The MENA Search Awards have been celebrating the search industry since 2017.
The awards are accredited ‘Outstanding’ by the Independent Awards Standards Council – Trust Mark Scheme, ensuring they’re ethical, transparent and respected.
Judged by esteemed industry experts who follow a robust two-step judging process that includes pre-scoring to establish the shortlist and panel discussion to determine winners and in some cases silver.
Adam GUERGUIS | Director of Product Development | Paystone
Based in Montreal, Adam has more than 10 years in search marketing and growth hacking experience. His latest job was Head of Operations for airbnb organic growth. He also has been working with very exciting brands in several industries, languages, and sizes like Yahoo!, MSN, Groupon, UNHCR, Skrill, Paysafe card, and others. Adam is also a digital marketing trainer, guest speaker, mentor, digital marketing blogger since 2010, and a MSc. Marketing Candidate. In his free time, Adam likes coding and reading about marketing,
Rejoice Ojiaku | Freelance SEO Specialist & Content Strategist |
Rejoice Ojiaku is an SEO Specialist & Content Strategist, as well as the Co-Founder of B-DigitalUK – a platform for showcasing and empowering black talent in the UK digital marketing scene. Her expertise lies in SEO, Diversity and inclusion, all bolstered by strong personal branding both online and offline.
Amanda Farley | VP of Growth | Aimclear
Amanda Farley is a marketer, performance strategist, and business success leader. She is VP of Growth at Aimclear®, a highly decorated, integrated marketing agency dominant in customer acquisition and winner of 17 US Search Awards including 5X most recent Best Integrated Agency. Aimclear's differentiator is the balance of holistic brand-builds, PR, data, and integrated performance marketing. Amanda’s experience includes 11+ years as Managing Partner running a 20-person integrated team which achieved national recognition. Her B2B and B2C marketing leadership experience runs deep in healthcare, professional services, ecommerce, and global IoT (smart homes, smart cities, smart cars, etc.). Her expertise extends international agriculture, food conglomerates, influencer driven ecommerce sales, automotive aftermarket diagnostic tooling and electric vehicle charging systems, finance, major non-profits, and other verticals.
Amel Zaaf | SEO Expert | Search Engine Optimization Manager | Paradox Group
Amel brings a wealth of international digital marketing experience, with a career that has taken her from France to the UK and now the UAE. She has worked in both small and large agencies, providing her with a diverse perspective on the ever-changing digital landscape. Amel has had the privilege of collaborating with influential players in the e-commerce fashion industry, where she led the development of comprehensive SEO strategies, driving significant growth. Innovation and creativity are at the heart of Amel's approach. She excels in finding innovative and creative solutions to complex digital marketing challenges. She has a strong track record in developing robust strategies to ensure maximum impact in the digital arena. Amel is currently leading the SEO efforts for Paradox Group, an organisation specialising in empowering individuals through self-development. Her journey reflects her unwavering commitment to continuous growth and her passion for delivering impactful results in the dynamic world of digital marketing.
Anju Anil | Head - Digital Marketing, eCommerce, and Loyalty | Bhima Middle East
Based in Dubai, Anju is a recognized leader in the digital marketing space, with a robust background that spans multiple facets of digital channels. She has developed expertise in key areas such as SEO, PPC, Content Marketing, Digital Performance Analytics, CRO, UX, and more. Anju’s strategic approach and deep knowledge have earned her a seat on the judging panel of prestigious industry awards, where she offers valuable insights into the latest trends and strategies. Her unique blend of technical fluency and marketing acumen makes her an influential figure and voice in the industry.
Abdelaziz Mohammed | Executive Director of Marketing & Growth | D360 Bank
Abdelaziz has been into the eCommerce space for 15 years now. He was working at Amazon as regional head of digital Marketing. Before Amazon he was heading central performance marketing team at Souq (acquired by Amazon). He was responsible for planning and budgeting marketing spend for MENA regions in Souq.com. Marketing, Ecommerce and Customer Experience professional with a proven track record of successfully improving digital performance for major brands within a variety of sectors in MENA region, including Dubizzle (OLX group), Souq (Amazon Middle East), Najm, H&M, Mother care, Victoria Secrets, Bath and Body Works and Emaar. Extensive experience of managing ecommerce websites (inc. +$1B turnover), leading large digital teams and driving cost effective marketing programmes.
