Raihan possesses 35+ years of industry leadership experience in advertising, research, digital and media industries. He has been a recipient of the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz for his contributions to the nascent industries in Pakistan. He is the visionary behind colossal successes like Coke Studio and Pakistan Super League (PSL). He is also the founder of Brainchild Communications Pakistan (previously Pakistan Media Com), Pakistan's first and currently most profitable media agency and is frequently quoted as one of the most influential figures in Pakistani media and advertising industries.
The Power of Creativity
Ali Rez
Chief Creative Officer MENAP
Impact BBDO Group
Ali Rez
Chief Creative Officer MENAP
Impact BBDO Group
Named Creative of the Year twice by Campaign magazine, Ali Rez is the most awarded creative leader in the Middle East and currently leads creative output for the IMPACT BBDO Group across the Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan region. Rez’s work has been instrumental in Impact BBDO Dubai being named the No.2 Agency In The World on the WARC report while winning 10 different Agency of the Year accolades in 2022 for bringing tremendous business success and creative excellence to the Group, and positive impact to social causes.
Rez has won more than 750 international accolades in his career spanning four continents over 20 years, which include Grands Prix at all the major shows including Cannes Lions, Clio, OneShow, Loeries, Effies, and a United Nations Peace Medal – awards which have led him to be ranked No.1 ECD in MENA and APAC on several creative rankings. He is the first jury president ever at Cannes Lions to represent the Middle East.
Moving from California, Rez currently lives in Dubai, where he is an avid mountain biker. Besides lecturing at Oxford University, Rez has exhibited at Tate UK, spoken at TEDx, and traveled to 139 countries.
Generative AI: Hype, Reality & Potential
Asad ur Rehman
CEO
So&So Partnerships
Asad ur Rehman
CEO
So&So Partnerships
Asad was responsible for Unilever’s Media & Digital Marketing Transformation for Middle & East North Africa, Turkey and Russia and sat on the Unilever MENA/Turkey/Russia Board. Asad has been in Dubai since 2013, prior to which he spent 6 years at the Unilever HQ in London. Earlier in his career, Asad worked for WPP/Group M in various parts of the world as Worldwide Managing Partner for Mindshare/GroupM. He managed local offices in Pakistan and Vietnam, did a global role in London, and managed regional projects in Asia and LATAM.
Asad is an award-winning marketer with accolades from D&AD, Cannes Lions, WARC, Global Effie’s, and Spikes, Lynx, Festival of Media, and MENA Effie’s. He was the Founding Chair of The Marketing Society Middle East Chapter from 2016 to 2018 and sits on the board of the IAA UAE. Asad was awarded The Marketing Society Fellowship in 2019. He also was the Effie’s Marketer of The Year in 2018.
Competing on Consumer Journeys
Fawad Ahmed
Director, Strategy & Digital Transformation
Unilever Pakistan
Fawad Ahmed
Director, Strategy & Digital Transformation
Unilever Pakistan
Fawad joined Unilever as a management trainee in 2005 and has done brand management & customer development roles across categories, channels and countries including a global stint based out of Singapore. He is currently leading Strategy & Transformation for Unilever Pakistan which includes building future-fit capabilities in areas of Digital Commerce (eCommerce), Digital Hub (Media), Consumer Market Insights (Market Research) and UniOps (Info Tech).
Fawad thrives in leveraging the power of people and partnerships in building interconnected ecosystems which help Unilever drive competitive growth and thought leadership when it comes to building future-fit capabilities at an enterprise level.
He is an active advocate of creating an inclusive society and volunteers his time at the Karachi Down Syndrome Program (KDSP) as Chairman of the Board of Directors. Fawad is married, has three children and has recently taken up Padel with the hope of turning it into a family sport.
Speakers
Daniel Käfer
Founder.
Future Advice Ltd.
Daniel Käfer
Founder.
Future Advice Ltd.
Daniel Käfer is a seasoned business leader with a rich history in the tech industry. His career includes roles such as the Danish Country Head for Meta and Global Group Director of Digital Marketing at Ooredoo, an international Telco carrier chain across MENA and APAC.
