Cannes is not only the global stage for creativity — it’s also where the industry comes together.
We met Reda Raad, Group CEO of TBWA\RAAD, near the TBWA ice cream truck — the activation bringing Disruption® to life this week.
Reda has helped shape one of the Middle East’s most respected creative agencies. A true champion of the Disruption® mindset, he blends cultural insight with bold innovation to deliver globally recognized work. In this Q&A, he shares how the MENAT region is redefining creativity — and why its voice deserves a place on the world stage.
You have helped build TBWA\RAAD into one of the Middle East’s most respected creative networks. What personal principles have guided you through that transformation, and what are you most proud of today?
I’ve run on the same operating system since day one: stay in perpetual Beta, put people before profit, and be braver tomorrow than you were today. That means questioning every comfort zone, listening obsessively to our Pirates, and turning feedback into action. The payoff? Watching a four-desk start-up in Dubai grow into a region-shaping powerhouse that’s just been named Campaign‘s Best Place to Work Worlwide, certified by Great Place to Work®, and featured by Fast Company for three years running among the Most Innovative Companies and Best Workplaces for Women. But the real win is seeing our Pirates thrive. Disruption® is more than a methodology — it’s a mindset.
How do you apply that mindset in a region as diverse and dynamic as MENA?
Disruption® is an act of reinvention, not demolition. Luckily, the Middle East writes that playbook every day—Dubai builds islands in the sea, Saudi redraws desert skylines. Our job is to mirror that restless ambition: stay two steps ahead of norms, technology and expectation. We treat every brief as a live prototype. The region’s diversity — 200+ nationalities across every faith and dialect — keeps our ideas in continuous motion and our benchmarks global. In a neighborhood where the future is tested daily, complacency isn’t just risky — it’s irrelevant.
From Ramadan campaigns to regional social movements, the MENAT region has its own creative pulse. What role does local insight play in creating campaigns that truly resonate?
If a campaign isn’t rooted in local truths, it never gets off the ground. Ramadan is more than a media slot—it’s a mindset. Khaleeji humor lands differently from Maghrebi irony. We uncover these nuances through Backslash, our proprietary cultural-intelligence unit, and real-time social listening, then scale the insights globally — so a Saudi gaming collab for KFC or a Dubai-built Nissan CGI billboard can still strike a chord in São Paulo. In today’s scroll economy, work that moves at the speed of culture beats fleeting trends every time. Brands that stay in tune with people last; the rest fade.
Cannes Lions is a global stage for creativity. Why is it important for agencies from this region to be visible and celebrated in that space?
There’s no “global” and “local” stage anymore — there’s only one, always-on arena. When MENAT work wins at Cannes, it re-sets outdated perceptions and invites fresh investment, talent and trust into the region. Visibility builds momentum. Every Lion we bring home signals that world-class creativity can be born in Arabic, Urdu or French and still move markets in New York.
As we are here to celebrate creativity, is there a piece of work — either from your team or the industry—that recently reignited your passion for what creativity can achieve?
I’ve always had a soft spot for Apple’s Cannes entries, and this year “Flock”reignited that spark. One sharp insight, executed with flawless craft, turns the everyday into the extraordinary — reminding us why big ideas still win in an age of endless content. Whenever Apple lands a film like this, I’m pulled back to the Steve Jobs ethos that “impossible is nothing”, and my faith in the power of pure storytelling gets a fresh spark.
