Hafsa Qadeer, CEO, ImInclusive:
Hafsa Qadeer is a social entrepreneur, the CEO and Founder of ImInclusive, driven by the passion for reducing inequalities and bridging gaps between employers and people with disabilities. She is a sibling to a talented person of determination (person with a disability), Ahmed Qadeer who lives with Spinal Bifida. Hafsa founded a multi-award-winning enterprise and online job portal in the UAE that provides employment opportunities to people with disabilities across UAE and MENA. Since January 2020, evolving from a community initiative to a scaling company, ImInclusive has become the MENA’s largest movement of equitable employment for all. In 2022, became the 1st social certified business in the UAE to conduct inclusive employment activities, making national history. In February they presented at the UN HQ and have just signed a partnership with Visa.
Kate Hardcastle MBE, Broadcaster and Global consumer expert and CEO of Insight with Passion:
Global, go-to consumer specialist, Kate Hardcastle MBE is a multi-award-winning international business consultant & commentator working across the UK, The US and the UAE. She works with some of the world’s biggest brands to reimagine their customer engagement and is a highly respected media business presenter & reporter covering consumer issues, retail outlook, innovation, news and customer and economic insight. Hardcastle has developed impactful consumer strategies with household brand names across the world, and was awarded an MBE by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II for services to business & entrepreneurship. Kate is a prominent voice in sustainability across the media – committed to helping businesses and consumers make positive change. As founder of global sustainability platform “Buy Smarter Buy Greener” Kate encourages consumers to make better choices. She also works extensively as consultant and strategist for many global retailers and brands. Hosting & Keynote speaking duties see Kate working across the world including Financial Times Retail Summit, Retail World Congress, The Retail Summit UAE, Seamless UAE, Shop Talk Las Vegas, The Tech Show and Ideal Home Show.
Emma Burdett, Gender Equality Expert and Founder of WILD:
Emma an entrepreneur, the founder of WILD (Women in Leadership Deliver) network, a keynote speaker, moderator and transformational coach. An avid advocate for gender equality, diversity and inclusion, she is INSEAD qualified in gender equality studies and a gender equality specialist. Emma was selected as LinkedIn’s Top Voices for her work on gender equality. Emma is also the force behind the unique membership of WILD Women Collective, combining wellness and leadership. WWC is the only women’s network to connect women across the borders of the GCC currently in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and KSA.
Torkia Mahloul, COO of Ovasave:
Torkia Mahloul is the COO of Ovasave, the Middle East’s first ferti-tech company aimed at empowering women to take control of their fertility. As an Arab-French millennial woman who went through her own egg-freezing journey, she has realized that fertility preservation was an underserved area with many women struggling due to the lack of support and innovation in the field. With over 10 years of experience across Banking, Tech and Fintech with large corporates and start-ups in Europe, North America, and the Middle East, Torkia specializes in helping businesses launch new products and grow in new markets.
Dr Saliha Afridi, Clinical Psychologist and Managing Director of Lighthouse Arabia:
Clinical psychologist and founder of leading mental health and wellbeing centre The LightHouse Arabia remains committed to advocating for mental health in the region. Dr Saliha is able to support on any mental health commentary.
Noona Nafousi, coach and founder of Neo Noor:
Noona Nafousi is a life coach, Master NLP certified trainer, and Founder of Neo Noor, Noona Nafousi. Noona works with extraordinary executives, teams and organisations who recognise that they have not yet reached their full potential. Helping to shed the limiting beliefs that hold people back both personally and professionally, Noona guides her clients to develop deeper relationships with themselves, colleagues, loved ones and work. Spending 20 years in the corporate world as an executive headhunter, Noona observed a commonality among every successful candidate – a. bulletproof mindset and a set of beliefs that served their values, creating a sense of magnetism that employers could not resist. With this in mind she began coaching her candidates on how to control their emotions, thoughts and beliefs so that they could attract opportunities instead of chasing them. The ones that implemented Noona’s advice began to land their dream jobs and promotions. This was when Noona really discovered her purpose and made it her mission to help professionals achieve the lives they deserved. Noona delivers one to one, group and corporate coaching all over the world.
