Inc. Arabia’s Women Of Influence 2025: Meet The Female Leaders Shaping The MENA Business Landscape

Women of Influence, Inc. Arabia’s annual celebration of women in the MENA business landscape, takes pride of place in the publication’s August 2025 issue.  

This special feature, which showcases 30 women from across the region reshaping industries through innovation, resilience, and purpose-driven leadership, celebrates each of their achievements while also positioning them as role models for others to follow. 

Four of these women are featured on the cover of Inc. Arabia’s August 2025 issue: Basma Ahmed AlBadi AlDhaheri, Head of Value Creation, Hub71; Anna Rozwandowicz, founder and CEO, The Story Mob, Yara Milbes, Vice President - Marketing, Lucidya, and Mila Smart Semeshkina, founder and CEO, Lectera, and founder and President, WE Council and WE Convention.  

Check out the above video for a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the cover, and check out our profiles on them and the rest of Inc. Arabia’s Women of Influence 2025 in the digital edition of the magazine here.  

Here’s the full list of female leaders featured in  Inc. Arabia’s Women of Influence 2025:    

• Basma Ahmed AlBadi AlDhaheri, Head of Value Creation, Hub71 

• Yara Milbes, Vice President - Marketing, Lucidya 

• Anna Rozwandowicz, founder and CEO, The Story Mob 

• Mila Smart Semeshkina, founder and CEO, Lectera, and founder and President, WE Council and WE Convention 

• Faiza Al Awadhi, CEO and Managing Director, Sanadak  

• Jennifer Fischer, Chief Innovation and Growth Officer – MENA, Publicis Groupe  

• Mona Althagafi, Country Director - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Serco 

• Alia Al Mur, Chief of Partnerships and Transformation, Dubai Future Foundation 

• Patricia Abi Fadel, Head of Investment – MENA, WPP Media 

• Dr. Najwa Aaraj, CEO, Technology Innovation Institute 

• Nancy Assaad, founder and CEO, The Marketing Boutique 

• Azza Al Nuaimi, Director of Project Management, Museum of the Future 

• Emon Shakoor, founder and CEO, Blossom Accelerator 

• Banafsheh Salmani, Managing Director, Bioniq Middle East  

• Suaad Alshamsi, Founding Member, Women of Aviation Middle East 

• Sahar Khan, Vice President of Marketing, Bayut and dubizzle 

• Amanda Bout, Chief Human Resources Officer, AlBatha Healthcare 

• Toshita Chauhan, Chief Business Officer – General Insurance, Policybazaar.ae 

• Claire Roper-Browning, Global Director - Marketing, Recruitment, Admissions, and Communications, Heriot-Watt University 

• Tala Alnounou, Head of Marketing and Research – MENA, LWK + PARTNERS 

• Razan Akrouk,  Chief People and Sustainability Officer, GMG 

• Anisha Oberoi, founder and CEO, Secret Skin 

• Katy Holmes, CEO, British Chamber of Commerce Dubai 

• Rasha Soliman, Chief Marketing Officer, HAMIC Group 

• Maya Milan, Compliance Director, Shorooq 

• Alanood Aldhaher, Director - Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing, American University of Sharjah 

• Hasneen Sheela Shereef, Regional Head - Marketing and Communications, Middle East and Africa, Tata Consultancy Services 

• Nadine Zidani, founder and CEO, MENA Impact 

• Nadine Halabi de Francesca, Head of Business Development and Operations, Dubai Business Women Council 

• Asmae Lemniei, Managing Director, LEAN X Consulting