Hafis Ismail | International SEO Consultant | Hafis.net
Hafis Ismail has been working in the digital industry for over 10 years, helping SMEs to multi-national corporations. Hafis always had the passion for search marketing and for bringing together other channels to ensure that companies take a holistic approach to their digital marketing. Having worked both in-house, as well as on the agency side, he has worked with very exciting brands in several industries, including Nivea, Dolbey, Keller Williams, Hertz, and Dermacol to name a few. He is currently advising Ecommerce companies with international organic growth strategies as an independent SEO consultant.
Mohammadreza Hasanpour | SEO Lead | Snapp
Mohammadreza began as a digital advertiser, transitioning to a digital marketer one year later. Now, he has over 7 years of SEO and digital marketing experience in organizations of all sizes and various industries, including the most competitive markets of insurance, health, finance, etc. He currently works as a senior SEO Lead at Snapp. Although he worked as an SEO freelancer for some time, he has been entirely devoted to in-house SEO for almost 4 years. His expertise lies in technical SEO and strategy. Lately, he has been practicing SEO automation and ML.
Jaaved Khatree | SEO Consultant | Jambread
Jaaved runs Jambread, a bespoke SEO consultancy in Dubai that focuses on reliable SEO advice you can launch a rocket from. Constantly curious, with an insatiable appetite for all things digital, Jaaved is always looking for answers which is why he excels in Search. Jaaved first went online in the mid 90s and has been connected ever since. An SEO competition in 2004 piqued his interest in Search Marketing and after dabbling in PPC and eventually moving into SEO, he hasn’t looked back. Jaaved was a founding staff member of Dejan SEO, a renowned Australian SEO agency and has served hundreds of clients in his native Australia, New Zealand and across the MENA region. In his 17+ years in Search, he’s worked across just about every industry with notable brands such as Etihad Airways, Atlantis The Palm Dubai, Fuji Xerox Australia, Gulf News, OSN, The Property Finder Group (MENA), The First Group, Spinneys, Waitrose as well as hundreds of small businesses and startups from around the world.
Jamie Crawford | Head of Performance | Chalhoub Group
Jamie is a results-driven professional boasting over 15 years of expertise in the dynamic realms of digital marketing and ecommerce. With a diverse portfolio spanning multiple sectors within the retail and ecommerce industry, Jamie has had the privilege of working with some of the world's most prestigious brands. His passion lies in collaborating with these brands to meticulously craft, execute, and refine their digital strategies across all digital channels, ensuring a tailored and effective approach.
Jayesh Jain | Sr. Manager SEO | PHD - Omnicom Media Group
Jayesh Jain is a seasoned SEO expert at PHD Media, part of Omnicom Media Group, with extensive experience in the MENA region. His expertise spans both global brand agencies and client-side roles, making him a versatile digital strategist. Known for his results-oriented approach, Jayesh has successfully driven search growth for some of the world's most recognizable brands in fiercely competitive industries. His portfolio includes working with renowned names like H&M, Victoria’s Secret, Foot Locker, The Body Shop, Thomas Cook, Acer, Carrefour, and more. Jayesh holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media and an MBA in Marketing.
