WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT CONVENTION — MEET AND NETWORK WITH INSPIRING WOMEN LEADERS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE

Her Highness Sayyida Basma Al Said is a well-established Mental Health Clinical Counselor and founder of Whispers of Serenity, the first private mental health clinic in Oman. She is also a hypnotherapist and PTSD trainer with over 23 years of experience seeing and treating patients. Sayyida Basma is a pioneer in mental health awareness, renowned for tackling taboo subjects in the Middle East such as abuse and eating disorders. Sayyida Basma is the founder of Not Alone, a mental health awareness campaign. One of its major initiatives was to provide psychological and emotional support during the COVID-19 pandemic through a messaging support line that was available worldwide.

In addition to her work in mental health, Sayyida Basma has been recognized for her contributions to society and culture. As Honorary President of Oman Heritage, she helps to preserve Omani traditions and practices. She has also attended and delivered hundreds of talks, workshops and webinars internationally, and also has received numerous awards and honors from the MENA region and Europe for her work. Sayyida Basma has been named as one of the 50 Omani women who have played a significant role in the country's development.

Zaria is senior global social media manager in Duolingo. She leads social strategy, community management, and creator partnerships across all major social platforms. She spearheaded the development of Duolingo’s TikTok account. As a direct result of Zaria's work on Duolingo's TikTok strategy and execution, the now-famous TikTok channel grew from 50K followers in September 2021 to 6.7M followers today and was recently recognized as one of AdAge’s Top 5 Brand TikTok accounts. The Duolingo TikTok has 143 viral videos (view counts of 1M or higher) due to Zaria’s creativity. What started as a test-and-learn initiative has become Duolingo's most successful social buzz and word of mouth initiative to date – all because of Zaria's insights, instincts, and expertise. More broadly, Zaria is a role model for a new, diverse class of Gen Z social media talent and has proven what's possible when given creative freedom and trust in the work she does. Since her time at Duolingo, Zaria has been named AdAge Social Marketer of the Year 2021, Adweek Creative 100 and Forbes 30 under 30.

Andrea Prazakova is a banking and innovation veteran and a global executive. She currently leads Innovation, ESG & Gaming @Mastercard EEMEA.
She is a Cofounder of Space Uncensored, Podcast with a mission to amplify the voices of women in the space industry and to bridge the gap between the dynamic space economy and other markets. She is also an investor in companies such as Moove, which gives their drivers access to vehicle financing, as well as a range of financial services that were previously inaccessible to them and their families.
With a rich background spanning four continents and a multitude of prestigious institutions including Stanford Design School, Insead Blue Ocean Institute, Harvard Leadership Institute, and MIT's, Andrea is truly a lifelong learner.

Andrea is Crypto, WEB3 & Space futurist, a chef, and a mother of 2.

Dr. Eng. Suaad Al Shamsi is a trailblazer as the first Emirati woman aircraft engineer specialist in landing gear as well as first aviation researcher. Currently, she holds the position of aviation technical advisor for a major aviation project in the UAE, VP of women in aviation organization (shehana) and is also the CEO of L2L consulting company. She has received several accolades, including the Emirate women award from HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, most influential in aviation award, etc. Along with her work in aviation, she is also an accomplished author of novels and a sought-after motivational speaker at various conferences. And an artist participating in many exhibitions in the UK, UAE, Paris, Thailand, etc.

Mila is the CEO & Founder of the international learning platform Lectera.com with 2.5 million users, a serial entrepreneur, bestselling author and venture investor. Besides that, she is the founder of the Women's Empowerment Council, an official member of the Forbes Business Council, and a speaker at big international events.

Jared Cooney Horvath (PhD, MEd) is a neuroscientist, educator, and author of the best-selling book Stop Talking, Start Influencing: 12 Insights from Brain Science to Make Your Message Stick. He has conducted research and lectured at Harvard University, Harvard Medical School, the University of Melbourne, and over 750 schools internationally. Jared has published 6 books, over 50 research articles, and his work has been featured in numerous popular publications, including The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Economist, and ABC’s Catalyst. He currently serves as Director of LME Global: a team dedicated to bringing the latest brain and behavioral research to teachers, students, and parents alike.

Saba began her career at Ernst & Young before venturing into disruptive biotechnology investments. She continues to head the production of her R&D patents for blue-chip companies and governments to fight climate change and increase the health equity of humans. Her passion for innovation is driving change in water treatment, solar, infection prevention and decarbonisation. As a TedX speaker, she encourages founders to disrupt their industries to gain first mover advantage in the field and has begun investing in founders in a range of fields.

