The Creative Minds to Watch at Creative Industry Summit 2026

The creative industries thrive on people who know how to spot what’s next before everyone else does. Whether they’re building brands, directing films, designing cities, investing in ideas, or shaping culture itself, this year’s Creative Industry Summit taking place on June 2nd and 3rd at Heartwork by Mountain View iCity, New Cairo, is bringing together some of the sharpest minds working across the region today.

Across two days of conversations, masterclasses, and industry debates, speakers will unpack everything from storytelling and media to entrepreneurship, architecture, technology, and the future of creativity in an increasingly complex world. If you’re wondering where to spend your time, these are the names worth paying close attention to.

H.E. Dr. Gihane Zaki, Minister of Culture

- Culture as a Way of Life: From Vision to Practice

- June 3rd, 5:50 PM

Dr. Gihane Zaki joins Sami Creta and Neamat Khalil to unpack how culture can be lived and not just preserved.

Mariam Naoum, Screenwriter, Founder & CEO SARD

- Build Your Power Map

- June 3rd, 7:30 PM

Mariam Naoum joins Dina El Mofty and Amy Mowafi to help young women trace their influence, own their voice, and move with intention.

- Building for Platforms. How to Play By the New Rules of the Game 

- June 4th, 8:00 PM

Naoum will also be joining director Hadi El Bagoury and creative producer Ahmed Sharkawi, in ‘Building for Platforms. How to Play By the New Rules of the Game.’

Youssef El Sherif, Actor

Youssef El Sherif brings the same precision to his career that defines the roles he chooses, building a body of work where every character, pause, and creative turn feels deliberate.

Samah Anwar, Actor/Filmmaker/Producer

- Inside the Mind of Samah Anwar

- June 3rd, 7:10 PM

Samah Anwar unpacks reinvention, rebellion, and the audacity it takes to keep your artistic edge sharp in an industry built on expectations. 

Abdallah Sallam, President & CEO Madiner Masr

- It’s Not All Cold Calls! The Creative Side of Real Estate Development.

- June 3rd, 8:10 PM 

Joined by Managing Director of Mountain View International Sherif Saleh, Sallam rethinks real estate as a space for storytelling, strategy, and creative city-building.

Ahmed Sharkawi, Creative Producer & Strategic Advisor

- Building for Platforms. How to Play By the New Rules of the Game 

- June 4th, 8:00 PM

Ahmed Sharkawi joins Mariam Naoum and Hadi El Bagoury to unpack how creators can navigate a screen industry where platforms, audiences, and rules are constantly shifting.

Dina El Mofty, Entrepreneur & Investor Injaz Egypt/Soulfull/Escape Code

- Build Your Power Map

- June 3rd, 7:30 PM

Dina El Mofty joins Mariam Naoum and Amy Mowafi to help young women trace their influence, own their voice, and move with intention.

Fatma Ghaly, CEO Azza Fahmy Jewellery

At the helm of Azza Fahmy Jewellery, Fatma Ghaly is carrying a legacy of Egyptian craftsmanship onto the global stage, expanding the brand’s reach while keeping cultural storytelling at its centre.

Shadi El Ghoneimi, Managing Partner & Head of Design El Ghoneimi International

- Beyond the Facade: Design, Identity, and Scale

- June 3rd, 6:45 PM 

Shadi El Ghoneimi brings a design-led lens to the stage, exploring how spaces, structures, and creative thinking shape the way we live and experience cities with CO-CEO Mountain View Wael Ezz.

Dina El-Shenoufy, Co-Founder & General Partner F6 Ventures 

- Is Creativity Investable? The ROI of Imagination

- June 3rd, 6:05 PM

Dina El-Shenoufy brings her investment lens to a conversation on what it takes to spot, back, and scale the ideas shaping tomorrow’s creative economy.

Alaa El Kahky, Founder & Chairman Al Nahar TV Network

- Why Free To Air TV Is Still Standing Strong

- June 4th, 8:35 PM

Alaa El Kahky makes the case for free-to-air television’s staying power, unpacking how legacy media continues to hold its ground in a fragmented content landscape.

