CEO Monthly Issue 9 2018

6 CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 9 2018 , Established in 2006, Brand Lounge has swiftly settled itself as one of the leading branding consultancy agencies in theMiddle East. This success falls on the shoulders of Hasan Fadlallah, who has spear-headed the firm since its inception. CEOMonthlyMagazine named Hasan as the CEO of the Year for 2018, for his extraordinary contribution to the marketing and design sectors. On the back of his win, we spoke to Hasan to find out howhe has driven the firm to the outstanding heights it celebrates today. A CEO for the Modern Age of Marketing and Design With over 20 years of experience in the sector, Hasan has long been at the heart of branding developments in the Middle East. From overseeing the introduction of energy drinks to the region, to guiding the merger of Sanofi and Aventis into a global pharmaceutical brand – he has made an undeniable mark on the worldwide corporate landscape. By all regards, Brand Lounge has capitalised on the remarkable reputation of its CEO, becoming – undoubtedly- an undisputed leader in brand consultancy throughout the region. Hasan’s career started when he graduated from the Lebanese American University in Beirut with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing. From there he moved to Dubai and joined D’Arcy as a brand builder, later becoming the Deputy General Manager for Publicis, where he honed his skills in creating, introducing, developing and nurturing brands. Whilst at Publicis, he learned how to manage a service-based business - the first important step to what would eventually become Brand Lounge. Brand Lounge was, fundamentally, designed to help companies develop robust, differentiated brand strategies. Hasan explains further, “we help design human-centric visual identities and deploy inside-out traditional and digital branding experiences. Our proven strategy- led methodology takes our clients on a voyage of discovering, uncovering & differentiating their businesses and brand.” Brand Lounge conducts, essentially, an in-depth study of a client’s business profile and sculpts a bespoke brand identity that distinguishes them as unique and individual. The importance of clear brand identity cannot be overstated in the modern age – as companies fight for something that sets them apart from the crowd. “I have always believed that the secret to success in any business - and typically a service-based one- is in building a high-performance culture that is based on mutual respect, professionalism, ownership and co-creation.” A large part of the continued success of Brand Lounge is down to a unique team dynamic and culture. Hasan continues on the importance of this often over-looked element of business, “Culture is at the heart of our focus for business growth & leadership. Our team fully endorse our corporate values and beliefs which make us all aligned under key principles. We value diversity as the cornerstone of our thinking and culture.” Naturally, team diversity brings an altogether different set of problems to management. We asked Hasan how he balances a team made of vastly different people; “People management is the trickiest part of the business formula. There are no set rules when dealing with a diverse team. I believe that the best leaders are those who are capable of balancing between the functional areas of human capital management (expertise, performance, efficiency) and the psychological, societal and emotional needs of the team. We expect people to be like us: fast,