My career had a very different start to where it is today. My first full time job was with an American NGO that taught me that how you package things is crucial. I then moved to Diwanee when social media was booming in MENA, where I got front row exposure to how people behaved when they were anonymous (this at the time when people were migrating from forums to social pages). A change of pace then landed me in Cinemoz (one of my fondest roles), where I was focused on content acquisition and understanding what people wanted to consume. Then to Mindshare where I learned how to leverage knowledge to influence, and next to Publicis Groupe where I experienced transformation and true scale firsthand. I’ve been with the Groupe for almost 9 years working in Spark Foundry in its founding year, then Starcom Dubai. But then in 2022, I switched from a planner to a growth role where I am lucky enough to be working with the crème de la crème building incredible stories, strategies, and solutions – and it’s been the best decision I’ve ever made.

14 years ago, an interviewer asked me: “What kind of manager do you aspire to be?” At the time I said that I had learned the kind that I did NOT want to be from my past experiences of being managed by sub-optimal leaders. Today it still holds true, but I can frame it better under two principles: loyalty and empathy, and they sit at the core of my interpretation of “Give to Gain”.  Loyalty to my own set of ethics and standards, loyalty to my employer and to their vision, and loyalty to the people in my team will always enable me to make the best decisions. (If I were still in a client facing role, I would easily add loyalty to their best interests even when they couldn’t see it). And “empathy” allows me to stay human, and to understand that people are not machines and will inadvertently have random things happening in their lives, and to accept that it’s my responsibility to enable them to do the best possible work by alleviating unnecessary burdens (or deadlines) where possible.

Our job in new business is volatile, never perfectly defined, and requires a lot of people orchestration. And I have found that the more loyalty and empathy I bring to the people around me, the more trust, support, and partnership come back in return. 

As a mom of three incredible kids (Joseph – 5, Ivy – 3, and Bana – almost 1, in case you were wondering), those two principles still apply but they are driven by a deeper kind of love. Loyalty then becomes a commitment to seeing them thrive and become the best versions of themselves, and empathy means I don’t throw an adult tantrum to match theirs or lose my composure when one of them (Ivy,3 – see above) decides to redecorate the dining table with a deep shade of red long-stay lipstick (some days are better than others).

I’ve been privileged to meet some incredible young women who will without a doubt be the next “wonder women” in MENA and potentially even the world. My advice to them is the following: 

  1. Don’t be afraid to be loyal to your truth – whether you want to be a working mother, or to stay single, or married, or undefined / “it’s complicated” (said the millennial) – you are capable and smart and can make it work. You don’t have to compromise, you just have to be a solid planner. (It comes naturally to women, don’t worry).
  2. If / when the role you’re in becomes cut-throat and extremely competitive – don’t lose touch with that special gift for empathy that we are again naturally born with. This might be the most intentional thing you end up doing as a professional.
  3. Be generous, be poised and graceful, be witty and funny, be passionate and level-headed, be brilliant and compassionate – be a Woman.