Billups the leading independent Out-of-Home (OOH) managed services agency, today announced the appointment of four senior leaders to drive growth across the Australia and New Zealand, and Europe and Middle East regions. David Hawkins has been named Managing Director, Middle East; Wissam El Rayess as Business Director, Middle East; Nicci Loudon as Business Director, ANZ; and Kirstie Caldwell as
Account Director, ANZ. These appointments are part of a strategic expansion that includes
acquiring four OOH agencies worldwide in the past year and a remarkable 123% revenue growth
over the past three years. billups also recently named Claudia Valderrama as Global Chief
Operating Officer and Ben Milne as Chief Executive Officer for the Asia-Pacific region.
David Hawkins, previously with JCDecaux, brings a wealth of experience in the OOH media
industry. As Managing Director, he will lead the Middle East operations, focusing on expanding
billups’ presence in the region and delivering value to clients. Hawkins will be based in Dubai.
Wissam El Rayess, also joining from JCDecaux, has a strong background in agency relations and
commercial partnerships. As Business Director, Middle East, El Rayess will drive business
development initiatives and strengthen client relationships in this dynamic market. He will also
be based in Dubai.
Nicci Loudon, formerly at Talon Outdoor, has extensive expertise in client services and business
development. As Business Director, ANZ, Loudon will oversee regional operations and growth
strategies. She will be based in Melbourne. Kirstie Caldwell, with a successful track record at JCDecaux Australia and Talon, will serve as Account Director, ANZ. Caldwell will focus on enhancing client engagement and optimizing campaign performance for clients. She will be based in Sydney.
Hawkins and El Rayess will report to James McEwan, CEO, EMEA. Loudon and Caldwell will
report to Ben Milne, CEO, APAC, who recently joined billups from dentsu.
“David, Wissam, Nicci, and Kirstie each bring strong market expertise and talent to billups as we
continue our global expansion,” said David Krupp, Global CEO at billups. “Their appointments
represent a significant step in our mission to make all Out-of-Home advertising accessible and
accountable. With their leadership, we are poised to deliver even greater value to our clients by
providing consistent in-house billups services and measurement across international activations.”

“billups has an opportunity to elevate the Middle East’s Out-of-Home advertising potential
through advanced technology and data-driven insights,” said David Hawkins, Managing
Director, Middle East at billups. “As the Middle East embraces digital transformation, billups’
expertise in programmatic buying and analytics will help our clients effectively reach their target
audiences. Wissam El Rayess and the team will leverage our experience to support growth and
impactful campaigns in this pivotal time for the industry.”
” look forward to returning to Australia and supporting billups’ focus on Out-of-Home
optimization and analytics by applying my local and international experience” said Nicci
Loudon, Business Director, ANZ at billups. “Ben Poole, Rohan Prasad, Kirstie Caldwell, and I
will foster a collaborative culture with clients in the vibrant OOH sector.”

Saudi traditional arts are set to reach new global audiences as the Royal Institute of Traditional Arts (Wrth) participates in the Saudi Cultural Week in Greece from September 27 to October 1. The event, titled “The Heritage of Two Cultures,” explores Saudi heritage through the lens of ‘Al-Qatt Al-Asiri’ art. Wrth offers a series of interactive workshops, including a highlight on the creation of natural dyes and gypsum carving arts with workshops and hands-on community artworks. As part of Culture Week, five talented Saudi artists lead interactive workshops showcasing the art of gypsum carving with
traditional ‘Asiri’ patterns. This unique art form gained international recognition after being inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2017. Alongside these workshops, visitors can explore the world of natural dyes and witness the skill of Saudi artisans firsthand. A dedicated Wrth pavilion invites participants to join in creating a community artwork by coloring traditional ‘Asiri’ patterns with natural-pigmented dyes. The institution international participation never fails to capture global attention,
with visitors eager to engage in hands-on artistic experiences rooted in a rich cultural heritage like that of Saudi Arabia.
Moreover, the presence of Saudi artists often fuels curiosity and sparks conversations, as art enthusiasts from around the world seek to understand the cultural and natural inspirations behind this vibrant and diverse artistic tradition. International art collaborations play a pivotal role in fostering connections between artists and highlighting the universal appeal of traditional art forms. By blending geometric and botanical motifs from both Greece and Saudi Arabia, these exchanges promote cultural exchange and enhance the global visibility of Saudi art. Furthermore, these initiatives empower Saudi artists with a platform to reach new audiences and strengthen the international presence of Saudi art.

