Stepping up from Business Director at UM UAE, Khalil takes a Riyadh-based leadership role focused on talent, capabilities, and client growth in one of the region’s most ambitious and fast-evolving markets.

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2026, RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA: UM, part of Middle East Communications Network (MCN) in the MENAT region, has promoted Nashwa Khalil to General Manager, KSA. Based in Riyadh, Khalil steps into a leadership role centred on strengthening UM’s strategic position in the Kingdom and defining the agency’s next chapter.

In her new role, Khalil will drive UM KSA’s commercial ambitions across client growth and retention, agency operations, and team leadership, whilst championing the talent and culture that will keep the agency at the forefront of the Kingdom’s media landscape.

Khalil brings more than two decades of marketing and advertising experience spanning agency, client-side, and production environments across MENA, with career-defining roles at Procter & Gamble, UM Egypt, PromoMedia, and most recently as Business Director at UM UAE. Across each chapter of her career, she has led large-scale media and business transformation and delivered sustained growth for clients across FMCG, telecoms, and retail.

Commenting on her promotion, Nashwa Khalil said: “Having worked with UM across Egypt and the UAE – broadening my cultural insight and expanding my leadership scope – Saudi Arabia feels like the natural next step. I’m excited to be on the ground leading UM KSA’s next chapter, strengthening our capabilities, building a high‑performing team, and turning the market’s rapid transformation into a competitive edge for our clients.”

Khalil’s appointment follows a landmark year for UM KSA, recognised as Best Agency, Saudi Arabia at the Campaign Middle East Agency of the Year Awards 2025 – an accolade that signals the agency’s trajectory in an increasingly competitive market. 

Mohammad Mannaa, CEO, UM KSA, said: “Nashwa’s regional expertise, commercial acumen, and sharp strategic instincts make her the right person for this role. Saudi Arabia is at an extraordinary inflection point, and our clients need leadership that understands both the ambition of Vision 2030 and the nuance of delivering against it. I couldn’t be more confident in what she will build from here.”

As Saudi Arabia continues to redefine its place on the global stage, UM KSA remains steadfast in its pursuit of excellence, deepening client partnerships, cultivating homegrown talent, and driving growth with the agility, accountability, and ambition of a market defined by vision and possibility.