Ready to play again? Squid Game arrives in Saudi Arabia The Pink Guards are here, and they’re turning the terminal into their playground!

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 10 November 2025: BPG Group, one of the region’s leading integrated marketing communications agencies and a member of the global WPP network, has announced the appointment of Tim Baker as President, BPG Arabia, to lead the agency’s operations and strengthen its digital-first and integrated by intent offering across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Tim Baker brings over two decades of unparalleled communications leadership, having architected and scaled some of the most successful digital and integrated agencies across the UK and GCC. His proven expertise in driving growth and innovation positions him perfectly to lead BPG Arabia’s ambitious expansion.  

In his new role, Tim will lead BPG's expansion in Saudi Arabia, enhance integration across strategy, creative, content, PR, social and technology, and work closely with clients to deliver data-driven, digital-first, insight-led communications to support the Kingdom’s ambitions.

Commenting on his appointment, Baker said, "Returning to the region to lead BPG in Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s most dynamic and ambitious markets, is incredibly exciting. The Kingdom is rapidly transforming, with creativity and technology converging to offer immense potential for brands and agencies willing to innovate.  

He added, “Ironically, it was digital that brought me to BPG; after posting my career ambitions on LinkedIn, I met Avi Bhojani online the very next day, and within six days, I accepted this new challenge. This remarkable speed and agility in making the offer, directly following our digital connection, truly impressed me. It showcased an agile, forward-thinking management team ready to make quick decisions, precisely what agencies need to succeed in today's dynamic climate. BPG embodies a unique blend, an established reputation and scale, bolstered by WPP, yet with the agility and ambition of a digital-first startup. Meeting the senior management team so quickly confirmed the innovative spirit of the team I'm joining. I am eager to work with BPG Group to further establish our footprint here and deliver our renewed digital-first, integrated solutions for clients across Saudi Arabia.”

Welcoming him to the leadership team, Avi Bhojani, Group CEO, BPG Group, said, “Tim is precisely the entrepreneurial leader BPG needs. As a digital native business builder, his arrival marks a pivotal moment for our Group. His distinguished track record, honed through years of scaling agencies including his time with a WPP sibling agency in

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MENA, makes him the perfect leader to not only elevate our young BPG Arabia practice but also to strategically partner and collaborate with our leadership in UAE and Kuwait. Together, we will contemporize and digitize our 45-year legacy, embedding AI at our core, cementing BPG Group at the forefront of marcom innovation across the region.”

Tim began his career in the UK during the dot-com boom, working with Nestlé UK and Initiative Media London, where he led European strategy for Unilever. In 2005, Tim relocated to Dubai and was responsible for growing Initiative Media across the GCC, before co-founding hug digital in 2010. hug became one of the region's earliest digital agencies as it grew to 200 staff in Dubai, Riyadh, Cairo, and India, before being sold to WPP in 2018 and integrated into the AKQA network.

With Tim at the helm, BPG Arabia is poised to accelerate its growth trajectory, combining creativity, data, and technology to enable clients to engage effectively with Saudi audiences in an era marked by innovation and transformation.

BPG Arabia is a dynamic, integrated marketing communications agency with operations in Riyadh and Jeddah. We serve a growing portfolio of clients across these key Saudi cities, driven by a young, motivated, and digital-first team comprising talented Saudi Nationals and Arab expats on the ground. Our local expertise is powerfully amplified by the full-service capabilities of our teams in Dubai and Kuwait, alongside dedicated cloud-based resources in Egypt and Asia, ensuring comprehensive and innovative solutions for our clients.

About BPG Group:

For over four decades, BPG Group (formerly Bates PanGulf) has helped brands transform, succeed, and win in a changing world. A WPP company, our digital-first approach and innovative solutions deliver success for exceptional clients. We bring together global talent, local expertise and future-focused capabilities to craft smart solutions for evolving marketing agendas. Inspired by culture, powered by insights, human by design and integrated by intent – we are BPG.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – 10 November 2025: Lean Business Services, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and the Kingdom’s leading provider of integrated health and wellbeing solutions, has announced its contribution to the implementation of the first phase of the Ministry of Defense's digital health transformation program, which the Ministry recently inaugurated. This phase included the development and launch of the "Sehhatek" application, aimed at the Ministry's personnel and their families, as part of a strategic partnership and joint efforts to build an integrated digital health ecosystem aligned with the objectives of the National Transformation Program and Saudi Vision 2030.

The "Sehhatek" application is the first of the four main tracks of the Ministry of Defense's digital health transformation program. It is part of an integrated system for the program's first phase, which also includes the Center of Excellence, the "Rabt" system, and the "Nphies" platform. The application represents a qualitative leap in healthcare delivery, designed to be a trusted digital gateway that offers beneficiaries an integrated experience combining advanced technology with modern health services.

The application provides Ministry of Defense personnel and their families with advanced and easily accessible health services, supporting the Ministry's efforts to provide a comprehensive health environment. It contributes to simplifying medical procedures and facilitating access to health information, aiming to achieve a healthier and more prosperous society.

