Merkle appoints Andreas Skopal as managing director for MENA

Global marketing and customer experience consultancy Merkle has brought in seasoned management consultant Andreas Skopal to lead the firm’s Middle East and North Africa division.

Commenting on his move, Andreas Skopal said, “I am extremely excited to be joining a company like Merkle at a time when brands in the region are accelerating their focus on achieving a distinct competitive advantage through building experiences that truly deliver on their brand promise.”

Headquartered in the US, and part of global marketing and advertising agency Dentsu, Merkle helps clients across sectors with customer experience management, bringing together capabilities in areas such as marketing, branding, analytics, data, technology, commerce, and business transformation.

At the helm of the firm, Skopal’s focus will be to “bring together our depth in strategic and creative thinking, technical expertise and commercial execution, to help organizations deliver meaningful customer value.”

He brings over 20 years of experience to this ambition. Prior to joining, Skopal worked for Synpulse, a management and technology consulting firm dedicated to the financial services sector, where he was a Partner and Global Head of Innovation, Growth and Digital.

Previously, he spent over fifteen years at EY, PwC and Accenture. During this time, he worked across the MENA and APAC regions, and in his most senior role, he was a Partner at EY and a member of its Financial Services leadership team for the Middle East, Africa and India markets.

In between, Skopal held senior executive positions in major financial institutions in the Middle East, including serving as Chief Digital Officer at Gulf International Bank.

“We are delighted to welcome Andreas to the MENA executive team. His proven expertise in digital transformation, strategy and innovation, and passion for cultivating long term, outcome-based relationships will be instrumental in unlocking growth opportunities for both our clients and our team,” said Tarek Daouk, CEO of Dentsu in the MENA region.

“His distinctive combination of skills and experience aligns perfectly with Merkle’s vision of becoming a market leader in the customer experience and transformation space.”

Based out of the UAE, Skopal leads teams in Riyadh, Dubai, Cairo, and Beirut.