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Argentine soccer star Messi is Turkish Airlines’ global brand ambassador
MUMBAI: International soccer star Leo Messi was named Global Brand Ambassador for Turkish Airlines after signing the agreement in September 2012.
The FC Barcelona forward joins the ranks of Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant and professional tennis player Caroline Wozniacki who have been brand ambassadors since 2011 and 2010 respectively.
Messi said, “I would like to thank to Turkish Airlines because it’s a great honor for me to be the brand ambassador of such a fast growing among the world’s biggest and Europe’s Best Airline company. I believe that by joining with a global network company such as Turkish Airlines, we will set to sign many more successful projects. As an Argentinian, I am happy Turkish Airlines is having another destination Buenos Aires from Istanbul.”
Turkish Airlines Member of the Board, Ismail Gercek said, “We have held the title of Europe’s Best Airline now for two consecutive years and it makes perfect sense that we align ourselves with the best and most recognizable sports figures in the word. Signing a global sports star like Messi only solidifies our leading position as one of the world’s fastest growing airlines flying to a record number of countries across the globe.”
In September 2012, Messi shot a commercial for the airline with Kobe Bryant. In the airlines’ latest commercial, the duo –competes to win the attention of a young boy. The latest commercial was a collaborative effort among producers, actors and crew members from Turkey, the Netherlands, Spain and the US. Shot partly at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport and partly in other countries abroad, the commercial will air worldwide late this year.
In working with Leo Messi, Turkish Airlines will maintain a global focus promoting its award-winning service. Having been named Fifa Best Player in the last three seasons and currently being a finalist for this year’s Fifa player of the year, Messi’s visibility and worldwide popularity will be instrumental in helping Turkish Airlines reach new heights on a global scale.
Aside from this recent announcement, Turkish Airlines has reached several milestones in recent months including adding the 200th aircraft to its growing fleet and flying to 92 countries, more than any other airline in the world.
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WPP appoints Estée Lauder’s Anne-Isabelle Choueiri as chief transformation officer
Former Estée Lauder executive to lead operations, technology and culture overhaul under WPP’s three-year growth plan
LONDON: WPP has appointed Anne-Isabelle Choueiri as chief transformation officer in a newly created role tasked with delivering the group’s Elevate28 strategy.
Choueiri joins from The Estée Lauder Companies, where she led enterprise-wide strategic initiatives, including the “One ELC” operating model and major upgrades to enterprise marketing, data and analytics capabilities. She also led the redesign of enterprise technology teams and served on the company’s AI taskforce, driving AI strategy, adoption and value realisation across the business.
At WPP, she will be responsible for designing, implementing and embedding the operating model behind Elevate28, the company’s three-year growth plan unveiled in February 2026. She will lead efforts to improve innovation, efficiency and integration across WPP’s client offerings, with a focus on delivering agile, outcome-driven solutions and measurable growth.
Choueiri will oversee organisational transformation across the group, working closely with product and enterprise technology teams to deploy AI, data and technology to build new capabilities and improve operational performance. She will also work with the people function to embed cultural change, strengthen an agile performance mindset and support talent development across the organisation.
Before joining Estée Lauder, she held senior roles across consulting and digital agencies, including at Accenture, Masaï (a Bain & Company spin-off), and Kearney, with experience spanning strategy, data and digital marketing transformation.
Cindy Rose, chief executive officer of WPP, said Choueiri brings a strong track record of leading large-scale transformation across operations, technology and culture, adding that her appointment will help accelerate the group’s next phase of growth under Elevate28.
Choueiri said WPP’s strategy represents an ambitious opportunity to reshape how the company operates and delivers for clients, adding that she looks forward to building integrated solutions and fostering a culture of innovation and change.
She will be based in New York and will join WPP’s executive committee.
