To say that Maha Abouelenein has an impressive CV as an understatement. She has spent over 28 years in strategic communications, crisis management and business development and now has own consulting business.
You can thank her for supporting the launch of Netflix, Udacity, Deezer and Careem (now Uber) in the Middle East.Oh and she alsoserved as the Head of Global Communications and Public Policy for Google MENA.
Now she manages global communication as Chief Value Officer for Gary Vaynerchuk and is in charge of all the business development as Executive Vice President atVaynerX. If that wasn’t enough, she openly shares her experience as Mentor in Residence for TechStars and hosts of , a podcast about all things communications on which she interviews inspiring people including The Modist founder Ghizlan Guenez.
Journalism, speech writing and all things related to mass communications
My first job was as a customer service representative for a software company. We had to help clients over the phone learn to install, use and navigate our software.
My relationship with Gary Vaynerchuk.
Supporting GaryVee’s brand in terms of communications and PR, facilitating high level relationships and driving new business – my job is to add value to the business in any capacity that grows the business.
First things first – I get up and take my dog for a walk and listen to the “Calm” app and get in some walking meditation. I also love to listen to the NY Times podcast called “The Daily.” I prefer to workout first thing in the morning – I think it’s important to prioritise myself for the day – so I make a point to train in the morning. I take as many walking breaks as I can throughout the day between Zoom calls and work meetings. I often start my mornings early with calls with Dubai and then kick into the east coast time zone mode. To be honest because of COVID, the daily routine is pretty much the same – work calls and getting work done when not on a call. I am spending my evenings – talking to friends; reading and spending time with family. I spend a lot of my free time working on content – recording podcasts, writing articles and mentoring a lot of people. I am spending a good portion of my free time helping other people because it’s so rewarding
If you want to work in communications, you have to be passionate about it – and study the craft. I recommend you be a consumer of communications – consume the news, consume brand messaging and activity, learn how to write well and learn how to share stories. I love to analyse what companies are saying and how they are saying it. I am huge news junkie and I advise anyone who wants to work in PR to really look at headlines, what stories are being covered, and to follow writers and learn about their beats and what they care about.
Clear mind, clear desk. I don’t like a lot of clutter around me but I am surrounded by BOOKS and my moleskin – that’s all I need.
If you want to be a good writer, you have to be a great reader
If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. That is so not true – trust and empower your teams to deliver and they will.
This is a personal one – both my mum and dad were handicapped in their final years as they both got neurological diseases and I had to care for both of them while building my career at the same time. It taught me so much – so much compassion and patience and I learned a lot about medicine as I was making all of their health decisions. At a very young age, I was a caretaker for both of them and I wanted to care for them myself. It was hard, balancing my career and their needs but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
