Patrick EHRINGER / DDB Middle East & Africa

Since 2007, Patrick is President of DDB Middle East & Africa, heading twenty offices in the region.

Patrick has spent significant time on merger, acquisition and restructuring efforts as the network strengthened its positions in Europe, Middle East and in Africa.

A strong believer in the MEA region’s growth, Patrick is obsessed with helping DDB clients benefit from it, while bringing DDB Worldwide resources and expertise to them and to DDB offices in the region. Patrick is also a strong promoter of the development of the telecom, real estate and banking expertise in MEA.

Patrick joined DDB in 1985 as Chief Financial Officer for DDB France. Subsequently, he was named Executive Vice-President and General Manager of business and finance operations in 1989. From a limited number of agencies, he developed an important group of more than 40 subsidiaries, covering extended services in marketing services, corporate communication and especially print business. At that time, he also joined DDB Europe to develop the agency network in this region. He was named Chief Operating Officer Europe in 1995, and became member of the DDB Worldwide Board in 2003. Since 2008, Patrick is a member of DDB Worldwide Executive Committee to represent the MEA region.

Prior to joining DDB, Patrick spent eight years with Arthur Andersen & Co. in Paris and served as a senior audit manager for major international companies. He left the firm in 1982 to become the Chief Financial Officer of Japy Hermes, an Olivetti Group company, for which he successfully created and developed a network of distribution franchises.

In April 2007, the French Prime Minister appointed Patrick advisor to the French Foreign Trade Committee, to help French small-to-middle size companies develop their exportation business.