Impact Day is one of UM’s most important institutions internationally and expresses the network’s long-standing commitment to creating positive social and environmental impact.

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: UM MENAT, part of MCN in the region under Omnicom, joined the worldwide UM network in marking its annual Global Impact Day, with teams dedicating their time to local communities and championing causes spanning people, animals, and the environment.

Under this year’s global theme, “Stand Against Bland. Act With Impact”, UM team members set aside their day-to-day work to lend their energy and expertise to local organisations and the causes they serve.

Across MENAT, teams in six markets translated the global initiative into locally led action:

In the UAE, volunteers spent the day with children and adults of determination at Senses Residential and Day Care for Special Needs, joining the centre’s educators and caregivers for art, music, sports, and educational activities. In Lebanon, the team visited SOS Children’s Villages, sharing games, dancing, and time with the children, while in Egypt, volunteers prepared food donations for the Islamic Al-Mowasat Association in El Waili and the residents of Dar El Hayah Nursing Homes, helping to provide essential supplies to those in need.

Elsewhere in the region, animal welfare and community giving took centre stage. UM Qatar supported the Qatar Animal Welfare Society (QAWS), with volunteers providing supplies and helping to walk, feed, and care for the animals at the shelter, and teams in Kuwait dedicated their day to the community’s stray cats, offering food, water, and care. UM KSA rounded off the region’s Impact Day with a donation drive, collecting clothing, shoes, toys, books, and children’s items to be distributed to people in need through its NGO partner, Sahem KSA.

Susan Kingston-Brown, UM’s Global Brand President, said: “Impact Day has always been one of the most special days in the UM calendar and one of the proudest moments as the head of this organisation. It is the day when thousands of UM people around the world step back from our daily routines and channel our energy, creativity and time into the communities in which we live and work. This is the essence of Stand Against Bland, at its most vibrant and authentic. Watching the actions that UM teams around the world are implementing this year, as well as the great organisations and communities they support, I am truly moved and amazed by the breadth and depth of their commitment. I wish everyone involved a day full of inspiration, meaningful contribution and positive impact.”

Joe Nicolas, CEO, UM MENAT, said: “Impact Day speaks to something already at the centre of our culture: the belief that we rise by lifting others. This day simply gives our people the space to bring that belief into action, reminding me how much heart there is in this team.”

Now in its ninth year, Impact Day remains a fixture in UM’s global calendar, with each edition deepening the network’s ties to the communities it calls home.