APCO, a global advisory and advocacy firm, has appointed John Defterios as chairman of its Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Defterios will join APCO’s MENA team this month and focus on client advisory and new business efforts.
John Defterios brings three decades of regional experience
Defterios has more than three decades of experience across business, government, energy, trade and geopolitics. He has also built relationships with senior leaders across the public and private sectors.
Before joining APCO, Defterios worked at CNN as an emerging markets editor, energy correspondent and anchor. He also spent a decade at CNN’s Abu Dhabi bureau.
Defterios joined APCO in July 2021 as a senior advisor. He also serves as the global lead for APCO’s Storybook Studio, the firm’s in house content studio.
Through Storybook Studio, Defterios draws on his journalism network to support coverage from major forums and summits. The studio also develops branded content series and documentaries for clients across global television, digital and social media platforms.
APCO outlines two priorities for the role
Samer El Hachem, president of APCO in the MENA region, said Defterios has a clear mandate as he joins the regional team.
First, Defterios will support APCO’s new business efforts through his network across the region. Second, he will serve as a senior advisor to APCO’s team and clients when required.
The appointment also adds Defterios’s regional experience to APCO’s advisory, communications and public affairs capabilities. APCO said the firm is focused on helping clients navigate the region’s changing geo commercial environment.
Defterios said his focus will be on MENA clients while also supporting APCO’s global portfolio. He described the region as a growing hub for finance, trade, energy and artificial intelligence.
“I look forward to helping APCO’s clients everywhere make sense of a region being reshaped by the energy transition, new investment corridors and geopolitical realignment,” Defterios said.
Defterios to support APCO’s MENA growth
APCO has operated in MENA for more than two decades. Its regional teams are based in Abu Dhabi, Amman, Doha, Dubai, Manama and Riyadh.
The firm advises governments, multinational corporations, sovereign entities and family owned enterprises. Its work covers strategic communications, public affairs, crisis management and sustainability.
APCO serves clients across energy, finance, technology, healthcare, infrastructure and tourism. The firm said Defterios’s appointment comes as it enters its next phase of growth in MENA.
For APCO’s regional leadership, Defterios will therefore combine client advisory work with new business development. His existing regional relationships and experience will form part of that mandate.
APCO President and Chief Operating Officer Evan Kraus said clients are increasingly seeking strategic support to engage with MENA. Kraus also said regional clients are looking to strengthen their position on the global stage.
Defterios’s appointment gives APCO a senior regional advisor with experience spanning business, government, energy, trade and geopolitics. His work will support both the firm’s MENA team and its wider global client portfolio.
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