The Wire
← back to the wire

Luciano Rahal

Senior Publishing & Marketing Executive | Gaming, Esports & Entertainment | EMEA
17.4 yrs experienceEntertainment
Apr 2026

The move

MoveRiot Games → Burson
TitleHead of Publishing - 2XKO EMEA → Director, Gaming & Esports Practice
LocationUnited Arab Emirates → Dubai
Career arcRooted in UAE★
Cross-border moveNo — same country
Native languageEnglish, Spanish, Arabic, French
Years in UAE14.8
Total experience17.4 years
Burson headcount5,001-10,000 employees
Burson industryPublic Relations and Communications Services
Burson HQNew York
Burson typePublic Company

Career arc

  1. Director, Gaming & Esports PracticeApr 2026 — Present
    Burson· Dubai, United Arab Emirates· Full-time
  2. Head of Publishing - 2XKO EMEAMay 2025 — Feb 2026
    Riot Games· Full-time
  3. Head of Marketing Communication MEA & Russia+Mar 2019 — May 2025
    Riot Games· Dubai· Full-time
  4. Club Director & Co founderMar 2016 — Jan 2019
    Nasr eSports· MENA· Full-time
  5. Head of Project DevelopmentJan 2016 — Mar 2017
    Power League Gaming· United Arab Emirates
  6. Account Director & Business GrowthJan 2015 — Nov 2015
    Profusion· United Arab Emirates
  7. Regional Account DirectorJun 2013 — Dec 2014
    IMPACT BBDO· Dubai
  8. Account Director2010 — 2013
    FP7· Dubai
  9. Account Manager2008 — 2010
    Lowe and Partners Worldwide· Dubai

Education

Languages

  • English · Native or bilingual
  • Spanish · Native or bilingual
  • Arabic · Native or bilingual
  • French · Native or bilingual

Top skills

Government RelationsGame PublishingCrisis ManagementGaming IndustryMarketing CommunicationsInfluencer Marketing

About

Great marketing isn't about knowing the product. It's about understanding the people, earning their trust, speaking their language, and turning global ambition into local impact.That's been my work for the last 16 years. I've led publishing, marketing, and growth strategies across EMEA and MENA, scaling some of the world's most ambitious entertainment and tech brands from global vision to regional reality. I've built and led diverse teams, managed multi-million dollar budgets, shaped go-to-market strategy from concept to launch, and spent years developing the kind of institutional relationships in the Gulf that take most people a decade to build.My background is rooted in gaming and esports, an industry that sits at the intersection of technology, culture, and community, and where the bar

Share this move

View profile on LinkedIn