Melebari Group
Mahmoud Qolqala
Business & Marketing Strategist
Reading Time
2 mins
Malibari Holding Group is a diversified holding company operating in Saudi Arabia, with an in-house marketing agency serving its portfolio of companies. When performance concerns emerged within the agency, leadership brought in an external expert to assess the situation — a decision that would trigger a complete organizational transformation and set the stage for one of the group’s most productive marketing chapters.
The marketing agency was operating beneath its potential, but the full extent of the problem wasn’t visible until a structured audit was conducted.
What the audit uncovered went beyond surface-level inefficiencies. There were deep strategic and operational flaws embedded in how the department was being led and managed. Workflows were broken, capabilities were underdeveloped, and the team lacked the direction and structure needed to effectively support a holding group with multiple companies and ambitious growth targets in the Saudi market.
The situation was serious enough to result in the departure of the former Marketing Director. The agency wasn’t just underperforming; it was at risk of becoming a liability rather than an asset to the group.
Leadership needed someone who could not only diagnose the problem, but rebuild the function from within.
The engagement began with the marketing audit and quickly transitioned into a hands-on leadership and transformation role. Over six months, the work unfolded across three interconnected tracks:
Organizational restructuring. The agency’s internal structure was redesigned from the ground up. Roles were redefined, reporting lines were clarified, and a functional framework was established that aligned the team’s output with the holding group’s broader business objectives.
Team training and skill development. The existing team had potential, what they lacked was proper development and direction. A targeted training program was introduced to close skill gaps, raise standards, and shift the team’s mindset from reactive execution to strategic thinking.
Workflow optimization. Processes that were either missing or broken were replaced with clear, efficient systems. This gave the team the operational backbone they needed to manage multiple projects across the group’s portfolio, consistently and at scale.
Tailored solutions for the Gulf market. The work wasn’t generic. Marketing and management solutions were developed specifically to address the dynamics of the Gulf region, ensuring relevance and competitiveness in the Saudi market context.
Throughout the engagement, the role was as much about mentoring as it was about managing — equipping the team with the confidence, skills, and systems to eventually operate independently.
In six months, the agency went from a unit in crisis to a high-functioning department delivering measurable business impact:
- 23 tech-based projects successfully launched in the Saudi market, all owned by the Malibari Holding Group
- Cutting-edge marketing and management solutions developed and implemented, tailored specifically to Gulf market needs
- A fully restructured marketing department with optimized workflows and clear operational standards
- A high-performing, independent team in place and ready to operate under the holding company’s leadership without external support
- The agency transformed from a performance liability into a strategic business asset contributing real value across the group’s portfolio
Key Takeaways
- An honest audit is the starting point for real change. Identifying the root causes, not just the symptoms, was what made a genuine turnaround possible.
- Restructuring without capability building doesn’t last. The combination of organizational redesign and hands-on team development is what created a sustainable result.
- Temporary leadership, permanent impact. A focused six-month engagement was enough to rebuild an entire function, because the work was done with long-term independence in mind, not dependency.
- Context-specific solutions outperform generic ones. Designing marketing approaches around the specific dynamics of the Gulf region ensured the agency’s output was both relevant and competitive.
