Managing Director, Middle East
November Five
Lead November Five's MENA business and senior client relationships, partnering with leadership teams to deliver digital products, CX outcomes, and measurable growth.
// About me
DARIUS LABELLE — Digital Product, CX & Transformation Leader
Digital Product, CX & Transformation Leader
Managing Director, Middle East at November Five. Twenty years turning strategy into brands, digital products, and measurable customer experience across MENA, North America, and APAC.
// Stats
0+Years' experience
0Continents
0Years in MENA
"Twenty years in the industry, sixteen in MENA. My focus is where brand, CX, and AI meet."
I'm a digital product, CX, and transformation leader based in Dubai. For over two decades I've helped brands and their leadership teams turn ambition into something real: digital products that perform under pressure, customer experiences that build loyalty, and operating models that hold up in delivery.
Fifteen of those years have been in MENA, where I now lead November Five's Middle East business. Before this I held senior leadership positions in New York and Melbourne, running teams and building capabilities across brand, CX, media, and martech for some of the world's most complex organisations.
My focus is where brand, CX, and intelligence intersect, specifically how brand, experience and a strong data layer can lift relevance, efficiency, and performance without compromising craft.
// Capabilities
Areas of Expertise
End-to-end product strategy, design, and delivery for digital-first businesses.
Connecting service, content, and data so the experience holds up across every touchpoint.
Brand-building creative grounded in audience insight and built to perform across channels.
Designing and operating coherent customer journeys across owned, paid, and earned.
From positioning and identity through to launch and the operating system that scales it.
Embedding AI into product, content, and CX where it changes the unit economics.
Lifecycle programmes that earn loyalty through relevance.
Selecting, integrating, and operationalising the stack so marketing actually ships.
// Outcomes
Selected Outcomes
Grew agency revenue 3× in two years by overhauling the operating model and launching CX, martech, and content-marketing service lines.
Scaled a North American CX practice to $35M+ in under three years at a 76% new-business win rate.
Lifted digital conversion up to 40% redesigning a regulated global pharma client's enterprise digital ecosystem.
Held team turnover under 5% while scaling distributed teams across multiple cities and time zones.
Built PENSO from a standing start to profitable acquisition.
// Career
Experience
Based in
Dubai · New York · Melbourne
Covered
Canada & USA · MENAT · APAC · CEEMEA
President
BPG (WPP)
Led the UAE practice across advertising, PR, media, and CX. Joined as EVP/Chief Client Officer, promoted to President. Rebuilt the agency into a digital-first, data-led operation and grew revenue 3× in two years.
Managing Director
Havas CX
Led CX-focused delivery for global financial, healthcare, and pharma clients across North America. Scaled the practice to $35M+ with a 76% new-business win rate.
Partner
PENSO
Co-founded a digital marketing advisory delivering martech, CRM, and content systems for enterprise clients across Australia, MENA, and Southeast Asia. Profitable in year one; subsequently acquired.
// Earlier roles
General Manager — OgilvyOneUAE- Director, Client Services — Havas DigitalUAE
Head of Accounts — Publicis SapientUAE
Account Director — OgilvyUAE
Account Manager — BBDOUAE
// Clients
Brands I've helped build
// Thought Leadership
Thought Leadership
Jul 2026 · INC Arabia
Artificial Intelligence in Customer Experience Is Solving the Wrong Problem
Why most AI in CX automates the wrong layer — and where it should be applied instead.
May 2026 · Martech Vibe
Memorable Experience is the New Growth Engine
Why memorable experience is the part of the product that survives commoditisation.
May 2026 · Campaign Middle East
Why High-Stakes Digital Products Fail — And Why You'll Be Blamed for It
The structural mistake underneath most high-stakes digital failures in the Gulf.
Aug 2024 · Campaign Middle East
How Pharma Brands Show the Humanity in Marketing
Why pharma brands need to put inclusive customer experiences at the core.
May 2026 · Adtech Today Middle East
Finding the Human Spark in Tech
On AI, personalisation, digital products, and how MENA is redefining CX.
Mar 2026 · The Marketing Society
Why AI in Customer Experience May Be Happening in the Wrong Place
AI in CX should adapt experiences to individuals in real time — not just automate content.
Mar 2026 · Communicate Online
Are Deepfakes Too Real to Spot?
On the accelerating sophistication of deepfakes and what it means for brands and trust.
— · BPG Group Insights
Why Agency Culture Is a Strategic Asset
Culture isn't a soft benefit — it's the mechanism through which strategy gets executed.
2023 · Campaign Middle East
Three Pillars of Innovation
How AI, creativity, and cross-functional collaboration combine to unlock new value.
// Press
In the Press
- Apr 2026November Five Launches AI-Driven Product Studio in the Middle EastCampaign Middle EastRead
- Feb 2026Member Interview: Darius LaBelleThe Marketing SocietyRead
- Jan 2026November Five Appoints Darius LaBelle as Managing DirectorAdtech Today Middle EastRead
- Jan 2026Darius LaBelle Joins November Five as Managing DirectorCampaign Middle EastRead
- Apr 2024Cannes Lions 2024: UAE Awarding Jury Members AnnouncedCampaign Middle EastRead
- Nov 2022BPG Strengthens Integrated Offering with Senior Leadership AppointmentsET HRWorld Middle EastRead
- —BPG's CX Transformation Nets Major Business Wins Across the GCCKhaleej TimesRead
// Voices
What People Say
Piero Poli
CEO Marketing and Advertising, Independent
Dubai, UAE
Darius is exceptional. A talented business person with a razor sharp mind and wit to match. In the 14 years I have worked in the advertising and media business, Darius was one of those rare individuals who showed an immense drive to succeed and also bring people along with him. I wouldn't hesitate working with Darius again.
Constantine Frantzeskos
Founder, SalesChef.ai
Melbourne, Australia
Darius is one of the smartest, most forward-looking business leaders I've ever worked with. He marries deep digital expertise, marketing strategy, CX transformation and respect for enterprise business. More than anything, he's a realist — he unites people around a shared understanding of business problems, shared vision, and shared objective.
Mohammed Ajawi
Chief Client Officer, Viola
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Darius consistently demonstrated a keen strategic vision, outstanding communication skills, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. He has a remarkable ability to inspire and motivate teams, fostering a collaborative and high-performing work environment.
Alexander Robertson
Global Marketing & Digital, Jumeirah Group
Dubai, UAE
Darius is one of the rare kinds of managers, someone who can inspire a business but remains clued in to the day-to-day feelings of an organization. He is as focused on the well-being of his team as he is about the bottom line.
Douglas MacDonald
Co-founder, CX & Digital
Vancouver, Canada
Darius is someone you want in the room when things get stressful. Level headed, goal focused, and brings great ideas to the table. Positive and very trustworthy — delivers when he says he will with high quality work, which means a lot in this region.
Sergio Gutierrez
CX & Omnichannel Marketer, Appnovation
Toronto, Canada
His tremendous business acumen and marketing knowledge, together with his humble and human approach to leadership and a truly partnering spirit, makes him a unicorn in this industry — one of those people you enjoy working towards conquering the world with.
Lex Bradshaw-Zanger
CDMO, SAPMENA Region, L'Oréal Groupe
Singapore
Darius has an understanding of the big picture but also how the right digital strategy can be the answer to a client's needs. Good marketers like Darius can handle website, social strategy, CRM and mobile apps — and more.
// Recognition
Speaking & Recognition
I've served as a judge, juror, and speaker at some of the industry's most respected programmes — across creative, CX, and effectiveness categories.
