Speakers

Abyusif is an Egyptian artist born in Alexandria and raised in Cairo. “A metal head that can rap” is the simplest way to describe the 400 track long career spanning over 10 plus years.

Ahmed's journey through the music industry has been an exhilarating symphony. From his early days at Rotana Music to his collaborations with international powerhouses like Universal, Sony, and Warner under the umbrella of one of the earliest Saudi Record labels ‘Music Master’
Now, as the captain of Wall of Sound Records, launched in October 2020, It's considered to be a revolutionary in the Middle Eastern music scene. With a diverse roster of 30 talented artists hailing from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, and Bahrain, prepare for an auditory adventure that transcends borders and cultures.

Co-founder and director of Beirut and Beyond; Independent consultant for arts and culture projects.
Amani Semaan is the co-founder and director of Beirut and Beyond, a Lebanese organization that promotes and develops independent music from the MENA through a showcase festival, professional programs and European tours. Besides her work in music, Amani was a line producer and casting director for international non-scripted TV shows such as The Voice of Arabia. Currently based in Paris, she is also an independent consultant for arts & culture projects.

Balqees Fathi is a renowned Emirati singer and daughter of the well-known musician and composer Ahmed Fathi. She has found her passion in singing since her childhood with great support from her family. Her first breakthrough into the Khaleeji art society was through her first single titled “Masaa’la Sahla”. Being able to perform opera songs in multiple languages such as Arabic, English, Italian and Russian made her concerts evermore special.

As an electronic music artist Camiel has travelled through Europe with his dj and live-sets for years. He performed in Berlin, Cologne, London, Malta, Ibiza, Macedonia, Poland, Turkey and played festivals like Burning man, Mystery-land, Amsterdam Open Air, Paradigm Festival, Mystic Garden Festival and many more.
He has released his music on labels like VIVA music, Origins, Inhouse Records, Whoyostro, Supernature, Tzinah, Deep Tech, Eklektisch and many more.

With 9 years of experience as a commercial/business lead in digital business, Charlotte Bwana is currently the Vice President of Brand Strategy and Marketing for Audiomack in Africa, the African arm of the American youth-driven, artist-first music-tech streaming platform that allows creators to share unlimited music and podcast content for free, along with tools to help them expand their audiences. Focused on emerging artists and scenes — hip-hop, electronic, Latin, reggae, Afrobeats, and other top and emerging genres.

Cliff has over 25 years’ experience operating at the cutting edge of Digital Media and advises companies globally on their legal and commercial strategies.
He was the founder of and still leads the Media & Entertainment Group at Lewis Silkin LLP and has advised many of the leading players in digital, social and brand entertainment is recognised as a thought leader on new business models for media particularly in the field of artificial intelligence, distributed ledger technologies and immersive entertainment and where they converge.

DJ, Producer and change maker, Cosmicat is part of a new wave of artists out of Saudi Arabia.
Born and raised in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Cosmicat began playing music at a time where access to records and production equipment was limited. Working her way up from the local Saudi scene, Cosmicat has paved the way for other Saudi female musicians to follow in her lead and rise to the surface.As a self-taught artist, Cosmicat had the freedom to experiment and create a fresh new approach to traditional electronic music tunes. Cosmicat’s sound infuses emotional house music with unique melodies and effortlessly blends elements of Pop, R&B, and Hip-Hop.

Elia Mssawir, a Lebanese music industry veteran, has worked with industry giants like Snoop Dogg and Tinie Tempah while also nurturing emerging Middle Eastern talents. He founded a UK-based music company, booked tours for Middle Eastern artists, and later established Big Beards Entertainment in the UAE. Elia's exceptional contributions earned him the title of Entertainment Manager of the Year in 2019. He led the music for Expo 2020's opening ceremony and launched GXR Records in 2022, where he currently serves as CEO. Elia's journey showcases his passion, expertise, and dedication to talent development.

Emma Marshall is the Founder and CEO of Movement is Medicine™, and the creator of The Movement is Medicine Method.
Emma has a degree in English Lit & Communication Studies and has over 10 years of experience working in the music industry, especially within rave and dance music culture. She worked with some of the top DJs, artists and producers from the UK, has been a part of major events, festivals and brand activations and worked for companies such as CAA & Sony during her career. She also has experience working within SEN and was a football coach in her teenage years.
Emma founded Movement is Medicine™ after her own serious health journey that required a lot of research and self-study to enable her full recovery. She combined the knowledge she discovered during this time in her life with her background in dance and music to create Movement is Medicine™.