He is the founder of Future Advice Ltd and associate of the platform mapping world innovation - www.supertrends.com. As an accomplished author, Daniel's latest book is titled "Releasing the brakes on growth", which focuses on innovation and business growth strategies. An active participant in the startup landscape, Daniel has also co-founded several entertainment tech companies.
Alex Burnori
Head - Creative Works (MENA,TR,SSA)
Google
Alex Burnori
Head - Creative Works (MENA,TR,SSA)
Google
Alex Brunori is a globally awarded and acknowledged Chief Creative Officer, a digital pioneer, a multi-disciplinary professional and a branding and marketing innovation evangelist. He is a TedX Speaker, a classic and contemporary singer and composer, visiting professor at the Middlesex University in Dubai, video director and meditation teacher.
He is currently obsessed with the possibilities of AI, especially AI art, constantly generating thousands of complex images - and now - videos with proprietary natural language prompts for Chat GPT, Bard, Midjourney 5 and Runway 2.
Mark Adams
Vice President & Head of Innovation
VICE Media
Mark Adams
Vice President & Head of Innovation
VICE Media
Mark created the very first digital consultancy for celebrities and for people in the public eye in 2003. He quickly became known as the go to digital guy for many Hollywood A-listers. After leading the digital transformation of more than a hundred entertainment brands and public personalities from Usher and Lady Gaga, through to Barack Obama and Buckingham Palace, Mark established a new company to apply this experience and to innovate in digital transformation for B2B brands, which was acquired by VICE Media in 2015.
Ali Habib
Chief Marketing & Communications Officer
HBL
Ali Habib
Chief Marketing & Communications Officer
HBL
Ali Habib is the Chief Marketing & Communications Officer for HBL and leads the Bank’s Marketing and Corporate Affairs functions. He joined HBL in November 2018. Ali brings a rich experience of having worked in similar roles not only in other leading banks but also outside the financial industry.
Ali’s career spans 32 years - in Pakistan / Egypt / Yemen - of working in blue chip organizations like Procter & Gamble (P&G), Reckitt Benckiser, Standard Chartered, UBL and HBL.
Ali is an alumnus of IBA, Karachi, and Aitchison College, Lahore.
Hamza Amjad
Executive Director - Creative, Social & Performance Management
Ogilvy Pakistan
Hamza Amjad
Executive Director - Creative, Social & Performance Management
Ogilvy Pakistan
Hamza has spent 14 years evangelising an industry-wide shift in advertising to an integrated marketing model where an idea remains central to storytelling irrespective of the medium that brings it to life. In 2021, he achieved historic success with Pakistan's first 2 Grands Prix at Cannes Lions. He has also earned recognition as Pakistan's most awarded Creative by Campaign Brief Asia and ranked 40th worldwide among Creative Directors, the only Pakistani on The Drum's list.
His work has garnered acclaim from prestigious global awards, including Cannes Lions, Spikes Asia, Clios, One Show, D&AD, LIA, Madstars, Tambuli, and Effie. As an Executive Director of Creative, Social, and Performance Management at Ogilvy Pakistan, Hamza aims to champion the application of creative technology to address a wide range of business challenges.
Zohaib Kazi
Narrative Artist, Director of Music & Films
Karma Kolective
Zohaib Kazi
Narrative Artist, Director of Music & Films
Karma Kolective
Zohaib Kazi, a consummate multidisciplinary artist, has assumed various creative roles over his illustrious 17-year career. As a producer, director, music maven, and consultant, his boundless talents shine through. His hallmark lies in his distinctive approach to storytelling, evident in endeavors ranging from groundbreaking archival projects exploring Pakistan's folk music heritage to imaginative forays into science fiction narratives. Following an eight-year tenure sculpting the foundational decade of Coke Studio, culminating in his departure as its esteemed Director and Producer, Kazi seamlessly transitioned into the realm of visual direction and in search of his sonic artistic pursuits.
