Achievements Leadership About Contact
Dubai, UAE · Lebanon · Available Globally

Marc
Haddad

CFO · Operator · Business Builder

20+ years leading transformation, governance, growth, and operational scale across 17 markets, $100M+ regional operations, and 850+ employees across MENA, Europe, and Africa.

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Marc Haddad — Group CFO & Enterprise Operator
Marc Haddad
Group CFO · Enterprise Operator

Career experience across leading regional and global organisations

Publicis Media Starcom Zenith Hallab 1881 Crayon British American Tobacco
Industry experience
Media & Advertising F&B Manufacturing Retail & Consumer Technology & Consulting FMCG
$100M+
Regional Revenue Led
17
Markets Across MENA
850+
People Led
300%
Revenue Growth Delivered
5×
Most Profitable Globally
Signature Achievements

Built. Led. Delivered.

Publicis Media Group — MENA
$100M+ Regional Portfolio.
17 Markets. 850 People.
123 P&Ls consolidated into unified reporting architecture
Ranked most profitable globally for 5 consecutive years
13% YoY overhead reduction across 17-market portfolio
Zero bad debt across entire portfolio throughout tenure
Pioneered UAE VAT implementation — among the first in the GCC (2018)
Built Shared Service Center and Center of Excellence — subsequently replicated across the Publicis global network
Hallab 1881 Group — Lebanon · UAE · KSA · Kuwait
Family Business to
Regional Force.
35% revenue growth — $50M+ group, 17 branches, 5 countries
Scaled e-commerce from zero to $5M within two years
+10% EBITDA improvement through pricing redesign and COGS restructuring
Launched UAE operations in Dubai Mall in under 12 months on $3M+
Built PE-readiness framework targeting institutional investment
Managed 800 FTE and 9-storey production facility across 5 countries
ERP Transformation — Publicis Media
First Success After
Six Years of Failure.
Delivered first successful Navision ERP across 14 offices after 6 years of failed attempts
123 P&Ls automated with full consolidation and reporting
Best internal audit results for 5 consecutive years
Also deployed Odoo ERP from zero at Hallab UAE in under 12 months
ERP expertise: Navision · Odoo · Maconomy · Hyperion (HFM)
Market Expansion & Commercial Leadership
Built Markets.
Signed Deals.
Opened Iraq from zero — signed $40M deal with Asiacell
Negotiated Etihad Airways global agreement
Grew franchise revenue from $100K to $1.5M through renegotiation
Founded MENA/EMEA Center of Excellence — replicated across Publicis globally
Converted Egyptian Pound crisis (2016) into net FX gain while peers absorbed losses
Integrated Leadership

Finance. Technology.
Operations.

01
Finance Depth
FP&A and multi-entity budgeting
Treasury and FX management
IFRS and SOX compliance
Working capital optimisation
M&A integration and PMI
Board and investor reporting
VAT and corporate tax implementation
02
Technology Fluency
AI Fluency — Anthropic certification (2026)
ERP leadership — Navision, Odoo, Maconomy, HFM
Digital transformation leadership
E-commerce architecture and scaling
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE)
Microsoft Certified Database Administrator
03
Operational Leadership
Market entry — Iraq, UAE, Bahrain
Manufacturing operations (9-storey facility)
Supply chain and logistics management
Brand repositioning and commercial growth
Franchise acquisition and integration
PE readiness and governance frameworks
Operating Across Ownership Models

One profile.
Every environment.

Multinational Corporations
Global Scale.
Regional Execution.
13 years inside Publicis Group operating across 17 markets with Paris-level governance standards and global reporting frameworks.
Family-Owned Businesses
Legacy to
Institution.
CFO and CEO of Hallab 1881 — professionalised a family institution, built governance frameworks, and prepared for PE-backed institutional investment.
PE-Backed Organisations
Built for
Institutional Capital.
Designed and implemented PE-readiness frameworks, investor-grade reporting, board governance, and financial architecture targeting institutional investment.
Growth & Turnaround
Transformation
Under Complexity.
ERP delivered after six years of failed attempts. Financial controls rebuilt during Lebanon's economic collapse. E-commerce scaled from zero to $5M.
Boardroom Experience

Governance.
PE Readiness. Board Advisory.

Twenty years operating at the intersection of financial governance and executive leadership — advising CEOs, Chairmen, and shareholders on strategy, capital allocation, and institutional readiness across multinational corporations, PE-backed businesses, family-owned groups, and regional conglomerates.

Board reporting and advisory
PE readiness frameworks
IPO preparation
Family constitution design
Governance frameworks
Investor-grade reporting
SOX internal controls
Capital allocation strategy

My career has been built at the intersection of finance, technology, and operations — helping organisations scale, professionalise, and prepare for their next stage of growth. In each environment, the mandate was the same: build something that lasts.

— Marc Haddad
Profile

Two decades.
One consistent direction.

Marc Haddad

A self-made finance and transformation executive whose career has been built progressively from technical finance and audit foundations — including Microsoft systems certifications — into regional CFO and CEO leadership. Lebanese national based in Dubai, operating across MENA, Europe, and Africa for over two decades.

The combination of CFO-level governance rigour, genuine technology credentials, and hands-on operational experience is what makes this profile unusual. Most executives approach from one direction. This career has been built across all three simultaneously.

BasedDubai, UAE · Lebanon
AvailabilityOpen to relocation globally
EducationBA Finance, Holy Spirit University · Leadership, GWU
CertificationsIFRS (ACCA) · MCSE · AI Fluency (Anthropic 2026)
Languages
EnglishFrenchArabic
Career Journey

Three chapters.
One direction.

2023 – 2025
Hallab 1881 Group Holding — Lebanon · UAE · KSA · Kuwait
Chief Financial Officer & CEO — Middle East
  • 35% revenue growth — $50M+ group, 800 FTE, 17 branches across 5 countries
  • E-commerce scaled zero to $5M · UAE launched in Dubai Mall in under 12 months on $3M+
  • +10% EBITDA improvement · Odoo ERP from zero · PE-readiness framework built
2006 – 2019
Publicis Media Group — Starcom · Zenith · Mediavest|Spark
CFO MENA · Finance Director Levant — 13 Years
  • $100M+ revenue · 17 markets · 850 FTE · Most profitable globally 5 years running
  • First successful Navision ERP after 6 years of failed attempts · 123 P&Ls automated
  • Iraq opened from zero — $40M Asiacell deal · Founded MENA/EMEA CoE replicated globally
2003 – 2006
Early Career — Nigeria · Dubai · Lebanon
Finance & Audit Leadership
  • British American Tobacco Nigeria — first budget, 30% cost reduction
  • Creation Alexandre Miya Paris — four profit centers, Dubai and Cyprus
Contact

Let's discuss
the right opportunity.

Available for Group CFO, Regional CFO, CEO, COO, Operating Partner, Fractional CFO, and Board Advisory mandates across GCC, Europe, and APAC.

UAE
+971 556 082 151
Lebanon
+961 70 111 983
Currently Open To
Group CFO · Regional CFO · Transformation CFO
Chief Executive Officer · Chief Operating Officer
Operating Partner · PE Portfolio Executive
Fractional CFO · Strategic Advisory · Board Advisory
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