Fares Akkad is the Managing Director - MENA at META with extensive experience. Formerly the Director for Media Partnerships at META, he oversaw the News team across Growth Markets (APAC, LATAM, MEA), addressing pivotal issues like Australian IP regulation, Middle Eastern unrest, and Brazilian elections. MENA stands out as Facebook's leading play-to-win market in terms of ROI. His appointment signifies internal growth, highlighting opportunities within the partnership and GBG union. Fares brings diverse expertise, previously leading digital business development at MBC Group and engaging in management consulting in the US and the Middle East. An entrepreneur by nature, he has founded, funded, and exited startups globally, while also advising and investing in regional startups and VCs. Fares holds undergraduate and Master’s degrees with honors in Biotechnology and Information Systems, respectively, along with an MBA focusing on entrepreneurship and Finance. Based in Dubai for the past decade, with his wife and 2 children, drawing from his extensive international experience across the US, Europe, Africa, and South America.