Here, he collaborated with titans like Pepsi, Red Bull, and Spotify while producing independent content respectively. His future promises a captivating tapestry of documentaries, music odysseys, and innovative sci-fi storytelling.
Måns Tesch
Chief Strategy Officer
Grey Group (Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa)
Måns Tesch
Chief Strategy Officer
Grey Group (Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa)
Måns has led Grey’s strategy community across AMEA since 2017 (previously in Singapore, now based in Dubai). Måns’ elevated Grey to a regional strategic leader by winning the Global & APAC Grand Effies as well as the Grand Prix’ at the WARC Prize for Asian Strategy & Effective Innovation. He’s the founder of Grey Adventures, a leading accelerator for the creative industry and sustainability practice Sustainably Grey.
Before Grey, he held strategic leadership roles at Crispin Porter+Bogusky, Razorfish, Fallon & Lowe. He also started pioneering Swedish digital creative agency Tesch & Tesch (rebranded Lowe Tesch post Lowe-acquisition) & brand innovation consultancy Tesch London.
Ahsan Maykan
VP Marketing & Digital Platforms
Telenor Pakistan
Ahsan Maykan
VP Marketing & Digital Platforms
Telenor Pakistan
Ahsan heads the Marketing and Digital Products division at Telenor Pakistan. In this role he is responsible for customer analytics, value propositions, products, journeys, communication, and go-to-market for the traditional telecom products as well as adjacent digital products and services.
He has over 16 years of experience across 2 continents in the consumer-facing telecom business in the marketing function.
Javed Jafri
Media, Digital & Data Lead
Unilever Pakistan
Javed Jafri
Media, Digital & Data Lead
Unilever Pakistan
A strategic media, digital and data thinker at Unilever Pakistan, Javed specializes in developing and executing data-driven brand strategies to deliver high returns. He's spearheaded Unilever's digital transformation across Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, resulting in a threefold increase in the company's digital investments and savings of more than EU 2.6 million. Javed also served as Vice President of the Malaysian Advertisers Association.
Rifah Qadri
Head of Marketing & Corporate Comms
easypaisa
Rifah Qadri
Head of Marketing & Corporate Comms
easypaisa
With an extensive professional background spanning over 16 years, Rifah has demonstrated her marketing leadership across diverse industries like technology, retail and food packaging. She has worked on some of the nation’s most renowned brands, including easypaisa, foodpanda and Metro Cash and Carry. Presently, Rifah leads the Marketing and Corporate Communications department at easypaisa, Pakistan’s foremost fintech institution.
Throughout her career, she has orchestrated numerous successful campaigns and shattered gender-based barriers by consistently securing prominent positions within her various organisations. Her skill set spans the spectrum of brand management, creative strategy, and the creation of many consumer-centric initiatives. Beyond the realms of boardrooms and marketing campaigns, Rifah’s passion for travel provides her with a unique perspective on the world, infusing her work with a distinct creative flair. Her expeditions are the secret sauce to all the creativity that she brings into her work!
Aaminah Saeed
General Manager – Marketing
EBM
Aaminah Saeed
General Manager – Marketing
EBM
Aaminah leads the marketing and communication teams at EBM, managing a portfolio of 18 brands. Her primary role is growing new and existing brands for EBM and developing strategies to deliver the company’s growth agenda for the future.
With over 15 years of expertise in the marketing in food, beverage, and personal care sectors, Aaminah has also worked as Marketing Director for L’Oreal Paris and Maybelline NY and Regional Marketing Manager at The Coca-Cola Export Corporation.
She has done her Master's in Business Administration in 2001 from Lahore University of Management Sciences.
Syed Waqas Azhar
Director – Marketing, Growth & Partnerships
foodpanda
Syed Waqas Azhar
Director – Marketing, Growth & Partnerships
foodpanda
Waqas has worked in marketing for almost 17 years across MENA, Caucasus & Central Asia Republics, and of course Pakistan. He has worked for local and international market leaders including the Coca-Cola Company, Engro Foods Friesland Campina and Reckitt before joining foodpanda. Over the years, he has been associated with globally and locally recognized brands like Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, Olper’s, Tarang, Dettol, and Engro corp. He believes marketing should drive sustained business growth by building brands people love and can relate to.
