Marketing veteran Mike Rich launches RICH, one of the region’s first CMO-led agencies, delivering growth for ambitious brands

• Mike Rich is the former Group CMO at global logistics giant Aramex and the ENTERTAINER, one of the region’s most recognizable lifestyle brands.
• RICH offers businesses a fully managed, dedicated marketing team that functions like an in-house department.
• The model promises to eliminate the complexity of building internal teams while delivering up to 30% cost savings as compared to traditional hiring.

DUBAI, UAE; 01 September 2025:  The Middle East marketing landscape faces a major disruption as veteran marketing executive Mike Rich launches RICH, one of the region’s first CMO-led marketing agencies. RICH introduces “outsourced marketing departments” – fully managed teams that function as in-house marketing divisions while being operated entirely by the agency. The model promises to eliminate the complexity of building internal teams while delivering up to 30% cost savings as compared to traditional hiring through their hybrid on and off-shore model.

Mike Rich, Founder and CEO, RICH explains: “After working with hundreds of agencies over two decades, I couldn’t find one truly built for today’s modern marketing leaders’, so I built one myself. Marketing has fundamentally changed. CMOs are now commercial leaders driving growth strategy, but most agencies are still operating like it’s 2010.”

Mike Rich brings significant credibility to the venture, having spent five years as Group CMO at global logistics giant Aramex and another five years leading marketing at the ENTERTAINER, one of the region’s most recognizable lifestyle brands. His insider perspective on CMO challenges forms the foundation of RICH’s positioning.

RICH gives businesses the option of a fully managed, dedicated marketing team or a specialist function that operates just like an in-house department. Every team is tailored to the client’s specific needs and run entirely by RICH, providing the focus and alignment of an internal team without the cost or complexity of building one. Clients avoid the hassle of recruitment, management, benefits, flights, and overheads, while paying less than the cost of hiring internally and significantly less than a traditional agency. The model is designed to scale seamlessly as the business grows, ensuring marketing capability always matches ambition.

RICH operates through two distinct offerings:

RICH: Fully or partially outsourced marketing departments, tailored to the client’s objectives, industry, and pace of business.

RICH Plus: A full-service marketing agency, including design, campaign execution, content, strategy, production, video and much more, available on demand or retainer.

“I’ve worked with hundreds of agencies. Most are creative-first. Few understand commercial pressure. And almost none have sat in a CMO’s chair,” Mike added. “RICH is different. We’ve lived it, delivered results at scale, and built this agency for people who are in that role today. This isn’t just about efficiency. It’s about giving marketing leaders the space to focus on what really matters, growth, strategy, and scale, without getting pulled into hiring, managing, or briefing external teams that don’t fully understand the business.”

The agency already has operational teams in Dubai, Egypt, and South Africa, and is onboarding clients across all industries, including technology, finance, government, and lifestyle.