Grand Axis Global’s MDME 2026 to feature special keynote by Dr Annurag Batra

Dr Annurag Batra, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of BW Businessworld and Founder of the exchange4media Group, will deliver a special keynote address at the inaugural Middle East Digital Marketing Excellence Awards (MDME) 2026, organised by Grand Axis Global in Dubai on 23 October.

The event, scheduled at Kempinski The Boulevard in Downtown Dubai, will also feature the Top 50 Marketing Leaders of the Middle East 2026 recognition, bringing individual leadership and campaign excellence onto a shared platform.

Dr. Batra’s participation adds an Indian media and marketing industry perspective to the programme. Through BW Businessworld and exchange4media, he is associated with business journalism and industry platforms covering advertising, marketing, media and the wider corporate ecosystem.

He founded exchange4media in 2000, building a publishing business focused on marketing, advertising and media professionals. His work across the group has combined editorial coverage with industry events and conversations involving senior business leaders and brand decision-makers.

MDME 2026 seeks to recognise achievements across digital marketing, performance marketing, branding, customer engagement, social media innovation, artificial intelligence-led campaigns, marketing technology, advertising technology and digital transformation.

The awards framework spans industry-specific campaigns, social media and content, performance and growth marketing, customer experience, brand excellence, emerging technology, creative innovation, agency excellence and individual leadership. Listed categories include the use of generative AI in marketing and campaigns delivering measurable business growth.

Alongside the campaign awards, the Top 50 Marketing Leaders recognition will put the spotlight on individuals within the Middle East’s marketing community. Together, the two initiatives give the programme a focus on both marketing execution and the people shaping it.

Grand Axis Global is a Dubai-based corporate events company whose activities include awards, leadership summits, executive roundtables and training programmes. The company describes its mission as connecting senior decision-makers, brands, agencies and technology innovators to encourage business collaboration across the Middle East.

The organisation is led by Founder and Chief Executive Officer Priyanka Bhadouria, who has more than 25 years of experience in the business events industry. Before establishing Grand Axis Global, she spent over nine years with exchange4media, working on awards, leadership summits and webinars.