Acxiom’s CEO reinforces collaboration and support to KAUST

Reinforcing Acxiom’s role as a founding member of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)’s Industrial Collaboration Program (KICP), John Meyer – CEO and President of Acxiom, a global leader in marketing services, made an official visit to the landmark university’s campus in Thuwal (north of Jeddah), where he toured the different divisions and met with key personnel.
The visit comes only three months after the Arkansas based global marketing services corporation joined the program, where it sits on the KAUST Industrial Advisory Board alongside other founding partners, providing guidance to the research being executed on the main campus in Thuwal, as well as through the significant global collaborative research network.
Mr. Meyer, who was accompanied by Mr. Yousef Hamidaddin - Acxiom MENA’s CEO and its President Ms. Alaa Al Shroogi, was received with a welcome note by Amin Al Shibani, KAUST’s VP of Economic Development.   
The Acxiom delegation then toured KAUST where they saw firsthand the library, the visualization center (Cornea), and Shaheen – KAUST’s supercomputer named after the iconic Arabian falcon. John Larson, KAUST’s Chief Information Officer also addressed the delegation during the visit.
Mr. Meyer commented on the visit by saying: “First and foremost, I must congratulate the leaders and the people of Saudi Arabia for this remarkable achievement”, adding that “seeing is indeed believing and KAUST is no doubt the university of the future.”
He then went on to stress Acxiom’s commitment to research and development. “Our core capabilities at Acxiom are driven by innovation and our goal is to enable not only knowledge transfer, but also organic research and development. Our vision is echoed by the KAUST mission and we look forward to working closely with the university on a number of promising initiatives.”
KICP is designed to maximize industrial collaboration within the Kingdom, as well as internationally by engaging key partners, all with a keen interest in translating knowledge into economic growth and job creation.
Mr. Meyer’s visit demonstrates Acxiom’s commitment to the region after the recent establishment of its MENA operations, which came as a result of the corporation’s September 2009 acquisition of Direct Media Services (DMS) in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
DMS had established itself as the premier provider of data-driven marketing services in the MENA region. Working in partnership with the Saudi Post, DMS has been a pioneer in the Middle East’s direct mail industry and has expanded its offerings to become a full-service direct marketing agency. DMS recently became a member of the Universal Postal Union's Direct Mail Advisory Board and has been named one of the 100 fastest growing companies in Saudi Arabia by the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA).
Operating as Acxiom will significantly empower the new company's capabilities, extending the scope and sophistication of its offering across MENA.