BPG charts next chapter of growth with culture, creativity, and innovation at the core

Dubai: Bates PanGulf Group (BPG), one of the region’s leading integrated marketing communications agencies and a member of the global WPP network, recently concluded its 29th annual offsite at the Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The three-day event, themed “Culture. Culture. Culture.”, brought together more than 150 team members from across the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and remote locations including Canada, France, Egypt, Lebanon, India, and Southeast Asia representing 28 nationalities. The gathering reaffirmed BPG’s conviction that culture is fundamental to growth, creativity, and impactful client results.

In a year marked by talent competition, accelerated AI disruption, regional transformation, and changing consumer habits, BPG underlined a strategic choice: technology provides scale, but people create meaning. Emphasizing cultural intelligence and inclusivity enables brands to truly understand consumers, craft purposeful work, and deliver lasting business outcomes.

Avi Bhojani, Group CEO, BPG Group, said: “For the last four decades culture has been BPG’s key differentiator. It has given us an edge that AI cannot replicate; attracting exceptional people who choose to work here and understanding consumers in ways algorithms miss. This year, we reinforced the five Cs of culture that define us: celebration, client centricity, collaboration, connectivity and creativity and how it translates to immediate tangible business impact for our clients across the region and beyond.” 

Toby Hoare, Global Client Lead for Unilever at WPP and BPG Board Member, delivered an insightful keynote titled “Culture: The Most Powerful Asset You Can’t See,” calling on teams to be intentional about shaping culture as a key driver of client relevance and market success.

“Every company has a culture,” Hoare said. “The difference is whether you shape it intentionally or leave it to chance. What sets BPG apart is that our culture is demonstrated daily, anchored in purpose, and built through stories that unite people.”

Panels featured leading voices including Amer El Hajj (CEO of WPP Media MENA), Anup Ravindranath (Senior GM, Honda Motor Company MEA), Kenny Powar (Co-Founder, Rebel Owl), and Kindah Agha (Head of Marketing Apparel, Alshaya Group Kuwait) who highlighted how cultural insights are shaping strategies, brand connection and consumer engagement in a rapidly changing region.

A dedicated Gen Z panel from BPG’s UAE and Kuwait offices offered a glimpse into the cultural perspectives of young professionals, reinforcing the agency’s proactive approach to integrating the next generation’s emerging voices.

BPG leaders emphasized that culture is central to the agency’s ethos and client success. Fiona Quinn, Chief People Officer and Interim President of BPG Arabia, remarked:
“Culture is at the heart of everything we do at BPG. Every voice counts, every idea matters and this belief drives both our people and our client results.”

Souheil Arabi, CEO of BPG Kuwait, added: “Collaboration is our superpower. We blend diverse talents into something stronger, leading to outcomes that define our culture and create measurable client impact.”

Valli Lakshmanan, President of BPG UAE & BPG X, noted: “Our edge lies in uniting creativity, culture, technology, and customer experience to solve client challenges. This offsite reinforced how our integrated approach sets the foundation for BPG’s next wave of growth.”

The event featured immersive workshops where BPG’s digital-first approach combined cultural intelligence, creativity, and technology powered by WPP Open’s AI-driven platform to solve real client challenges. Teams worked collaboratively to link cultural understanding directly to creative approaches and measurable business goals. BPG leaders and esteemed professors from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) evaluated the presentations, highlighting that people and culture are key to solving business problems.

Prof. Aditya Moses, Professor of HR and Head of the One-Year MBA Programme at IIMA Dubai, said: “Every business problem comes back to people, processes, and culture. It was encouraging to see BPG teams put purpose and collaboration at the centre of solving client briefs.”

Prof. Sourav Borah, Associate Professor of Marketing at IIMA, added: “By linking culture to creativity and performance, BPG showed how collaboration and cultural intelligence can unlock future-ready solutions.”

The offsite concluded with the annual BPG Awards, recognizing outstanding creativity, collaboration, and impact. As BPG marks 45 years, this event reaffirmed its strategic focus: a digital-first, integrated agency leveraging its rich legacy and innovative spirit to deliver meaningful results.