Great creative work doesn't always mean a healthy bottom line. In this episode of The Edge of Influence, host Iman Issa and Lisa Welsh - Co Founders and Managing Partners, North Seventy Five, sit down with Zaid Aboobaker - CEO, CompassPoint Consulting, to unpack what commercial resilience really looks like for agencies navigating a tough, procurement-driven market.

They dig into the race to the bottom on pricing, why over servicing quietly kills margin, and how financial transparency across a team and not just at the top, builds a stronger business. The conversation covers quality of revenue vs. growth for growth's sake, the soft skills needed to have honest scope conversations with clients, and practical habits for staying on top of cash flow.

Whether you're running an independent agency or leading within a larger network, this episode offers grounded, experience-backed advice for protecting margin and building a business that can weather turbulence.

Production Credits:

Presented by: Iman Issa
Editor: Ian Carless
Executive Producers: Iman Issa & Ian Carless
Produced by: North Seventy Five & Poddworx Dubai

In this episode of The Edge of Influence, host Iman Issa, Co-Founder & Managing Partner of North SeventyFive is joined by Kat Bazalova, Managing Director of Incubeta and Chelly Meagle, People Director of Incubeta , to explore what it really takes to build agencies people want to work for.

Together they dig into leading through a period of regional change, why operational clarity, transparent communication and a clear "North Star" matter most in uncertain times, plus how genuine psychological safety, not just rhetoric, lets teams take risks and thrive.

The conversation also covers empowering people over micromanaging, building a feedback and coaching culture, using psychometrics to hire for fit, and recruiting for attitude and adaptability over linear specialism.

They close on a candid case for why independents still have work to do on talent perception and why proximity to leadership, real ownership, and visible impact make them worth the leap.

Production Credits:

Presented by: Iman Issa
Editor: Ian Carless
Executive Producers: Iman Issa & Ian Carless
Produced by: North Seventy Five & Poddworx Dubai

This week on The Edge Of Influence, host Iman Issa - Co-Founder and Managing Partner of North Seventy Five, is joined by Alasdair Hall Jones - GCC Director, The Marketing Society and Firas Wahbeh - Chief Brand and Strategy Officer, BEEAH Group, to unpack how the CMO role has shifted from managing marketing output to helping shape business strategy.

They dig into why the rise of specialist agencies (retail media, influencer, AI) is fragmenting the marketing ecosystem even as holding companies consolidate, and make the case for treating agencies as an extension of the internal team rather than a vendor relationship.

The conversation also covers a candid discussion about AI and the idea that rather than replacing creative talent, instead it should free up agencies to do work that wasn't possible before.

Production Credits:

Presented by: Iman Issa
Editor: Ian Carless
Executive Producers: Iman Issa & Ian Carless
Produced by: North Seventy Five & Poddworx Dubai

In this episode of The Edge of Influence, host Iman Issa, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of North Seventy Five is joined by is joined by Fiona Menzies, Head of Marketing, HH and Nick Walsh, Founder & CEO, Migrate and Founding Regional Partner, Alliance of Independent Agencies Middle East, and together they make the case for "request for partnership" over the traditional agency RFP.

Fiona shares how she filters agency selection from the client side, from chemistry meetings and tissue sessions, to why she wants agencies bringing her proactive ideas rather than chasing the next new logo. And Nick explains why a transactional pitch process fails both sides, and flags the "September RFP" as a red flag worth watching for.

Plus practical takeaways for both sides of the table on writing better briefs and building real, long-term partnerships.

Production Credits:

Presented by: Iman Issa
Editor: Ian Carless
Executive Producers: Iman Issa & Ian Carless
Produced by: North Seventy Five & Poddworx Dubai

In this episode of The Edge of Influence, host Iman Issa, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of North Seventy Five is joined by Mike Khouri, CEO of tactical, to talk about the future of social and Tactical's newly launched report, Build Your World.

Mike explains why he stripped the agency back from 17 services to three, and how a deep dive into Hollywood's creative systems led to a new methodology built around "effective entertainment" - the idea that social platforms aren't really social at all, but interest-led entertainment engines.

The conversation covers world-building over trend-chasing, why brands should focus on retention rather than fleeting attention, how cultural lanes and recurring characters build brands over time, and what it actually takes for an independent to define its own DNA.

Production Credits:

Presented by: Iman Issa
Editor: Ian Carless
Executive Producers: Iman Issa & Ian Carless
Produced by: North Seventy Five & Poddworx Dubai

In this episode of The Edge of Influence, host Iman Issa, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of North Seventy Five is joined by Elisabeth Anne, Regional Managing Director of Imagination and Sally Henderson, Founder, High-stakes leadership mentor & Author of "The How of High Performance", for an honest conversation about women and leadership.

Together they explore how the regional conversation has shifted from representation to genuine influence, who controls budgets, shapes strategy, and wins the major mandates. They also discuss the art of saying no without guilt, knowing your role, setting consistent boundaries and separating being liked from being respected.

They also dig into the double standards women still navigate, why trust, not popularity, is the foundation of leadership, and the underrated role of recovery and energy in high performance. It's a warm, candid episode with an emphatic call to action for women to be authentic and find moments to laugh, but also be brave, set boundaries fearlessly and put yourself first.

Production Credits:

Presented by: Iman Issa
Editor: Ian Carless
Executive Producers: Iman Issa & Ian Carless
Produced by: North Seventy Five & Poddworx Dubai

In this episode of The Edge of Influence, host Iman Issa, Co-Founder & Managing Partner of North Seventy-Five, is joined by Richard Bonner-Davis, Co-Founder & CEO Gabriel Worldwid and Arne Mosselman, Founder, CEO & Gen AI Strategist @ Ainigma, an AI transformation consultancy in Amsterdam.

Together they unpack what AI really means for agencies, talent and leaders, and make the case for moving past a fear-based, cost-cutting mindset, toward AI as an investment in the future building it into your people and processes rather than treating it as a side tool.

The conversation covers two questions every leader should ask - what will no longer be valuable, and what impossible things can we now? They also discuss how AI shifts an agency's value toward judgement and advice, the rise of new roles and skill sets, and the practical case for a dedicated AI line item and "playground" budget. They close on why human creativity, the tension behind ideas like "reassuringly expensive", remains something AI can't replicate.

Production Credits:

Presented by: Iman Issa
Editor: Ian Carless
Executive Producers: Iman Issa & Ian Carless
Produced by: North Seventy Five & Poddworx Dubai

In this week's episode of The Edge of Influence, host Iman Issa, Co-Founder & Managing Partner of North Seventy Five, is joined by Roy Aftimos, CEO of C2 Communications, and David Fox, Senior Advisor and former CEO of Ogilvy in the region, to explore how work really gets done in MENA - through trust, deep client relationships and great craft.

The conversation moves from navigating procurement and aligning on shared objectives, to shifting the conversation from "hours and deliverables" to genuine value, to what builds rich, lasting client partnerships.

David and Roy also make a passionate case for agencies to own their distinct point of view, rediscover the art of selling big ideas, and above all, be proud enough to put their work out there.

Production Credits:

Presented by: Iman Issa
Editor: Ian Carless
Executive Producers: Iman Issa & Ian Carless
Produced by: North Seventy Five & Poddworx Dubai