Merkle welcomes Sameer Poonja to MENA leadership team

08 February 2024 Consultancy-me.com

Merkle has welcomed Sameer Poonja to its MENA leadership team in the role of Head of Experience and Platforms.

Bringing over two decades of experience to Merkle, the customer experience management arm of advertising giant dentsu, Sameer Poonja will lead the firm’s experience platform capability, with a focus on helping clients create omnichannel content-driven experiences.

In the Middle East, Merkle operates out of an office in Dubai (where Poonja also is based). Globally, the firm has more than 16,000 staff in 50+ offices.

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Sameer Poonja is Head of Experience and Platforms

“I am thrilled to join Merkle and embark on this exciting journey of shaping transformative digital experiences. By focusing on the ‘why’ I believe we can redefine the boundaries of what’s possible in the region’s digital landscape,” Poonja said.

“Merkle holds a distinctive position in the market, offering our clients a comprehensive blend of strategic insights, creative ingenuity, design and technical proficiency, and effective commercial strategies to advance their growth agendas.”

Prior to joining Merkle, Poonja served as a Senior Advisor at Roland Berger and Gulf International Bank, following a career that saw him hold roles in banking, aviation, payments, food & beverage, and hospitality.

Poonja’s career highlights include launching Emirates Airlines’ first consumer-facing application, building Canada’s first wireless machine with Coca-Cola, and spearheading the launch of Canada’s first cloud-based hotel management system. More recently, he also was an entrepreneur, co-founding Spades, a contactless web-based dine-in solution that earlier this year was acquired by rival Qlub.

“Sameer brings unparalleled experience and a proven track record in strategy, experience platforms and innovation,” said Andreas Skopal, Managing Director of Merkle in MENA. “I have no doubt that under his guardianship we will be able to set new standards in digital experience delivery to facilitate seamless interactions across digital touchpoints for our clients and their customers.”