With over 15 years of work experience in the music and entertainment industry, Gaurav has worked with various brands in diverse roles, including press, marketing, business development, partnerships, sync, artists and event management. Originally from India and based in Berlin, Gaurav began his career with BMG Music Publishing, followed by Universal Music, Rolling Stone Magazine and joined WOMEX / Piranha Arts in 2018. In addition to his professional work, Gaurav is an electronic music producer and DJ playing house and techno, showcasing his passion for music beyond his day job.

Gigi Arabia is a music business professional who works in the field of artist management and heavy metal promotion in Saudi Arabia. She is an artist manager and the founder/CEO of Heavy Arabia Entertainment–– Saudi Arabia’s 1st and only dedicated heavy metal promotion company. The company specializes in producing and managing local heavy metal gigs and regional tours and offers mass promotion, international booking opportunities, masterclasses, workshops, and clinics to both signed and unsigned heavy metal bands.

Golnar Khosrowshahi is the Founder and CEO of Reservoir, an award-winning independent, global music company. Reservoir, which is the first female founded and led publicly traded independent music company in the U.S., has grown to own/administer over 150,000 copyrights and 36,000 master recordings. Golnar is regularly recognized by the industry for her contributions, including earning a spot in Billboard’s Women In Music Hall of Fame in 2023 and as Executive of the Year in 2022. Outside of Reservoir, she serves on the boards of organizations including the National Music Publishers’ Association, NMPA’s S.O.N.G.S. Foundation, Silkroad, and the New York Philharmonic.

As an advocate of sustainable and equitable development, Mashael co- founded AEON COLLECTIVE, a cross-disciplinary Waqf that produces, curates and disseminates fact-based & culturally informed knowledge around sustainability, actively building capacities for a dynamic “knowledge community” through diverse initiatives.
Mashael also co-founded Aeon Strategy, where she advises on climate change policy, socioeconomic development and sustainability, and works with government entities and the private sector. Over the past nine years, Mashael has acquired a deep understanding of the dynamics surrounding international climate negotiations and climate related policies and regulations. She has co-authored several papers on climate policies, and continues to engage in global forums for on the topics of climate change, neutrality targets and sustainability.

Julio G is a music lover, world traveler, community organizer and entrepreneur. Known by his stage name, The Whooligan, he has 20+ years of performance experience as a globally recognized DJ and Artist. Julio’s commitment to humanity is what motivated him to launch music-based, social-impact organization, Room Service International, in 2018.

With over 17 years of experience and an accumulation of over 10 billion streams on YouTube, Apple Music, and Spotify, Khaled Rohaim is no stranger to creating music that resonates with the listeners and what they want to hear. Hailing from Sydney, Australia this Multi-Platinum and Grammy-nominated producer and composer has collaborated with the likes of The Kid Laroi, Rihanna, Juice Wrld and Zayn Malik just to name a few. Drawing inspiration from legends such as Lionel Richie, Babyface, David Foster, Max Martin, Prince, Timbaland, and Quincy Jones, Rohaim remains drawn to melodies from across all genres that are both introspective and ever-changing, with a style that reflects his love for innovative and groundbreaking sounds.

Matthew heads up the MDLBEAST Records team and the development of regional talent functions at MDLBEAST since 2021. As a 32 year veteran of electronic music, from UK clubs to DJ Mag and Ministry of Sound, he has always been at the leading edge of the scene's evolution and disruption, particularly with digital music, streaming and music talent innovation working with music brands including UKF, NCS and other UK seminal community brands. Since joining MDLBEAST he has established the Music Group including MDLBEAST Records (7 imprint labels), MDLBEAST Radio on FM and global syndicated weekly shows, MDLBEAST Publishing and Talent / Booking management function.

DJ Michelle is the youngest DJ in the Middle East, child turntable celebrity and one of the top entertainment influencers of the region.

Munira Almuammar is a multi-versed professional and entrepreneur with a strong experience in operations, product management & digital transformation. Working in multiple industries from health insurance to entertainment and leading on strategic projects across the board. With a strong passion for innovation, sustainability, and food; Munira co-founded the first surplus marketplace platform in KSA-Barakah.

Namakau Star, born Rhema Stephanie Namakau Socika on August 11th, 1995, is a South African singer-songwriter, rapper, producer, speaker, activist, and award-winning creative, known for her unique style that blends R&B, soul, and hip-hop. She is of Zambian descent but was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa. Namakau Star's dedication to her craft and unwavering passion for music have allowed her to perform at major events like Fame Africa Week, Africa Rising Music Conference, Bushfire Festival, South Africa's largest festival. She is currently collaborating with international artists and has a string of shows lined up in Berlin, where she is excited to showcase her exceptional talent and creative vision.