Nancy Ozbek, General Manager of Times Square Center:
A triathlete with a strong business background, Nancy is the champion of transforming malls from zero to a hundred real quick. She also offers immense support to SME retailers, primarily local female-led businesses, and has secured few for Times Square. She has launched Picnic Square – an experiential, sustainable, F&B and events space that caters to both kids and adults.
Erika Doyle, Founder of Drink Dry:
Erika Doyle is a true champion of the zero-alcohol revolution in the UAE. The Founder of Drink Dry, the GCC’s first and only premium non-alcoholic drinks marketplace, Erika is a well-known and revered figure in the beverage industry. What started as an e-store, Drink Dry is now a firm mainstay in the retail and hospitality sector across the GCC, with their product offering now available in many prominent bars and restaurants across the city. Erika holds a bachelor’s degree in History and Politics from the University of Nottingham. A tenacious leader and innately passionate about pioneering the alcohol-free drinks category in the F&B industry in the UAE, Erika was included as one of the top female-led companies in the UAE by Time Out magazine in March 2021. In 2022, she won the Entrepreneur Woman SME Leaders Award for F&B Leader and was included in Arabian Businesses’ ‘50 Most Inspirational Women 2022’. More recently, Erika has been nominated again in the Arabian Business ‘50 Most Inspirational Women 2023’. In addition to her brand, Erika is a strong believer in giving back to society and works on various philanthropic endeavors including working with Life Skills Haiti Foundation and sponsoring nurses through their education program. She recently helped 4 Ukrainian families relocate to the United Kingdom in March-June time of 2022 to escape the war. Erika gave up her UK family home to these families for the period of 9 months and in the meantime raised funds to allow those families to move into their own homes in December 2022. All 4 families are now safely settled in the UK. Erika also raised funds and helped further 9 families move to the UK and settle with various other families. Erika was commended and honoured by the local Vicar in the UK for her work in helping the Ukrainian Refugees. She also loves learning and has started learning Arabic in October 2022 with a private teacher. The goal is to be able to speak fluently and further her business interests in the region.
Rima Mrad, Partner of BSA Legal:
Rima is a Partner with the Corporate and M&A Practice in BSA’s DIFC offices in Dubai. She is an experienced corporate and insurance lawyer who has practiced in the UAE for over fourteen years. Specialising in advising insurance companies, corporate organisations, financial institutions, energy companies and private equity funds on a wide range of legal issues, she also provides employment advice to companies in relation to policies, structuring and breach of contract. Rima was also recognized by Financial News in the 50 Most Influential Women in Middle East Finance in 2019. A true expert in her field, if you are looking for a phenomenal female legal expert, Rima is available for commentary and profiling opportunities.
Kelly Lundberg, Entrepreneur and Personal Brand Expert:
Kelly Lundberg is a bestselling author and multi-award-winning entrepreneur. The former celebrity stylist currently hosts of her own, popular top-rated podcast delivering on her mission to inspire at least 5 people a day to take action. A TEDx speaker, Personal Brand Expert and Business Mentor, Kelly is proudly Scottish and based in Dubai. She works globally with CEOs, entrepreneurs and some of the biggest retail and luxury brands worldwide, helping them to elevate their personal brand to maximise income and impact. A keynote speaker, Kelly hosts events and delivers motivational sessions across the world on entrepreneurship and personal branding.
Kary Cheng, Founder & CEO of GLIST:
Kary Cheng, born and raised in Hong Kong, has always been deeply passionate about sheet masks due to the influence of East Asian beauty leaders like Japan and Korea. Growing up in a culture where sheet masks are essential in skincare routines, Kary developed a strong belief in their efficacy and transformative power. After relocating to Dubai, Kary faced the challenge of not finding sheet masks of comparable quality and results in the Gulf region, leading her to create GLIST. Motivated by her desire to introduce the rejuvenating benefits of sheet masks to the local market, Kary founded GLIST to provide people with a simple and effective skincare solution. She firmly believes that skincare should be empowering, allowing individuals to feel confident in their own skin without complexity or time-consuming routines.
