Rima Bazzi helps people overcome self doubt, fear, and build confidence to unlock their full potential. She uses Cognitive behavioral therapy and hypnotherapy interventions to help create effective change.

Ivan Palomino is the co-founder of Bessern. He is a learning strategist and behavioral designer. He has worked for 18 years as a senior executive in corporate strategy with a proven track record and passion for innovation and human development. He has hands-on experience in Corporate Transformation & People’s Development. He is a Wellbeing at Work Advocate and expert on Behavioral Sciences applied to Learning. Ivan is a co-founder of 3 startups: 2 in technology and one in eco-clothing. His current life project is with Bessern – a leading EdTech startup based in Abu Dhabi that has been backed up through investment and advisory by Supercharger Ventures EdTech, Plug and Play Tech Center, Maan Authority of Social contribution and some others.

Prateek Kewalramani has been based in the UAE since 2007 and is currently working with Google as the Head of Marketing for Fitbit Middle East & Africa. Having travelled and worked in over 20 countries across the Middle East and Africa, Prateek has gained extensive professional experience in the region over the last 15 years. He has expertise in all major verticals of marketing including marketing communications, social media marketing, PR and product marketing. Prior to joining Google (Fitbit), Prateek has worked with prominent tech multinationals in the UAE. He is a Computer Science Engineer and has completed his MBA in Marketing.

An artistic storyteller with a holistic approach to life, Nadine Chammas has paved her way as a life director; a title equivalent to her personality and to the many roles she plays effortlessly and significantly. She is an award-winning celebrity of the Middle East’s music scene, a mother and wife, mentor, NLP coach, educator, singer and songwriter, motivational speaker, author, thespian, director, hypnotist, healer and entrepreneur – all with a common mission; to connect and make a positive change. A humanitarian at heart, she believes in lifting other women while giving them an opportunity to upscale and nurture their talents.

Dr Marie Brueser is the Entrepreneurship Leader at Thought For Food, the world’s leader of next-gen food and agri-tech innovation for impact. Marie leads several of TFF’s flagship programs, including the TFF Challenge, the sector’s largest and most diverse innovation challenge; the TFF Academy, an in-house acceleration program supporting promising early-stage startups; as well as TFF’s mentoring and intrapreneurship offers. Marie holds a PhD in plant genetics and has worked on various multinational sustainable development projects funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She has a unique overview of trends in food and agriculture and has spoken at and moderated discussions with organizations such as the Rockefeller Foundation, Danone, Cargill, the World Food Forum and more. She is passionate about biotech and is always on the lookout for new innovations.

Viktorija Aksionova is an entrepreneur and an endurance sports enthusiast. 2X startup founder, with over 10 years experience in the asset management industry. On a mission to empower people to take care of their emotional wellness, she is focused on improving access to mental care by creating Mindtales, a digital wellness platform. In addition, she leads ‘Lean In’ chapter in Abu Dhabi. In her spare time she loves cycling, playing jazz piano and learning new things.

Yasin Aboudaoud is a Hong Kong-born entrepreneur who has been in the global trading business for over I2 years. While co-founding Ecico Group he has been able to implement projects and distribution to major companies from the Middle East, Europe, and South America. Focused on project management Yasin has lead to develop premium, hotels, residential compounds and amusement parks. Yasin completed his undergrad degree at the University of Toronto in international, development in 2004; he then made his way back to Asia. This gave him the global vision of A- Z solutions in market development and product distribution. His expertise in China in the last 10 years, has allowed him to connect people with products of every kind across the globe. In addition to, distribution he also entered the F&B market in China and was able to establish two locations between 2010-2012. At the forefront of his successes, with technology as his passion and complete dedication as his drive, Yasin firmly believes that there is no market that can be untouched. Currently, between the GCC, Hong Kong and China. Yasin is very active in taking on more markets and building more products to pitch to the world.

