Rashid Al Awadhi appointed CEO of New Media Academy

Rashid Al Awadhi has been appointed as the CEO of the New Media Academy, which aims to prepare a digital-first future workforce, to be at the forefront of the rapidly growing digital media landscape.

The academy was launched on Monday by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to nurture the next generation of digital content creators, and to train media professionals in both the government and private sectors.

Through a broad range of career-oriented educational programs, world renowned experts will share the latest insights on digital marketing, as well as real-life case studies and personal journeys on social media.

Educators will deliver the interactive classes virtually, within a concept called 'Open Learning', which will empower students to combine theoretical study with practical application, where students will create, post and analyse online content in real-time after each course.

On his new appointment, Rashid Al Awadhi said, "I'm honored to be named as the CEO of the newly-formed New Media Academy. Through my role, I aim to utilise my experience and an accelerated pursuit of knowledge in the ever-changing digital-spehere to achieve the long-term goal of the academy, which is to create the next generation of full-stack digital professionals. I am extremely excited to work with our highly acclaimed educators, experts and content creators across the top digital platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google, to develop and deliver a unique learning experience."

He noted that the New Media Academy will incubate and develop talented Emirati and Arab content creators who embody the UAE's values, and enjoy positive engagement with people from diverse cultural backgrounds across the world. The academy, he added, will build bridges of communication with the world.

"The academy's innovative educational programs will equip social media content creators to be self-dependent online and to produce meaningful digital content that is valuable to audiences, in pop-culture but also social affairs, humanitarian causes, sustainability and cultural understanding."

Al Awadhi added, "The academy will play a major role in expanding the youth's career prospects, by developing their skillsets in the various areas of the digital universe from strategy, to content creation and distribution, to audience engagement, and analytics. A key goal is to help digital professionals in the Government sector to reach a level of expertise, to help their organizations drive and thrive in the digital sector."

Diverse experiences

Al Awadhi has over 18 years of marketing and communications experience, including various senior-level positions in Middle East based multi-national companies, as well as UAE government entities. Before being named CEO of the New Media Academy, Al Awadhi was the Senior Vice-President for Marketing and Communications at the Dubai International Financial Center, leading the transition of the organisation into Digital Media and Content Marketing.

Prior to that, he founded and managed a digitally driven boutique-style consultancy that specialised in the production of social media driven reality content, with particular focus on Arabic-centric topics.

Before that, he was the co-founder of "Qabeela.tv" with his brother Mohamed. Together they produced, directed and hosted the award-winning social travel show "Peeta Planet", the first blended Social TV show in the world. The show was powered by Google and supported by twofour54. In 2009, Al Awadhi became the first Emirati Government Employee to win the prestigious "Communicator of The Year" Award from the Middle East PR Association, and in February 2020 he was voted into its Executive Board.

He was chosen as one of "The 40 Most Influential Emiratis Under 40" during the UAE's 40th National Day celebrations, and was featured on the Forbes Middle East list of "50 Impactful Marketing and Communications Professionals in The Middle East" in 2020. Al Awadhi graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing, from the University of Houston, in Texas (USA).

• Dubai