Community

The Forum of Young Global Leaders is a community of innovators from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Search current members and alumni by year awarded, sector or region.

Ola Doudin

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, BitOasis, United Arab Emirates

Ola Doudin is the co-founder & CEO of BitOasis, the first and largest regional digital asset platform in the Middle East. She has an engineering background and has worked in tech and security advisory in Ernst & Young in London and engineering research prior to her move back to the region where she got involved in tech entrepreneurship and later started BitOasis. Most recently, Forbes Middle East featured Ola among the ‘Top 10 Women Behind Middle Eastern Tech Brands 2021’.

Amal Enan

Chief Investment Officer, American University in Cairo, Egypt

Amal Enan is the Chief Investment Officer at the American University in Cairo and Partner at 500 Global. She places her expertise to invest at the forefront of technology and global sustainability across asset classes. With a commitment to intergenerational equity and inclusion, Enan applies herself as a catalyst for allocating capital to invest in growth and climate sustainability.

El Seed Faouzi

Artist and Founder, Atelier El Seed Artifacts and Artworks Trading LLC, United Arab Emirates

eL Seed uses Arabic calligraphy and a distinctive style to spread messages of peace, unity and to underline the commonalities of human existence. His artwork can be found all over the world and consistently aim at unifying communities and redressing stereotypes. Born in 1981 in Paris to Tunisian parents, he was disconnected from his Arabic roots, speaking only the Tunisian dialect of the language at home. In his teenage years in a kind of quest for his identity, he began to delve into his own heritage and learned to read and write standard Arabic.It was during this journey that he began to develop his artistic style of calligraphy, which would later bring him worldwide acclaim. He found that Arabic calligraphy was a way of building a link between his equally important French and Tunisian backgrounds and as he matured, eL Seed began to use that same calligraphy as a tool to build bridges all over the world. Whenever he works within a community, he spends a long time researching to find an appropriate quote to summarise the voice of the community he is working within and to underline his key principals of love, respect and tolerance. His work has been shown in exhibitions and in public places all over the world including most notably on the façade of L’Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, in the favelas of Rio di Janeiro, on the DMZ in between North and South Korea, in the slums of Cape Town and in the heart of Cairo’s garbage collectors neighbourhood. In 2017, he won the UNESCO Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture. He was named a Global Thinker in 2016 by Foreign Policy for his project ‘Perception’ in Cairo. In 2013, he collaborated with Louis Vuitton on their famous ‘Foulard d’Artiste’.

Fawaz Farooqui

Managing Director, Cruise Saudi, Saudi Arabia

Fawaz Farooqui is a public sector entrepreneur and innovator who led multiple transformations and established several entities and companies. He dedicated his career to improving the quality of life in Saudi Arabia and creating unforgettable experiences that are inspired by the culture and people of Saudi. He currently serves as the Chief Advisor to the Saudi Minister of Culture and sits on the board of several organizations such as Saudia Airlines, Cruise Saudi Corporation, AlUla Development Company and the Saudi Sports for All Federation. In addition, he is the interim CEO of Cruise Saudi, which he led to launch the cruise industry in Saudi and promote the Red Sea to global cruise lines. Previously, Fawaz was appointed as the first CEO of the country’s National Transformation Program (NTP) to lead the first revamp of the program to enhance execution and delivery, resulting in specialized programs, such as Quality of Life, which he helped establish and was a board member of. Before that, Fawaz served as an Advisor to the Minister of Economy and Planning, focusing mainly on recreation and quality of life portfolio of the country. He led the establishment team of the General Entertainment Authority and various other public and social programs focused on improving the quality of life of the citizens in Saudi. Before joining the government, Fawaz led key initiatives in King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) where he launched KAEC’s entrepreneurship program, as well as partnering with the global Messengers of Peace (MoP) initiative to initiate several programs in add KAEC on the global agenda of MoP initiative. Fawaz started his career with Saudi Aramco, where he led several transformations, starting from revamping field operations and establishing technology support in Aramco’s Satellite Communications to a complete turnaround and re-launch of the Corporate Telecom Network Operations Center. Fawaz has an MBA from Stanford University. He also earned a BSc in Computer Engineering and Computer Science, a BA in Political Science, and an MSc in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California. He has authored several technology articles including 3 technical papers that were published in global journals and were presented in different conferences worldwide.

Hussam Hammo

Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Tamatem Inc., Jordan

Hussam Hammo is the CEO and Founder of Tamatem Games, a leading mobile games publisher in the MENA region. The company boast 150 million game downloads, with 3 million monthly active users and over 50 published games. Tamatem collaborates with international game developers worldwide to provide the best mobile games and entertainment to Arabic-speaking individuals.

Hussam, a seasoned entrepreneur with more than 17 years of experience, embarked on his venture with Tamatem in 2013. His vision was to develop games that authentically reflected the native language and rich culture of the Arab region. Being an avid gamer himself, Hussam keenly observed the glaring absence of Arabic content in the mobile gaming industry. To bridge this gap, Hussam created Tamatem Games to develop easy-to-understand games that resonated with audiences. Hussam is part of the Entrepreneurs Organization EO and Endeavor Global network.