Nouf Almoneef is an interior architect and a senior member of the Riyadh Art team, working as the Director of Noor Riyadh festival, Since it was launched 2 years ago, It is Riyadh Art’s annual festival of light and art, and she is now eagerly heading into the third consecutive year of managing the renowned event. Noor Riyadh has welcomed over 3 million visitors and hosted the artworks of hundreds of Saudi and international artists in just two editions.
Early in her professional career, Nouf founded a design studio and then got actively involved in managing major entertainment and sporting events across Saudi Arabia. Almoneef holds a Master’s degree in Fine Arts from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

Reina Khoury is an Arab pop artist, born and raised in Jordan. Her sound is cross bordered, mixing Western and Eastern influences breeding unique melodies complemented by Arabic lyrics, which highlight her culture and upbringing. She’s been described as “Dua Lipa meets Nancy Ajram”.
Reina’s been releasing music since November 2020, and has 10 singles out, as of September 2023. Her vision continues to expand as she works on her debut EP for release in 2024, and as she prepares for more live show performances around the region, especially after a successful show opening for Cairokee in Egypt to a 25,000 person audience.

Bringing NFTs to the Saudi region to breed a new line of art investors, while enabling creators in the region towards the wildest opportunities for their masterpieces in parallel. Currently CEO to Saudi’s first NFT market place with a passion & vision to create a real community of art enthusiasts, blockchain advocates & passionate individuals. The end goal is to skyrocket the creative economy in Saudi Arabia at the pedestal it should be at.
Kicking off NuqtahNFT at home where our favorites creatives reside & expanding very soon becoming the region's leading space for the rarest & most valuable NFTs.

Sarah El Miniawy, the visionary founder and director of Simsara Music, stands at the helm of a music management and creative producing agency that has become synonymous with the adventurous Arabic music scene. Renowned for its intimate infrastructure, with a keen curatorial ear for progressive new work, Simsara Music has been instrumental in fostering the rise of some of today's most innovative music, including Maryam Saleh, Maurice Louca, and Tamer Abu Ghazaleh's groundbreaking collaboration, Lekhfa. Other notable collaborations include Nadah El Shazly's game-changing debut record Ahwar and most recently Nancy Mounir's critically acclaimed Nozhet El Nofous.

has been a pioneering and driving force within the global electronic music community since the early days of house music. Decades after his ‘Tears’ alongside Frankie Knuckles, the Japanese born, New York based DJ, producer, remixer and label boss is still regular feature in the sets of many of today’s underground elite.
Satoshi is musically adept and accomplished producer. Experimenting with a new all hardware setup which sees him perform improvisation live. Regularly DJing across the glove while releasing music, Satoshi is as relevant as ever and continues to make waves throughout the electronic music community as only he knows how.

Spyros is an Agent and the Director of Operations for The Bullitt Agency.
He studied Mathematics and also holds an MSc in Operations Research. Spyros is involved in the worldwide bookings of artists like Dubfire, Deep Dish, Danny Tenaglia and more for the past 5 years, while is also overviewing and streamlining Bullitt’s internal processes and operations.
He grew up in Greece and currently lives in Amsterdam.

Tara Al Dughaither is a vocalist and mediator in the arts with a decade long experience in both private and public sectors in the region, mainly as an arts curator. In 2020, she founded Sawt Asura association for arts and music research, working with a community of artists and creatives in the region to re-imagine musical and performance histories. An embodied practice informs and deeply roots her dedication to re-imagine native ways of knowing within women's experience of music and storytelling.

With a global impact driven by his worldwide hits and emotionally exhilarating dance sound, Topic has solidified his position as a superstar DJ and a truly A-list producer. His staggering numbers speak for themselves and are eye-popping by anyone’s standards. The German-Croatian artist has garnered nearly 6 billion streams on all platforms with ‘Breaking Me’ alone. With gold, double diamond, triple, quadruple, and even decuple platinum certifications in 28 countries, Topic is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in electronic music today.

Venus heads the content, programs, and community at Step, best known for Step Conference, the largest tech and media festival for emerging markets. Building communities, designing operational strategies, curating content on the rising technology and digital space in emerging markets, and managing projects from concept to completion. Venus is also on the executive committee of 2022 Female Angels, a community created with the mission of diversifying the early-stage investment landscape in MENA by offering awareness and education on angel investing for women to master their wealth.

Wassim Bou Malham plays a very active role in the Culture & Arts scene in the Middle East. He is the Co-Founder of Factory People, the company behind some of the best clubs in the region like The Grand Factory & AHM. Wassim is also an Active Musician with prolific projects such as Who Killed Bruce Lee & Gharam Electric.