Spark Foundry, a Publicis Media agency, and AstroLabs announced a partnership built for the era of transformation.  Together they are delivering a bespoke program called “Transformational Upskill” to Spark Foundry clients across the region. The customizable program helps bridge gaps and break down silos quickly for agency and clients as they embark of marketing transformation as transparent partners.

This approach comes as no surprise to the clients of Spark Foundry who embrace the agencies start-up spirit known for bringing innovative solutions to their communications problems. Ribal Nasra, Regional Brand Manager at MAF Ventures, a longtime partner of Spark Foundry, has commented that “workshops like these put marketers on level playing fields with their digital agencies.”

Spark Foundry works with their partners to identify problems or challenges which arise in the new communications and marketing landscape of today. Together with AstroLabs, they create bespoke training solutions to solve for these needs. AstroLabs is the region’s premier co-working community and learning academy for digital technology companies.

Its mission is to create a thriving technology ecosystem in the MENA region. It has a proven record delivering unique training to the digital workforce in the region for more than 5 years with thousands of alumni. The two companies have delivered multiple high impact and successful workshops for partners whose businesses live at the apex of digital transformation; Emirates NBD navigates the new word of banking and concepts of consumer value in a cashless society while MAF creates its own path from brick and mortar retail to the on demand world of commerce.

Like many of Spark Foundry clients, these brands have an ambitious agendas which the portfolio of training solutions tackles from executing digital transformation to digital HR, Omnichannel, Digital Marketing, as well as coding and data science.
“Our partners and our talent are the two most important assets in our business and our partnership with AstroLabs was set up with the objective to nurture both. In today’s landscape we need to continuously evolve and acknowledge that the only constant is change.  Positive change which has put transformation as the core driving force behind the evolution of our clients’ business and ours.  I’d like to thank AstroLabs for their support and our client partners for acknowledging the importance of this collaboration and allowing us to be the catalysts in their business transformation,” said Alain Brahamcha, Spark Foundry MENA CEO.

For the first time in the region, a global agency works with a startup hub to add tangible value benefitting both their vast portfolio of clients as well as their internal talent growth. The partnership is centralized around Spark Foundry’s regional HQ in Dubai with additional programs rolling out across Abu Dhabi, KSA and the rest of MENA in 2019.

Commenting on the partnership, Wesam Ayyach Spark Foundry MENA Media Director said: “In the next couple of years we will begin to see a major shift in how brands are recruiting digitally skilled resources. A deep rooted understanding in performance marketing will become the new norm, while placing high priority in knowledge on data management, security and privacy. Our partnership with AstroLabs enables us to guide our brands in this transformative period through consistency in delivering elevated and effective solutions.”

The partnership goes beyond digital training and aims at bridging the knowledge gap which exists in the industry today.  People and skills are the foundation for improving corporate productivity and growth with digital media at its core, a policy that is deeply rooted in Spark Foundry’s DNA and is reflected in the way it has always transformed and enhanced its clients businesses.

“At AstroLabs we’re passionate about bringing unique experiential, hands-on practitioner-led training to people looking to sharpen their skills and stay on top of their game in the fast changing and demanding digital work environment. We look at our partnership with Spark Foundry as a great opportunity to scale our impact and leverage our capacity building resources in the digital transformation journeys of leading brands in the region,” said Roland Daher AstroLabs COO.