Mariam Farag is a businesswoman, media specialist, humanitarian and international keynote speaker. She is also the Founder of Humanizing Brands, through which she helps businesses and media develop and implement global strategies and values for sustainable, diverse and inclusive operations. Prior to this, Mariam led one of the MENA region top media conglomerates, MBC Group, where she established impactful partnerships as the Founding Head of Brand Reputation, Communications & Social Impact. She also headed a number of CSR initiatives, including a Ramadan program centered on changing attitudes towards refugees that generated an audience of 25 million. Her previous roles involved initiating partnerships and outreach programs that addresses problems plaguing the youth and community. She has also worked alongside global NGOs such as UNICEF and SOS Children’s Villages, and her efforts are acknowledged by prestigious accolades, including the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Arab Social Media Award for Tweet to Donate Campaign. Mariam is a global citizen having lived, worked and studied in countries across the world. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a specialization in International Relations, as well as Master’s in International Relations and Political Theory. Mariam is passionate about media for impact and harnesses technology to give a voice to the voiceless. She is often invited to speak at regional and international media and forums, such as TEDx, where she delivers motivational keynotes on tech for good, women empowerment, community impact and youth development. On a personal front, Mariam values humanity, positivity, and sparks conversations to build genuine relationships and a sustainable, empowered future generation with consistent attention, time and love. For keynotes, panel moderation, media interviews and business inquiries, please contact Mariam’s personal brand manager Lisa Maria England at [email protected]

Munir David Nabti supports economic transformation efforts via entrepreneurship, tech, social entrepreneurship, creative entrepreneurship, and public sector innovation. He co-founded Bloom.pm (@bloomemea), an organization that runs online and hybrid entrepreneurship programs in 8 MENA countries and builds tools+software for SMEs and accelerators and other project-based learning programs. Bloom supported 168 teams in 2021 through our direct-support and “accelerator of accelerator” programs, and is currently expanding programs and supports across MENA. He graduated from UC Berkeley in Political Science and International Economics, and previously worked for the UN/FAO, Stanford University (Graduate Program in Journalism), Google, and the UC Berkeley Service-Learning Research and Development Center. You can find him on Twtr/Insta/LinkedIn @dmnabti.

Born from Turkish-Syrian parents, Nadine was a Director in the private equity firm Growthgate Capital, helping in the growth acceleration of several portfolio companies before becoming the Co-Founder and COO of Valeo. She has also been the acting COO of INCO, a construction company in Dubai with revenues of $100m and with activities in the Middle East. Before that, Nadine worked with NASDAQ Dubai, responsible for new IPO listings. She holds an MBA from INSEAD and a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from the AUD. Nadine’s search for good health and wellbeing led her to launch Valeo with her Co-Founder Sundeep Sahni. The app promises its users a convenient and personalized solution that allows users to schedule at-home health tests, receive detailed results, and get lifestyle and supplements advice from wellbeing experts.

Suna Zoabi Othman founded Tawazon in 2019 as a passionate proponent of emotional awareness, mental health and science. Her story with Tawazon came about as she observed a gap in the Middle East when it came to Mental Health and Wellness. That’s when she set forth to create a product that was personalized, accessible and based on scientific findings. Since then, Suna has been on a journey to provide daily short training and talk for adults and children across the Middle East to to become emotionally resilient, using most advanced technology tools. Tawazon app has reached over 0.25M users in the Middle East, generally organically, and is growing month over month, adding English app version ready to launch by the end of February 2022. Before creating Tawazon, Suna was Chemical engineer for 13 years. She currently resides in Jerusalem with her husband and her three children.

Triska Hamid is the editorial director at Wamda, a Mena-focused entrepreneurship platform, where she drives the content agenda from features and research to events. She has covered the Mena telecoms and technology landscape for more than a decade and has been published in MEED, The FT, The National and the Telegraph.

Ally Salama is a Forbes 30 Under 30 recognized social entrepreneur, ex-pro athlete, keynote speaker, podcaster, and The Middle East’s Mental Health Ambassador. He founded empower-mag.com, the first Mental Health Magazine in the Middle East, winning Harvard’s Top 7 Most Impactful Social Initiatives in 2019, earning recognition from the World Health Organization & the World Federation for Mental Health. He hosts Apple’s #1 Charting Youth Leadership Podcast ‘Empathy Always Wins’ – the world’s exclusive leadership and mental health podcast focusing on empathy. Currently living in between Dubai & Toronto, Ally is building his tech mental wellbeing start-up EMPWR and consults government institutions on improving their community engagement and on providing leadership & mental health workshops.