Before Tamatem, Hussam had extensive work experience. He kicked off his career in 2006 as a product manager at d1g.com, an interactive user-based portal for Arab online users. Following his time at d1g, Hussam moved on to become a product manager at Maktoob.com an Arabic internet portal and online platform. Hussam co-founded one of Maktoob’s most popular products Faye3.com. Faye3.com was the first ever all-Arabic social network with over 1 million users. Maktoob was acquired by Yahoo for $175 million in 2009.

After the acquisition, Hussam chose to quit working as a full-time employee and pursue his dreams of becoming an entrepreneur. In 2009, he co-founded Wizards Productions, a game studio that developed online browser-based games. Although the company had a successful track record, the prematurity of the industry in the region led Hussam to eventually close down the studio and focus on a different strategy for mobile games.

Despite the closing of Wizards Productions, Hussam continued to believe in the Arabic mobile games market and was persistent in creating content that was relevant to a region of 400 million native Arabic speakers. In 2013, Hussam’s idea of publishing and localizing international mobile games in the Arabic-speaking market was seen as a potential success by California-based accelerator ‘500 Startups’ and Tamatem received its first acceleration opportunity to be sent to Silicon Valley and began its journey of publishing the best Arabic mobile games.

Hussain Hanbazazah

Director, Community Services, Aramco, Saudi Arabia

With a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Master's Degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Hussain has held several significant leadership roles within Aramco and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the past 14 years. An engineer by training, he has an innate ability to adapt, build inclusive networks, and lead people from a variety of professions and backgrounds; from engineers to power operators to communications professionals to arts, cultural and museum curators, demonstrating that he is talented, diverse and highly well-respected no matter the situation he is faced with. Hussain currently serves as the Director of the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Between 2021 and 2022, he was selected by the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Culture to lead the Saudi Pavilion project as Commissioner-General during the World Expo 2020 held in Dubai. He was the Kingdom's Expo 2020 chief diplomat, promoting the country's rich history, heritage, and culture. Very importantly, he played a crucial role in fostering a better understanding of the Kingdom and the qualities of our people. In addition to his roles at Ithra and the World Expo in Dubai, Hussain has provided trusted thought leadership throughout his career at Aramco. He has served as Aramco's Head of Media Relations and has held many leadership and technical roles within the operations and electrical power system business.

Dalal Saeb Iriqat

Associate Professor of Diplomacy, Arab American University-Palestine, Palestinian Territories

Iriqat, Dalal, Dr., is associate professor at the Arab American University Palestine. Dalal is a weekly columnist at AlQuds Newspaper since 2016. She served as VP for International Relations for AAUP 2018-2022. Previously served as senior advisor of strategic communications at PMO 2017-2018. Dalal’s research focus on Diplomacy, Nation Branding, Palestinian State Building, Coercive Diplomacy, Public Diplomacy, Soft Power, Mediation and Conflict Resolution. She is author of Public Diplomacy in the 21st Century, Diplomacy in the perspective of Peace Building, Limitations of Coercive Diplomacy, Diplomacy for Democracy post Oslo, The Double Lockdown: Palestine under Occupation and COVID-19. She served as the Senior Policy Consultant for writing the Human Development Report UNDP for Palestine in 2015. Dalal taught at the Faculty of Law and Public Administration at Birzeit University between 2011-12. Dalal was elected President of the Diplomatic Academy of London Students’ Association in 2003. She was also a member of the students’ council at the University of Jordan in 2001. Dalal is passionate about bringing change into the Palestinian society through education, she is passionate about improving Palestinian Diplomacy and better brand Palestine. Iriqat is a founding member Mediterranean Women Mediators Network MWMN, founder member for Palestine Experts for Education under Covid-19, Founding and Board member of the Policy and Conflict Resolution Studies Center PCRSC, board member of Lycée Franćais International of Ramallah, board member of Eco Peace Palestine and sits on the jury board of 3alArd initiative. Dalal IRIQAT has a PhD in Public Administration from Paris I Sorbonne 2011, A Masters degree in Diplomatic Studies from Westminster University in London 2004 and a Bachelor of Political Science from the University of Jordan 2003 and she continues to learn.
Twitter @Dalaliriqat In @Dalal Iriqat https://www.aaup.edu/dalal.s.iriqat

Wissam Joubran

Composer, Performer, Luthier, Le Trio Joubran, Palestinian Territories

Wissam Joubran was born in Nazareth, Galilea, in 1983 to a family with a rich artistic heritage. Joubran encountered early on the music and craftsmanship of the Luth (‘oud). At six, he made his first instrument. This particular relationship with the oud continued to deepen and to grow richer. Joubran was driven early on by a belief that his work helped foster pathways for a synergy between the East and the West, and he tries to make both experiences converge towards a single musical universe. He was the first Arab student to attend the prestigious Antonio Stradivari conservatory, renowned for the fabrication of string instruments (violins in particular). In 2003, he received the award of best artisan luthier. He has performed at more than 1,200 concerts as part of the “Trio Joubran,” including at Carnegie Hall and Olympia. Joubran is also the founder of the International Oud Association.