Jonathan Fisher | Head of Paid Search | CAVU
With over 16 years of Paid Search experience client, agency and vendor side, Jon has worked to develop & implement Paid Media strategies for big brands (Booking.com) and agencies (Dentsu/Bring Digital), specialising in the Travel sector. Creating teams & structures that are built for success, developing the right foundations for long term digital growth & success are his speciality, and what he has grown a strong reputation for delivering. He is currently the Head of Paid Search for CAVU, part of the MAG group, working on developing the proposition of a unique agency in the Travel space. Working directly with owned & managed Airports alongside owned & operated OTA brands, his industry knowledge is crucial to providing the Paid channel solutions to CAVU’s partners
Krzysztof Marzec | CEO of DevaGroup, Technical SEO, Google Ads & Analytics Trainer |
Head of 300+ clients agency with 16+ years of SEM experience. One of the top Google Ads & Analytics Trainers in Poland. Selected by Google for Google Partners Academy project and Big6 project. Certified in both Google Ads and Google Analytics as an individual professional. 7+ years of experience in one of Poland's largest sites - Interia.pl (Head of SEO). Lecturer at Jagiellonian University, AGH University of Science and Technology, and the Tischner European University. Speaker at dozens of conferences recently won 1st place at SEO and 1st place at SEM days at largest polish conference I love marketing. Founder and organizer of semKRK, BarCamp gathering up to 500 participants of the SEM industry.
Krzysztof Wroński | GOOGLE ADS AND ANALYTICS TRAINER AND CERTIFIED SPECIALIST |
Google Ads and Analytics Trainer and Certified Specialist. Co-owner and CEO at Marafiki.agency - digital marketing agency. From 2013 till the end of the project in 2018 he was one of 20ish Google AdWords Certified Trainers, working for Google to train hundreds of specialists from agencies with Google Partner status. Writes articles in professional magazines such as Marketer+ and Magazyn Online Marketing Polska. Gives public speaches and conducts workshops on many professional events and conferences. Lectures at postgraduate studies. Works with clients from all over Europe, USA and Australia.
Lada Kalashnickova | Head of SEO | COPYBET EU LTD
Lada has worked in digital marketing since 2003. She specializes in all aspects of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), with a focus on technical SEO, multilingual search and mobile optimization. Her clients have included Starco, Action-MCFR, and Artec 3D. Lada worked as a Global Head of SEO in Acronis, then she was a Head of SEO at SEMRush. Lada now works as the Head of SEO/ASO in CopyBet EU Ltd, the first social betting platform founded in 2015. CopyBet is a fast-growing tech company, focused on providing the best experience for their customers while following the principles of Transparency and Fair Trade. Lada enjoys lifetime studying; most recently on topics around data, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning. Her favorite tools are Excel, GWT, GA, Yandex Metrica and brains. Outside of work, she enjoys travelling, yoga, and Japanese Art. Definitely a cat person.
Mariam Abu Bakr | Global SEO Manager | Philips (Versuni)
Mariam Abubakr is an adept SEO professional based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, currently serving as the Global SEO Manager at Philips (Versuni). While she now navigates territories on a global scale, Mariam's roots and early triumphs blossomed in the vibrant MENA region, where she led impactful SEO campaigns for esteemed clients like Jaguar Land Rover, General Electric, Bosch, Accor Hotels, and Virgin Megastore. Her expertise spans various industries, with a proven track record of successful SEO strategies. Mariam's passion for SEO prompted her to explore new horizons, making her a valuable asset in recognizing and celebrating the outstanding achievements of the MENA search community.
Mayer Reich | Co-Founder | RankAbove
Murat Yatagan | SEO Consultant |
Murat Yatağan is a proven product marketing and growth strategy leader. He has led optimization, product management, analytics, and growth strategy at companies such as Brainly, Global Savings Group, and Google. Currently, Murat is an advisor that provides strategic counseling to businesses on building and maintaining growth. He was the Vice President of Growth at Brainly, focused on building and scaling high-performing growth teams and helping to bring Brainly more unique users globally. He helped Brainly grow from 80M to 400M MUU in less than 4 years. Previously, he was a Director for Global Savings Group, helping to make their 80+ platforms more visible on Google SERP. Prior to that, he led webspam policy enforcement for a few EMEA markets at Google
Rafay Qureshi | Head of SEO Product | Rain
Meet Rafay Qureshi, A Result-Oriented Online Marketeer and Trainer. Rafay has been into SEO, ASO & all things that come under the organic growth field. Having worked from Local Start ups to Start ups from Y combinator to AliBaba Group to Rocket Internet, Rafay currently Heads the Organic Growth Team at Seera Group. Always striving for Automations, Scalability & Product optimization, Rafay has worked on all sorts of products from e-commerce, B2B, FMCGs, SAAS & Financial Institutions. Rafay is an all-rounder organic growth geek in the e-commerce industry and when he’s not working, he’s playing video games.
