THE Creative Storytelling MIND
Iyad Rateb Krayem, born in Damascus, Syria, graduated in 1990 from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Communication. In 1995 and after short stints with the UNDP, Ford, and Pepsi in Syria, Mr. Krayem established J. Walter Thompson-Damascus in partnership with the JWT network, one of the leading international advertising agencies.
Under Mr. Krayem’s management, JWT Damascus became the leading communication agency in Syria, working with clients such as Unilever, Nestle, Mercedes Benz, Al Baraka Bank, Byblos Bank, LG, Coca Cola, UNICEF, Damascus Arab Capital Of Culture, and other renowned local and regional companies.
In 2012, Mr. Krayem was appointed CEO of JWT Levant, directing a team of more than 75 people across the 4 markets in the Levant region. His unique subject matter expertise, combined with his skills in political communication and extensive work experience across the Arab world, enabled him to launch JWT’s government communication services in the region. In his capacity as Director of Strategy and Deployment, Mr. Krayem supported US government-led strategic communications engagements in the Middle East and Europe. Beginning in 2015 and ending in 2022, he also worked with Thinking Heads Group, a leadership positioning company headquartered in Madrid.
Mr. Krayem is also a board member of GRACA, an NGO (founded in 2010) that specializes in gender research and communication in the Arab world.
After a successful 25-year career with JWT/Wunderman Thompson, Mr. Krayem chose to pursue other interests and personal projects.
More recently, he researched, authored and published his first book, “Hagar, Mother of Nations,” a fictional work based on biblical characters.
Mr. Krayem lives in Spain and continues to provide consultations on strategic communication in the Arab and Islamic worlds.