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International Experts
For its first Saudi Creative Season, SNCI will be inviting over 40 well-renowned international experts who will be conducting workshops for each creative week.
Reem Khouri
Creative Initiatives
Reem Khouri is passionate about redesigning business models for social inclusion. She believes that companies need to renew their economic and social contracts with societies and that profit on the long term can only be sustainable if societies become part and parcel of the business model. Her goal is to support organizations to do so by demonstrating the financial benefits of adopting socially innovative business models and processes. In order to do so, she founded Kaamen (meaning untapped potential, hidden, inherent, implicit), a social enterprise that designs and implements shared interests based investments and measures their financial and social return on investment.
Wakim Zeiden is a communications director who specialises in advertising, project management, corporate client communication and creative direction. He received his Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design from the American University of Beirut and has managed many teams including the business and client servicing department of Al Mohtaraf Assaudi (KSA) and the creative team at JWT advertising firm in Kuwait. Hussa Al Humaidhi is a design strategist and managing partner of Raw Design Studio. Hussa earned her Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design and Communication from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. As a graphic designer and activist, Hussa employed her communication and design skills to co-found Sout Al Kuwait, a volunteer-based civil awareness group, re-asserting the notion of citizenship and constitutional awareness in 2009. In 2009, Wakim and Hussa founded Nuqat, a creative platform in the Middle East aiming to educate and connect creatives in the region.
Nuqat
Creative Initiatives
Joseph Haslam
Creative Initiatives
Joe Haslam is the Chairman and co-founder of Hot Hotels, Europe's largest last minute hotel booking app. At IE Business School, he is the Executive Director of the Owners & Entrepreneurs Management Program and teaches an elective titled "Trillion Dollar Challenge" in the MBA program. He has experience in the Entreprise Software, Video Games and Online Secuirty fields. Born in Ireland, Joe has lived in 8 countries and speaks 4 languages. He lives in Madrid with wife and two daughters.
Ali Almasri
Creative Initiatives
Ali Almasri is a type and graphic designer who holds multiple degrees in graphic and industrial design. His portfolio is very diverse, across the area of branding and corporate identities, print design, and type design. At the same time, his practices encompass experimentation with multiple digital and analogue media. In 2012, Hussein and Ali cofounded ‘Wajha’, a social/cultural/design initiative to help small businesses and shop owners who are in need of free-of-charge branding works for their shops.
Chris Blauvelt
Social Innovation
Chris Blauvelt is a passionate Muslim American entrepreneur committed to turning the Muslim world into a global force for good. He is the founder & CEO of LaunchGood.com, the world's largest faith-based Crowdfunding platform. Previously Chris was an award-winning film producer ("Bilal’s Stand", Sundance 2010), founder of Patronicity.com, a successful civic Crowdfunding site, and winner of the Magic Johnson Social Entrepreneur prize. Chris was born in Malaysia, raised in the United States, became Muslim at 16, and graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Michigan. Currently he resides in Dearborn, Michigan with his wife Amani and daughter Maryam.
Aurelie Salvaire
Social Innovation
Aurélie Salvaire is a French social entrepreneur based in Barcelona. She has been working for the past 10 years in the social innovation field, collaborating with Oxfam, Ashoka, Unreasonable institute or Impact Hub. She has founded and curated different TEDx events such as TEDxBarcelona Women, TEDxBarcelonaED and TEDxBarcelona Change. She is passionate about storytelling and she is coaching teams and individuals all around the world to better master their own narrative. She is now running her own freelancing activities, The A Factor, as an events curation advisor and has set up events in places as diverse as Beirut or Nairobi. She also founded the Shift Balance association to coach women leaders in emerging countries in communication and storytelling. Her motto: you are the story you chose to tell!