Reyhaneh Jafari | | On-page SEO Specialist
Sabiha Shakil | Global Marketing Consultant | Nisa Digital FZE-LLC
Sabiha is a Marketing Consultant with 20 years of experience across the globe. Based out of Dubai, she has an international marketing background having developed B2B and B2C marketing strategies across geographies and sectors. She has provided business and marketing strategy advice to all kinds of businesses- from Startups to Multi-National Corporations. Sabiha is a member and mentor of the Women in TechSEO community and Dubai Business Women Council. Sabiha also has spoken at various international events and has judged industry awards like the Global Marketing Awards, APAC Search Awards, Global Search Awards and many more. Aside from marketing, Sabiha loves to travel and has been to over 40 countries. She's also a certified Hatha Yoga and Prenatal Yoga Teacher.
Shadi K. Kandil | Regional Head of Free Search | Amazon
Shadi is a digital business development and search marketing expert with over a decade of experience in the online marketing sector. He is the Head of Free Search for the MENA region at Amazon and the Founder of Godayuse.com. His experience in digital opportunities and search marketing has allowed him to have a dynamic career and work across various industries including e-commerce, retail, publishing, music, hospitality and hardware. Shadi has honed his skills in optimizing online strategies that achieve exceptional results through his passion for innovation and dedication to continuously raising the bar. He also holds a Business Analytics certificate from Harvard Business School, and worked previously as a Regional SEO/ASO Manager at Majid All Futtaim Carrefour, Digital Brand Development Manager for Awakening Music and Country Webmaster for ASUS.
Trond Lyngbo | Senior SEO Consultant | SEARCH PLANET AS
Trond Lyngbø is the founder of Search Planet and a senior SEO Consultant. He has over two decades of experience in SEO, e-commerce, content strategy and digital analysis. His clients include multinational Fortune 500 corporations and major Norwegian companies. Trond has helped grow businesses through more effective search marketing and SEO strategies. He is most passionate about working with e-commerce companies and web shops to develop and expand their omni-channel marketing initiatives.
Zbigniew Nowicki | Co-Managing Director | Bluerank
Zbigniew has been working in the digital industry for over 20 years, advising market leaders and innovators. Co-owner of Bluerank, awarded the "Best Large Integrated Search Agency" in the European Search Awards 2017 competition. Founder of CEE Digital Alliance and Digital Alliance Int. - business partnerships of independent digital agencies in Europe. Pioneer of research on customer experience and user satisfaction, co-founder of the opiniac.com platform. Speaker at digital conferences in Poland and abroad. Privately - double happy dad, ultramarathon runner, keen on hard rock and Labrador Retriever dogs.
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"We would like to acknowledge the MENA Search Awards community, thank them for their support, and express that we are ecstatic to have become a part of this amazing family." Kriko
"The encouragement of the MENA Search Awards to urge people and companies to share and reproduce sectoral information and to visualize our success has been one of our biggest sources of motivation in this process." Kriko
"Being validated by the likes of MENA Search Awards and amongst such stiff well-accomplished competitors is something that’s made us incredibly proud, bonded our team further and has been exceptionally well received by our customers."Mickey Llew
"The MENA Search Awards stand out for their commitment to transparency, fairness, and timely communication. Participating in these awards was a valuable and enriching experience for us at Markethinkers Agency. The clear guidelines, prompt responses to queries, and the unbiased approach to awarding excellence set a high standard for industry awards It also helped us to increase our recognition in the region and find new prospects accordingly."Çağatay Yazıcı, Global SEO Director Markethinkers
"The APAC Search Awards are not only about recognition for great work but also about pushing ourselves to constantly improve and deliver outstanding results for our clients. By highlighting those who are doing extraordinary things in the digital space, these awards lift up the entire industry."Emily Bencsics, Marketing & Digital Specialist MEGANTIC
