Sunil John

Sunil John joined Stagwell as Senior Advisor, MENA in September 2024, heading the company's forthcoming regional office and spearheading growth across the Middle East and North Africa. In this role, John focuses on driving regional growth, executing strategic acquisitions, and fostering collaboration among local agencies and partners.

John brings over three decades of regional experience and has been named Best PR Professional in the Middle East by PRWeek in 2023 and 2020. He is renowned for founding ASDA'A in 2000, which grew into the benchmark public relations consultancy in the Arab world. In 2008, WPP Group acquired a majority stake, and in May 2023, WPP completed its acquisition of his remaining stake; John left the firm in December 2023.

John earned his bachelor's degree in science (1980) and master's degree in communication and journalism (1982) from Osmania University, Hyderabad. He started his career as an investigative journalist with the Deccan Chronicle, Hyderabad, before moving into the public relations sector with the Indian Oil Corporation in Mumbai and then with Thermax in Pune. He moved to Dubai, UAE, in 1994 to join the nascent PR sector in the Middle East region.

Career History

• Senior Advisor, MENA at Stagwell (September 2024–present)
• Founder and former President, ASDA'A BCW / Burson Cohn & Wolfe MENA (2000–December 2023)
• PR professional at Thermax, Pune
• PR professional at Indian Oil Corporation, Mumbai
• Investigative journalist at Deccan Chronicle, Hyderabad

Notable Achievements & Recognition: John's contributions include Outstanding Individual Achievement SABRE Award (EMEA) from Provoke (2014), Best PR Professional in the Middle East, PRWeek Global Awards (2020, 2023), MEPRA Fellowship Award (2018), and Chairman's Award, Middle East PR Awards (2016). He launched the Arab Youth Survey in 2008, which remains one of the most widely cited sources of public opinion on the region. As an Advisory Board Member of the Dubai International Chamber since July 2021, John has been influential in reinforcing Dubai's status as a global trade hub.

What Sunil John could bring to Senior Advisor, MENA at Stagwell: John's three-decade track record of building ASDA'A into the Arab world's leading PR consultancy, combined with his expertise in digital transformation and research-driven insights, positions him to accelerate Stagwell's regional expansion. His extensive relationships with regional clients and governments, proven ability to execute strategic acquisitions, and thought leadership through the Arab Youth Survey should enable him to unlock new growth opportunities, attract marquee clients across retail, technology, finance, and real estate sectors, and establish Stagwell as a market leader in MENA's fast-growing marketing services landscape.