Strategic Marketeer · 10+ years building retail brands, directing 360° campaigns, managing in-store signage programs, and producing commercial content for globally recognised brands across the GCC.
A rare hybrid of brand storytelling, operational precision, and performance marketing — built over 10+ years across the GCC's most competitive retail environments.
From directing UAE's largest billboard (150m×14m) and managing AED 25M campaign budgets, to executing complete gondola signage suites for 10 new showrooms, coordinating commercial film shoots as an on-ground production lead, and launching a multi-year CSR programme that raised AED 523K+ for Senses Residential & Day Care.
Currently based in Mississauga, Ontario, bringing a decade of global retail marketing depth to the Canadian market.
BSc Business Management — University of Sunderland (2012) · Advanced Project Management — York University (2023)
"From briefing through vendor delivery — every in-store touchpoint, accurate, on time, on budget. From shoot location scouting to model casting — every commercial, delivered."
As Assistant Marketing Manager, I owned every campaign, store launch, signage program, and brand activation during this period. Every item below falls within my tenure.
The most ambitious campaign I directed — a 360° activation spanning 3 months. Prize: AED 1.1M apartment in Al Habtoor City, Dubai. Celebrity endorsers: Mayssa Maghrebi & Jumana. UAE's largest billboard (150m×14m). Full media mix: TV, radio, outdoor, print, SMS, and in-store signage.
I identified, initiated, and managed PAN Emirates' long-running CSR partnership with Senses Residential & Day Care Centre for Special Needs — a non-profit residential facility for children with special needs in the UAE. I did the groundwork: researching organisations in need, coordinating with Senses leadership, structuring the 1% of Ramadan sales donation model, managing influencer collaborations to amplify visibility, and raising substantial funds over 6 consecutive Ramadans.
The initiative ran for 6 consecutive Ramadans (2017–2022) — every year growing in awareness and donation value. I coordinated influencer collaborations with Senses to generate social visibility for the cause, and managed all PR communications around the initiative.
The model I introduced: 1% of PAN Emirates' total sales during Ramadan donated directly to Senses — aligning commercial success with community impact.
"This drive has generated a lot of awareness about our cause and has motivated more people to volunteer. The kind encouragement from PAN Emirates has helped us a lot, and we deeply appreciate it."
— Nadia Al Sayegh, Owner, Senses Residential & Day Care for Special NeedsMy role in commercial and catalogue shoots went far beyond briefing an agency. I was the operational backbone — location scout, model casting lead, vendor negotiator, logistics coordinator, and on-set go-to for every production under PAN Emirates.
To display your actual campaign photos (shoot BTS, billboard shots, store openings, influencer collab photos, event photography), there are two easy approaches:
Option 1 — Google Drive / Dropbox: Upload your images to a shared folder and I'll embed them as a masonry photo gallery in the website.
Option 2 — Direct upload: Share your image files with me in this conversation and I'll create a dedicated campaign gallery section with captions, dates, and campaign context for each photo.
As Senior Marketing Specialist, I managed a $10M annual media budget and coordinated campaigns across 40+ of the Middle East's most recognisable retail brands. Everything below falls within Sept 2012 – Oct 2016.
Every article below covers campaigns I planned and executed within my tenure. All links are live and verified. No post-2022 articles included.
Strategic marketing, retail campaigns, commercial production, in-store signage — let's talk.
Nidhin Iype Thomas · Mississauga, ON · All campaign work represents roles held at PAN Emirates / PAN Home (Nov 2016 – Jul 2022) and Apparel Group (Sep 2012 – Oct 2016)
Campaigns that built communities