Guys, the countdown to Cosmopolitan Middle East’s Be The Boss is officially on – and we are super excited to reveal the names of the fierce females taking part in our three panels.

Just to refresh your memory, our second Be The Boss event is the day our handpicked young and talented females in the region get together for three career panel talks – and these categories include Self-Starters, Breaking Boundaries and Getting Creative.

So, let’s meet the team of girls who dreamed big and made it.

Panel 1: Self-Starters – the entrepreneurs who are on the rise and making a mark in their chosen field.

Chantal Brocca

Co-founder of Dubai-based ethical luxury lingerie boutique Studio Asanawa, Chantal Brocca is also a sustainable fashion activist, as well as a stylist, creative director, public speaker and cultural writer, researcher and critic – focusing her work on revealing cracks in society and the fashion system through her blog [Im]materials. Keeping up?!

Kamilla Omarzay  

Certified personal trainer Kamilla Omarzay launched The Snack Society in 2016 after people kept contacting her to place orders from the free-from, nutritious and delicious treats she was making. Kamilla launched her first product – a range of energy balls – in January this year and looks forward to continuing to inspire the Middle East to eat healthier versions of their fave desserts. 

Mallika Singh

Founder & Creative Director of Fete events, Mallika labels herself  ‘guilty of being different’, as well as a part-time musician and part-time award-winning designer. Geez. The trendsetter is admired by clients and party guests for her exquisite attention to detail, artistic flair and her desire for innovation. She’ll spill the beans on how to succeed in the events industry and create highly customised events for clients. 

Panel 2: Getting Creative – comprised of women who have created thriving careers out of their talent, right from art and music to design.

Layla Kardan

The independent singer and songwriter aims to empower women around the world with her music. Her raw talent is globally recognised and the star – who literally oozes cool – has also worked on campaigns with Louis Vuitton for Les Parfums, YSL Beauty for Tatouage Couture Metallic and NARS’s Climax Mascara. 

layla-kardan

Mariam Yeya 

Mariam’s fashion journey started in 2013 with the launch of her personal style Instagram page @mrskeepa, gaining her a cult following of nearly 130k of fashion savvy women who appreciate her sassy style. Simultaneously, Mariam enrolled at Esmod Dubai to enhance her creativity and learn the technical side of the fashion business, which has lead her to the launch of her atelier and pre-a-porter line in May 2016 (showroom relocated to Dubai Design District.) Impressive stuff. 

mrs-keepa-fashion-mariam

Samar Sadik

Creative Director & Illustrator Samar Sadik founded Samar Sadik Designs as part of her mission to create ‘art with heart’ and bring happiness and delight through her whimsical and light-heated creations. She specialises in fashion and beauty artwork for social media, editorial and advertising and has worked with some of the world’s biggest luxury brands on bespoke illustration projects, digital campaigns and branding. We’re talking Christian Dior, Tiffany & Co. and Christian Louboutin. Wow. 

samar-sadik

Tala Samman

The enviably cool DJ and founder of myfashdiary.com (the first blog to come out of the UAE, no less), has expanded her blog in to a highly successful lifestyle site, where Tala shares her experiences when it comes to beauty, travel, fitness and food. Tala has also partnered with Net-a-Porter, Bobbi Brown, Sephora and Pantene. Oh, and let’s not forget the time Tala opened for Dua Lipa in Abu Dhabi. Jealous, us?!

my-fash-diary-tala-samman

Panel 3: Breaking Boundaries – comprised of women who have shattered the glass ceiling and ventured into professions that are either out-of-the-box or typically male-dominated.

Claire Carter 

Claire is the Marketing Director at Lenovo Middle East and Africa, and is responsible for the regional marketing strateg, social & digital strategy and corporate sponsorships. She boasts nearly two decades of marketing experience (previously handling household names including KFC and Pizza Hut) and welcomes questions on how to break into this competitive yet rewarding industry. 

claire-carter

Mashal Waqar 

Mashal Waqar is the co-founder and CTO of The Tempest, the fastest growing media company dedicated to diverse, millennial women. Mashal was honoured in the Forbes Middle East 30 Under 30 list this year and has been awarded the Young Leader of the Year award at the 19th Global WIL Economic Forum. What a hero. 

mashal-waqar

Laila Afridi

Super-professional Legal Advisor Laila is the best example of a woman ruling in a male-dominated field. She’s absolutely killing her career – talk about female empowerment!Â