world, the interface between an organisation and its audiences no longer needs to be fixed; it can be generated, intelligent and responsive to intent. That thinking came out of Abu Dhabi and travelled globally. R/GA choosing to put down roots here is another signal of something important: the UAE is increasingly becoming a place where the next generation of ideas is not simply adopted, but imagined and built.”
The Abu Dhabi operation brings R/GA’s AI-focused creative and technology capabilities closer to one of the region’s growing innovation centres.
Globally, R/GA works across sectors including government and sovereign investment, financial services, AI and technology, health, and sport and entertainment. Its MENA expansion will connect the agency’s global expertise with regional clients while creating opportunities for MENA-based brands to take locally developed work to international audiences.
“Independence has been transformative for R/GA and it has given us the freedom to invest in new talent, build new capabilities, develop our own AI tools and products, and chart our own course,” said “And we chose to invest in setting up in Abu Dhabi because of the sovereign ambition and the AI infrastructure being built here. It’s an exciting market to be in and we’re looking forward to harnessing the potential of key technologies to help the region’s leading brands deepen their relationships with customers, and give them a reason to be loyal. We’ve always been driven by the mission ‘to design the future, not the familiar’, and that’s exactly what we hope to achieve in this market.”
R/GA’s regional expansion follows its return to private independence in partnership with Truelink Capital and is supported by a $50 million Innovation Fund. The company has also strengthened its technical capabilities through the acquisition of Addition, an AI system design and development studio.
The MENA operation is already active, while a dedicated formal office in Abu Dhabi is planned for later this year. R/GA is also progressing senior leadership appointments across creative and delivery as it expands its regional team.
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