Nida Fatima Haider
Managing Director
IAL Saatchi & Saatchi
Nida Fatima Haider
Managing Director
IAL Saatchi & Saatchi
Nida Haider started her advertising career at Young & Rubicam in New York City in 1999. Since then, her career has spanned multiple continents and amassed multiple International awards including Clios, Effies and several Cannes Lions. During her time at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco Nida was part of the team responsible for Frito Lay’s “Crash The Super Bowl” which hailed as one of the most buzzworthy campaigns in the history of advertising. CTSB is also responsible for many advertising firsts including the first ever consumer generated ad to a National Stage.
A strategist by heart, Nida has a proven track record of driving growth and transformation for brands of all sizes.
Maria Gedeon
Founder & CEO
Gedeon Mohr & Partners
Maria Gedeon
Founder & CEO
Gedeon Mohr & Partners
A strategic, transformative, and customer-obsessed executive with nearly two decades of experience shaping the luxury, retail, destinations, and leisure sectors in the MENA region. Her expertise lies in building brands and propelling them onto the global stage.
Maria founded Gedeon Mohr & Partners with a vision to service clients around the world helping them design, transform and grow sustainably. Previously Maria served as the former Chief Customer and Marketing Officer of the Chalhoub Group the largest fashion and beauty retailer in the MENA and the JV partner of LVMH, the world’s largest luxury group conglomerate. In her capacity, Maria managed an award-winning team of 150+, driving the transformation, overseeing brand building, marketing, customer experience, customer engagement, loyalty insights and advanced analytics, commercial partnerships, and content for the group.
Maria’s entrepreneurial journey began in 2002 with the establishment of Select, an events and entertainment startup catering to the Middle East. In 2006, she relocated to the UAE to work on the World Future Energy Summit, a collaborative initiative between Turret Media, Masdar, and the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre. She also spearheaded marketing and sponsorship for the Turret Media consumer portfolio, playing a key role in the acquisition and growth of Taste of Dubai and the Abu Dhabi Art Fair, and the Abu Dhabi Motorsports Festival among others.
In 2009, Maria took up the role of Director of Marketing and Communication at the Abu Dhabi Entertainment Company (a Mubadala subsidiary) heading up the function for Zayed Sports City. Her responsibilities included transforming and growing the brand, driving a turnaround in the company's performance, and transforming the marketing, sponsorships, events and customer experience organization.
Maria then moved to Majid Al Futtaim in 2016, the leading shopping malls, retail, and entertainment conglomerate in the MENA region, as Director of Marketing. As part of the senior executive team, she managed a cadre of 70+ award-winning marketers for the Entertainment division. Her tenure was marked by the transformation of the marketing and customer organization to instill an innovative, creative, customer-obsessed, and data-driven culture.
Presently, Maria serves as an external advisor to Bain & Company and holds positions on several regional boards, including the Marketing Society’s Middle East Chapter, the International Women Board of Directors, and Almentor.net, the largest e-learning platform in the Arab world. Maria earned her bachelor's degree in Advertising and Visual Communication from the Académie Libanaise des Beaux Arts (alba) in Beirut.
She is a proud working mother of two and a huge proponent of diversity & inclusion initiatives. A former national ski champion and enthusiastic tennis player, she possesses a deep appreciation for art, hospitality, and food. In her spare time, she travels, exercises, and delights in cooking for friends. Maria also lends her support to startups emerging from the MENA region and mentors marketing leaders of tomorrow.
Musharaf Hai
Advisory Partner
August Leadership
Musharaf Hai
Advisory Partner
August Leadership
Musharaf’s career in consumer business spanned over 36 years. She started her career with Unilever Pakistan in 1983. Her 23 years with the organization included roles from brand management to country operations. Musharaf’s various assignments included posting in Unilever’s London Headquarters where she worked for the Asia Pacific and Africa Middle East regions from 1991-94. Her key experience in Pakistan included the Ice Cream acquisition and merger, assuming the role of Board Director for Unilever’s Home & Personal Care Business, and subsequently becoming the National Sales Director. In July 2001, she was appointed Chairman & CEO and served in this capacity till September 2006.
