CAMPAIGN MEDIA FACES TO WATCH 2019 – YARA KASSAR, 27, ASSOCIATE MEDIA MANAGER, INITIATIVE UAE

Nominated by Bijal Pathak, business director, Initiative UAE
“A former ‘Rising Star’ at Initiative, Yara’s progress through the agency’s ranks has been both rapid and constant. She has taken on increasing levels of responsibility over the years, consistently selected to represent the agency on the very highest profile accounts and pitches. Despite starting as an offline media planner, Yara has embraced cross-channel media to become a truly integrated planner, culminating in her latest successful mobile app launch campaign for a global finance brand.”

Career path
“I have been working in media for almost five years now. Time passes so fast. I would have never imagined being where I am today, especially as I come from a polar opposite background (I have a bachelor’s degree in agriculture engineering). Yet I never felt that should prevent me from exploring every career opportunity in every field and I eventually decided to take a leap of faith and apply for my first (and only) media role at Initiative. I have learnt the ins and outs of media planning in the GCC market and loved every minute of it.”

Guiding principles
Don’t take anything personally; hard work pays off; and try and maintain a healthy work-life balance (as hard as it may seem) – you can make it work.