Latest news with #MaheerahNetwork
Campaign ME
14-05-2025
- Business
- Campaign ME
Athar Festival launches Maheerah Network for women-empowerment
Athar – Saudi Festival of Creativity has announced the launch of the Maheerah Network, an initiative, powered by Publicis Groupe, that aims to become a year-round platform dedicated to enabling, inspiring, and nurturing women in the creative marketing and communications industry in the Kingdom. Over the next three years, the Maheerah Network is designed to be a long-term enabler for women in every stage of their career. The first of its kind for women in creative marcomms in Saudi Arabia, the initiative aims to establish an industry standard for leadership, empowerment, and continuous development. 'Saudi Arabia continues to make significant strides in women's empowerment and is firmly on track to achieving its Vision 2030 goals,' said Mohamed Al Ayed, Vice Chairman of Athar Festival and CEO of TRACCS. 'As the Kingdom's foremost creative marketing event, Athar Festival recognises its responsibility in advancing the participation and leadership of women in the industry. The launch of Maheerah Network is a result of our continued commitment to this endeavour,' he said. The network will consist of three core pillars: Maheerah Network, Maheerah Programme, and Maheerah Alumni. 'When we partnered with Athar Festival to bring Maheerah to life two years ago, we didn't anticipate the depth of response, or the powerful community that would grow from it,' said Bassel Kakish, Chief Executive Officer, Publicis Groupe Middle East & Turkey. 'It quickly became clear that we were meeting a real need for women living and working in Saudi Arabia's marketing communications industry — a space to learn, connect, and thrive.' Through online and offline events, access to exclusive insights, and learning opportunities such as webinars and networking meetups, the Maheerah Network aims to build early confidence, capability, and community. The second pillar, the Maheerah Programme, is a high-level learning and development track for women in senior roles from across the industry. With its third iteration taking place during Athar Festival 2025 later this year in October, it will feature curated workshops, leadership coaching, and executive-level training designed to equip participants with the tools to step into strategic and leadership roles within the creative sector. Building on that, the Maheerah Alumni pillar creates an enduring network for graduates of past editions of the Maheerah Programme. Alumni will continue to benefit from tailored professional growth experiences including webinars, mentorship with industry leaders, and in-person gatherings. Leading by example across organisations such as NEOM, Nestle, STA, and more, members represent a growing cross-section of sectors including marketing, advertising, PR, and technology. 'In a market where the industry is already thriving, Maheerah has become a platform to further unlock the talent, ambition and leadership potential of women across the Kingdom,' Kakish said. Now in its third year, the program has evolved into a year-round network, and we have shared ambitions to grow it into one of the strongest communities of women in Saudi Arabia, supporting and enabling the next generation of leaders in our industry,' he said.
Arab News
13-05-2025
- Business
- Arab News
New initiative aims to support women in Saudi creative sector
RIYADH: An initiative supporting the next generation of female talent in Saudi Arabia's creative marketing industry was launched by Athar Saudi Festival of Creativity in Riyadh on Tuesday. The Maheerah Network is a year-round program focused on training, leadership development and professional networking. Adel Baraja, CEO of Publicis Groupe KSA, which is behind Maheerah, said that the program was designed to be led by women already working in the industry. 'Maheerah Network is an expert-led program by women in the industry, supporting and growing businesses in Saudi Arabia, and helping educate women pursuing careers in communication,' he told Arab News. Baraja said that there was a need to develop creative strategists through practical experience and professional growth, noting that many students graduating in fields such as marketing and design still faced challenges translating their academic knowledge into strategic creative work. 'We need a lot more creative strategists for both men and women in this case. And you cannot graduate as a creative strategist; you have to grow that skill.' During a panel titled 'Owning your voice: Authentic Female Leadership in Saudi Arabia,' held at the launch event, Nadin Al-Alami, business lead at MSL KSA, emphasized the importance of having authentic leadership in the communications sector. 'It's a very dynamic industry and so flexible, and without authentic leadership, you cannot survive, especially that most of the workforce is Generation Z,' she said. Al-Alami said that managing Gen Z professionals required a purpose-driven and trust-based approach. 'You cannot just impose things on Gen Z without having them believe in your purpose and your vision, without connecting them, without having them trust you.' Al-Alami also underlined the role of cultural intelligence in building internal culture and driving progress. 'Cultural intelligence is bringing all those authentic values and approach to dealing with our people to create a very positive culture and without this, there is no way forward.' Al-Alami cited Saudi Arabia as an example of a national vision built on innovation and growth. 'The vision of Saudi is all about innovation, growth and standing out, and you can't achieve that without the right culture. It's a must.' Speaking to Arab News on the sidelines of the launch, Nada Hakeem, CEO and co-founder of Wetheloft, said that hiring trends in the creative sector had shifted, particularly among younger professionals. 'Today, most of the talent is from Generation Z. They are not just looking for a job, but for purpose as well,' Hakeem told Arab News. This generational shift had pushed companies to rethink traditional job structures. 'This has made it necessary for companies to have something bigger than just the tasks employees are doing,' she said. Hakeem added that women were increasingly seen as valuable contributors in the creative sector, with companies actively seeking to hire more female talent. 'Women in Saudi Arabia are not just getting opportunities, but we feel a little bit more privileged, and companies are actually actively seeking more women in Saudi.' She said that empathy played a key role in the creative field, particularly in marketing and communication. 'I think women are more empathetic by nature, and empathy in the creative industry is essential. When you understand the needs of others, you can cater to them better. And this is what marketing and communication is all about — understanding the needs and the wants and the problems, and solving problems for others.'