Mohamed Fadl, Founder Football Access Summit, Sports Analyst & CEO Sawary SC Third House

- The Multi-Million Pound Handshake: Rewriting the Formula for Partnerships

- June 3rd, 9:00 PM

Sports, media, and entrepreneurship are all brought to one frame as Mohamed Fadl explores how football can move beyond the pitch and into culture, business, and community.

Sedky Sakhr, Actor - The New Economy of Short Films

- June 3rd, 6:00 PM

Sedky Sakhr brings his actor-musician sensibility to the stage, opening up a conversation on performance, presence, and the creative instincts behind the work with Sawsan Yusuf, Mohamed Tarek, and Alaa Karkouty.

Ammar Abu Shady, Co-founder & CEO Everyone Films 

Ammar Abu Shady turned Everyone Films into a regional production partner while exploring how creativity, technology, and scalable business thinking can shape the next chapter of advertising and filmmaking.

Dina El-Dessouky, Independent Brand & Creative Strategist

- Creative Strategy Masterclass: HOW TO SHARPEN THINKING BEFORE CREATIVITY BEGINS.

- June 3rd, 7:30 PM Dina El-Dessouky leads a masterclass on the thinking that comes before the work, sharpening the strategic muscle behind ideas that actually land.

Mohamed El Zayat, Film Director Self-Employed With a director’s instinct for mood, movement, and meaning, Mohamed El Zayat has built a visual signature that travels across commercials, music videos, and short films; earning him rare international recognition for a filmmaker from the region.

Mohamed Rasheedy, Executive Director 101, The Post Office

- Defending and Scaling Your IP

- June 3rd, 8:35 PM

Mohamed Rasheedy explores what it takes to protect original ideas and grow them with purpose, unpacking how creative IP can move from a single concept into a scalable business asset. Ola Serag, Marketing & Strategy Head Egypt MBC Media Solutions

- The Multi-Million Pound Handshade: Rewriting the Formula for Partnerships

- June 3rd, 9:00 PM

Ola Serag joins a conversation on the new value of partnerships, exploring how media, brands, and creative businesses can move beyond the transaction to build alliances with real cultural and commercial weight. Sondos Effat, Managing Director FP7MCCANN Cairo Sondos Effat brings two decades of communications leadership to the list, with a cross-industry track record that spans major brands, award-winning agency work, and the next generation of marketers she now helps shape at AUC.

Harri Olavinsilta, Advisor & Strategist

- What Will Matter in 10 Years?

- June 4th, 6:55 PM

Harri Olavinsilta looks past the buzzwords to ask what will actually endure—from branding and creativity to the human constants that keep work recognisable, relevant, and trusted.

Hussein Diaa, Creative Director Littleones

Hussein Diaa’s career is built on creative reinvention, moving from account management to copywriting and agency leadership while shaping brand campaigns that speak fluently to MENA’s pop culture pulse.

Ahmed Hussein, Film Director

Ahmed Hussein works at the polished end of visual storytelling, bringing a former creative director’s sharp eye to films and campaigns made with the kind of scale, talent, and production value major brands depend on.

Ahmed Mansour, Founder & ECD BAM

Ahmed Mansour blends strategy, storytelling, media, and performance-led creativity into brand work that is built to look good, land well, and deliver results.

Ahmed Naguib, General Manager Bubblegum Factory

- Vertical Drama: The Business of Bite-Sized Content

- June 4th, 6:30 PM

Ahmed Naguib unpacks the rise of vertical drama, exploring how ‘bite-sized’ storytelling is reshaping viewing habits, production models, and the business of screen content.

Omar Shoeb, Managing Director Kijamii KSA

- What Must Stay Human?

- June 4th, 4:30 PM

Omar Shoeb brings two decades of media, marketing, and business experience to a timely conversation on what should remain human in an industry increasingly shaped by platforms, automation, and scale.

Rokaya El Maraashly, Managing Director TAC Universe 

Rokaya El Maraashly brings a digital strategist’s eye to the list, with years of experience turning client relationships, long-term partnerships, and sharp online thinking into brand growth at TAC Universe.

Mohamed Moula, Copywriter Partner in Crime

- Ariika’s Winning Streak

- June 3rd, 6:00 PM

Mohamed Moula joins Ariika’s campaign unpacking session, looking at how the brand has turned comfort, colour, and cultural timing into a winning creative formula.