Women of MENA — Spotlights

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Women of MENA — Spotlights is a narrated series highlighting women shaping industries, institutions, and communities across the Middle East and North Africa. Each episode is an audio adaptation of an editorial spotlight, offering a concise and professional overview of leadership journeys, roles, and contributions. The series documents presence and impact with clarity, respect, and accuracy.

  1. 1d ago

    The 7% Question: Who Really Holds Power in MENA?

    Women hold just 7% of board seats across publicly listed GCC companies. But does that tell the whole story about who holds power? Welcome to the inaugural episode of The MENA Power Review, an executive intelligence podcast by Women of MENA. Drawing on the 2026 GCC Board Gender Index, we examine the gap between female leadership visibility and institutional decision-making authority across the Middle East. Through the professional journeys of four influential women, we explore different dimensions of power: • Deemah AlYahya — International cooperation and institutional agenda-setting. • Noor Sweid — Venture capital and the power to influence investment decisions. • Amal Dokhan — Entrepreneurship, innovation, and ecosystem development. • Dr. Hajar El Haddaoui — Technology leadership and corporate governance. From boardrooms and investment committees to international institutions and entrepreneurial ecosystems, this episode challenges conventional assumptions about what makes a leader truly influential. Are we measuring women's leadership—or simply counting their seats? Discover the people, institutions, and decisions shaping the future of leadership across MENA. THE MENA POWER REVIEWLeadership. Influence. Intelligence. Published by Women of MENA. 🌐 womenofmena.co 🔗 Follow Women of MENA on LinkedIn for the full editorial edition. #WomenOfMENA #MENA #Leadership #CorporateGovernance #WomenInLeadership

  2. Sep 30

    Women of MENA — Spotlights: Maha Jouini on Decolonizing AI, Tech Equity & Responsible Innovation

    In this episode of Women of MENA — Spotlights, we feature Maha Jouini, Founder of CHIFAA AI, AI governance expert, and recipient of the 2025/26 She Shapes AI Global Award for Thought Leadership in AI. Maha’s work sits at the intersection of responsible AI, data sovereignty, gender equity, human rights, and public-interest technology across Africa and the MENA region. From her earlier work with the African Union to her current roles in AI governance and institutional policy, she has built a career focused on making technology more accountable, inclusive, and grounded in the realities of the communities it serves. At the centre of that work is CHIFAA AI, a survivor-led initiative developing culturally and linguistically grounded AI solutions for women affected by breast and cervical cancer across North Africa. This episode explores what responsible AI looks like when African, Arab, and Muslim perspectives are not treated as an afterthought, but as essential to how technology is designed and governed. We discuss decolonizing AI, Safety-by-Design, technology-facilitated gender-based violence, culturally grounded health innovation, and the role of lived experience in shaping better systems. A conversation about technology, power, representation, and who gets to define the future.

    Women of MENA — Spotlights: Maha Jouini on Decolonizing AI, Tech Equity & Responsible Innovation

  3. Sep 22

    Women of MENA Spotlight: Angela Martin — Architecting Future-Ready Workforces in Saudi Arabia

    In this spotlight episode, we profile Angela (Angie) Martin, a senior workforce strategy advisor and transformation leader shaping talent ecosystems across Saudi Arabia. As an Advisor for Future Workforce in Tabuk, Angela guides international and regional investors in building sustainable, future-ready talent pipelines aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. Drawing on extensive leadership across the region—including strategic human capital roles at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre and as founder of consulting firm HR Expressions—she specializes in workforce localization, learning architecture, and organizational change across emerging economic sectors.

    Women of MENA Spotlight: Angela Martin — Architecting Future-Ready Workforces in Saudi Arabia

  4. Sep 16

    Spotlight: Dr. Maqboula Derbazi — Bridging Deep Technology and Strategic Procurement

    In this episode of Women of MENA — Spotlights, we profile Dr. Maqboula Derbazi, an Executive Advisor specializing in global IT vendor governance, contract strategy, and cost optimization. Holding a D.Phil. in Nanotechnology alongside engineering degrees from Algeria and France, Dr. Derbazi bridges deep technical understanding with commercial acumen. This editorial profile examines her two-decade international career across high-tech, aerospace, and telecom sectors—from engineering instrumentation for NASA projects and leading technical operations at Apple, to directing multi-hundred-million-dollar procurement programs at Bombardier and advising IT executive leadership at BRP. Join us as we highlight her journey of transforming digital supply chains, navigating complex vendor ecosystems, and driving enterprise value across international markets.

