New Digital Age recently spoke with Oliver Klander, RVP, MENA Brands, at LiveRamp about data collaboration, life in Dubai and LiveRamp’s growing presence in the Middle East…
Dubai has a hyper-connected population and follows strict digital policies. How does this ‘clean slate’ environment allow for faster innovation than in Europe or the US?
The UAE and GCC have robust data governance, but its cornerstone is GDPR, so in essence, a stringent approach to how and what data clients can use is baked in.
Your point on innovation is far more interesting and deserves to be separated from the governance piece entirely. When you look at the birth of retail and commerce media across the EU and the US, it’s been heavily anchored in Trade Marketing legacy. The GCC and the UAE specifically simply doesn’t carry that baggage, which is a genuine competitive advantage.
The bigger opportunity is data collaboration. The Middle East operates through conglomerates with vast loyalty ecosystems: SHARE from Majid Al Futtaim spans Grocery, Lifestyle and Entertainment; AURA from Alshaya Group covers 70 brands. These aren’t just loyalty schemes, they’re rich, interconnected data platforms built for analytics, measurement and activation at scale.
And let’s not forget the culture of service here. Where else in the world do you call someone to come and fill your car with petrol?
With the UAE’s focus on the ‘Digital Economy Strategy,’ what role does secure data collaboration play in making Dubai a global hub for AI and commerce?
A huge role, but you have to look at the full GCC, not just the UAE. The numbers tell the story: GCC is circa 65M people, the UAE under 10M. The real winners will be those who pursue data collaboration across the entire region, finding commonalities and patterns at genuine scale.
You’ve recently announced a major partnership with Publicis with a huge focus on the Middle East. What does this mean for the region and especially commerce media?
Our partnership reflects the region’s drive to build a neutral, safe framework for collaboration, working closely with Publicis and partners like Mazen Mroueh who are delivering genuinely scalable solutions for clients and partners alike.
You’ve been around the industry for a while now. How does working in Dubai and the region as a whole differ from your other experiences?
The Middle East is a hugely exciting place to work, at its heart, it’s a community. Success here is built on relationships, trust, and consistently showing up. When 87% of a population under 10M are expats from the EU, LATAM, APAC and beyond, you get a genuine intersection of cultural nuance. It’s vibrant on every level.
What else will we see from Liveramp in the Middle East?
Lots, and honestly, we’re just getting started. As we continue to build in the region, LiveRamp has established something really important: a reputation for delivering on what we say we can do, but equally being straight with partners about what can’t be done yet. That balance of ambition and honesty matters here more than anywhere. The trust we’ve built is the foundation, and the pipeline of what’s coming across data collaboration, retail media, and measurement is genuinely exciting. Watch this space.
How is the market reacting to the current situation?
I’d flown back to the UK the week before the conflict started, but I’m speaking with friends, colleagues and clients on a daily basis so I’m staying close to it. In honesty, the situation isn’t good, but I think for most people it’s the uncertainty more than anything else that’s the real challenge. That not knowing is hard, personally and professionally.
What I will say is this: the UAE government has handled it with real composure and care. Residents and tourists who were caught up in the initial disruption were looked after in a way that genuinely impressed people, and that’s a reflection of the trust that exists between the government and the people who live and work there. That relationship is real, and it matters in moments like this.
The culture and the people are resilient; that’s not a platitude, it’s just true of the region. But like everyone, we’re all hoping for de-escalation sooner rather than later. Nobody wins in prolonged uncertainty.
LiveRamp is a client of Bluestripe Group, the publisher of New Digital Age.
