Leading agencies from across the Middle East & Africa region have been honoured among the top winners at the Global Agency Leadership Awards (GALA) 2025, hosted in Bangkok recently. The awards gathered over eighty high-performing marketing agencies from more than thirty markets, recognising leadership in creativity, innovation and measurable performance.
Havas and Kotiva were both named The Fastest Growing Agency. While the former was recognised for its strong regional growth, the latter was recognised for its data-led approach to digital performance. Assembly and UM received The Launch of the Year award for a high-impact market rollout that combined insight-led planning and measurable brand lift and its data-driven campaigns across global and local clients. Skyscale Media, Magna and Strike Ads were awarded Top Performing Agency, reflecting their ability to deliver consistent return on ad spend across digital channels. Berth Technologies was recognised as the Rising Star for its real-time, metrics-driven growth marketing approach.
These achievements were celebrated alongside other winners from Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas at The Peninsula Hotel Bangkok, where global networks were present. This provided a neutral forum for agencies to exchange observations on AI-driven creativity, cultural localisation and data-led performance and define how modern advertising can work in this environment.
David Do Rosario, SVP Digital & Commerce, Havas, said: “Winning Fastest Growing Agency is a validation of how our teams across the UAE and Saudi Arabia approach the work: grounded in insight, disciplined in execution and accountable to real outcomes. Growth only matters when it is earned, and this recognition shows that our region can compete at a global level.”
Mohammed Shareef, Associate Director – Client Services, Skyscale Media said: “Winning Top Performing Agency award reflects the hard work and commitment of our teams in the Middle East. It shows that our focus on insight, strong execution, and real results truly pays off. This recognition proves that our region can perform at a global standard — and win.”
GALA 2025 welcomed global agencies from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, Vietnam, China, India, the United States and Brazil. The awards were judged by a group of independent international jurors with backgrounds across media, strategy and digital innovation.
The event theme, “AdTech Reimagined: Making Advertising Work Again,” featured expert talks on AI-powered creativity, cultural localisation and the ethical use of data. Sessions focused on how agencies can move beyond vanity metrics, design more meaningful customer journeys and build long-term trust in an environment where attention spans are shrinking and performance targets are rising.
Regional indicators reinforce the scale of change in the region
Internet penetration in the UAE and KSA stands at 99%, creating one of the world’s most connected advertising environments. Social media ad spending in MENA is projected to reach $7.66bn by 2030, with the UAE alone expected to grow to around $879.88m by 2030, driven by strong mobile behaviour and rising demand for personalised content.
With mounting pressure on performance, the wins for Havas, Kotiva, Assembly and Magna together with Strike Ads, Universal Media and Berth Technologies highlight how MEA agencies are rapidly raising the bar. Each winner demonstrates a commitment to advanced tools, disciplined optimisation and data-led thinking that delivers measurable growth and stronger returns on investment for clients across competitive markets.