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"Maali Soud Al-Asousi: “Be with God…Be Different…You Won’t Lose.” "

Maali Soud Al-Asousi has worked within a diversity of roles each catering to community organization, media outreach, and public service. She has held a number of leadership positions in non-profit organizations and should be recognized as a prominent female leader in the Middle East.

Finding education an important first step in her career as a community organizer and leader, Ms Al-Asousi received a B.S. degree in Recreation and Tourism Planning and Management with a minor in General Business Administration from the Virginia Commonwealth University in the United States in 2002. After graduation, she spent many years volunteering and interning at non-profit organizations in Virginia, such as the Richmond Homeless Shelter while developing her organization skills at recreation and tourism centers. This education and training marked the beginning of a strong career in the field of community outreach.

Once back in Kuwait, she applied these skills she’d learned to strengthen her community. Ms Al-Asousi volunteered her skills to a number of organizations throughout the Middle East, as she had in youth. In 1991 she participated in volunteer efforts with the Red Cross and Red Crescent during “Desert Storm.” She was the youngest volunteer from Kuwait to participate in this work, and her dedication here is representative of the service she has done in a variety of governmental and private positions over the past decade and a half.

From 2004 until present Ms Al-Asousi has used a number of outlets to mobilize and organize the community through her media expertise, contributing to the annual Hala February Festival in Kuwait, the “Believe Program,” and a number of conferences and events. She was the media coordinator for the Kuwait Radio segment “The Up and Coming Investors” from 2004-2005 and played a large role in developing a cultural-tourism film entitled, “Trip to Kenya” in 2005-2006, becoming the first woman in the Arabian Gulf to produce a movie in Africa. Her career has thus been enriched by a myriad of experiences in radio, film, and event coordinating.

In addition to her role in the media, working both in the public and private sectors, Ms Al-Asousi has worked to contribute to the success and development of a number of non-profit initiatives. In 2006 she founded the “United Purse Group” in Kuwait, providing media and marketing services to a number of stakeholders. The next year she co-founded the “We Support Program” in the Republic of Yemen, establishing a “Student Support Scholarship Program” and working with the “Handcraft Network Project.”

In 2008, Maali became the MENA BWN Hub Manager for the Kuwait Economic Society. When asked about her role in this Network she said, “Being involved with the BWN Hub has changed my life and the lives of many members at KES in different ways.” She added, “I believe that the BWN is very powerful and vital to the MENA region. Through this Network, women from different backgrounds and generations can learn, share experiences, knowledge and success stories and support each other in various fields to strengthen the role of women in the MENA region. That’s why we will be working so hard in the upcoming period of time to empower the wheel of this network to keep it running in the MENA region!”

Her work in all of these roles has helped her to become a leader in the world of business. Because of this, she has become the business hub and “empower” manager for the Kuwait Economic Society and works as a coordinator for the Women in Network (WIN) for regional conferences. She has been recognized as a prominent figure in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and has worked to manage a number of “family and society obligations” alongside her rigorous workload.

Her outreach to the community has expanded across national boundaries as she has been actively working to establish a Hub in Yemen and Kenya for the MENA and Africa Businesswomen’s Network. When asked about her role in influencing society she replied, “As businesswomen, and better to be called professionals, we need to be more involved in civil society organizations and corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects.” Her dedication to so many endeavors working to strengthen the business community is a testament to her words.

Her advice to up and coming professionals, “Be with God…Be Different…You Won’t Lose.”

Ms Al-Asousi has made remarkable strides in the world of media and business and should be recognized for her dedication to study, activism, volunteerism, and community.