Jerome D. Leroux

Founder of Ao Nang Paradise, a real estate and hospitality company based in Southern Thailand, currently operating the Ao Nang Escapes Tropical Villas resort.

In this regional role, I oversee the agency's operations in the Gulf region, with a focus on the UAE and Saudi markets. Responsible for marketing & communications campaigns, commercial partnerships, business growth, strategic alliances development, accounts & clients servicing, as well as leveraging the resources of our global networks of owned-offices and partners to benefit our clients.

Kingdom Strategies Consulting provides strategic, corporate and financial communications counsel & content development to Saudi governmental entities, PIF portfolio companies and corporations listed on Tadawul... We are working together with Saudi stakeholders to realize Vision 2030! In addition to our work for high-level Saudi stakeholders, KSC provides market entry strategy and execution for foreign companies seeking to enter the high-potential Saudi and UAE markets, while being aligned with local norms and culture.

Provided strategic and communications counsel to Saudi ministries, governmental entities, PIF-funded companies -including several mega & giga projects- and Fortune 500s operating in Saudi Arabia. Supported Vision 2030 by assisting ministries and other governmental entities to develop non-oil based revenues - particularly in the areas of: Tourism & Travel, Destination Marketing and large-scale urban developments. Developed both strategic annual plans and weekly tactical content. Lead initiatives to generate and engage with business partners to build new business for the company. Responsible for the strategic and operational management of APCO's operations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, managing a multi-disciplinary team of nearly 50 consultants.

Fully seconded to ADNOC Group (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company), one of the world's largest Oil & Gas companies, first working for both the Upstream and Downstream directorates, then embedded with ADNOC Drilling. Project Manager for the Corporate Communications part of the ADNOC Drilling IPO on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), the largest-ever on the ADX, which raised over USD 1 billion, and was the most over-subscribed IPO in the history of Abu Dhabi. Responsible for strategy, planning and content development of external corporate communications & marketing to key stakeholders (government, media, investors & shareholders, business partners, industry etc...) in the UAE, the Middle East and globally across all channels, traditional and digital. Employee engagement and internal communications company-wide, targeting over 8,000 employees.

AVIAREPS is a global Travel & Tourism marketing, PR and representation agency, with a presence in 66 countries. - Responsible for the strategic, operational and financial management of the company's business in the Greater China region, including 8 offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenyang, Wuhan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong - Communications, brand positioning, social media management, influencers engagement, sales & marketing strategy for a variety of clients in Hospitality, Travel and Tourism - Lead organic business development efforts and strategies across 14 markets in Asia-Pacific, as well as Mergers & Acquisitions Key achievements: - Opened 3 new offices in China, achieving profitability in Year One - Grew China team from 40 staff to 100 with matching revenues - Launched the Social Media & Digital Marketing practice of the agency in China - Reorganized Finance & Accounting division, leading to faster clients payments, fewer past-due invoices and improved company cash flow - Launched Vietnam & Thai offices, achieving break-even in Year One - Agency voted "Best PR Agency - Tourism" (2017) and "Best Destination Marketing Organization" (2015 and 2017) under my tenure - Keynote speaker at 2016 (New Orleans) & 2017 (Washington) IPW conference on China's state of the tourism market - Keynote speaker and panelist at the 2017 UNWTO symposium (Addis Ababa) on China's sustainable development & tourism opportunities -Invited speaker at 2018 Further East trade show (Bali, Indonesia) on marketing to China's high-end consumers and on China's Top 10 digital platforms for luxury tourism marketing -Invited speaker at 2019 Hong Kong Fashion Week on O2O retail strategies -Invited speaker at 2019 Hong Kong Chat Conference on effective digital marketing

Weber Shandwick is the world's 2nd largest Integrated Marketing Communications agency. -Client Servicing: CEO & Board-level counsel focused on strategic corporate communications, advocacy & public affairs, brand strategy & development, CSR, and corporate restructuring for Fortune 500s, financial institutions, Saudi publicly-listed conglomerates and government-controlled entities -Financials & Business Development: Forecasting, budgeting, full P&L responsibilities -Clients and services provided included: o Al Rajhi Bank: Corporate communications, crisis communications, stakeholders engagement o Aramco: Corporate communications, stakeholders communications, internal communications o Arab Petroleum Investment Corporation: Corporate communications o Dharan Techno Valley: Brand identity & strategy, corporate communications, stakeholders engagement o Ford Motors: Corporate & consumer communications, sponsorship development, events organization o Kumho Tires: Crisis communications, community engagement, CSR, reputation management o Microsoft: Corporate communications, public affairs, governmental relations, CSR o Mubarrad: Corporate restructuring (communications & marketing depts.); stakeholders management o SABIC: Corporate communications, branding, stakeholders management (overseeing 14 MENA markets) o Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee: Stakeholders mapping & engagement; governmental relations Key achievements: >> Successfully designed and executed the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Commerce's IP protection nationwide media program >> Grew the agency's revenues from $400,000 to multi-million dollars >> Became the first Country Director to offer corporate restructuring services >> Diversified service portfolio and launched the first Online & Social Media service team >> First Country Director in Saudi Arabia to hire a team of female consultants >> Appointed with responsibilities over 14 markets in the Middle East North Africa region

Ogilvy Public Relations is the 8th largest PR & Marketing Communications agency in the world with over 80 offices globally. My role included: - Management of the Corporate & Finance practice; supervision of a team of 8 consultants, media specialists, and copywriters -Strategic and tactical senior-level PR and communications counsel for the following clients: - Banking & Financial Services: Barclays Corporate, Barclays Wealth, Barclays Capital, Black Rock, iShares, National Bank of Abu Dhabi - Management Consulting: PRTM Management Consultants, Tetrahedron Consulting - Media & Information Services: The Economist, The Economist Intelligence Unit - Investment: Global Capital Development

AWR Lloyd is an Asia-focused financial and strategic consultancy with a presence in 7 countries. My role included: - CEO/CFO-level client counsel on financial communications strategy consulting for publicly-listed and pre-IPO companies in Thailand and Southeast Asia, with a focus on Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore - Organized investor road shows, analyst presentations and press conferences - Liaison with equity analysts, fund managers, shareholders and business media to ensure appropriate understanding of clients’ fundamentals, improve clients’ stock performance and generate positive media coverage - Researched, drafted and conducted seminars on corporate communications strategy for the Stock Exchange of Thailand and the Malaysian Stock Exchange - Clients included property groups, mining conglomerates, banks and financial institutions throughout Southeast Asia

Francom Asia is an independent Public Relations agency in the Top 5 in Thailand. My role: - In charge of marketing & corporate communications, public and media relations campaigns for multinational corporations and leading Thai companies in the following sectors: Real Estate, Alcohol & Tobacco, Automobile, Investment & Trading, Oil & Gas, Insurance & Financial Products - Provided senior-level client counsel, communication & marketing strategy advice - CEO profiling and reputation management program planning and implementation - Responsible for hiring, training and supervising a team composed of 8 account executives and account managers, translator, copywriter and press monitoring specialists