TEDx & National Council for Women Hold Talks on Female Empowerment

Women empowerment has been at the forefront of global and regional conferences in Egypt over the last couple of years, with either entire tracks or full agendas dedicated to the conversation around the liberation of women.

For the first time, a local and independently organised TEDx conference is being held by and for Egyptian women to celebrate their achievements across a myriad of fields. The conference, titled ‘High Time!’, engages female lawyers, media personalities, entrepreneurs, and artists to discuss financial independence, female security and safety, economic development, and more.

TEDxEtTagammoWomen, under the auspices of the National Council for Women and through the organisation of Bixbite Agency for Events Management will see well-known figures including TV presenter Radwa El Sherbiny, feminist lawyer Nehad Abo El Komsan, and Rahet Bally founder Nadia Gamal El Din congregate at the National Council of Women’s headquarters in Nasr City on October 29th to share their experiences and expertise for the benefit of women across the MENA region…

ALAA MASOUD

Founder of Epoch Nursery, Alaa Masoud worked as a social studies teacher at the International School in Cairo for over seven years, all the while advocating for the rights of students.

ANNE MARIE KIROLLOS

A graduate from Central Saint Martins, Anne Marie Kirollos is a fashion designer whose work takes on a philanthropic approach towards Egyptian women, and the role they play in society. In 2018, Kirollos teached out to her mother, Marie Louis Bishara (an esteemed fashion designer of the Marie Louis brand, and vice chair of the Bishara Textile and Garment Manufacturing company) to relaunch her brand, Tiyi, to the Egyptian public. Originally released in French markets as an exclusive brand, Kirollos reinvented Tiyi as an accessible and locally-manufactured ready-to-wear label, allowing Egyptian women to feel like the ancient queen after whom the brand was named.

DALIA ASHRAF ABDEL AZIZ

A TV presenter with an MA in Media from the American University in Cairo and a decade of experience in the field, Dalia Ashraf Abdel Aziz is the face of dmc TV's '8 ElSobh' ('8AM') programme, where she spotlights a variety of topics and interviews a diverse range of guests. Additionally, Abdel Aziz hosts a weekly children's show where she interviews kids aged five to 18 years old, giving them the opportunity to showcase their talents and express themselves in front of a wider audience.

MARWA ALI

Creator of Arabic travel podcast, Travel Codes, Marwa Ali is a communication engineer who has been sharing her passion for wanderlust through her podcast since 2018. With her strong social media presence, Ali has encouraged women from across the Arab world to break taboos that would discourage them from travelling solo, allowing them to follow their dreams to explore the world.

MIRAL DERA

Known as the 'First Animal Communicator' in Egypt, Miral Dera worked as a Creative Director in renowned local and multinational advertising agencies, and has trained in a variety of meditation and healing modalities in the United Kingdom. Dera uses her position to advocate for animals by educating the public on their psychology and behaviour, whilst organising tailor-made programmes to cooperate with pet owners, vets, zoos and organisations that work with wildlife.

NADIA GAMAL EL DIN

Founder and CEO of Rahet Bally, an all-inclusive support platform for mothers in Egypt and the Middle East, Nadia Gamal El Din aspires to provide moms with financial, physical, emotional, social and intellectual support through online FemTech services and on-ground activations. Over 150,000 women in Egypt are connected to Rahet Bally's services,  which include an online magazine, fitness and nutrition programmes, a live festival, and 'The Cloud', a physical space where mothers can rest, attend workshops and socialise while babysitters take care of their children.

NEHAD ABOULKOMSAN

A former Secretary-General at the National Council for Women, Nehad AboulKomsan is a senior lawyer who advocates for gender equality in legislation. She served as a member of the World Bank's Gender and Development Committee, the Global Civil Society Advisory Group-UNWomen, and currently sits as the Chairwoman of the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights. AboulKomsan has been recognised locally and internationally with Egypt's Adel Abo Zahra Award in 2008, and the Order of Civil Merit by King Felipe VI of Spain in 2020.

RADWA EL-SHERBINY

TV presenter Radwa El-Sherbiny is known for her programme, 'Heya W Bas' ('Only Her'), where she has been spotlighting the struggles and accomplishments of all ages and social status across Egypt. Having studied media at Ain Shams University in Cairo, El-Sherbiny has put herself forward as an advocate for women, launching nationwide campaigns on her programme as well as her social media platforms.

REEM BASSIOUNEY

An award-winning author and professor, Alexandria-born Reem Bassiouney obtained her MPhil and doctorate from Oxford University in Arabic linguistics, and currently works as the chair of the Department of Applied Linguistics at the American University in Cairo, the series editor for Routledge studies in language and identity. She was the winner of the National Prize for Excellence in Literature from the Egyptian Ministry of Culture in 2022, and the first woman to win the prestigious Naguib Mahfouz Award from the Supreme Council for Culture for her best-selling novels, 'The Mamluk Trilogy'.

REHAM AIAAD

Online content creator Reham Aiaad is the host of a prominent YouTube channel that shares her name, where she hosts programmes such as 'Al Kessa W Mafeeha', where she covers historical falsehoods, and 'Malooma Ala Almashi', in which she educates her audience on a variety of topics. Her programmes maintain a social media presence across various platforms including TikTok and Instagram.

SHEREEN NIAZY

With 10 years of experience in telecommunications, Shereen Niazy is a social media influencer who founded 'EVEpedia', an online platform on Facebook, to help empower women through positivity and self-care.

YOSRA HAMZA

Yosra Hamza is a researcher and media officer at the National Council for Women (NCW). Through her work, she has participated in several campaigns to empower women, particularly women with disabilities as a non-formal member of the NCW's Women With Disabilities Committee. As an experienced animator and designer, Hamza has designed several visual identities for international organisations and conferences, as well as campaigns that raise awareness on several issues such as women's economic empowerment and financial inclusion.