MCN | Middle East Communications Network

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) isn’t just a moral imperative, it’s an economic engine.   At Athar Festival 2025, MCN and Fast Company Middle East will launch a landmark white paper revealing the real cost of exclusion and the immense opportunity of inclusion: 👉 Disregarding DEI is costing the Middle East trillions in economic value.   The report reframes DEI as a growth strategy –  proving that inclusive workplaces drive innovation, productivity, and long-term competitiveness. When people from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives thrive together, economies grow stronger and businesses become more resilient.   To mark the launch, our panel “Beyond Representation: How Social Sustainability Drives Economic Growth” will unite leaders who are transforming inclusion into measurable impact, turning equity into innovation, and representation into return on investment.   🗓️ 22 October 2025 🕐 12:50 – 1:30pm (KSA) | 📍 Spotlight Stage, Athar Festival   Moderator: Karrishma Modhy – Managing Editor, Fast Company Middle East   Speakers: Lara Arbid – CEO, Initiative MENAT & Magna MENA Ola Fayed – Co-founder, Women for Boards GCC Eleni Kitra - Executive Director, ABG George Giessen – Head of Brands, MullenLowe MENA   Because DEI isn’t about checking boxes — it’s about unlocking economic potential and designing economies where everyone thrives.   👉 Read more: https://lnkd.in/drGWN-Tu Ghassan Harfouche Ricarda Ruecker Tarek Miknas Lara Arbid Mounir Harfouche Ziad Hasbani Mohammad Mannaa Karim Slim Rebecca Amey Peter Jacob Lizzie Dewhurst Dumindrini Ratnayake Elise Boutros Roksar Kamal Waleed Mansoor Ann Maria   #AtharFestival #MCNImpact #FastCompanyMiddleEast #DEI #SocialSustainability #EconomicGrowth #Innovation #Inclusion #Vision2030 #MCNMenat

MCN | Middle East Communications Network is expanding its partnership with Athar Festival 2025 through the launch of the MCN BIG Student Academy. Taking place from October 19 - 20 in Riyadh, the MCN BIG Student Academy builds on last year’s momentum with a deeper and more immersive learning journey. #news https://lnkd.in/dvmZJeKu

Saudi Arabia’s wellness economy is booming — valued at $35.3 billion in 2024 and projected to more than double by 2033. But beyond the numbers lies a powerful human story; one where mental wellbeing, cultural transformation, and brand purpose intersect. Join us at Athar Festival 2025 for “Mind, Market, Movement: Saudi Arabia’s Billion-Dollar Wellness Revolution,” a conversation exploring how brands are building authentic connections around wellness, reshaping narratives on mental health, and driving both social and commercial impact. Anchored in the Kingdom’s remarkable rise across global wellness rankings, this session will explore how emotional storytelling, community-led initiatives, and culturally sensitive innovation are redefining the relationship between brands and people, supporting Vision 2030’s health and wellbeing agenda. 🗓️ Tuesday, 21 October 🕐 8pm to 8:40pm (KSA) 📍 Athar Festival, Riyadh | Spotlight Stage Moderator: Anup Oommen – Editor Campaign Middle East Speakers: Karen Kamel – Regional Managing Director, McCann Health Middle East Ana Elisa Seixas – Head of Marketing, New Balance MEA Dr. Gireesh Kumar – Associate Partner & Sector Lead, Healthcare & Wellness, Knight Frank MENA Natalie Bristowe – Co-Founder, Flex&Flow Reformer; Mindset Coach & Lululemon ME Ambassador Ghassan Harfouche Ricarda Ruecker Tarek Miknas Lara Arbid Mounir Harfouche Ziad Hasbani Mohammad Mannaa Karim Slim Rebecca Amey Peter Jacob Lizzie Dewhurst Dumindrini Ratnayake Elise Boutros Roksar Kamal Ann Maria Waleed Mansoor #AtharFestival #MCNImpact #WellnessEconomy #MentalHealthAwareness #SaudiVision2030 #BrandPurpose #HumanCentricMarketing #MCNMenat

