Dubai, UAE, July 2015

RAK Ceramics, a global hi-tech manufacturer of premium lifestyle ceramics solutions with a turnover of one billion USD, announced today that it is strengthening its marketing and communications function by adding three new senior managers, based in the UAE and Asia, to influence the strategic direction of the brand and enhance communications activities across the board.

The new marketing and communications team will support the existing management team, several of which have been appointed in the last 12 months.

In February 2015, Stefan Schmied was appointed as President of Tiles and Sanitaryware and Raaqib Mutvalli as Head of the Performance Management Office. In June 2015, the company announced further strengthening of the senior team by hiring George Rabahie as Chief Legal Counsel and Company Secretary, René Maan as Regional Vice President and Philippe Habeichi as Head of Investor Relations.

The three new senior appointments are:

• Andrea Mensitieri – Vice President Marketing and Communications:
  Andrea has been appointed as Vice President of Marketing and Communications at RAK Ceramics and will be working alongside the leadership to accelerate product and brand development, with an objective to transform customer experience and enhance the go-to-market approach. Prior to joining RAK Ceramics, Andrea worked for 11 years at Cooperativa Ceramica d’Imola, ending his time at the company as Marketing and Research Development Director. Andrea is a marketing specialist with extensive know-how on brand and product development, a strong understanding of the market, people and trends with a view to providing excellent output. Andrea’s experience covers diverse business sector activities from interior design, furniture and luxury brands to food, beverage and services. Andrea has developed CRM and Marketing Automation Strategy to organise and qualify strategic marketing projects.
• Steven Allen – Corporate Communications Manager:
  Steven has been appointed as the Corporate Communications Manager at RAK Ceramics and will be working closely with the management team to develop next generation brand and communications strategies, which support business growth, enhance brand equity and raise awareness. A multi-award winner marketing professional, Steven brings more than 14 years of marketing and communications experience spanning the GCC, Australia and the UK. Prior to joining RAK Ceramics, Steven served as Director at PIM Branding in Bahrain and throughout his career has executed a variety of prominent projects for Bahrain Economic Development Board, Durrat Al Bahrain, Kuwait Finance House, Nawras Telecommunications (Ooredoo), Kia (Europe) and Samena Capital.
• Carmen Herrada – Vice President Asia:
  Carmen has been appointed as the Vice President, responsible for leading business development and the sales and marketing division for RAK Ceramics’ Asian market. Carmen will be based out of Singapore and will utilise 15 years of experience to set up RAK Ceramics’ presence in the Asia Pacific region. Prior to joining RAK Ceramics, Carmen was responsible for launching Cosentino products in the Asia Pacific and implementing marketing and sales strategies for each country, in addition to setting up distribution channels and developing contractor relationships across the region. Earlier, Carmen worked with Toyota Motors based at their European Headquarters and was responsible for overall annual sales and production planning.

Abdallah Massaad, Chief Executive Officer of RAK Ceramics, said: “Our new senior team members, Andrea, Steven and Carmen are highly respected and talented individuals who will bring a wealth of experience to RAK Ceramics. I look forward to working closely with them and seeing them play a critical role in bringing the marketing and communications strategies to life. As RAK Ceramics enters an exciting phase of growth, their marketing efforts will amplify the impact of other business functions within our company.”