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We are excited to host Samar Al Shorafa: an entrepreneur and mother of 3 with a passion for social impact, diversity & inclusion, gender equality, policy reform, education and knowledge development

Samar is the Co-founder and CEO of She is Arab, the first dedicated online platform for Arab women with the aim to address their underrepresentation in business leadership and public speaking roles

Prior to starting her business, Samar spent over 15 years working in the field of international development and management consulting with organizations such as IFC -World Bank Group, the European Commission’s Industrial Modernization Program for Egypt, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation and EFE - Education for Employment.

Her work entailed a lot of travel across the Mena Region and exposed her to topics from policy reform, to education, youth employment and gender issues.  The learnings and challenges experienced through this diverse spectrum of projects helped paving the way to Samar’s social entrepreneurship journey

So, let’s join Samar and let’s find out more about the powerful network she’s building with She is Arab to help reversing stereotypes about Arab women and advancing gender equality using the power of digital communication.

Born and raised in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, aiming to make an impact in society, Layal studied at Harvard then at Cornell University in the US.

Despite her promising career in the events industry as Middle East Strategic Director of a leading event company in Dubai, she could perceive that to bring a positive transformational impact she needed to focus on human behavior to explore the potential of people and the difference each person can make.

She therefore joined Dubai Women Establishment, the organization created by Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in support of diverse initiatives for individuals’ wellbeing, education, and holistic prosperity.  The search for her true purpose then brought Layal to deepen her knowledge of positive psychology and mastering the coaching field to help people and in particular youth, as youth are the future.

Nowadays Layal partners and supports youth from over 30 countries to achieve success in any and all the areas of their life and guides them to move from where they are to where they want to be. And all in the name of creating a positive impact for a promising future.