AMG CEO resigns

Abdullatif al Sayegh, the young media executive who brought MTV and Nickelodeon to the Arab world, has stepped down from his role as chief executive of Arab Media Group, The National can confirm.


Mohammed Almulla, formerly AMG's executive director, became chief executive at the start of the year, Mr al Sayegh said. Sources within AMG said the staff was told about the leadership change last week.

"I really think that this is the right decision for me," Mr al Sayegh said. "AMG is a baby that I built form scratch. TECOM as a company I will respect for the rest of my life for giving me the opportunity to learn all that I have learned."

Mr Al Sayegh is putting that knowledge to use in a new media consultancy that has already attracted several clients, he said.

"I became one of the experts who knows almost every element of media, so I believe that now this knowledge should not sit in a box," he said. "I believe that I should take this expertise to help the Arab world."

AMG grew rapidly under Mr al Sayegh's leadership to at one point encompass more than 20 brands spanning television, radio, print, digital, outdoor advertising, printing and events. Last year, however, as media revenues fell around the country due to the economic downturn, Dubai began to consolidate its media assets under AMG's cousin, Dubai Media Incorporated, which had formerly held only a bouquet of television stations.

Today, DMI includes former AMG print properties such as Al Bayan newspaper, Emirates Business 24/7 and and the scrappy Arabic tabloid Emarat Al Youm, as well as Noor Dubai TV and radio and AMG's former printing and distribution capabilities.