George Barsoum
George Barsoum
COO and Deputy CEO
Extend Group
Biography
Georges is a passionate brand builder with more than 26 years of experience in the fields of marketing, brand communication, and strategy. He is an avid industry practitioner, backed by strategy and planning experience, deep exposure to regional and global markets, and creative acumen to develop marketing and commercial innovation. He was able to contribute to the communication and outreach success of key global and regional brands and government organizations in Saudi and across the MENA region and beyond. Georges has a depth of experience in multiple categories such as FMCG, Telecom, Banking, Government and Semi-Gov, Retail, Automotive, Oil and Gas, and others.
He started his career in 1998 at JWT; then, since 2000, worked across many regional and global strategy and operational assignments at Leo Burnett until July 2015.
In August 2015, Georges was appointed as CEO of Y&R in the GCC region. And then in 2017, he was appointed as CEO of VMLY&R MENA region.
In January 2023, he founded AnarKey, a Strategy Advisory company in the Middle East.
In January 2024, Georges was appointed as COO, and Deputy CEO for Extend Group in Saudi Arabia; a group comprised of several companies in the fields of Creative, Strategy, Technology, Data Sciences, Media, Business Transformation, and Influencer Marketing.