Nominated by Rohan Cornelio,associate director/head of technology, Edelman
“A real regional champion, Rawya has shaped into a growth-focused PR pro. Her efforts have led us to deliver great results with Facebook through various issues and leading community programmes locally across the region; with Dubai World Trade Centre, driving a solid media relations programme for their portfolio of technology shows; and with Amazon Web Services. Across all her clients she is viewed as a trusted advisor from comms to the leadership. Her clients have regularly called her out as a key reason for communication success, especially for her knowledge of PR across the region and relationships across markets. This has also led to media requesting to feature her in reports.”
”Rasha Kashkoush, head of communications for Facebook MENA and Turkey, says: “Rawya is a talented comms and PR professional who dedicates herself to learning and understanding the needs of her clients. She is particularly apt at anticipating the needs of her clients, and thinks ahead, adding much needed value. Rawya also takes initiative to learn about the wider organisation, building a network outside of the communications team. Building these networks allows her to grow an in-depth understanding of our business so that she’s able to answer questions and find solutions as though she is a member of the team. Rawya excels at media relationships, building strong connections with journalists, acting as an adept middle person between the client and the journalist. She is always reliable during a crisis, going over and above to show steadiness and responsiveness when most needed. I’m grateful for all the incredible work she’s done. Rawya is kind, generous and thoughtful and is an integral part of the success of our work in the region.”
Career path
“Since I’ve joined the communications industry, I’ve seen it evolve rapidly with the rise of digital channels, growing use of influencers, and the blurring of lines between online and offline. This hasn’t been truer than in the technology and government sectors my clients belong to. Working with clients such as Facebook, Amazon Web Services and Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, across 10 MENA markets, my knowledge of English, Arabic and French has helped deliver successful client programs and also manage multiple crisis scenarios. Working across such diverse markets, I’ve also come to be known as the ‘the contacts book’, supporting colleagues to grow their networks across the region.”
Guiding principles
I follow my triple P mantra: following my Passion; building relationships with People and finding Purpose in all that I do.
Passion: Storytelling with the aim of earning trust and creating newsworthy stories. How can you believe a story if you are not yourself convinced?
People: Seeing my team grow year-on-year and further building their confidence and achieving success stories while having my direct report get her first promotion while working closely with me was very satisfying.
Purpose: Any story I create and communicate, needs to evoke an emotional connect and allows its respective content to connect with a relevant community.