One of the most familiar faces at the Sharjah International Book Fair across the Gulf and the wider Middle East is Bill Kennedy whose Avicenna sales agency has been representing university presses and academic houses since it was founded in 2003
Now Kennedy has announced a succession plan which sees Avicenaa acquired by leading European sales and marketing agency Durnell Marketing. The acquisition brings together two companies with complementary strengths and share clients, paving the way for significant growth opportunities in the MENA region.
“We are extremely excited about the opportunities that lie ahead with Avicenna,” said James Dunphy, MD at Durnell Marketing. “Bill and his colleagues have an incredible job establishing and maintaining a solid presence in the MENA region, and we’re eager to build upon their success. Together, we aim to optimise the flow of information, deepen client relationships, and drive strong sales growth throughout the territory.”
Kennedy said: “I am equally about this succession plan for Avicenna. Having know and respected the Durnell team for many years, sharing so many publishers in common and being able to work closely with them during this transition/integration, it’s my belief that customers and client publishers alike will benefit hugely.”
Kennedy will continue as a Director of the company for another 12 months or so to not only help steer the integration of systems/data but also, and more importantly, to transition the relationships with client publishers and Avicenna’s customers throughout MENA region.
The respect in which Kennedy is held in the region was demonstrated at the Sharjah International Book Fair earlier this month when he received an Appreciation Award from Sheikha Bodour al Qasimi, chair of the Sharjah Book Authority. He will be much missed.