Khawla is the founder and CEO of Takalam, an award-winning online counseling platform for mental well-being. Before devoting her work fulltime to Takalam, Khawla held several positions in various Abu Dhabi based government entities, including Emirates Foundation & twofour54 where she utilized her skills and expertise in Business Development, Strategic Partnerships, Media & Communications. She also worked as an independent consultant for startups between the UAE & the US while she was based in Washington DC. Khawla holds a Master’s degree in International Business from Georgetown University in Washington DC and a Bachelor’s degree in Media & Communication Sciences from Zayed University in Abu Dhabi.

My journey as a Yoga student started 13 years ago, and I’ve completed my first teacher training in June 2015. I’ve travelled to India, Thailand, and Indonesia to study with the guidance of multiple teachers in different disciplines and styles, all under the umbrella of Yoga. What keeps me coming back to the practice is the unravelling of physical tensions, emotional blockages and mental patterns; It is the process of progress while marching to my own beat. And what keeps me on the journey of teaching is the ability to tend to the singularity and special-ness of each person I meet along the way, and to allow them to march to their own beat as we mirror the understanding of ourselves through each other and we then show up to the world beyond the mat in a conscious and present way.

An entrepreneur with over 12 years of experience working with startups and tech products. Assem previously worked on growing early and growth-stage startups as a product manager in diverse industries in MENA, and currently, he is a co-founder and CEO at ElCoach fitness App.

Emaan Abbass, life was turned upside-down at 21 after her first-ever trip to the gynecologist, where she was diagnosed with cervical cancer, that had been caused by HPV. Raised in a strict Arab-American home, Emaan, feared speaking to her parents, dealt with the serious issue on her own. Eventually this led to her launch of KETISH- A feminine and sexual wellness brand seeking to revolutionize the industry through empowering products, expert advice and the creation of a strong and supportive female community.

Stefania Brunori is a Brand Strategist and Marketing Specialist with over 15 years international experience in managerial positions. Having worked in Europe and the Middle East, her core areas of expertise are Personal Branding, Brand Strategy, Digital/Social Media and Integrated Marketing Practice, developing and implementing solid strategies and marketing campaigns to facilitate companies and individuals expand beyond their limits. Originally from Europe, she has been working in the UAE for 10 years, both for multinational companies such as Teka and Nokia and Middle East SME corporations with regional reach. Her entrepreneurial career started in 2015, when she conceptualized and launched the Middle East’s most complete website for Yoga & Meditation, Yoginfinity. Since then, shes been working with Social Impact & Wellbeing Start-Ups, SMEs and Entrepreneurs to enable their growth with the best practices of success. She provides Personal Branding coaching sessions and workshops too, where she brings together her expertise in Brand Strategy, Content Marketing and Growth Marketing techniques. She is also a Females Entrepreneur Mentor at the United Nations.

From young Buyer in Canton thanks to a Master Degree in Chinese with honors from Venice University, to a Senior Vice President role in Dubai. From Milan, Melbourne, London to Dubai, throughout her 20 years in Buying and Merchandising Daniela always searched for authentic and genuine stories behind brands. This allowed her to successfully empower young entrepreneurs, independent designers and emerging brands. After 2 decades in Traditional and Multichannel Retail with established International companies and start up ventures, Daniela has taken her approach beyond retail and co-founded Unlimited, a multimedia podcast platform to give voice to inspiring female entrepreneurs from the UAE. By telling their stories with genuine and relatable podcast interviews, Daniela approaches topics from Enterpreneurship, Innovation, Business, Education and Wellbeing to inspire, engage and drive growth. Beyond podcasts are events, panel discussions, workshops and webinars that Daniela leads with passion, authenticity and professionalism to promote even deeper conversations.