Musharaf joined the L’Oreal Group in 2008 with the responsibility to establish and launch the L’Oreal business in Pakistan. The company was established in 2009, comprising entrepreneurial talent, manufacturing, supply chain, and multi-channel distribution to reach Pakistani consumers. Musharaf’s span asCEO and Founder of L’Oreal Pakistan was completed in June 2019.
She then worked with Khaadi (Pakistan’s premier fashion retail brand) on brand transformation project from October 2019 to December 2021. Some of her external roles included Board positions in Education Institutions, Banking, Non- Government Organisations, and in the Health sector. She has been a member of several Government policy groups.
In 2005, Musharaf received the Presidential Performance Award – Sitara-I-Imtiaz. This award was given in recognition of her outstanding business achievements and contribution to the economy. In 2011, the President of France, awarded Musharaf the Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Merite (Knight of National Order of Merit). In addition, she was listed among the 50 Most Powerful Women in the World by Forbes Magazine in 2004.
Khurram Hamid
Co-Founder
Web 3 Institute
Khurram Hamid
Co-Founder
Web 3 Institute
Khurram has been responsible for leading digital transformation for global industry powerhouses including Gillette, Procter and Gamble, GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer. He was also a subject matter expert on Digital Marketing for the University of Cambridge Judge Business School, a mentor to emerging market startups as part of the United Nations Development Program and a founding member of the UAE government's corporate innovation accelerator Area 2071.
He currently serves as a senior digital strategy and innovation advisor to a G20 government regulator providing expertise and future thinking on policy, regulation and innovation in developing a digital economy He is also the Co Founder of a global non non for profit think tank called the Web 3 Institute and author of “The New Digital World Order”.
Dr. Zeelaf Munir
Managing Director & CEO
EBM
Dr. Zeelaf Munir
Managing Director & CEO
EBM
Dr. Zeelaf Munir is the Managing Director & CEO of English Biscuit Manufacturers (Pvt.) Limited (EBM) since 2015. Building upon the company’s strong foundations of over five decades, EBM has grown exponentially under Dr. Zeelaf’s leadership to become the largest national FMCG and biscuit and cake manufacturer in Pakistan while consecutively winning the “Best Place to Work” award. Her 30 year career, extending from medical practice, and managing a multi-state organization to serving on the Boards of several for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, is much like the woman herself; authentic, dynamic, and purposeful.
Along with her current role at EBM, she is also Vice Chairperson at the Pakistan Business Council (PBC). She is the Chairperson of the Pakistan Advertisers Society (PAS), Chairperson of the i-Care Foundation, and a board member of LUMS Foundation, IBA Corporate Leaders Advisory and serves on the jury of the IBP (Institute of Banking Pakistan) banking awards committee.
Dr. Munir holds a medical degree from Dow University, a Master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University, post-graduate residency training from Washington University School of Medicine and has done a management and leadership program from Harvard Business School.
Aamir Ibrahim
CEO
Jazz
Aamir Ibrahim
CEO
Jazz
Aamir Ibrahim is a highly accomplished business executive with over 25 years of experience in diverse industries such as telecommunications, automotive, and financial services. He is the CEO of Jazz, the largest telecom company in Pakistan, and a member of the Global Executive Committee of VEON, the sixth largest telecom operator in the world. Under his visionary leadership, Jazz has emerged as the most successful digital conglomerate in Pakistan, becoming the connectivity lifeline in the country.
Aamir has made significant contributions to the telecom industry of Pakistan, including leading the highest investment to-date in Pakistan, crossing over $10.4 Bn, which is the highest among all telecom companies. He successfully spearheaded the merger between two giants - Mobilink and Warid - and expanded Pakistan's 4G penetration to remote areas. As the Chairman of Mobilink Microfinance Bank Ltd, he has driven the bank's overall strategic direction to accelerate economic growth and digitize the microfinance industry of Pakistan.
