Joe Lipscombe is leading the transformation of The Romans in the UAE. Here, he brings his hands-on, unconventional leadership skills to solving complex business problems across the MENA region, championing new and innovative ways of creating disproportionate value for clients and agency.

He’s spent 12 years learning the cultural and contextual nuances of the Middle East, covering 12 countries, spending ample time working in eight.

He focuses on driving excellence and growth through capacity building, working with government,  semi-government, and private sector clients, introducing them to new and unconventional ways of problem solving. For this, he utilizes neuroscience, behavioral science,  and experimentation, ensuring clients are applying both vertical and lateral thinking when addressing unique market challenges.

Joe is a cited author on published scientific research on the neuroscience of storytelling and has delivered major keynotes on the same, including at the UN’s Global Goals Week. He is the market’s voice for illogical approaches to illogical challenges  — combining science,  observation, data, and instinct to create creative solutions that work.

He is a two-time Cannes Lion winner, was Memac Ogilvy PR’s youngest ever member of The One Club for Creativity, and has won a bucket load of awards for transformative campaigns and projects.

Across the region, he has advised major clients and entities, including, Expo 2020 Dubai, Royal Commission for Riyadh City, The Egyptian Ministry of Finance, Arab Bank, Qatar Foundation, the Public Investment  Fund, Coca-Cola, Google, JLR, Turkish Airlines, Majid Al Futtaim, GEMS Education, The Abu Dhabi Department of Culture & Tourism, and many more. He is a member of The One Club for Creativity and a Cannes Gold Lion winner in PR. He was previously the region’s first Executive Creative & Strategy Director for Ogilvy PR.

A British-trained journalist, Joe has reported for Sky News, Bloomberg Businessweek, Forbes, multiple national newspapers and several other television stations. He has covered regional politics, policy, conflict, health, technology, lifestyle, economics, and more. He is a two-time published author, including the extended essay, The Art and Science of Better Storytelling.