EY launches its EY Studio+ business in MENA to serve the CMO agenda
Global professional services firm EY has launched its EY Studio+ business in the MENA region, bringing together experts from across its practices to establish an end-to-end Chief Marketing Officer offering.
EY first launched its EY Studio+ business at the global level in June last year, when it brought together a long series of acquisitions (over 30) together under one roof. This included the likes of Blackdot, Doberman, Fabernovel, Freshworks, Italia Brand Group, Seren, and VODW.
EY Studio+ partners with leaders across the C-suite, with particular emphasis on the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), offering integrated consulting, sales & marketing, and technology expertise around the growth agenda and customer experience.
Launch in MENA
With the formal launch in the MENA, the group’s footprint is now expanded into over a dozen countries, while headcount grows to over 7,000 practitioners – strategists, designers, marketeers, consultants, data scientists, and technologists.
Commenting on the launch, Abdulaziz Al-Sowailim, MENA Chairman and CEO at EY, said: “As the region strengthens its global influence, governments and organizations are moving at unprecedented speed to meet economic priorities and transform how they serve citizens, customers and communities. From digital government services to modernized banking journeys and energy sector platforms, organizations are under pressure to deliver impact at speed.”
“EY Studio+ marks a pivotal change in enabling this progress, bringing together the best of EY’s global capabilities with deep regional understanding to help shape the future with confidence.”
In the MENA region, EY Studio+ opens for business with just over 200 people, yet the ambition is to rapidly scale that to over 1,200 professionals by 2030.
What differentiates the brand?
At EY Studio+’s launch event at the company’s regional headquarters in Riyadh, several of EY’s leaders unpacked on the benefits of bringing together its sales, marketing, design, and technology offerings under one go-to-market banner.
Serkan Memisoglu, MENA Studio+ Leader at EY, stated: “Our teams help organizations turn bold experience ambitions into measurable outcomes by combining human-centered design, AI-powered technology, and commercial insight. This integrated approach represents a fundamental shift in how experiences are conceived, delivered, and scaled – moving people, businesses, and markets forward.”
Omar Odeh, MENA Consulting Leader at EY, added: “Experience has become the defining source of competitive advantage, whether for a bank, an energy provider or a government entity. EY Studio+ supports clients end-to-end – from defining the experience they want to deliver, to making it real through technology, data and execution. This is not about strategy alone but delivering real impact.”
The launch of EY Studio+ follows the firm’s first regional deal since 2021 and the recent expansion of EY-Parthenon, the company’s strategy consulting and transactions business.