The Advisory Council of TRENDS Research and Advisory held its first meeting
following its reformation for the 2024/2025 as part of ongoing efforts to enhance
performance and strengthen the Center’s position as a leading global research
authority.
At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ali, CEO of
TRENDS and Chairman of the Advisory Council, welcomed the new Council
members, expressing his appreciation for their joining. He affirmed that their
membership would be a valuable and significant addition to supporting the
Center’s work and achieving its ambitious goals in the upcoming period.
Dr. Al-Ali emphasized the importance of this meeting in outlining the next phase
for the Center. He stated, “At TRENDS Research and Advisory, we have ensured
that the advisory body is diverse and reflects different intellectual and research
schools, from the East and the West, as well as from our Middle East, because at
TRENDS, we work according to a global vision and orientation. We strive to be a
bridge for intellectual and knowledge dialogue between the East and the West, and
a platform for effective global research collaboration”.

He provided a brief overview of the Center, explaining that TRENDS is an
independent, private research institution founded in Abu Dhabi in 2014, yet it
carries a global vision and orientation.
Dr. Mohammed Al-Ali mentioned that TRENDS has two main arms: the first is a
research arm that supports rigorous and solid scientific research through 16
research programs covering various economic, political and strategic fields,
including issues of technology and artificial intelligence. We have a diverse range
of publications, including original and translated books in 16 major languages, as
well as specialized scientific series. We publish our studies daily on the Center’s
website, which are written by more than 200 resident and non-resident researchers,
reflecting the world’s different cultures.
He added that the second arm is advisory, providing a variety of consulting
services to many UAE and international bodies and institutions, including
specialized advisory reports and studies, public opinion polls, and training and
qualification programs.
The CEO of TRENDS confirmed that the Center aims to enhance and multiply
these achievements and successes in the coming phase. The support of the
distinguished Advisory Council members will certainly play a crucial role in
realizing its future ambitions, especially in providing constructive advice and
recommendations that enhance the Center’s competitiveness in delivering
pioneering and unique research, fostering innovation and leadership in research
work, solidifying the Center’s position on the global research stage, and
strengthening its active presence and participation in various regional and
international forums, elevating the research and advisory services it offers
according to the highest international standards.
During the meeting, the Council members reviewed TRENDS’ outputs over the
past years and the Center’s strategic plans for the next phase to enhance its
outcomes and role and reaffirm its regional and global leadership

The meeting took place on the eve of the Center’s celebration of its 10 th
anniversary. The Advisory Council members congratulated TRENDS on the
occasion of a decade since its founding and appreciated being selected for the new
Council formation. They affirmed that TRENDS has become a global authority in
the journey of scientific research through its solid research, precise analyses and
modern approaches.
They stated that they would work diligently to support TRENDS’ vision of
empowering research and consultancy to achieve sustainable development goals,
as well as to enhance the spirit of innovation and leadership, thereby solidifying
the Center’s position on the global research stage. They added that they would
strive to support strategies for research, development and training by providing
constructive advice and recommendations that enhance the Center’s
competitiveness in delivering pioneering and unique research that adds value to the
research community.
The newly formed Advisory Council includes a distinguished group of academic
and prominent figures, including H.E. Abdullah Majed Al Ali, Director General of
the National Library and Archives; H.E. Dr. Faisal Obaid Al Ayyan, Director of
the Higher Colleges of Technology; H.E. Nickolay Mladenov, Director General of
the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy; H.E. Dr. Ali Saeed bin Harmal Al
Dhaheri, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Abu Dhabi University; H.E.
Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, Managing Director and Group CEO of ADNEC Group;
H.E. Salem Saeed Al Saeedi, Vice President of Rabdan Academy; H.E. Dr. Khalifa
Mubarak Al Dhaheri, Chancellor of Mohamed Bin Zayed University for
Humanities; Eng. Jassim Mohammed Al Hosani, Advisor to the Chairman of the
Department of Economic Development in Abu Dhabi; and Dr. Hamad Al Kaabi,
CEO of Aletihad News Center.
The Advisory Council also includes H.E. Ambassador (Retired) Marcelle M.
Wahba, former U.S. Ambassador to the UAE and President Emeritus of the Gulf
Arab States Institute in Washington, Dr. Fatima Saeed Al Shamsi, Deputy
Executive Director for Administrative Affairs at Sorbonne University, Professor

João Bosco Monte, President of the Brazil African Institute, Dr. Pascal Boniface,
Director of the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs, and
Professor Khalil Luo Lin, Dean of the School of Middle Eastern Studies at the
Beijing Language and Culture University, as well as the Council’s rapporteur
Abdulhadi Al Hammadi, Head of Public Relations and Media Sector and Office
Director of the CEO.