Head of Brand Marketing

IMI is a privately-owned, global media group headquartered in Abu Dhabi, UAE, with operations across 19 countries. Our portfolio includes renowned media brands such as Sky News Arabia as part of a joint venture with Sky UK, The National, Al-Ain News, CNN Business Arabic, and a minority stake in Euronews.

Additionally, through Redbird IMI, our joint venture with Redbird Capital Partners, we invest in leading media, sports, and entertainment brands worldwide. We bring the world closer by sharing stories that open minds, connect people, and enrich lives, empowering audiences with news, knowledge, and factual entertainment.

Role Summary:

The Head of Brand Marketing leads the strategic development and delivery of brand marketing initiatives across all IMI assets – broadcast, digital, print platforms - as well as the corporate brand. Operating within a centralized marketing function, the role ensures each asset’s marketing strategy aligns with the group’s overarching vision while maintaining distinctive brand identities.

This position plays a critical role in increasing audience engagement, enhancing brand equity, and ensuring IMI’s assets remain front of mind across the region. The successful candidate will bring a deep understanding of media and content-led marketing and a proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and external partners to deliver impactful and measurable results.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and lead annual and quarterly brand marketing strategies that support brand awareness, audience growth, engagement, and reach across all IMI assets.
• Balance group-level brand consistency with asset-level differentiation in positioning, messaging, and creative approach.
• Plan and oversee the end-to-end delivery of integrated campaigns across digital, social, print, broadcast, and experiential platforms, from brief development to post-campaign analysis.
• Define clear objectives and KPIs, ensuring all campaigns are insight-driven, measurable, and aligned with business goals.
• Identify and negotiate media partnerships that extend reach, strengthen positioning, and create co-branded opportunities for the group and its assets.
• Support in the development and execution of brand activations, sponsorships, and experiential events that enhance audience connection and brand equity.
• Ensure consistency in brand identity and messaging across all marketing and communications touchpoints and platforms.
• Lead the internal brand marketing team, providing direction, coaching, and performance oversight.
• Manage external agencies and partners to deliver high-quality creative content on time and within budget.
• Use data, research, and audience insights to inform campaign development, evaluate performance, and refine future strategies.
• Drive return on investment (ROI) by monitoring effectiveness, optimizing spend, and continuously improving campaign performance.
• Manage the brand marketing budget, ensuring resources are allocated efficiently across assets and platforms.
• Maintain strong relationships with GMs, EICs, product leads, sales teams, and communications to ensure alignment of priorities.
• Facilitate regular planning and review sessions between the centralized marketing team and the asset owners.
• Keep up to date with industry trends, audience behaviors, and platform developments to keep IMI’s brand marketing forward-thinking and competitive.

Key Skills, Experience, and Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Media, or a related field; Master’s degree is preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years’ experience in brand marketing, including at least 3+ years in a senior managerial role within the media, publishing, or digital content space.
• Proven ability to develop and execute brand strategies and integrated campaigns across multiple platforms.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with experience embedding marketing into editorial and product workflow.
• Strong understanding of audience behavior, segmentation, and content engagement across digital, broadcast, and print media in the MENA region.
• Demonstrated experience in leading and mentoring high-performing teams, managing agencies, and overseeing complex projects end to end.
• Commercial acumen with experience managing sizeable marketing budgets and optimizing for ROI.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Data- and insight-led, with a strong understanding of campaign performance metrics, digital analytics tools, and audience insight platforms.
• Fluent in both Arabic and English (written and spoken).
• High level of organization, strategic thinking, and ability to thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.