26-03-2025
#BeyondTheTitle: Al-Futtaim cracks conventional clichés of IWD storytelling
Every March, International Women's Day floods our feeds with familiar messages — often uplifting yet predictable, encouraging yet oversimplified. To show that true empowerment isn't neatly packaged or confined to a single day, and recognising the need for a more authentic dialogue, Al-Futtaim has launched its #BeyondTheTitle campaign.
The campaign aimed to shift how the industry addresses women's achievements, diversity and inclusion in the workplace, celebrating the diversity of women's experiences and shedding light on challenges they still face today.
Central to the campaign were three Al-Futtaim women: Dr. Farah Sarraj, Chief Corporate Officer at Al-Futtaim Education Foundation; Rubina Chander, Head of Omnichannel at Al-Futtaim Automotive; and Maya Sultan, Assistant Development Manager at Al-Futtaim Real Estate in Egypt.
To build community momentum, Al-Futtaim introduced a bespoke LinkedIn badge bearing the #BeyondTheTitle emblem. Employees enthusiastically embraced the badge, visually marking their support sharing their diverse narratives, effectively turning individual stories into a shared, collective movement.
The campaign quickly resonated across platforms. Women across LinkedIn and Instagram, both within and outside Al-Futtaim, embraced the opportunity to share a fuller picture of themselves.
This culminated in an authentic LinkedIn Live event, where participants openly discussed diversity and inclusion at the workplace, as well as the challenges faced by women in leadership roles — offering a glimpse of authenticity and vulnerability within a corporate context.
The response was powerful. Within ten days, #BeyondTheTitle achieved more than 114,000 views, nearly 4,700 interactions and, crucially, an organic reach that exceeded projections by more than 50 per cent. The LinkedIn Live event alone drove an impressive organic increase of followers that spilled over to other channels, underscoring the campaign's significant impact and resonance.
Reflecting on the campaign's success and future potential, Nina Kromann, Global Head of Employee Engagement at Al-Futtaim, said, '#BeyondTheTitle is only the start of a more authentic conversation around diversity and inclusion. This initiative has shown us the power of genuine storytelling, and we're committed to keeping this meaningful dialogue going beyond International Women's Day.'
The campaign highlighted how, too often, women are celebrated for isolated aspects of their identity: the successful executive, the devoted mother the influential leader. This singular approach misses the richness of women's full stories and their true selves.
With #BeyondTheTitle, Al-Futtaim took a step towards changing this narrative, giving space to diversity and celebrating the multi-faceted dimensions and personalities of the women of Al-Futtaim. By celebrating their true selves, including their backgrounds, experiences, passions, and skills, the campaign showed that the industry can create meaningful success in the workplace for the women, their teams and for Al-Futtaim as a company.
CREDITS:
Client: AL-FUTTAIM GROUP
Ben Schroeder – Chief Communications Officer
Nina Kromann – Global Head of Employee Engagement
Olivier Bockenmeyer – Global Head of Brand
Dr. Farah Sarraj – Chief Corporate Officer, Al-Futtaim Education Foundation
Rubina Chander – Head of Omnichannel, Al-Futtaim Automotive
Maya Sultan – Assistant Development Manager, Al-Futtaim Real Estate
Aaesha Alblooshi – Employee Communication Specialist
Raghad Malkawi – Communication Manager
Yazan Barghouti – Sr. Manager, Digital
Creative agency: MRM MENAT
