APCO Names Award-Winning Journalist John Defterios Chairman for MENA Region to Drive Client Advisory Growth

• Defterios brings more than three decades of on-the-ground reporting and relationship-building across the Middle East, North Africa and other emerging markets, including deep ties to regional governments, sovereign investors and business leaders that APCO clients can draw on directly.
• As a fully integrated global and cross-disciplinary firm, APCO is in a prime position to help clients navigate the increasingly complex and consequential geo-commercial dynamics of MENA-a political, social and economic bloc of growing global power and influence.
• Defterios's appointment as chairman supercharges that capability, pairing his unmatched experience with these global dynamics and his relationships across the region with APCO's advisory, communications and public affairs capabilities worldwide.

DUBAI - Sept. 9, 2026: APCO, a global advisory and advocacy firm, today announced that John Defterios, the award-winning former CNN emerging markets editor and energy correspondent and longtime senior advisor to the firm, has been named chairman of APCO in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

"Clients around the world increasingly see MENA as a political, social and economic bloc growing in power and influence, and they are looking for insights and strategic help to engage it effectively, while clients within the region are looking to forge their optimal place on the world stage," APCO President and Chief Operating Officer Evan Kraus said. "As a fully integrated global and cross-disciplinary firm, APCO is in a prime position to help clients navigate this increasingly complex and consequential geo-commercial environment. John's appointment as chairman supercharges that capability, given his unmatched experience with these global dynamics and the relationships needed to help clients achieve their ambitions within them."

"I have watched APCO's expansion across the Middle East and other high-growth markets with great interest and respect since I first joined the firm as a senior advisor in 2021," said Defterios. "My focus is on MENA clients, but it's equally important to APCO's global portfolio: the region is a fast-growing global financial, trade, energy and AI hub. I look forward to helping APCO's clients everywhere make sense of a region being reshaped by the energy transition, new investment corridors and geopolitical realignment-and to working even more closely with such a talented global team at APCO."

Defterios first joined APCO in July 2021 as a senior advisor, following a distinguished career as CNN's emerging markets editor, energy correspondent and anchor. Over a 30-year career as a journalist, he covered the MENA region extensively, including a decade based in the network's Abu Dhabi bureau, reporting on landmark global events with a particular focus on trade, energy and geopolitics.

Defterios also serves as the global lead for APCO's Storybook Studio, the firm's in-house content studio, where he draws on his journalism network to help APCO's team of award-winning international and regional journalists identify, create and distribute live studio coverage from Tier 1 forums and summits, along with branded content series and documentaries for clients across the world on leading television, digital and social media platforms.

"John will be joining our MENA team this month, and his mandate is clear and immediate," said Samer El Hachem, president of APCO in the MENA region. "He will focus on two priorities: supporting our new business efforts, drawing on his deep network across the region, and serving as a senior advisor to our team and clients on an as-needed basis. Having someone with his standing and relationships in this capacity is a real asset for our clients as they plan for the year ahead."

APCO has operated in the MENA region for more than two decades, with teams based in Abu Dhabi, Amman, Doha, Dubai, Manama and Riyadh. Defterios's appointment adds a widely recognized regional voice to that team as APCO enters its next phase of growth in MENA.