The Middle East is redefining global tourism — turning iconic events into enduring legacies. Join us at Athar Festival 2025 for a powerful discussion, “Beyond Moments: Transforming Tourism Experiences into Legacies in the Middle East,” where visionary leaders will explore how destinations are blending authenticity, innovation, and emotional relevance to shape the region’s next era of tourism. Anchored by MCN’s proprietary research, “Transforming Moments into Tourism Legacies,” the panel will unpack how the region’s high-profile cultural and business events are driving long-term impact — inspiring return visits, fostering collaboration, and cementing the Middle East’s position as a world-class destination. 🗓️ Tuesday, 21 October 🕐 11:50am – 12:30pm (KSA) 📍 Athar Festival, Riyadh | Spotlight Stage Moderator: Neesha Salian – Editor, Gulf Business Speakers: Joe Nicolas – CEO, UM MENAT Melanie de Souza – Executive Director, Destination Marketing, The Royal Commission for AlUla Wadha Alnafjan – Visitor Services Senior Manager, King Salman Park Foundation Abdulrahman Aljefri – Executive Director, Destination, Live Assets, Hotels, Diriyah Company l شركة الدرعية Ghassan Harfouche Ricarda Ruecker Tarek Miknas Lara Arbid Mounir Harfouche Ziad Hasbani Mohammad Mannaa Karim Slim Rebecca Amey Peter Jacob Lizzie Dewhurst Dumindrini Ratnayake Elise Boutros Roksar Kamal Ann Maria Waleed Mansoor #AtharFestival #TourismLegacy #MCNBlueprint #MiddleEastTourism #Innovation #DestinationMarketing #MCNMenat

Driving equity through collaboration and collective action. As part of our commitment to advancing inclusion across the industry, Weber Shandwick MENAT partnered with The Marketing Society on Think Equal — an initiative accelerating gender equity in leadership across the GCC marcomms community. This year’s edition, themed “From Soft Power to Strategic Power – Own the room, shape the agenda, and lead the change,” brought together powerful voices, fresh perspectives, and new data from the Think Equal survey. The session inspired meaningful dialogue and practical outcomes through an engaging panel discussion and interactive workshop designed to turn influence into impact. A big thank you to The Marketing Society, the brilliant speakers and all the industry talent who made this session such an energising and inspiring exchange. Ziad Hasbani Mariaan Valero Ghaleb Zeidan Alasdair Hall-Jones Suad Merchant Noreen Nasralla Amina Jalabi #ThinkEqual #GenderEquity #WomenInLeadership #GCCMarcomms #MCNImpact #WeberShandwick

Saudi isn’t following global trends, it’s setting them. From Riyadh to the world, a new creative movement is reshaping how brands tell stories, connect with communities, and turn culture into currency. At Campaign Middle East's Breakfast Briefing in Riyadh, this MCN panel explores how Saudi’s new generation of storytellers, marketers, and media leaders are creating content that’s culturally grounded, digitally native, and globally influential. 🎙️ Speakers: Ibrahim Hasan, Regional Head, McCann Content Studios Rateel alshehri, Saudi Influencer & Host, Rateel Alpha Talk Abdulrahman Suwailam, Head of Marketing, ESL FACEIT Group Fahad Mugharbel, Social Media Director & Influencer, McCann Content Studios KSA Moderator: Tarek Miknas, CEO, FP7 McCann MENAT 📅 October 16 | 12:15am  📍 Campaign ME Breakfast Briefing, Riyadh #MCN #CampaignME #McCannContentStudios #FP7McCann #Vision2030 #SaudiArabia #Content #Marketing #Creativity #Storytelling

