Elevate Appointed Creative Lead for MENA Region
The sports and entertainment agency added a senior director to spearhead regional creative strategy.
Updated on Oct. 7, 2026 in People
Elevate has appointed Craig Borthwick as Senior Director, Creative MENA, to lead the firm's creative operations across the region. This hire supports the agency's expansion into sport, entertainment, arts, and culture projects.
Why it matters
The appointment marks a strategic push to deepen service capabilities in the Middle East and North Africa. By bringing on veteran leadership, the agency aims to scale its creative studio and better serve its international client base.
Elevate, founded in 2018, currently serves more than 1,000 clients globally. The agency's new creative director brings approximately two decades of industry experience, including a 14-year tenure at his previous firm.
The players
Craig Borthwick
An industry veteran with two decades of experience who previously completed a 14-year tenure at LIGHTBLUE.
Elevate
A global sports and entertainment agency founded in 2018 that manages creative and strategic services for over 1,000 clients.
The details
Borthwick will oversee the agency's creative operations within its global studio, focusing on development across sport, entertainment, arts, and culture. His role is designed to integrate the agency's regional efforts into its broader global service framework. This structure allows the agency to centralize its creative output while tailoring content for regional markets.
Timeline
Elevate was founded in 2018.
The appointment of Craig Borthwick was announced on October 7, 2026.
Market Landscape
This move signals a shift toward specialized creative leadership as Elevate continues its growth trajectory since its 2018 founding. The expansion follows a broader industry trend of agencies localizing studio operations to capture increased demand in the MENA region.
Operators in the MENA market should track how Elevate integrates its new creative studio into its existing service offerings. The shift underscores the rising importance of regional creative expertise in securing long-term contracts with international sports and culture clients.
The takeaway
The firm is prioritizing specialized regional expertise to better compete for sports and entertainment projects. Agency leaders should monitor how such senior-level additions influence service pricing and project turnaround times in the MENA region.
Further reading
For more on industry leadership changes, visit People.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Oneelevate.