Tomas De Lara
Social Innovation
Tomas is a social entrepreneur and a conscious business netweaver. Tomás co-founded Engage, the first company in Brazil focused on Internet technologies for social innovation, Goma a space and collaborative ecosystem of social entrepreneurs and two Hubs for the World Economic Forum and the Global Shapers Community. Business administrator with a master in digital communication, Tomás is a specialist on collaborative and sustainable economies, is a member of the board of Coca-Cola Brasil’s foundation, co-leader of B Corps movement, and a teacher at Brazil’s leading social innovation schools. Nowadays, as an independent conscious business consultant, Tomás is based in Rio de Janeiro focusing his work, studies and lectures on fostering the shift of old businesses paradigms that are based on competitive and EGOcentric culture to ECOcentric and collaborative forms of social and economical interactions.
Luis A. Garcia Giralt
Social Innovation
Luis A. Garcia Giralt has a BS in Business Administration (UPF), Master in E-Commerce (La Salle) and Executive MBA (EADA). He also has other academic experiences in London (LSE), Sweden (MIUN) and México (UNITEC). Many years of his professional career have been devoted to running the Global Marketing operations of the Spanish subsidiary of Harvard Bioscience. He is the founder and the CEO of ZeKoGram Innova S.L., which gives consultancy to companies willing to incorporate Inclusivity Marketing to their global marketing strategy. Since 2014, he has been a Professor of International Marketing at Prat College, and an invited lecturer at IQS Barcelona and as Associate Professor at EADA Business School.
Philip Heaton
Architecture
Phil is a chartered landscape architect and town planner with 25 years’ experience, currently advising the UK Commission for the Built Environment and UK design watchdog The Design Council. Phil ran the public space design firm Parklife from 1995 until 2008 when it was merged with Middle Eastern landscape firm Cracknell. Phil offers a particular expertise in community engagement and the design of active environments that local authorities find helpful. Phil’s work with communities has been cited in design guides and screened on prime time TV. In 2011 Phil became Director of Public Realm for Broadway Malyan’s 15 offices worldwide, continuing his work in the Middle East until 2013 when he left to pursue his own projects.
Sean Huang
Architecture
With 27 Years of Architectural Industry Leadership, Sean Huang has designed many Internationally Awarded Design projects in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East in the areas of Healthcare, Education, Retail Mixed Use, Offices, Sports Developments and Urban Design. Past notable clients include MD Anderson, The Mayo Clinic, The Ford Family and The University of California. Currently Sean is leading KMD’s practice in the Middle East which in the last 5 years includes over US$ 1.7 bn. of Health Care, Education, Research and Hospitality Projects. Sean has published numerous articles and given presentations at several international conferences advocating how design can improve the human condition and can be a vehicle for meaningful change.
Marc Stringa
Architecture
Marc has worked on transformational urban projects across the Middle East, Australia, Asia, South East Asia and Europe in the realms of architecture, planning and natural environments. Marc has an impressive academic background holding five degrees and commenced practice in the early nineties within government, local, state and federal positions. He has worked within the consultancy environment for the last decade. Projects have been wide ranging from architectural design work to regional strategies. His key strength’ lie in the integration of multidisciplinary projects and positioning (designing and delivering) plans underpinning these projects. Marc is currently leading the spatial aspects of the Jeddah plan compendium which interfaces with the major investment in public transport in this city.
Jordi Costa
Press & Publication
Jordi Costa writes about movies, comics and other areas of popular culture since 1981 in print, television and online media. Author of the books “Hay algo ahí afuera” (1997), “Mondo Bulldog” (1999), “Vida Mostrenca” (2002), “Carles Mira: Plateas en llamas” (2001), “Todd Solondz: En los suburbios de la felicidad” (2005), “El sexo que habla” (2006), “Monstruos modernos” (2008) and “100 películas clave del cine de animación” (2010), along with other collective or collaborative works. He was Head of Programming for the thematic TV channel Cinemania. He has curated the exhibitions “Cultura Basura: una espeleología del gusto”, “J. G. Ballard, autopsia del nuevo milenio” (both at the Centro de Cultura Contemporánea de Barcelona-CCCB), “Ficciones en serie”, “Ficciones en serie. Segunda temporada” (SOS 4.8) and “Plagiarismo” (La Casa Encendida). He develops his work as a film critic in the pages of El País and the monthly magazine Fotogramas.
