July 2026 MENA Moves Tracker: Qwacks, Leti Arts, Esports Foundation, and Merak among seven moves tracked this month
A regular roundup of talent moves shaping the MENA region and Africa
Seven appointments and promotions were tracked across the MENA and Africa games industry in July, spanning commercial leadership, sponsorship, game development, marketing, and investment operations.
Saudi Arabia-based game technology startup Qwacks brought on Mahmoud Ziater as commercial lead. Ziater arrives with more than 17 years of experience across games, esports, and digital media, having previously led marketing at Doolab Agency and spent over four years as marketing and sales manager at True Gaming, where he handled partnerships with PlayStation, Xbox, Ubisoft, Activision, and Tencent.
Merak Capital appointed Maha Albaloushi as senior investment operations analyst, moving her across from Exel by Merak where she served as senior accountant. Albaloushi previously worked at Geidea and Raqamyah, and holds an MBA.
Exel by Merak colleague Faisal Alsharari was also promoted to assistant manager, formalising a role he has held since January 2025 supporting the delivery of the accelerator's startup programs.
Non-stop moves
The Esports Foundation recruited Isabelle Huet as head of sponsorship account management, relocating her to Riyadh. Huet joins from IMG, where she spent eleven months as senior global partnerships director, and brings nine and a half years of experience at Mindshare to the role. She will work with sponsors and agencies across the Esports World Cup and Esports Nations Cup.
In Africa, Agbenyega Caleb rejoined Leti Arts as marketing director, returning to the Accra-based studio after serving as community lead in 2024. He will lead brand strategy, community growth, and campaign work across the studio's portfolio.
Steer Studios added Sami Bakhsh as gameplay programmer, with the Riyadh developer arriving with a decade of experience across XR development and game programming. Egypt-based Halal Games Studio founder and CEO Hassan Sherif also joined Riyadh's Everness Games as a full-time game developer while continuing to lead his own studio.
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