Gavin Anderson branches out with Middle East HQ

David Quainton 24-Apr-08

Gavin Anderson has moved firmly into the Middle East with the opening of regional headquarters in Abu Dhabi.

GA claims to have been active in the region for ten years but the move represents its first regional hub. Clients already retained include Arab Bank in the UAE, BMCE and the Abu Dhabi Stock Market.

The office, to be called GA MENA (Gavin Anderson, Middle East and Northern Africa), will be led by Robert Kaltrachian as CEO, Middle East & North Africa. He has 17 years' experience in the region.

GA follows Brunswick (Dubai), Buchanan (Riyadh) and FD (Dubai), among other major players that have a dedicated presence in the Middle East.

'The Gulf Cooperation Council region is demonstrating tremendous growth,' said GA chairman Richard Constant. 'This provides opportunities for Gavin Anderson to advise and help dynamic companies and organisations to communicate strategies and performance, regionally and in the international financial and political capitals of the world.'

The GA MENA team includes MD Helmut Hansmann, who has been in the region for more than five years, and director George Tucker, who transferred from GA's London office. They are supported by a team of ten Arabic-speaking colleagues.

- The move comes as the agency is brought in by Ceres Power, a company offering an alternative to the oil money that is driving Middle Eastern business.

Ceres Power is an alternative energy company specialising in small-scale distributed power generation using solid oxide fuel cells.

The company listed on Alternative Investment Market in 2004 and has a market capitalisation of approximately £116m.