Women in advertising Archives - Campaign Middle East

Beyond the seat at the table: From presence to influence

Hiba Faisal — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 03:30:39 +0000

Walk into any advertising agency in the Middle East today and you’ll see women almost everywhere – strategists, creatives, account leads, producers. The gender balance looks better than ever. We’ve made progress, and that’s worth celebrating. But the best agencies know that when the defining choices are made – the ones that set direction and […]

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Women aren’t the headline. Or at least, they shouldn’t be

Hiba Faisal — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 07:53:43 +0000

Every few months, the headlines appear: the first woman CEO, the first woman creative director, the first woman in a particular role. It’s meant to celebrate progress, but it also reminds us that women are still treated as exceptions. The same thing happens inside our industry. We congratulate ourselves for putting more women in leadership […]

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Women in advertising: DEI is a must in top-down strategy

Shantelle Nagarajan — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 07:59:38 +0000

Magna Global KSA’s Joelle Nasr shares her experience of how diversity, equity and inclusivity (DEI) has evolved over the years, and makes the case for why it’s a non-negotiable top-down strategy, in an exclusive conversation with Campaign Middle East. Is DEI merely a top-down strategic initiative focused on setting goals and targets, or is it also […]

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Women in advertising: DEI beyond the boardroom

Hiba Faisal — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 07:01:24 +0000

Is DEI merely a top-down strategic initiative focused on setting goals and targets, or is it also becoming increasingly embedded within the organisational mindset and cultural transformation? I believe DEI is best practised when it is authentically woven into the fabric of an organisation. It might start in the boardroom, but if that’s how far it goes, then we’ve missed the point. Inclusion isn’t generated in HR checklists, it happens when you look at who’s sitting at the table. That said, I […]

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Women in advertising: DEI that works

Hiba Faisal — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 06:56:08 +0000

Is DEI merely a top-down strategic initiative focused on setting goals and targets, or is it also becoming increasingly embedded within the organisational mindset and cultural transformation? While DEI has gained visibility at the strategic level, with goals and metrics set from the top, it’s not yet fully embedded in the culture of most organisations. […]

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Women in advertising: DEI should be a subconscious way of thinking

Shantelle Nagarajan — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 11:10:01 +0000

Initiative UAE’s Nuha Bayoud shares how active diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices could create a homogenous world, in conversation with Campaign Middle East. Is DEI merely a top-down strategic initiative, or is it becoming embedded in organisational culture? DEI isn’t just a top-down checklist anymore – it’s slowly becoming part of the cultural fabric […]

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Women in advertising: DEI isn’t a mood board

Hiba Faisal — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 11:56:47 +0000

It’s easy to assume that gender gap within the Middle East commercial film production industry is a thing of the past. Sure, women are everywhere now: producing, line producing, running sets and companies. We’re not the exception anymore; in many ways, we’re the engine. But talk to the women on the ground and the story […]

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Women in advertising: Future-fit

Hiba Faisal — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 11:20:06 +0000

The media industry in the Middle East is changing at an unprecedented pace. Shaped by shifting consumer behaviours, platform disruption and a relentless push toward innovation, we are no longer just adapting, we are racing to anticipate. And with AI transforming how we work, the pace of change is no longer linear – it’s exponential. […]

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Women in advertising: Beyond representation

Hiba Faisal — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 11:08:11 +0000

When I wrote about tokenism and women’s representation in the Middle East region in 2019, we were still waiting for more inclusive stories to break through. At the time, a reductive logic applied to regional audiences in advertising – a headscarf here, a national dress there – flattening entire communities into a single narrative. But […]

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Women in advertising: When equality works, you forget it’s there

Ishwari Khatu — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 06:40:17 +0000

More than 50 per cent of JWI’s team are women. I only realised that when I sat down to write this, because in our culture, equality isn’t a statement, it’s second nature. By removing inequality and hiring for talent, values, and potential, regardless of gender, I’ve found you free yourself to focus on the work. […]

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