Matthew Richardson takes over as CEO as Founder and CEO Tom Otton steps down in planned move
DUBAI, UAE, NOVEMBER 10, 2026: Create, part of the Code and Theory Network at Stagwell, today announced the appointment of Matthew Richardson as Chief Executive Officer, leading the agency into its next phase of growth alongside business partner and Chief Creative Officer Dia Hassan.
Create Founder and Chief Executive Officer Tom Otton is stepping down from his role in a planned transition to focus on his family. Tom will stay connected to the agency in an advisory role.
Matthew and Dia have spent over a decade building the business with Tom. Together, the team has established Create as one of the region’s leading creative and technology agencies, helping nation builders and brands in the Middle East build reputation, grow audiences and shift behaviour.
The company was acquired by Stagwell in 2024 and integrated into its global digital transformation leader, Code and Theory. Its work spans digital transformation, AI products, brand campaigns and social content for partners including the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority, the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), PIF, Diriyah Gate, the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, Gulf Coast Development Company and the National Projects Office.
The agency enters this next chapter on the back of a year of regional and international client wins, including a renewed agency of record relationship with Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, agency of record for retail brand EDIT, digital experience agency for a global sporting organisation, lead social agency for the Dubai Fitness Challenge organised by DET, and marketing partner with the GEMS Education.
“From a single desk in Dubai in 2010 to being one of the region’s leading agencies, what we’ve built together at Create makes me incredibly proud,” said Tom. “While it’s time for me to step back and focus on my family, I do so with complete confidence in Matthew and Dia, who I’ve spent the last decade building this great agency with. I have no doubt Create will go on to even greater success, and I’m proud to stay connected as an advisor.”
“We’re building Create for the long term,” said Matthew. “The next chapter is about remarkable work, engineered to shift behaviour, with the evidence to prove it. We’re growing our senior leadership across the UAE and Saudi Arabia, investing further in our intelligence and measurement products, and establishing Create as the creative and technology engine for the Stagwell network in the Middle East.”
“Create has always been driven by ambition, for our clients, for the region and for the work,” said Dia, Chief Creative Officer. “What comes next brings creative and technology closer together, with a sharper standard for what great work should achieve.”
Get in touch:
Jen Stephenson, Associate Director
jen.stephenson@creategroup.me | +971 52 727 0696
talktous@creategroup.me | www.creategroup.me
Left to right: Dia Hassan, Matthew Richardson, Tom Otton
