CAPABILITY SUMMARY:
• Social enterprise development: Founded 2 social enterprises in the UAE (Al Bayarq & Live it up) that operate as non-profit entities with the aim of achieving philanthropic goals;UAE WORK HISTORY:
1/2012-Present – Live it up - Founder & Chairperson, Dubai, UAE. Live it up is a social enterprise that offers inspiring and unique products, experiences and services with the goal of generating revenue to serve good causes. Net profits generated from all our products, experiences and services funds Live it up Uganda, home for rescued children. Live it up invites the conscious shopper, the conscious diner, the conscious traveler and the conscious giver to enjoy our great offerings all the while helping give all children elevated lives.www.liveitup.org
7/2008 - present - Dubai Cares - Director of Fundraising Department, Dubai Cares is one of the world’s largest non-profit organization which focuses on providing universal primary education to children worldwide. As the Acting Director of the Fundraising Department, primary responsibilities include building strategic partnerships with the private and public sector to generate donations, leading campaigns and special community engagement initiatives, advocating for Corporate Social Responsibility, and maintaining strong donor relations with key stakeholders. Successfully lead 9 fundraising campaigns, established over 1000 partnerships with the private sector, and raised over AED 20 million in unrestricted funds from individual and corporate donors.
9/2007-7/2008 - Al Bayareq - UAE Founder & Managing Partner Dubai Media City, Dubai, UAE. Al Bayareq is a non-profit media consulting & production organization which specializes in producing: Documentaries, Factual TV Programs, Commercials, Video Clips, Public Service Announcements & films that tackles social issues with the aim of serving the community and contributing to the common good. Al Bayareq supplied the region with programs such as: Healing Hearts (Documentary), Jeel Al Mustaheel (TV Show), Nameemah (public service announcement), Wattanak (video Clip) among many others.
9/2003-9/2007 - Al Arabiya - News Channel & MBC Dubai Media City, Dubai, UAE. Responsible for the production of the following programs: Source of Goodness: Journey with Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Sumait to Africa, 30 Saudi Women Success Stories, Portfolio, Your Financial Adviser & Iraq Markets. Covered many international events such as the World Bank / IMF meetings & World Economic Forum. Co-hosted the Yalla Ya Shabab show for MBC in Denmark (2/06).
US WORK HISTORY:
| 7/2001-9/2002 | Tradescape Corp., New York, NY | Marketing & CSR Manager |
| 9/2000-3/2001 | OANDA Corporation, New York, NY | Global Marketing Manager |
| 3/2000-8/2000 | Mondera.com, New York, NY | Director, Global Business Development |
| 6/1999-3/2000 | EFAX, Inc, Menlo Park, CA | Director, Online Marketing |
| 4/1998-6/1999 | Brassring.com, Santa Clara, CA | Manager, Web Marketing |
| 4/1996-4/1998 | NCSU, Distance Learning Division, Raleigh, NC | Training Specialist |
ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS:
| 9/02-9/03 |
Masters of Islamic Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), London, UK. Major: Islamic Philosophy/Sufism. Grade: Merit |
| 8/95-5/97 |
Master of Technology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. Concentration: International Development. GPA 4.0 |
| 8/91-5/95 |
Bachelor of Arts, Magna Cum Laude, University of South Carolina, Coastal Carolina U. SC. Major: International Relations. GPA 3.8 International Academic Exchange: |
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS:
• Professional Certifications: Certified in leading high performance teams, coaching for Transformation, and training and development.
• Media Productions: Assisted in feature productions at numerous international television programs including CBS News (60 Minutes), PBS (Frontline) and Abu Dhabi TV.
• Interviews and publications: Featured in Time Magazine, New Yorker Magazine, and Forbes Magazine. Interviewed by BBC World Radio, ABC (Good Morning America), and other media outlets.
• Training Experience: Delivered training courses on cross-cultural & diversity and broadcast media in the UAE and US.
PHILANTHROPY & ACTIVISM:
| 5/2/2012 | Dubai Acumen, Business Acumen for Good Competition, Participant www.dubaiplusacumen.com |
| 10/11-Present | Live It Up Uganda, Home for Rescued Children, Founder & Chairperson, www.liveitup.org |
| 5/11 - Present | The HUB Dubai, Community Member, http://dubai.the-hub.net |
| 7/10 - Present | Make a Wish Foundation UAE, Donor & Volunteer Fundraiser |
| 9/07 – Present | Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow (MLT), Global Member |
| 8/07 – Present | Direct Aid (Africa), Donor & Volunteer Fundraiser |
| 6/06 – Present | Dubai Helpers, Donor & Volunteer |
| 1/06 – present | INJAZ, Advisor |
| 6/01 – present | ASMA Society, Member of the Advisory Board, www.asmasociety.org |
| 9/01 – 8/04 | MAT USA, Co-founder & Spokesperson,www.matusa.org |
LANGUAGES:
| • English: | Fluent (Speaking & Writing) |
| • Arabic: | Fluent (Speaking & writing) |
| • Turkish: | Fluent (Speaking & writing) |
| • German: | Advanced (Speaking & writing) |
HOBBIES:
Scuba diving; snowboarding; horse riding; rafting; bicycling & motorcycling; swimming; tracking; wakeboarding; cooking & entertaining; singing; reading; traveling; volunteering.