Building the next generation of Saudi creatives. Next week at Athar Festival, the MCN BIG Academy will bring together 20 Saudi students for two days of creativity, collaboration, and hands-on learning. In partnership with Al-Futtaim – BYD KSA, students will work on a live client brief guided by mentors from across MCN’s network and gaining real-world experience and industry insights that will help shape their future careers. Hanine Saab, our programme lead, shares what the Academy stands for and how it will empower young talent to rise, lead, and make their mark on the industry. 🎥 Watch now to see what’s ahead at this year’s MCN BIG Student Academy. Ghassan Harfouche Ahmad El Ghaziri Ricarda Ruecker Hanine Saab Tarek Miknas Mounir Harfouche Ziad Hasbani Joe Nicolas Mohammad Mannaa Karim Slim Karen Kamel Nameer Abou Ismail Fahad Mugharbel Ibrahim Hasan Rebecca Amey Paul B. Nayaab Rais Ramzi Ibrahim George Giessen Hani Aldajani Amr El Kalaawy Rawad El Dahouk Samer Al Hussain Oudey Hamadeh Lizzie Dewhurst Roksar Kamal Dumindrini Ratnayake Ann Maria Waleed Mansoor #MCNImpact #MCNBIG #MCNAcademy #AtharFestival #FutureTalent #SaudiVision2030 #YouthEmpowerment

Beyond the algorithm: Crafting distinctly Saudi brand stories in the AI era   As Saudi Arabia accelerates towards Vision 2030, AI is redefining how brands connect with increasingly sophisticated audiences. But with automation on the rise, how do we preserve authenticity and cultural relevance?   At Campaign Middle East's Breakfast Briefing in Riyadh, leaders from UM MENAT, HUMAIN, Diriyah Company l شركة الدرعية and TikTok For Business MEA will explore how AI can amplify (not dilute) what makes Saudi brands unique.   🎙️ Speakers: Steve Plimsoll, Chief Strategy Officer & Acting CMO, HUMAIN Kiran Jay Haslam, Chief Marketing Officer, Diriyah Company Mohammad Mannaa, CEO, UM KSA Tony Yammine, CFA, Head of Telco, Media, Government, Financial Services & Real Estate, TikTok Moderator: James Dutton, FCIM, Chief Product Officer, UM MENAT 📅 October 16 | 11:00am 📍 Campaign ME Breakfast Briefing, Riyadh   #MCN #CampaignME #SaudiArabia #Vision2030 #AI #Marketing #Media #UMMENAT

Partnership in action: MCN × Al-Futtaim We’re proud to partner with Al-Futtaim BYD KSA for this year’s MCN BIG Student Academy at Athar Festival 2025 — a programme designed to empower the next generation of Saudi creative talent and bridge the gap between learning and real-world experience. Through this collaboration, students will take on a live brief developed with Al-Futtaim, mentored by experts from across MCN and BYD KSA — gaining first-hand experience in solving real business challenges and shaping the future of creativity in the Kingdom. “This is an exciting opportunity to elevate our collaboration with MCN and engage directly with the next generation of Saudi creative minds. At BYD KSA, we believe in building meaningful connections with our audiences, and that starts with understanding how today’s talent thinks, creates, and communicates.” — Ahmad El Ghaziri, Head of Marketing, Al-Futtaim – BYD KSA “Our commitment lies in investing into future-proofing Saudi talent and fuelling the Kingdom’s creative ambitions under Vision 2030. Together with our client and partner Al Futtaim – BYD KSA, we’re creating real opportunities for young Saudis to learn, lead, and co-create with industry leaders. The success of last year’s programme proved that when young people are given the opportunity to learn, lead, and be heard, they rise. With the BIG Student Academy, we’re not just building skills, we’re shaping a pipeline of confident, creative, and culturally attuned talent ready to make their mark on the industry.” — Ghassan Harfouche, Group CEO, MCN MENAT 🔗 Read more about the partnership and our full Athar 2025 line-up: https://lnkd.in/dvADfG8s Ricarda Ruecker Hanine Saab Tarek Miknas Mounir Harfouche Ziad Hasbani Joe Nicolas Mohammad Mannaa Karim Slim Karen Kamel Nameer Abou Ismail Fahad Mugharbel Ibrahim Hasan Rebecca Amey Paul B. Nayaab Rais Ramzi Ibrahim George Giessen Hani Aldajani Amr El Kalaawy Rawad El Dahouk Samer Al Hussain Oudey Hamadeh Lizzie Dewhurst Roksar Kamal Dumindrini Ratnayake Ann Maria Waleed Mansoor #MCNImpact #MCNAcademy #AlFuttaim #AtharFestival #StudentAcademy #PartnershipInAction #SaudiVision2030 #FutureTalent