Julnar Doueik
Press & Publication
Julnar Doueik is the Arabic Editor of MIT Technology Review Arab Edition. Before joining the review, she co-founded AltCity, a social-impact media collaboration space in Beirut. She assisted in establishing a Lebanese youth-run alternative media outlet, Hibr Lubnani. Julnar holds a master’s degree in Media Studies, and has served as a media research assistant at Notre Dame University, Lebanon and as a media trainer in several local and regional organizations.
Stanela Khalil
Press & Publication
Stanela Khalil is an interpreter and translator working on her PhD in the field of translation. She has a focused career in the field of translation and interpretation, working directly with high-level companies and organizations in the region, including UN agencies, and GCC companies. Stanela is currently working with Tarjama as a senior translator and interpreter, and is managing the translation and localization department for one of Tarjama biggest clients in the UAE – Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. She has participated in several academic and practical workshops aiming at raising awareness about the field of translation and the importance of localized Arabic content generation.
David Habchy
Visual Art
David Habchy is a Beirut-based visual artist born in the Northern Bekaa region of Lebanon. After completing his studies in computer graphics and animation in 2003, David taught animation and illustration courses at NDU, Louaize. David participated in book fairs, conferences, workshops, exhibitions and residencies in Beirut, Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan, Kuwait, UAE, Iran, Armenia, France, Italy, Bulgaria and Germany. In 2005, having attended several workshops in London and Prague, he became specialized in the illustration of children’s books, puppet making and stop motion. David went on to publish three illustrated children’s books and executed over 35 projects in which he was an animator, director of animation, illustrator and art director and was one of the first Arab illustrators to be invited by the Berlin Literature festival. In 2012, David cofounded Waraq association, a cultural and artistic association that supports, promotes and connects artists and professionals working in illustration, animation and the art of craftsmanship in the Arab region. In 2015, he co-established Studio Kawakeb, a visual arts studio that focuses on illustration, animation and design.
Majid Alyousuf
Visual Art
Majid Alyousef is a contemporary artist whose unconventional practice forges a relationship between calligraphy and abstraction. His eyes are drawn to the visual qualities of the Arabic alphabet in their hundreds of possible combinations—the way a tail trails off into the undefined future, the hills and valleys of certain letters’ slopes, or the sharpness of vowels arranged like a collection of knife blades over a particular word. Although he was first known for bringing classical Arabic poetry and verses from the Qur’an to life in traditional calligraphy compositions, from a distance some of Alyousef most recent works might not even be recognizable as calligraphy. His practice is constantly questioning the boundaries between European and Islamic art and further pushing the ongoing debate about whether Arabic calligraphy should be understood as a decorative craft or a fine art medium.
Monica Allende
Visual Art
Monica Allende is an independent photo editor and cultural producer. She collaborates with the team of screenprojects.org and is the co-founder of Offspring Photo Meet in London. Previously she was the photo editor at the Sunday Times Magazine, where she launched the award-winning photography section spectrum. She is visiting lecturer at the London College of Communication, has conducted photography workshops worldwide, including Festival di Internazionale a Ferrara, Getxo Photo, and Visa pour L’Image, and has served on juries worldwide including the World Press Photo, Visa Pour L’image, the National Portrait Gallery’s Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, The Royal Photographic Society Awards, Getty Grant, Renaissance Photography Prize, and the Sony World Photography Awards.
Anita Schjøll Brede
Application & Gaming
Anita Schjøll Brede is a storyteller, tech geek, entrepreneur and startup kid with a passion for innovation that makes people’s lives better. The last 10 years she has been in 8 different industries, founded 3 startups and attended 6 universities. Whether it’s developing a SaaS e-learning tool in Silicon Valley, reducing energy consumption in the process industry, creating a performance to Bergen International Festival, facilitating solar light business creation in Kenya, trying to disrupt the recruitment industry, or building race cars: Anita connects the dots, gathers her team in one unified vision, and gets shit done. She has never opened the envelope with her Diploma in MSc in Entrepreneurship and Business Design from Chalmers University of Technology, but appreciates that it exists. She’s also done summer sessions at Berkeley and Stanford, and most recently she attended the prestigious Singularity University’s Graduate Studies Program.
