DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES--(Marketwired - Sep 24, 2014) - Today sees the formal launch of Ogilvy CommonHealth Middle East & North Africa (OCH MENA), part of Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide (OCHWW), the health behavior experts of Ogilvy.

The official launch of the Dubai office was celebrated with an exclusive event for key stakeholders and senior clients at The Oberoi, Dubai. This is an important step in expanding the business model in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region. The Dubai operation will be led by Karen Kamel, Business Director, Ogilvy CommonHealth. She will directly report to Ronald Howes, Regional Managing Director, Memac Ogilvy.

Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide is a globally recognized leader in the field of healthcare communications. The network offers a full range of services to the industry, including professional and consumer advertising, sales promotion, medical education, digital health solutions, pharmacy channel planning and public relations.

The demand from the Middle East healthcare market continues to grow and the clients are constantly looking to engage with specialists that can offer 360 degree communications support. It is even more imperative that the Middle East healthcare practitioners take the growing demands of the clients seriously and respond creatively. With the ability to provide innovation and new thinking to existing and potential clients, it is a vital and a natural step to launch the new practice in the region.

The Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide offer brings together experts from health promotion, medical education, brand planning and creativity that are driven by deep insights into cultural and market trends. Armed with Ogilvy's global network and healthcare infrastructure understanding, scientific knowledge, technology and behavior change expertise, the practice is committed to providing creative and effective solutions for healthcare clients across the MENA region.

Gloria Gibbons, President, EAME Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide, said:

• "I am very much looking forward to building a powerful new offer in healthcare for the Middle East and North Africa region, with the opening of the Ogilvy CommonHealth office in Dubai. I strongly believe that there is a need for a more consumer-centric approach to medical and health communications that matches both the societal and healthcare organisational changes now enveloping the Middle East and the rest of the MENA region."

Edmond Moutran, Chairman & CEO Memac Ogilvy Group, commented:

• "Our clients operate in a multifaceted and complex industry, working hard to communicate with typically hard to reach audiences, so it's imperative that health, medical and pharmaceutical companies partner with an agency that comprehends the industry, its local dynamics and can deliver from strategy through to creative, technical development and build. We are very passionate and excited about this initiative and it's why we have introduced the practice in the region."