Ashwaq Al Shathri new leader of Publicis Sapient in Saudi Arabia

Global business transformation consultancy Publicis Sapient has named a new Country Managing Director for Saudi Arabia: Ashwaq Al Shathri.

Crossing from Microsoft, where she led the company’s government line of business in Saudi Arabia, Ashwaq Al Shathri has been tasked with expanding Publicis Sapient’s presence and track record in the Kingdom. She is based in Riyadh.

Al Shathri’s remit includes leading the strategic direction of the country business, overseeing client management and project delivery, as well as team development and community building. She also will represent the Saudi business within Publicis Sapient’s international network.

“I’m delighted to be joining the incredibly talented team of Publicis Sapient in Riyadh,” said Al Shathri. “The company’s unique capabilities in Strategy, Product, Experience, Engineering and Data and AI and solutions enable us to meet the challenges of our customers in KSA who want to accelerate their transformation and create new experiences and innovative services.”

Al Shathri brings over 15 years of experience to Publicis Sapient, gained in the world of technology (Oracle and Microsoft) and banking (Samba). She also has extensive experience as an entrepreneur.

“Ashwaq brings a wealth of expertise to Publicis Sapient. Her appointment as our Country Manging Director for Saudi Arabia will directly contribute to our continued business growth as we scale our expertise in the Middle East to better serve our clients and their customers and help them transform digitally,” said Srinivas Devulapalli, Managing Director for MENA at Publicis Sapient.

Nigel Vaz, the London-based CEO of Publicis Sapient, added: “In our ambition to invest and expand our footprint in the region, we’re thrilled to welcome Ashwaq to the team. Her experience in driving transformational work and growth, as well as her leadership skills, will have immediate impact in delivering value to our customers and attracting new business as we continue to scale.”

With over 20,000 people and over 53 offices worldwide, Publicis Sapient is one of the world’s larger business consulting and digital transformation companies. The firm is part of Paris-listed advertising giant Publicis Groupe.