Alex Rayon Jerez
Application & Gaming
Alex Rayon Jerez is General Manager at Deusto eCampus, the online University of Deusto. He teaches at the same university in the digital area, both in the Engineering and Business School faculties. His teaching and research interests are based on the digital economy and the opportunities several IT innovations bring (Big Data, Internet of Things, Smart Cities, Gamification, Mobile Apps, Semantic web's, Linked Open Data, etc.). He holds a PhD in Computer Science and Telecommunications, after developing his doctoral thesis in the area of Big Data and Business Intelligence. He has started up and launched some IT companies, specially in the area of digital marketing, smart cities and Big Data. He also delivers courses, workshops, incompany trainings and conferences about technology, education, entrepreneurship and innovation. He is a passionate about entrepreneurship and innovation.
Francesco Alinovi
Application & Gaming
Francesco Alinovi graduated with a thesis on videogames, later published under the title “Mi Gioco il Cervello” (Liocorno Editore, 2000). For over ten years he has been contributing to magazines dealing with electronic entertainment and, as a project manager, has developed new editorial formats (such as the Italian edition of the Official PlayStation Magazine and the Official Xbox Magazine) and the franchising retail chain GameUP (that counts around 50 stores all across Italy). Alinovi has written several essays and books on design, the last being the 2015 “VirtualErotico” volume, published by Unicopli. Since 1998 he has been lecturing on Game Design and Multimedia Design at NABA in Milan and Accademia Santa Giulia in Brescia. In 2013 has lectured on Game Design for Design Institute Amman.
Carlos Scolari
Media & Advertising
Carlos Scolari is an Associate Professor at Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona. His research focuses on digital interactive communication, media ecology/evolution and transmedia storytelling. He is the Principal Investigator of the following research projects: TRANSMEDIA LITERACY (H2020 Program) and TRANSALFABETISMOS (Ministry of Economy and Competition, Spain). Most important books: Ecología de los Medios (2015), Transmedia Archaeology (with P. Bertetti and M. Freeman, 2014), Narrativas Transmedia (2013), Cross Media Innovation (with I. Ibrus, 2012), and El Fin de los Medios Masivos (with M. Carlón, 2009/14).
Joan Lofts
Media & Advertising
Joan Lofts was Director of Television at Contender Entertainment Group and was appointed in November 2001. She was responsible for developing and overseeing the television production division - integrating with the company's vision to Build Entertainment Brands. Her animated hits include Tractor Tom, Humf, Little Kingdom and a special for Channel 4 Lost and Found. Lofts has also worked for The Children’s Channel later to become TCC and also was a member of the team who launched the Teen Channel Trouble. As well as working for Disney Channel she has also worked as a freelance channel consultant with roles including UK Nursery Channel - Kindernet Holland. She is now semi retired living in France but has a few beautiful projects tucked under her wing – is involved with mentoring projects for the European Media Programme – and is also a Chairperson for Cartoon Forum. She has also recently run pitching clinics in Asia for the Asian Animation Summit. She has also been involved with a number of companies in Europe and Australia to help oversee the development of their pitch bibles including running writers workshops/pitch mentoring/animation design and execution.
Nidal Mawas
Media & Advertising
As a graduate from the prestigious American University of Beirut (AUB), Nidal has extensive experience in digital media being AUB’s award winning Digital Media Director, managing AUB's digital presence on website and social media. Nidal is also an instructor of social media at AUB’s Media Studies Program and Continuing Education Center (CEC). He managed key social media networks for regional brands and does consulting services on visual identity and social media strategy.
Moritz Neumüller
Media & Advertising
Moritz Neumüller, is a Barcelona-based curator, educator and writer in the field of Photography and New Media. He has worked for institutions such as MoMA New York, La Fábrica Madrid and PhotoIreland Festival, and is currently academic director of the Photography Department of IED Madrid. He is a regular contributor to magazines such as European Photography, foam and Photo Researcher, and is currently working on a book project on Photography and Visual Arts. Since 2010, he runs the The Curator Ship, an online resource for visual artists. Recent curatorial projects include the Daegu Biennial (South Korea) and Photobook Week Aarhus (Denmark).