Dana Juffali

Member of the Board, Juffali and Brothers, Saudi Arabia

Dana Juffali is currently a Board Member at E.A. Juffali & Brothers, and Director of Business Development at Khaled Juffali Company. In addition, Dana is a Board Member of a number of philanthropic institutions, including the The Shefa Fund, and The Help Center. She previously held managerial positions at Siemens AG in Germany and Saudi Arabia in Human Resources and Supply Chain Management.

Dana holds a bachelor's degree in International Relations from the University of Southern California, and a master’s degree in business administration from Steinbeis-Hochschule-Berlin. She is fluent in English, Arabic, German, and French.

Aminata Kane

Executive Vice-President, Mobile Financial Services and Fintech, Orange Middle East and Africa, Morocco

Aminata Kane Ndiaye is the Executive VP of Mobile Financial Services at Orange Middle East and Africa, overseeing mobile money, banking and fintech activities across 17 countries. From 2018 to 2022, she was the CEO of Orange Sierra Leone and the Chairwoman of the Board of Orange Mobile Finance Sierra Leone. Under her leadership, Orange Sierra Leone became the market leader, significantly improved its growth and profitability, and has established itself as a key player in innovation with the launches of mobile money microcredit, Orange energy and e-Education. Prior to this appointment, she was the Chief Marketing Officer for Orange Money in Senegal, a business that has grown exponentially and become profitable in the past two years. From 2009 to 2011, she was a strategy consultant with McKinsey & Company in France and Africa, designing strategies and operations for telecommunication and technology providers, banks, and consumer goods manufacturers in Europe and West Africa. She is a graduate from HEC Paris, earned her MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and is a MIT Legatum fellow. In 2017, she was named Young Leader of the French African Foundation, and in 2019 Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. In 2020, at 36, won the Africa CEO of the Year Award organized by the AfricaCom / AfricaTech Festival. She was in 2021 and 2022 selected as one of the 100 Women CEO in Africa, an initiative by Africa.com and Harvard University. She is a Senior Advisor to the Amadou Mahtar Mbow Association, a board member for several companies and an investor in African tech start ups.

Sanae Lahlou

Country Representative, Morocco, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Morocco

Committed in promoting sustainable growth in developing economies, Sanae Lahlou is the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Country Representative in Morocco. She ensures the coordination, in Morocco, of the strategy of the UN agency, for the promotion of inclusive and sustainable industrial development. Sanae has a long and rich experience in the conduct and implementation of several economic programs in the public and private sectors, in Morocco and internationally, some of which have been related to industrial development issues

She was before the Director of the African Business Unit of the International Consulting firm Mazars. She has also assisted several Moroccan industrial small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to position themselves in global value chains, as she has been in charge of International Markets for the Moroccan Investment and Export Development Agency, under the authority of the Morocco Ministry of Industry. Prior to that, Sanae held the position of Development Adviser for Africa at the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Sanae Lahlou has been awarded as “Young Global Leader” 2021 by The World Economic Forum (WEF). Advocating for inclusive growth and gender equality are also among Sanae’s career key drivers. She has been also nominated as a “Global Impact” doer by the Pan African Leadership and Entrepreneurship Development Centre, and as “French-African Young Leader 2019” by the French-African Foundation.

She has graduated from Sciences Po Paris and the American University Al Akhawayn. She also obtained an MBA in International Business Engineering in Paris and a Master Degree from ISCAE (High Public Institute of Commerce and Business Administration) in Coaching & Leadership. Sanae recently obtained the Sustainability Certificate from Stanford University California. She achieved as well the Certificate of Achievement of Public Leadership from Oxford University and the Apolitical Academy Global.

Mohammad Salem Omaid

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, iBnk.ae, United Arab Emirates

Dr. (Prof) Mohammad Salem Omaid has a storied career as a banker. In his career span of over 17 years, Dr. Omaid handled diverse roles having rich & extensive experience in Finance & Accounting, Corporate Accounts, Trade Finance, Corporate Credit Financing, Operational Banking, Investment Banking and Retail Banking. His association with the banking industry & his pioneering contribution towards the reformation of the banking structure is worth mentioning. He has been the pillar of many innovational projects and digitizing the economy. Over the years, Dr. Omaid developed himself as a leader with calculated thinking coupled with business intelligence and a capacity to take decisions which are result oriented. He developed himself as a strategist with excellence in formulating, developing & implementing business plans and policies to ensure attainment of business goals and profitable sell-though.
Presently he is the founder & CEO of a start-up innovation in the UAE which is a B2B embedded digital marketplace platform and disruptive in nature, which will assist in breaking, disrupting, facilitating, widening & creating a new business chapter not only in the UAE but the entire MENA region and other emerging markets. It will also bring-in a transformation into the "brick & mortar" banking concept with the implementation of BaaS and many other innovative transformations into the e-commerce market.
Dr. Omaid’s expertise and knowledge for a sustainable growth earned him several international accreditations. He has been a motivational speaker on many occasions across the globe while attending various felicitation programs.
He is playing a great role in shaping the young minds in the country & globally by way of sponsoring sports, health-drives and education.