Can you share how you first got started in your career, transitioning from media and advertising in Egypt to B2B roles in the UK? What inspired you to make these shifts, and what did you find most challenging or rewarding early on?

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Starting off in media and marketing helped me to shape a customer-centric perspective on business because I was on the frontlines of market dynamics interacting with customers, witnessing consumer trends develop in real-time, and really developing an understanding of what customers value. When I moved into B2B, I took those lessons in crafting a unique value proposition to tackling business needs rather than consumer needs. 

The most challenging part was adapting to a radically different industry, going from media and entertainment to oil and gas while also changing my full cultural and geographical context as a young professional. By the same token, it was also the most rewarding experience to build confidence in my transferable skills. It most importantly grew my fascination with running commercial organizations and good business practices through an industry-agnostic lens.
 

You’ve successfully transitioned across functions—from marketing to HR and back to strategy. What have been your key takeaways from navigating these diverse areas, and how do they shape your approach to leadership today?

Staying curious, independent of career stage, has helped me focus on skills, experience and value creation rather than focus on boundaries of specific job descriptions. The breadth of my experience has given me a holistic understanding of the interdependencies in organizational needs and how each function supports broader business objectives. I have grown to respect and appreciate the crafts that exist throughout our business, which allowed me to create more leverage and break silos as I moved functions. 

As a leader, I have a duty of care to my teams because ultimately, it is people that drive progress, regardless of function. Being able to offer my team a different end to end perspective on their tasks helps to foster and enterprise rather than a function mentality. I strongly believe that teamwork is essential to achieving shared goals, and in the absence of collaboration, projects quickly fall apart. 

With your extensive career experience, what skills or mindset have been essential for adapting to new challenges across diverse roles and markets?

I have always viewed challenges as an opportunity to innovate, whether it’s developing a sales strategy or leading a global DEI initiative. It has been that inherent open-mindedness and willingness to learn that has helped me navigate complexity and remain agile across industries, geographies, and functions. It’s very motivating for me to know that I have more learning ahead of me in each new role yet it’s equally important to find stakeholders who are willing to support you and to leverage those resources to help you find your feet and get oriented. It’s not always smooth sailing, one must accept that it’s inevitable to make mistakes and be brave enough to fail sometimes.

Given your responsibility for driving strategies across a vast and diverse region, what core principles guide you in setting a sustainable growth foundation across multiple countries?

When it comes to strategy, it’s important to understand and stay true to the strategic organizational goals and priorities. Those principles remain the same, regardless of geography. When operating across multiple markets we strive to capitalize on common synergies to achieve benefits of scale but of course, you then need to look at the specific cultural and economic context of each market to deliver on a tailored go-to market strategy. Execution focus and the right culture take the strategy from paper to reality and helps us to calibrate in the face of challenges. All along we must make sure that the various teams and stakeholders are aligned and committed to the plan.

As the leader for Global DEI initiatives within Henkel Adhesive Technologies, what changes have you implemented that foster a more inclusive environment? How do you see DEI evolving in the years to come?

Embedding DEI in any organizational culture is not up to one person or one department. Creating an environment where everyone feels welcomed, respected and able to contribute is a joint leadership accountability. In Henkel Adhesive Technologies, we built a dedicated program called “United by Diversity” which helps us steer our specific DEI agenda following Henkel’s overall commitment. 

We drive initiatives to raise awareness, encourage leading by example and drive accountability to reach our objectives. Our commitments involve visible elements like improving female representation, internationality and disability among others. We also highlight invisible elements of diversity like neurodiversity, diverse thinking styles and cultural elements. 

In IMEA we have 50+ nationalities represented across our teams. I am particularly proud with how we celebrate our various cultural festivities, the significant improvement we see in our female representation across the levels and especially in management and leadership positions and the focus on upskilling when it comes to addressing biases, inclusion awareness. Going forward, we will be able to better quantify the positive business impact of DEI into tangible data points and see it evolve into an indisputable business advantage today and in the future.

You’ve mentioned an interest in AI’s impact on business. How do you see AI shaping the future of marketing and strategy in B2B industries, and what skills do you think are crucial for young professionals to adapt to these changes?

AI has existed in many forms throughout the years and of course has gained special attention most recently with the public access to GenAI capabilities. I don’t believe that AI will replace employees, but employees who understand how to leverage AI will replace those who do not. I see it already today in the productivity and possibilities it offers to those who are intentionally embracing and experimenting with it. 

Learning is ageless, in fact, in Henkel we have unique examples of more seasoned senior executives keeping our youngsters on their toes when it comes to keeping up with AI. For young professionals entering the field, lifelong learning must be a core value. The most obvious to name are skills in data analytics, customer excellence and digital marketing for instance. One of the areas where I believe we will rely heavily on innovation and AI is for our leadership ambition of providing the industry with sustainable products and solutions for our evolving business and environmental challenges. Understanding how to leverage AI for strategic decision-making will set talents apart in a rapidly evolving marketplace.

How has studying organizational psychology influenced your approach to developing talent and fostering engagement? Are there particular insights from your studies that you’re already applying at Henkel? 

I have a deep interest in people, leadership, and management, which is what led me to my studies in organizational psychology. I also noticed that training large language models and AI felt like parenting a small child. So, in both cases understanding patterns of human behavior became a passion of mine. As I mentioned earlier, I believe in a people-first perspective on how to drive organizational success. People build tools, design processes and drive innovation. I do my best to pay attention to the individual intrinsic motivations of my team members, work with them to align the business objectives with their personal ambitions and together we craft their unique development plans in line with the company’s ethos and leadership commitments as a core. As a wider team, we choose to break down silos and collaborate with intent to unlock both business and professional growth. 

Reflecting on your journey, what do you consider to be the most pivotal milestones in your career so far? Looking ahead, are there specific goals or projects you’re particularly excited about for the future at Henkel?

Moving back to the Middle East was a pivotal moment for me because it brought me closer to my cultural roots. I loved my time in the UK, and I believe it shaped greatly who I am as a business professional. It gave me a window on mature markets and allowed me to develop global leadership skills. Re-integrating back to the Middle East ignited my passion to support the growth potential of the regional emerging economies.

I must also mention as I try to answer this question that the many setbacks and falls that I experienced along the journey have almost become happy memories and true moments of pride for me. I can almost associate every great success with a preceding tough lesson. Realizing the value of those setbacks is an important milestone in my development as a leader. 

Moving forwards, I’m particularly excited about advancing our sustainability initiatives as Henkel Adhesive Technologies is well placed to lead the industry and accelerate adoption in the IMEA region.

As a successful leader and mother of two daughters, what advice would you give to young girls and women looking to build a career in strategy, marketing, or leadership roles within the business sector?

The jobs of the future will look very different than what we know of the workplace today. However, the values of curiosity, learning, hard work, grit, resilience and collaboration are universal. I was encouraged growing up to try sports, internships during my studies and to seek new opportunities even outside the business world such as community work and volunteering. 

I would tell them to embrace their unique strengths and to learn the power of “yet”. We are all a work in progress and therefore continuous learning and not shying away from challenging situations will push you out of your comfort zone. Seek mentorship and actively build your network where you can exchange with likeminded professionals. In a world where it’s easy to fall into comparison traps, run your own race, test your voice, accept that progress is not linear and most importantly do what makes you proud.