Vanessa Zuabi is the CEO and Co-Founder of Mint Basil Market. Mint Basil Market originated from Vanessa’s own struggle to regain her health after being diagnosed with an auto-immune condition. Mint Basil makes finding trusted healthy clean-ingredient brands easy to find by providing a curated selection of clean-ingredient products, health expert content and personalized recommendations based on specific diet, health and lifestyle needs. Prior to launching Mint Basil Market, Vanessa was the Founder of JSR Impact, a consultancy specializing in business and partnership development for impact investment, philanthropy and corporate social responsibility. Her previous clients include HSBC, the Clinton Foundation, the Aspen Institute, the Middle East Investment Initiative, and Icco Investments. She previously worked for the Aspen Institute as Associate Director of Middle East Programs, specializing in public private partnership to advance economic and entrepreneurship policy initiatives in the MENA region. She is a graduate of Georgetown’s Masters of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS) and has publications featured in Foreign Policy, Huffington Post, and the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs.

Sabin Muzaffar is the Founder & Executive Editor of Anankemag.com – a globally respected, digital media and development platform empowering women through awareness, advocacy and education. Possessing 20+ years of experience in print and digital media, her past roles, apart from editorial, include being a UN Women’s Empower Women Global Champion for Women’s Economic Empowerment and a mentor as well as Cherie Blair Foundation Mentor. Sabin was also among the 20 journalists selected from the EMEA region for London School of Economics, JournalismAI + Google News Initiative Program, AI Academy for Small Newsrooms. Sabin has had the privilege of speaking at global events and leading universities including Cambridge and London School of Economics focusing on women in tech, inclusion, diversity and economic empowerment. Twitter: @critoe

Baha Hamadi is a Board Member of the Public Relations & Communications Association (PRCA MENA) and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Community of ESG Practitioners. He also serves as a mentor for Dubai Chamber’s Centre for Responsible Business, and a judge for MENA Effie Awards and MEPRA Awards. With over 15 years of experience in marketing and CSR, he has supported the social innovation and ESG efforts of founders and CEOs, enabling startups to generate and communicate social and environmental impact in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Baha holds a master’s degree in marketing from Middlesex University, Dubai, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Notre Dame University, Lebanon.

Tia is a certified holistic health coach specialising in gut health. She helps women holistically heal their digestive issues, increase their energy and reduce stress so they can feel whole again. She studied with the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, the worlds largest nutrition school. Tia focuses on diet, lifestyle and mindset changes to cover all aspects of holistic healing through a mind/body approach. Additionally Tia is a yoga and meditation teacher and currently studying the ancient healing science of Ayurveda.

I am obsessed with leveling the playing field. In 2019 when I embarked on my entrepreneurial journey for the third time with LiZZOM, I centered my vision around what women should want. Unlike my last 2 entrepreneurial ventures, the business idea did not originate from my personal cooking and event management skills. The trigger was an unpleasant loss of a friend. Realizing that women put their menstrual life and experiences, at last, owing to the taboo attached to the subject, I started my organic period care brand with 2 objectives in mind. One was to provide a solution to common menstrual problems and the other one was to unmask the period taboos. Within a few months of launch, I knew that my approach towards the taboo topic and the products that I am introducing are in the right direction. While building a brand may have looked effortless from the outside, starting a business with boot-strapped funds, has been quite a journey. Every day I wake up with a promise to myself that I will at least impact one woman’s life every day. Other than that, education and sales are going hand in hand. At every step of the journey, I have received tremendous support from every single corner. The journey is beautiful, interesting, and challenging. Exactly the way I would like it. Other than work, the top highlight of my life is my moments with my family. I am MBA by education, a financial planner by profession, a snack connoisseur, and certainly an artist by hobby. I have a keen eye for financials and I am a big fan of productivity and mental wellness.

Sophie is the Founder and CEO of Nabta Health, a hybrid healthcare platform for women providing personalised healthcare to women in emerging markets. Prior to founding Nabta, Sophie worked for Accenture as a technology consultant and then founded several impact enterprises including myZindagi (a doctor-finding platform based in Pakistan) and Le Plastics (a plastic recycling company based in Sierra Leone). Sophie’s lifetime ambition is to make healthcare affordable and accessible for all women. Sophie read History at the University of Cambridge and completed an MBA with Quantic School of Business and Technology.