•  H.E. Hend Al Otaiba, Founder & CEO of HAO Strategies, former UAE Ambassador to France, MEPRA Fellow, and Senior Leader in Strategic Communications and Global Affairs, served as Guest of Honour and delivered the opening keynote 
  • MEPRA Fellowship awarded to Kate Midttun, Founder & CEO of Acorn Strategy and MEPRA Strategy Board Member, in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the communications industry in the Middle East 
  • The forum brought together over 120 senior communications leaders and influential industry voices to explore Emerging Stronger: Shaping What Comes Next

United Arab Emirates, 30 June 2026: The Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA) held the 11th edition of its flagship annual event, the UAE Leadership Majlis, at Saadiyat Rotana Resort & Villas, Abu Dhabi. The forum brought together over 120 senior communications leaders, practitioners and industry voices to explore the theme ‘Emerging Stronger: Shaping What Comes Next’ – a theme that resonated strongly as communicators across the region navigate an increasingly complex global environment.

Her Excellency Hend Al Otaiba, Founder & CEO of HAO Strategies, former UAE Ambassador to France, MEPRA Fellow and Senior Leader in Strategic Communications and Global Affairs, served as Guest of Honour and delivered the opening keynote address. Drawing on her extensive diplomatic and communications career, H.E. Al Otaiba set the tone for the day’s discussions, speaking to the communications profession’s role in shaping trust, credibility and the UAE’s next chapter.

The forum also marked the presentation of this year’s MEPRA Fellowship, awarded to Kate Midttun, Founder & CEO of Acorn Strategy and MEPRA Strategy Board Member and former Chair of the organisation. The Fellowship recognises an individual’s outstanding contributions to the communications industry in the Middle East, and Midttun’s recognition reflects her sustained impact across the profession and her commitment to vital industry issues, including  mental wellbeing. 

Mazar Masud, MEPRA Executive Board Member and Chair of the UAE Leadership Majlis Committee, and Senior VP of Corporate Affairs at M42, said: “At a defining moment for our region, the UAE continues to demonstrate that resilience is built not only through bold decisions, but through trust, clarity and purposeful leadership. Communications has a critical role to play on that journey. We are no longer simply telling stories; we are helping to shape understanding, inspire confidence and enable progress. That was the spirit behind this year’s UAE Leadership Majlis. Bringing together leaders from government, business and the communications profession, we explored how our industry can help write the UAE’s next chapter on the global stage. The conversations reinforced that communications has earned its place as a strategic leadership function, helping organisations and nations navigate complexity while building the trust that underpins long-term success.”

The MEPRA UAE Leadership Majlis featured a packed roster of senior voices spanning agency, industry, and government. Across keynote sessions, panel discussions, and roundtables, speakers included Mazen Nahawi, MEPRA Fellow and Executive Board Member and Founder & Group CEO of CARMA; Umayma Abubakar, Deputy Chief Communications Officer at Mubadala, who represented one of the UAE’s most strategically significant sovereign wealth funds in discussions on communications resilience; Faheem Ahamed, Group Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at G42; Kelly Kolker, Director of Communications, MEA and Central Asia at McKinsey & Company; and Ziad Hasbani, MEPRA Fellow and Regional CEO of Weber Shandwick MENAT.

Justin Kerr-Stevens, MEPRA Chairman and CEO of Northbourne Advisory, said: “The Majlis was a testament to the quality and ambition of the communications profession in this region. Having H.E. Hend Al Otaiba open proceedings set exactly the right tone, and seeing Kate Midttun receive the MEPRA Fellowship was a proud moment for everyone in the room. The conversations throughout the day reflected both the challenges and the real opportunity in front of us. We left with stronger connections, sharper thinking, and renewed energy for what comes next.”

Across the day’s sessions, a clear signal emerged: communications is no longer simply a function that responds to change – it is one that helps shape it. From sovereign wealth and technology to global consulting and agency leadership, the perspectives in the room pointed towards a profession reinforcing its strategic role, with greater responsibility for how organisations and institutions navigate what comes next for the UAE and the wider region.

The Majlis featured keynote insights, panel discussions and roundtable sessions designed to foster collaboration and deliver practical guidance on the issues shaping the profession, from navigating geopolitical uncertainty to building organisational resilience and defining the next chapter of communications in and for the Middle East.

The 2026 UAE Leadership Majlis was supported by gold partners Mubadala and CARMA; silver partner G42; bronze partner Telum Media; and supporting partners Weber Shandwick MENAT, North Seventy Five, First & Ten Productions, and Tales & Heads.

For more information, visit www.mepra.org