Maha Abouelenein is a strategic communication expert, best-selling author, and entrepreneur with more than three decades of experience. As the CEO and Founder of Digital and Savvy, a global communications consulting firm with offices in the United States and United Arab Emirates, Maha has been instrumental in orchestrating transformations in communication strategies for clients that include global corporate giants, high-growth startups, sports organizations, top governments, CEOs, and high-net-worth individuals.

In 2024, Maha released her debut book, 7 Rules of Self-Reliance: How to Stay Low, Keep Moving, Invest in Yourself, and Own Your Future which became a USA TODAY bestseller and provides a transformative guide on mastering self-reliance.

Raised and educated in the United States to Egyptian parents, Maha is at home in both Western and Arab worlds, offering a global perspective that translates into her work. She serves as a bridge between cultures, providing invaluable support to companies and high-profile executives seeking to navigate business opportunities in the Middle East market, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. She is active in the tech, sports, entertainment, and gaming industries. Maha is an Advisor to the BRIDGE Alliance, Lockchain.ai, JumpShot (the Top Golf of Basketball), the Global Gaming League, sits on the Global Board of Directors of the Associated Press, and is on the Board of the Animal Humane Society. 

Maha handled communications for some of the world’s largest tech companies in the Middle East—from Google and Netflix to Udacity and Careem (Uber Middle East)—and more. She helped PR giant Weber Shandwick cement their presence in the Middle East, opening 18 offices in the region and leading the Cairo operation. She supported the largest IPO and the largest acquisition in Egypt’s history at Orascom Telecom.

With over 30 years of creative leadership, Adele Mulford has served as strategic visionary for top global for-profit and nonprofit brands. From the highly disciplined world of finance to the heartfelt needs of children’s health, she tackles the complex nature of brands head-on, and builds ground-breaking creative strategies that generate tangible results. Adele loves a good challenge, and believes that no matter the situation there is always boundless opportunity to unlock dynamic creative and operational solutions that cultivate stronger businesses – and people.

Adele launched The Cultivate Company in 2022: A brand, creative and marketing firm that promises to elevate the people, companies and communities it serves.

In this episode, we sat down with John Sampogna, co-founder and CEO of Wondersauce, to unpack the evolution of agencies in a results-driven world. John shares how his team shifted from selling services to delivering measurable outcomes, the mindset needed for value-based client relationships, and why accountability, not billable hours, is the real differentiator for agencies today. They also dive into how human creativity and collaboration with in-house teams shape modern campaigns, and why every “last mile” matters in driving business growth.

Elizabeth Pigg is the Chief Communications Officer of That’s it., makers of the No. 1 Fruit Bar in America. She joined the company in 2020 as Vice President of Marketing and was later promoted to Chief Marketing Officer, where she led efforts to strengthen its digital presence, eCommerce, and influencer marketing. In 2024, she pivoted her role to Chief Communications Officer, returning to her roots in brand storytelling and media strategy after nearly two decades as a senior leader at Edelman.

At Edelman, Elizabeth led digital communications and marketing for several brands, most notably Ben & Jerry’s, helping the brand stay culturally relevant while driving impact. Her experience spans public relations, social media, and integrated marketing strategy. She currently serves as Marketing Chair of the FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) Advisory Council, has contributed to Forbes, and is a jury member for the Digiday, Effie, and Shorty Awards.

Originally from Chicago and now based in Los Angeles, Elizabeth is also a classically trained violist and vocalist, a voiceover artist, and serves on the Board of Directors for Angels Nest, supporting youth aging out of foster care.

Camille Dagorn is an award-winning creator and influencer marketing expert with more than a decade of experience building high-impact campaigns for global brands including L’Oréal, Unilever, Pernod Ricard, GoPro, and Mastercard. As the VP, Creator Partnerships for McCann New York, she is known for scaling social-first programs, designing creator-led brand initiatives, and driving measurable growth across beauty, lifestyle, tech, and consumer verticals. Camille is passionate about creating meaningful, unforgettable moments for creators and audiences.

Alex Athanasiou is Managing Director at COLLINS, the transformation consultancy honored as “Firm of the Year” 6 times in the last 7 years by AdAge and the D&AD. Alex created the consultancy’s new Cultural Capital practice, developing cultural strategies, stages and products for brands. He also directs productions and PR across the COLLINS portfolio, launching over 50 projects in the last three years to maintain the consultancy’s positions as one of the most creatively awarded firms in the world.

GIPHY/Censuswide Group Chat study for a deeper dive into the numbers.

Alix McAlpine is a creative and strategy leader with experience at the intersection of media, technology, and advertising. She has built and led high-performing teams, launched new products, spearheaded hundreds of impactful branded content campaigns, and developed systems that enable revenue-generating creative organizations to scale while executing flawlessly.

As VP Client Solutions and Advertising at GIPHY, Alix oversees global advertising strategy and client solutions, leading the execution of all sales collateral and proposals, product innovation and marketing, packaging, and creative production. Previously, she led the Creative Strategy group at GIPHY, where she launched the Creators Club, a collaborative community and incubator supporting up-and-coming creators. Prior to GIPHY, Alix was part of BuzzFeed’s creative leadership as Head of International Creative, overseeing branded content across six markets and running the Creative Fellowship program, which accelerated talent development during BuzzFeed’s boom years. Her work at GIPHY earned her a spot on AdWeek's Creative 100, and multiple Webby Awards. Alix has served on the Shorty Awards jury since 2020.

Fahad Khawaja is your favorite community builder’s favorite community builder. Marketing and innovation leader turned creator, social entrepreneur, podcast host, author, & speaker, he is the CEO and Chief Content Officer of Hue. Award-winning thought leader, panelist at major conferences, industry awards judge, lecturer at universities, & frequent guest on podcasts, he deeply believes in the power of community as a force for good.

With over 10 years of experience in the consumer space, Lauren Roth has helped brands grow their community through building out and running their influencer marketing, community engagement, UGC and brand partnerships programs. Brands include Otherland, United Sodas, Candy Crush, Daiya, Cricut, Lululemon and more.

This is a conversation about augmenting, not automating, creativity.

Leslie Walsh is the Head of Strategy at RYA, the AI SaaS provider that’s creating innovative campaigns for name brands. Leslie’s experience as an advertising veteran includes leading brand and digital strategy for some of the world’s biggest brands like MINI Cooper, Nestle, Oscar Mayer and AT&T. Leslie is a graduate of the University of Georgia.