Michael Robinson
Media & Advertising
Mike Robinson was General Manager of Cosgrove Hall Productions. The company produced award winning programmes including "DangerMouse" and "The Wind in the Willows". In 1992, he set up his animation consultancy advising broadcasters, producers and investors on the business of animation. He was co-founder of the British Animation Training Scheme. For 20 years he has been chairperson of the European Creative Europe Cartoon Forum and Cartoon Movie. He holds training workshops for the Animation Sans Frontiere and European Masters programmes. His subjects include co-production, business strategies, pitching and presentation techniques. Amongst other clients he is Business Consultant for the CHF Entertainment studio in the UK.
Leila Ben Gacem
Craftsmanship & Artisans
Leila Ben-Gacem is the founder of Blue Fish, a consulting firm specialized in designing socio-economic impact projects targeting the creative industry sector. Leila also founded Dar Ben Gacem, Boutique Hotel and social enterprise which creates shared cultural and economic opportunities in the Medina of Tunis. Generated profits through Dar Ben Gacem are used to restore other homes in Tunis Medina and convert them into new social enterprise ventures. Leila also initiated Sougha, for Khalifa Fund UAE, a social enterprise which improved socio-economic inclusion of Emirati women artisans through self employment opportunity creation. Before switching careers Leila held various positions at multinational corporations and has a BS in Biomedical Engineering.
Vrouyr Joubanian
Craftsmanship & Artisans
Vrouyr Joubanian is a designer whose sustainable design strategies and work in design education aim to create social and systems change. Vrouyr was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Arts in Philadelphia, where he received a master's degree in industrial design in 2014. He graduated summa cum laude with a master's degree in product design from Academic Libanaise des Beaux-Arts (ALBA) in 2011. Vrouyr passion for human-centred design informs his diverse work portfolio that includes social systems consulting, product design, and design education. He currently serves on the faculty at ALBA and is the co-founder of Beirut Design Week.
Soufiene Fantar
Craftsmanship & Artisans
Soufiene Fantar is a Tunisian designer, who graduated as an industrial product designer from the Higher Institute of Design in Tunisia. Soufiene has 15 years experience in launching new products to market through innovating design and idea generator. Soufiene designs include trendy products inspired by the Tunisian heritage, space management and decoration as well as graphical design latest technologies. Today through “Atelier Fantar” Soufiene designs his collection of accessory products, which create a rare balance between fashion and tradition.
Margreet Papamichael
Tourism Design & Development
Margreet has over 20 years of consulting experience in the hotel, leisure and tourism sector.Her experience covers areas such as tourism strategy, mixed use developments, urban and resort hotels, visitor attractions, restaurants, conference venues, golf resorts, racecourses and leisure real estate. Margreet has undertaken numerous consultancy assignments in the UK, Europe and the Middle East. The majority of her clients are private sector companies although her work in tourism development has been commissioned by public sector bodies. Many of her assignments required close cooperation with the various large hotel operating companies and major UK banks.
Madeenah
Tourism Design & Development
Madeenah is a multidisciplinary platform that curates cultural tours and delivers spatial studies that was founded by Deema Algunaim. Deema obtained a Bachelor of Architecture from Kuwait University in 2008. She practiced architecture at alpha-architects and Kuwait Master Plan Department, Kuwait Municipality wherefore she co-curated the exhibition “Kethra”; Kuwait’s first participation in Venice Architectural Biennial 2012. She has also been a visiting teaching assistant at the College of Architecture in KU and worked on concept research and development at Raw Design Studio. Sarah Alzouman is the Editor-in-chief at Madeenah and has a BA in English Literature from Boston University and currently works in the field of international policy. After working as a journalist for Kuwait Times, she co-founded the freelance editing agency Edit-It. Sarah also worked as a program officer in the regional office of an international human rights organization, with a focus on family law. Passionate about education and languages, she has taught English as a second language at Kuwait University.
