The Power of Brand: Brand Lounge Academy x Nissan Middle East

In a market shaped by accelerating change, intensifying competition and growing pressure on businesses to continuously prove their value, relevance has become one of the most important - and least guaranteed - forms of business capital.

That question formed the foundation of a recent Brand Lounge Academy workshop with Nissan Middle East: What does it take for an established business to remain relevant to the people it serves, the market it competes in and the future it is working towards?

The initiative was championed by Thierry Sabbagh, Divisional Vice President and President, Middle East, KSA, CIS and India – Nissan and INFINITI, and Hossam Al Saeed, General Manager of Marketing, Nissan Middle East, whose recognition of brand as a business driver helped bring the conversation to life. Our sincere thanks to both for creating the space for an open discussion around relevance, alignment and growth.

The workshop was led by Ibrahim Lahoud, Head of Brand Lounge Academy, and Mo Saad, Head of Design & Creative Impact, with support from Tima Zara P, Senior Strategist. Around 30 Nissan team members joined the session, bringing together leaders and teams from Nissan Middle East’s Dubai headquarters, alongside colleagues participating virtually from Saudi Arabia.

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Rather than approaching individual business challenges in isolation, the workshop invited participants to examine them through the wider lens of brand. Through Brand Lounge’s proprietary Four Dimensions of Differentiation - Purpose, Culture, Image and Innovation - the group explored how challenges that may initially appear operational, commercial or communicational can often reveal a deeper question of internal and external alignment and relevance.

The session developed into an open and highly engaged collective conversation, with participants challenging assumptions, sharing different perspectives and identifying familiar pain points from an entirely new angle.

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This is the principle behind 'Lead from the Brand-side Out': brand cannot be confined to communications or treated as an expression applied after business decisions have already been made. It must operate from within the business, shaping how an organization thinks, behaves, innovates and creates value.

The Nissan Middle East workshop forms part of Brand Lounge Academy’s growing series of executive learning experiences designed to help organizations bridge brand strategy with measurable business impact.

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Bring 'Lead from the Brand-side Out' to your organization.

Explore Brand Lounge Academy’s executive workshops and start a conversation with our team.