Sahar El Zoghby, an Egyptian native, one of the old veterans of the advertising industry in the past 30+ years, is currently the CEO of MCN/IPG Egypt, part of McCann WorldGroup, a leading global network of advertising and marketing agencies. MCN owns and operates several leading advertising, PR and media agencies in Egypt including FP7 McCann, Momentum, Weber Shandwick, Universal Media, and Initiative.
MCN’s transformative vision is based on building relevant capabilities, nurturing a culture of collaboration, adopting leading edge technology and developing its talent base towards a unique client-focused agency of the future model – providing seamlessly integrated solutions for clients’ brands. Sahar’s role as the CEO of MCN Egypt has been instrumental in turning this regional vision into reality in Egypt.
Her role includes aligning the business plans of individual MCN Egypt agencies, identifying growth opportunities, driving synergies and efficiencies, building a collaborative culture and prioritizing capability building of the current agencies and introducing new agencies to the market for specialized solutions. MDs and GMs of MCN agencies operating in Egypt reports into Sahar – who helps orchestrate their business plans including strategy, product, talent and financials.
She has been holding this position for the past 4 year since 2018, before which she has been leading FP7 McCann ad Agency in the Group for 11 years as MD after another 5 previous years of being the General Manager of the same company when she started with the Group back in 2002. She has been instrumental in the continuous evolution of FP7 McCann, delivering a better product, better people, better understanding of clients and their business needs, and a better understanding of today’s consumers in the market, as well as ensuring the agency’s growth, its culture and its dynamism. Over the years, she has done this through thick and thin, ups and downs and the tumult of the Arab Spring. Her inspirational leadership skills have helped in holding the agency steadfast, and achieved tremendous loyalty from both clients and staff alike.
With total Group annual billings exceeding LE 1000 M, she is able to provide her Board and Shareholders with healthy ROI and KPIs that exceeds the industry standards in other developed markets.
A Business Administration Graduate of the American University in Cairo, she began her career 30 years ago in Tarek Nour Communications Group. Ever since, she has consistently been a thoroughbred advertising and marketing professional working across multiple verticals and a huge roster of blue chip clients over the years, covering almost each and every possible field and category, be it Finance and Banking, Hospitality and Hotel Industry, Real Estate Development, Telecom Industry, Household Heavy Goods and various FMG’S such as Nestle, Cadbury, McDonalds, ARMA and Coca Cola.
Ghassan Harfouche, Group CEO, MCN said “Sahar is a natural born leader, and we are excited for her role at MCN. As a group, we needed this position – to guide, steer, challenge and lead our agencies in Egypt towards a dynamic new horizon. Egypt is a very important market for us, and Sahar is uniquely equipped to help us be better, grow, and provide unsurpassed solutions for our clients’ brands and best connect them with today’s ever evolving consumer. Sahar has helped establish FP7 Cairo as a leading light in the region. Her experience, tenacity, and her incredible passion for servicing clients, her thorough understanding of the market and her amazing team player attitude makes her a perfect fit for the role. She’s the right person for transforming our agencies from good to great.”
Throughout these 30+ years, and as a feminist herself, she has always been famous for breeding and nurturing female succession plans and leadership way before the whole market and industry started real steps for women empowerment.
