I’m Ahmed AlKarim, a Dubai-based Creative Director with more than ten years in art direction, integrated campaigns, brand storytelling and digital production across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and wider MENA.
I combine conceptual art direction with hands-on film, social and AI-enabled creative workflows, leading multidisciplinary teams from insight and idea through production, client presentation and delivery.
My experience spans government and destination brands, finance, FMCG, technology and entertainment. At Publicis Groupe / Leo Burnett MEA, I lead five creatives across more than five client accounts in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
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Integrated campaign concepts, creative and art direction, team leadership, mentoring and stakeholder presentations.
Film direction, post-production, social content systems and brand systems.
MENA cultural storytelling across government, destination, finance, technology and consumer brands.
AI-assisted ideation and production; generative image and video workflows, concept visualisation and storyboarding.
Aug 2023 — Present
Manager — Agile Creation
Lead five creatives across more than five UAE and Saudi client accounts. Develop campaign concepts, branded films, design, motion and agile social content. Connect strategy, account, creative and production teams from concept reviews through filming, editing and delivery. Work includes ADREC, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Samsung. Use generative AI for concept visualisation, storyboarding and content development.
2022 — 2023
Senior Art Director
Developed campaign and visual concepts with MarComms leadership. Took work from brief to approval and coordinated illustrators, photographers and specialist contributors across digital and brand communication.
2019 — 2022
Senior Art Director
Directed visual campaigns across platforms, shaping ideas with creative leadership. Led designers and content creators, presented work to clients and coordinated delivery across digital and traditional formats.
Apr 2015 — Aug 2017
Creative Art Director
Built campaign concepts, storyboards and visual executions for major consumer brands. Presented creative routes and worked with directors, photographers and illustrators to take approved concepts into production and launch.
Cairo, Egypt
Creative Art Director
Developed campaign concepts and led creative ideation across digital advertising briefs, from client presentation through final execution.
Dubai, UAE
Freelance Art Director
Created visual concepts for client campaign assignments, maintaining brand consistency through execution.
ADREC · ADIO · Mubadala · MBRIF · UAE government communications
AlUla · King Salman Park · Oxagon / NEOM · Experience Abu Dhabi
First Abu Dhabi Bank · Samsung · Meta · Asharq News
Pepsi · Lay’s · Chipsy · Lipton Ice Tea · Cheetos · Sadia · Ülker
Education
Art & Design Academy / Higher Institute of Applied Arts, Cairo
2025
Miami Ad School
2016
Levels 1–3
Production
DaVinci Resolve · Generative AI image/video workflows
Languages
Five Gold-winning campaign credits across MEPRA, Festival of Media MENA and MENA Effie, with further Silver and Bronze recognition.
2019 / MEPRA
Arizona State University & Al Ghurair Foundation
2019 / MEPRA
AlUla
2017 / Festival of Media MENA
Lipton Ice Tea
2016 / Festival of Media MENA
Chipsy
2015 / MENA Effie
Chipsy
2016 / MENA Effie
Lipton Ice Tea
2017 / MENA Effie
Pepsi
2016 / Festival of Media MENA
Misr El Kheir