ERM Appoints Sophia Sheikh as Director to Lead Middle East Communications Agency

ERM has appointed Sophia Sheikh as Director to lead the development and growth of its strategic communications agency across the Middle East, the company said. The appointment was announced by EIN Presswire. Sheikh succeeds no predecessor in the role, which was created to lead the agency founded by Partner Lead Emily Luscombe at the start of 2025.

Sheikh's Role at ERM's Communications Agency

Sheikh joins ERM's pan-EMEA communications agency with more than 20 years in marketing, communications and content development, including 17 years in the Middle East. Her experience spans media, financial services and sustainability. At Dubai World Trade Centre she helped position Dubai as a destination for international business, and she led marketing and content for the Masdar-hosted World Future Energy Summit.

The agency, founded by Luscombe at the start of 2025, has been recognised as 'One to Watch' by PRWeek. It delivers multi-channel communications and stakeholder engagement programmes grounded in the technical and strategic depth of the 8,000-strong specialist sustainability firm. Sheikh will build on the agency's growth in the Middle East, where the team has secured mandates from government, listed and private businesses spanning real estate, energy, manufacturing and financial services. This work has included supporting local clients in achieving international recognition for their ERM-led sustainability reporting.

"With sustainability increasingly central to business strategy, investment decisions and corporate reputation, having the right strategy and delivering meaningful change are only part of the equation," Sheikh said. "Organisations also need to communicate clearly what they are doing, why it matters, and what it means for their stakeholders."

Luscombe, Partner Lead for Strategic Communications, EMEA, said: "I am ever so excited to have someone of Sophia's calibre join our team. Her experience in building brands, engaging audiences and developing strategies that build both reputation and international visibility around sustainability is integral to the continued growth of our offering, in the GCC and beyond."

ERM's Leadership and Scale

According to akta.pro company records, ERM appointed Bill Theofilou, former Accenture global CEO advisory practice leader and Axia founder, as Executive Chair in January 2026 to drive next-stage transformation. The same records list Sabine Hoefnagel as Interim CEO, Andy Boland as Chief Financial Officer and Victoria Bell as Interim Chief Financial Officer. ERM operates as the world's largest pure-play sustainability consultancy, with 8,000+ experts across 40 countries and territories, and 95% of the world's largest LNG projects partner with ERM.

Earlier ERM Partnerships

In May 2026, ERM partnered with Carbmee, a carbon management solutions provider, to help manufacturing clients reduce Scope 3 emissions through AI-powered data collection and analysis, ERM said. In September 2026, osapiens and ERM announced a strategic alliance to offer a joint sustainability data and advisory service to North American clients, combining osapiens' AI platform with ERM's advisory capabilities, ESG Today reported. In October 2026, Systemiq and ERM released a report on mining and metals systems through 2050, developed with ICMM and funded by the Moore Foundation, Mining Technology reported.

Sustainability Communications Findings

ERM's Global EcoPulse 2025 found that 85% of organisations say sustainability is a tie-breaker in procurement tenders. The research also found that 67% of people are interested in hearing from companies about their efforts to reduce environmental impact, and 90% of employees say a company's environmental or social record is important when considering where to work.