OMD’s Hamid Habib named new UK MD of Starcom

Starcom UK has appointed Hamid Habib as UK managing director.

Previously chief strategy and innovation officer at Omnicom’s OMD, as Starcom UK MD Habib will be responsible for driving growth and new business, building the company’s ‘Human Experience’ positioning in the UK market and retaining and recruiting talent.

He will report into Starcom UK group chief executive and president of global network clients, EMEA, Jodie Stranger, who said: “One of the key challenges for a truly global agency like Starcom is to drive and successfully align the strategies at a local and international level.

“By creating a UK-specific MD role to sit alongside the international team I believe that we’re building a new, integrated model that will deliver real value and impact for our clients, and new opportunities and synergies for our people.”

The move represents a return to the Publicis Groupe fold for Habib, who previously served as head of strategy for Zenith Media between 2005 and 2012.

He then became a managing partner of Havas Media, before moving to OMD UK in 2013 where he held the role of managing partner and then chief innovation officer.

Habib added: “Starcom’s Human Experience focus aligns completely with how I see brands’ interactions with consumers developing. The future of marketing will be marrying human creativity with new opportunities that technology provides. This blend creates the actions that brands need and the experiences that people love.

“This is an exciting opportunity to redefine the way in which local and international business collaborate and partner in a global agency setting.”