Aamir is a strong advocate of diversity and inclusion, particularly for women in Pakistan to have access to digital technologies. He has driven numerous programs to make technology more inclusive and accessible. Under his leadership, Jazz has emerged as a major player in the fintech space, with JazzCash becoming the national wallet of Pakistan, with over 56.2% mobile wallet owners.
Aamir is committed to giving back to the community and has led Jazz to be at the forefront of philanthropy. During crises such as COVID-19 and the 2022 floods, Jazz stepped up to support the community. He has served on the Boards of the Universal Service Fund (USF) and Ignite, driving connectivity projects and the network of National Incubation Centers across the country. He has been the Chair of the Telecom Subcommittee of the Prime Minister's Council for Digital Economy for Pakistan.
Aamir received his Bachelors in Business (Accounting) from The University of Texas at Austin. He also holds an MBA from IMD in Switzerland and an APM Diploma from the Harvard Business School. Throughout his career, he has held senior leadership positions in VEON, Telenor Group, Ford Motor Company, Jaguar, Land Rover, and Mobilink.
Rafa Prandini
Vice President Marketing (Eurasia & Middle East)
The Coca-Cola Company
Rafa Prandini
Vice President Marketing (Eurasia & Middle East)
The Coca-Cola Company
Rafael Prandini (“Rafa”) is The Coca-Cola Company Marketing Vice President for Eurasia and Middle East. Rafa is a change agent who is passionate and obsessed about helping with human development, engagement, and growth. Rafa began his career as an intern in Ebay. Then he joined The Coca-Cola Company in 2004 as a trainee in Brazil.
He has worked in almost all marketing and strategic functions and categories in Latin America and North America, including the global digital lead of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, the turnaround of the hydration & nutrition business in Brazil, the revamp of talent engagement in Latin America, and the launch of Latin America's first alcohol endeavor, Topo Chico Hard Seltzer. In 2021 and 2022, he oversaw Coca-Cola TM brand in North America, where he led a team that transformed the brand strategy and achieved record results including the rejuvenation of the brand and its consumer base.
Kiranjeet Purba
Senior Director (Strategic Partnerships & AdTech)
foodpanda
Kiranjeet Purba
Senior Director (Strategic Partnerships & AdTech)
foodpanda
Kiranjeet is a senior technology executive who has over a decade of experience working at digital native businesses. He has operated across many APAC countries including Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. The tech categories include food tech, mobility and quick commerce with experience in ad-tech, strategic partnerships, operations, commercial, amongst others. Currently, Kiranjeet leads both strategic partnerships and adtech for foodpanda (a Delivery Hero company) across 11 countries in APAC.
Prior to foodpanda, Kiranjeet was at Gojek, Uber and Uber Eats. Kiranjeet also is a member of the regional board for IAB Southeast Asia and India.
Muhammad Ammar Hassan
Chief Marketing Officer
Daraz Pakistan
Muhammad Ammar Hassan
Chief Marketing Officer
Daraz Pakistan
Muhammad Ammar Hassan is the Chief Marketing Officer of Daraz, Pakistan’s largest e-commerce platform backed by the Alibaba Group which houses over 100,000 sellers from all across the country with 27 million monthly active users.
Under this role, Ammar leads a team of 150 people from various functions including Branding, Buyer Growth, Traffic Operations, Design Studio, Daraz Advertising Solutions, and Corporate Communication/PR.
With over 12 years of experience in Marketing, Ammar was previously responsible for laying the foundation for OLX (one of the fastest-growing network of trading platforms globally, headquartered in Amsterdam) in Pakistan where he served as the Head of Marketing & Digital Ad Sales. He has also held senior positions in advertising agencies such as Adcom Zenith and Dentsu.
Ammar holds an undergraduate degree in Marketing from the Institute of Business Management (Karachi). A passionate new-age marketeer, Ammar is a prominent thought leader with over 15,000 followers on the professional social network LinkedIn where he regularly writes about e-commerce, performance-driven marketing, branding, and organizational culture.