Publicis Groupe Middle East launches a regional healthcare unit.
Publicis Groupe Middle East has launched Publicis Health Middle East, a healthcare unit built around the mission "Make Health Happen". Campaign Middle East and Communicate both reported the launch on 27 October.
Ramzi Sleiman, who is CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi in the Gulf, now also heads Publicis Health Middle East. Noyala Rajakumar relocated from London to run the practice, which includes Saatchi & Saatchi Health, and Karen Kamel, who joined recently, is the business lead. Bassel Kakish, CEO of Publicis Groupe Middle East and Turkey, is quoted in both reports.
Publicis places the unit inside its "Power of One" model, which combines medical, creative and regional health expertise with data, media, technology and influence. To make the case for the move, the group points to regional healthcare spending that it expects to reach $159bn within three years. Neither outlet names the source of that figure or says which markets it covers, so it is best read as Publicis's own framing rather than an independent forecast.
Much is still unclear. Neither report says which countries the unit will serve beyond "the region", how many people it employs, which clients it has won or what budget sits behind it. They also do not say whether it is a standalone agency or a specialist practice within the existing network. Both stories draw on the same company announcement and carry no outside comment, so this is a launch statement, not yet evidence of results.
For healthcare advertisers in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, such as pharma companies, hospital groups, insurers and wellness brands, it adds another group-backed specialist to pitch lists. It also signals that a major holding company expects health marketing to grow in the region. The test will be the first named client wins and which markets the team is based in.
Why it matters
A major network is betting on regional health marketing, but without naming markets, clients or budget yet. Watch for the first client wins before reading it as a shift.
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