Commenting on this partnership and the company's contribution to the Ministry of Defense's digital health transformation program, Eng. Mohanned Al Rasheed, Chief Executive Officer of Lean Business Services, affirmed that this partnership represents a pivotal moment in the company's journey to support digital transformation in the Kingdom's healthcare sector. He stated that it reflects LEAN's commitment to improving the quality of life and achieving well-being for all, noting that these efforts solidify the company's position as a strategic partner in digital health innovation and an active contributor to achieving the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.

Al Rasheed added: "Today at the company, we are building the foundation for an advanced, integrated, and proactive healthcare ecosystem that will be a model for the region and the world". He explained that the collaboration with the Ministry of Defense supports the pioneering of the digital healthcare ecosystem through the design and development of integrated technical solutions that enhance efficiency and innovation, in line with the Ministry's directives.

He indicated that the company's contribution to the Ministry of Defense's digital health transformation program confirms the shared commitment with government entities to establish the Kingdom's leadership in the digital health sector on both regional and international levels, pointing out that the partnership between the Ministry of Defense and Lean aims to achieve further accomplishments in the digital health transformation sector.

Lilongwe/Dubai, 9 November 2025 — In a breakthrough that underscores Dubai’s growing role as a global exporter of climate innovation, the Government of the Republic of Malawi has partnered with the Dubai-based Green Economy Partnership (GEP) to launch the world’s first AI-powered Paris Agreement Implementation Platform (PAIP); an end-to-end digital system designed to manage national emissions, carbon trading, and international compliance under the Paris Agreement.

This landmark collaboration bridges Africa and the Gulf through technology as it connects Malawi’s commitment to sustainable growth with Dubai’s leadership in artificial intelligence and climate governance. 

The platform marks the first time an AI system has been deployed to automate every compliance component of the Paris Agreement, including national emission inventories, carbon registries, corresponding adjustments, and biennial transparency reporting.

The initiative reflects a new phase in the global climate diplomacy, one built not just on policy leadership, but on exporting tangible technological solutions. Through GEP’s Paris Agreement Implementation Platform, countries can adopt ready-to-integrate AI and blockchain-based systems at no cost, ensuring transparency, traceability, and data sovereignty.

The system is built on a secure blockchain infrastructure that safeguards national data while enabling real-time emission tracking, project registration, and finance mobilization. Beyond compliance, it empowers ministries, private companies, and development partners to align environmental data with economic performance,making climate action both measurable and bankable.

For Malawi, the adoption of this AI platform represents a transformative step toward modernizing its climate systems. The platform will enable the Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change to consolidate all national carbon information into a single, transparent digital framework.

“Our collaboration with the Green Economy Partnership represents a transformative milestone for Malawi and the region,” said Dr. Yusuf Malsellino Mkungula, Principal Secretary at the Ministry. “This AI-driven system places Malawi at the forefront of climate innovation, creating a transparent digital infrastructure that underpins our new Article 6 framework. It allows us to manage Internationally Transferable Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs) and mobilize climate finance with unprecedented efficiency,linking environmental integrity with economic opportunity.”

This announcement follows two years of research and co-design between GEP engineers and Malawian policymakers, aligning the system with international standards such as ISO, ESG, and UNFCCC reporting protocols. It ensures that Malawi’s emission data meets the same level of transparency as advanced economies, while maintaining full data sovereignty through what GEP calls ‘digital embassies’ to secure national data environments hosted within neutral, protected digital jurisdictions.

The partnership sets a precedent for technology transfer rooted in cooperation rather than competition. Through GEP’s open-access model, governments across Africa, Asia, and the Pacific can integrate PAIP’s digital infrastructure to manage their Paris Agreement obligations.

“Malawi’s adoption of this platform marks a historic step forward for the entire African continent,” said Arthur Chirinikian, Chief Executive Officer of GEP. “It sets a global precedent for digital climate governance, a comprehensive system that ensures transparency, accelerates access to climate finance, and enables real-time reporting. This registry will serve as a blueprint for how Africa can lead in climate-tech integration.”

GEP’s long-term vision is to establish a continental digital network linking multiple countries through shared standards and interoperable platforms, effectively creating a unified system of transparent climate data governance. The partnership also exemplifies Dubai’s post-COP28 legacy: using its innovation ecosystem to accelerate measurable global climate impact.

“Artificial Intelligence has matured into a powerful enabler of climate governance,” said Ivano Iannelli, Chief Sustainability Officer at GEP. “Dubai’s ecosystem of innovation allows us to develop scalable, sovereign systems that directly empower governments. Through this partnership with Malawi, we are proving that the Global South can lead in climate-tech deployment along with Dubai as its innovation hub.”

The official unveiling of Malawi’s PAIP is set for COP30, where it will be presented to the international community as one of the most advanced AI climate governance systems ever developed.

For GEP, this milestone extends the firm’scontribution to global climate progress beyond diplomacy into technological implementation. “Our goal is to translate the principles of the Paris Agreement into operational, data-driven tools,” said Iannelli. “Dubai’s innovation ecosystem, from AI to green finance, gives us the capacity to make that real.”

Following Malawi’s lead, GEP is now inviting additional governments to join its digital transformation program ahead of COP30. Countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America will be able to launch their own AI-driven systems, each tailored to national policies and data infrastructures.

This collective movement demonstrates how technology built in Dubai can enable sustainable governance worldwide, a living example of climate solidarity powered by innovation. As countries race to meet their future targets, this partnership proves that digital transformation is not just about efficiency rather than about equity.