Noor Al-Dabbagh
Tourism Design & Development
Noor Aldabbagh is the founder of Banafsajeel, a curatorial platform for art and design. With a background spanning curating exhibitions, documentary filmmaking and non-profit management, the common thread in Noor’s work is working to facilitate a larger appreciation for art and creativity and foster understanding between cultures. Noor graduated from Harvard with an honours degree in Visual and Environmental Studies. She worked for over three years at Alwaleed bin Talal Foundation, managing projects that promote understanding between cultures. She obtained her MA in Art Business from the Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London, earning a Distinction on her dissertation on the strategy of Abu Dhabi museums. She is a member of the ICOM (International Council of Museums) Saudi National Committee.
Sarah Hermez
Beauty & Fashion
Sarah Hermez is a Lebanese fashion designer, born and raised in Kuwait. She pursued dual degrees in fashion design at Parsons the New School for Design and media/cultural studies at Eugene Lang the New School for Liberal Arts in New York. She moved to Beirut in 2010 and launched Creative Space Beirut, merging the two worlds she is passionate about and bridging the social and the creative industries. She continues to direct the program and act as mentor to the students. Sarah is also the co-founder of SECOND .st, a socially conscious brand with a progressive take on the classic shirt.
Mahmoud Wazzan
Culinary Art
Mahmoud Wazan obtained a Bachelor of Science in hospitality management from prestigious California state polytechnic university in California, USA, 1994. He has over 30 years’ experience in the restaurant business, including Marriott Hotels, and Planet Hollywood. His experience in KSA includes commissioning the International Medical Centre, training hospitality staff in Araqa palace, and special advisor for hospitality operations for King Abdullah. He opened, operated, and consulted for several restaurants in Beirut, California, and the Saudi Arabia. He has extensive teaching experience in culinary arts, including the French prestigious school Pigier, and the American University of Beirut. He is also a certified instructor and approved proctor in the American food safety system. He has an MS in adult Education from Colorado state university , USA ( expected graduation in 2017) and recent specialization in Plant based cooking ( vegan cooking).
Zohra Khaku
Culinary Art
Zohra runs Halal Gems, the curated guide to halal dining. Their interactive magazine has reached the Top 10 on Apple’s App Store in 18 countries. She produces and presents her own TV show in the UK, The Curious Foodie on BMTV (Sky Channel 845). Zohra’s passion is transparency in the food chain, and she encourages people to ask ‘What’s in my food?’. Her background is in strategy and innovation, across the telecoms, media, technology, entertainment and non-profit sectors. Zohra holds an MBA from Cambridge University and lives in London, England.
Khajag Apelian
Culinary Art
Khajag Apelian is a lettering, type and graphic designer. He graduated from the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague with a Master of Design in Type and Media. He has previously worked with Opera in Amsterdam, Landor Associates in Dubai, and Maajoun in Beirut, a visual communication and type design studio he co-founded. Additionally, he teaches graphic design courses in the American University of Beirut and in the Lebanese American University. In 2013, Khajag co-founded Cup & Roll, a culinary first, based in Beirut Lebanon. He acts as the creative director of the brand.
Oumaima Tamarzizt
Jewelry Design & Accessories
Born in 1985, Oumaima Tamarzizt grew up in Tunis and began to study design before pursuing a jewelry training in Paris in 2007. Inspired by the mix between her Tunisian origins, modern architecture, contemporary art, or her travels in India, she decided to create her own brand in 2012 after working freelance for many prestigious clients. Oumaima, is a talented designer who has respect for the past but never loses her modern edge, lives and works in Paris.
Eelko Moorer
Jewelry Design & Accessories
Eelko Moorer is an interdisciplinary designer/maker of interior products, footwear and bespoke accessories offering new perspectives on existing typologies and processes through design. His studio combines an experimental practice rooted in academia with commercial work. The Studio works on a variety of commissions and consultancy with outputs ranging from designs for industry, bespoke and catwalk pieces, installation, performance, to short film. The Collectables consist of unique pieces, manufactured small runs, and limited editions of idiosyncratic designs that could function as conversation pieces in the home. All are hand-made in-house or produced by expert craftsmen in the UK and Europe. His work has been widely exhibited internationally in places such as The Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, The Fashion Institute of Technology New York, Saatchi Gallery London and with the British Council and Design Museum London, and commissioned by companies, galleries and individuals worldwide.
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