    Spotlight: Dr. Maqboula Derbazi — Bridging Deep Technology and Strategic Procurement

  5. Sep 13

    Women of MENA Spotlights: Nawarh Faran — Redefining Patient Safety & Zero Harm Leadership

    In this episode of Women of MENA — Spotlights, we profile Nawarh Faran, an award-winning healthcare executive and patient safety strategist currently serving as Corporate Executive Director of Quality and Patient Safety at Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group. With over two decades of leadership in hospitals and health programs across Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the UAE, Faran has driven the evolution of healthcare quality from a compliance-focused framework to a performance- and outcomes-driven system. This profile examines her journey from directing critical care operations—including leading operations for 100 ICU beds—to shaping corporate quality strategy and clinical governance. We highlight her track record in zero-harm benchmarks, such as maintaining Zero Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) status in adult ICUs and executing multi-million dollar pressure injury prevention protocols. Recognized as a Global 200 Women Power Leader and recipient of consecutive National Patient Safety Awards, Faran's career showcases the impact of strategic governance and institutional excellence across the region.

    Women of MENA Spotlights: Nawarh Faran — Redefining Patient Safety & Zero Harm Leadership

  6. Sep 10

    Lamise A. Negm: From Banking to Institutional Influence in Egypt | Women of MENA

    In this Women of MENA profile episode, we examine the career of Lamise A. Negm, an Egyptian banking and institutional professional whose trajectory spans commercial banking, government relations, financial regulation and public institutions. Her career includes more than two decades at Citibank Egypt, where she progressed across banking operations, cash management, product development and government relations, ultimately serving as Vice President. She later spent six years as CSR Advisor to the Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt, followed by two years as CSR Advisor to the Executive Chairman of the Financial Regulatory Authority. Today, she serves as Economic Investment Expert at the Egyptian Intellectual Property Authority (EGIPA). This episode looks beyond titles to explore the architecture of a career built across some of Egypt's most consequential financial and public institutions. We examine how banking experience became government interface, how regulatory proximity became institutional influence, and what her trajectory reveals about the women operating within the systems shaping Egypt's economy. This is not an interview. Lamise A. Negm does not appear in this episode. It is an independent Women of MENA editorial profile based on publicly presented professional information. In this episode: banking, regulation, government relations, institutional influence, economic development and the evolution of women's leadership within the MENA region. Women of MENA. People. Institutions. Ideas. Impact.

    Lamise A. Negm: From Banking to Institutional Influence in Egypt | Women of MENA

  7. Sep 7

    Women of MENA Spotlights: Yasmine Helal — Bridging FinTech, Governance, and Culture

    In this spotlight episode, we profile Yasmine Helal, an executive leader, board member, and strategic advisor with over two decades of experience steering digital transformation, banking, and governance. We trace her career from her pivotal role leading FinTech strategy at the Central Bank of Egypt and serving as CEO of ADI Consumer Finance, to her current board-level contributions at Taly for Digital Payments and her strategic leadership of Athar Consultancy. Beyond her extensive work in digital payments, consumer finance, and board oversight, Yasmine brings a rare perspective that bridges the structured world of finance and the expressive worlds of art, culture, and design. Currently serving as a member of Egypt's Ministry of Culture Investment Council, she operates on the foundational belief that true economic development is not solely financial, but is deeply cultural, educational, and human. This single-narrator profile offers an editorial look at a leader dedicated to building responsible, inclusive, and future-ready financial ecosystems across the region.

    Women of MENA Spotlights: Yasmine Helal — Bridging FinTech, Governance, and Culture

  8. Sep 5

    Women of MENA — Spotlights: Captain Intisaar Al Hosni, Pioneering Oman's Autonomous Airspace

    This editorial spotlight profiles Captain Intisaar Al Hosni, a commercial pilot and Advanced Air Mobility strategist who made history as the first Omani female BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) drone pilot. From operating passenger and cargo aircraft in remote Australia to directing complex uncrewed endurance flights and leading AAM strategy at ESBAAR, she is actively bridging conventional aviation and the emerging technologies shaping the skies of the Gulf region.

    Women of MENA — Spotlights: Captain Intisaar Al Hosni, Pioneering Oman's Autonomous Airspace
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About

Women of MENA — Spotlights is a narrated series highlighting women shaping industries, institutions, and communities across the Middle East and North Africa. Each episode is an audio adaptation of an editorial spotlight, offering a concise and professional overview of leadership journeys, roles, and contributions. The series documents presence and impact with clarity, respect, and accuracy.

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