Nelson founded Minerva in 2011 with the aim of nurturing critical wisdom through evidence-based learning. He successfully elevated Minerva University to become the most innovative institution globally and initiated the Minerva Project to expand the university's distinctive teaching approach through partnerships with higher education institutions. Prior to Minerva, Nelson dedicated over 10 years to Snapfish, playing a crucial role in developing the company from a startup to the world's largest personal publishing service. Under his leadership, Snapfish's accomplishments culminated in a $300 million acquisition by Hewlett Packard. Additionally, Nelson served as President and CEO of Community Ventures, a network of locally branded portals for American communities.

Sara embarked on her entrepreneurial journey at the young age of 15, and her success and passion have since inspired women to embrace self-confidence and achieve business success. She has since served as a board member at the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry and at the UAE SME Council in the Ministry of Economy in Dubai. Sara holds an honorary PhD in Business and Women Leadership. She is a respected public speaker, and has delivered over 200 keynote speeches. Sara believes in the power of community involvement, and she actively shares her knowledge and experiences, particularly with the younger generation. To Sara, women are already born strong - hence they don’t need to be empowered, they need to be inspired.

Mirna Arif is the first woman to serve as Microsoft Egypt's General Manager. With over 20 years of international working experience across from Europe, the Middle East and Africa, she is spearheading Egypt's digital transformation with a focus on empathy-based management and youth training. Arif is expanding Microsoft's digital footprint in both public and private organizations to drive the growth of the country's tech industry. Prior to joining Microsoft, she held leadership positions at Schlumberger, GE Oil & Gas, Emerson Automation Solutions, where she led digital transformation efforts in North Africa and Turkey. In addition to her role at Microsoft, Arif contributes to the boards of Banque Misr and Rameda, the Egypt Chamber of Information Technology, and serves on advisory boards for Al Nas Hospital and UNICEF Gen-U Egypt.

With a focus on educational activities, Irina has established herself as one of the top ten business speakers in Russia. She leads personal coaching sessions and delivers impactful masterclasses on achieving success while maintaining personal freedom and effective leadership.

In 2004, Irina Khakamada made history as the second woman to run for the Russian Presidency, garnering approximately 4 mln votes in the election. Subsequently, she founded the "Our Choice" party. In May 2008, she announced her decision to step away from political activities.

Irina is also an accomplished author, having written numerous books including a best-selling book "Dao of Life: Masterclass from a Convinced Individualist.

Head of Public Affairs for Emerging Markets at Google, Dona works across Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa.

She previously held a range of positions in the public and third sectors. She started her career at the Peres Center for Peace & Innovation. Then she moved to ELNET, which builds strategic partnerships between Israel and Europe. Following her time as press attaché at the French Embassy in Israel, Dona held the position of VP International Business Development at a solar energy company. Just before Google, Dona was spokeswoman and parliamentary adviser.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and Management as well as a Master’s degree in Government, both with honors. Married and a proud mother of three.

Martina Fuchs is an international TV anchor, business journalist, event moderator, expert on China and the Middle East, and speaks 9 languages.
She currently works as a European business correspondent for China's news agency Xinhua, international media ambassador and board member for the Montreux Jazz Festival China, and as an advisor for the St. Gallen Symposium, the IMD business school, and the Lang Lang International Music Foundation.
Based in London and Zurich, Martina is also a consultant for Syngenta Group and the brand ambassador for Switzerland's premium chocolate retailer Läderach.
Previously, she was a CNNMoney Switzerland TV anchor and CGTN senior business reporter in Beijing, and worked as a Reuters economy correspondent for the Gulf Arab region in Dubai and Reuters Financial TV producer in London.

Rumaitha Al Busaidi is an Omani scientist and environmental advocate working on sustainable solutions to climate change. Her 2021 TED talk examining women as the key to our climate future has garnered more than a million views. Rumaitha currently serves as Business Development Manager at Hydrom, the orchestrator of green hydrogen development in Oman. She is also an executive board director of the only environmental NGO in the country, Environment Society of Oman, and actively works with the Omani government on sustainable diversification and energy transition strategies. Internationally, she has advised the Biden administration on developing a climate resilience standard for US foreign aid, and the Arab League on empowering Arab youth in climate change negotiations spaces. Her work in climate change has been recongnized among the ‘Top 25 Women in Climate Chang’e by Reuters

Hailing from Muscat, Rumaitha is a member of the first-ever Arab Youth Council on Climate Change. She is also the co-chair of the World Economic Forum’s Davos Lab, where she co-authored the youth recovery plan featuring policy recommendations from over 2 million young people across the globe. Rumaitha holds degrees from Harvard and Oxford, and is coined as the first female soccer analyst in the Arab World and the youngest Omani to step foot on the South Pole.