Sunny Side Up Appoints Rita Chammas as Regional General Manager

Sunny Side Up has appointed Rita Chammas as its new General Manager. The creative agency, which operates in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon, made the appointment in May 2026 to accelerate its multi-market growth.

Leadership hire signals expansion intent

Chammas brings more than 20 years of regional advertising experience. She built her career at Leo Burnett and Ogilvy, two of the largest agency networks operating across the Middle East.

For a creative independent to recruit at this level is a meaningful signal. It is one thing to open offices across multiple markets. It is another to bring in a leader who has spent two decades managing complex client portfolios across the same region those offices are targeting.

The hire suggests Sunny Side Up is investing in the management layer needed to support its growth, rather than waiting for the strain to become visible.

Three priorities for the new role

Najib Sabbagh, Founder and CEO of Sunny Side Up, framed the appointment in direct terms. "Rita has the experience, regional insight and leadership presence to take Sunny Side Up into its next chapter," he said. "I'm excited about what we'll build together."

In her new role, Chammas will focus on three areas: strengthening daily operations, supporting the push into new markets, and building a working culture designed to attract and retain strong creative talent.

That third priority carries particular weight. Creative agencies depend on their people above almost anything else. When talent walks, clients tend to follow.

Chammas described her mandate plainly. "Sunny Side Up has the energy and ambition of an agency ready for its next phase of growth," she said. "My role is to help turn that momentum into stronger operations, sharper growth and a culture where people feel inspired to deliver brave, relevant work across markets."

Pattern of leadership-first expansion

This appointment follows an established playbook for Sunny Side Up. When the agency launched its Saudi Arabia branch, it simultaneously appointed Ralph Nader as GM and Farah El Kadi as Creative Director for the UAE arm. The Chammas hire extends that same leadership-first model to the broader multi-market operation.

The MENA creative sector is experiencing a broader leadership reshuffle in 2025-2026. Publicis Groupe's merger of Publicis Worldwide and Leo Burnett into a new entity called Leo has made experienced regional executives available at an unusual rate. Independent agencies with clear growth ambitions are positioned to move quickly on that talent.

The MENA advertising market stood at US$8.18 billion in 2025, with projections pointing to US$10.78 billion by 2031. Dubai remains the established gateway for creative agencies, while Riyadh is emerging as a rival hub driven by Saudi Vision 2030. Sunny Side Up's three-market focus positions it across both the established hub and the growth frontier.

Chammas's background at Leo Burnett and Ogilvy maps directly onto the complexity of running a creative business across Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE simultaneously. Those are not generic management credentials for a region this commercially and culturally demanding.