electriclime°’s °W13 event puts women’s stories where they belong—at the center of the industry.

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Global production company electriclime° hosted °W13 x Women Leading Stories", an event that brought together women from across the creative, media, and marketing worlds to share real experiences on leadership, storytelling, and the shifting dynamics of representation in the industry.

Moderated by Dolly Saidy Makhoul, Founder and Managing Director of Mint MENA, the evening opened on a direct note: “This is not a conversation about women needing empowerment. I believe women are already powerful.”

That statement framed the night’s tone—authentic, unfiltered, and grounded in lived experience rather than corporate messaging.

The panel featured Maitha Alawadi, Film Director, Scriptwriter, and TV Presenter; Sheila Chaiban, Chief Marketing Officer at Majid Al Futtaim; Carla El Hachem, Deputy General Manager of Marketing at Nissan; and Charli Wright, Owner and Managing Director of JWI.

Together, they discussed how female leadership and creative direction are evolving across MENA’s business and cultural landscape—from diversifying narratives on screen to building empathy-driven brands.

Alawadi pointed to the need for creative authenticity: “We’re going for authenticity and a true essence of our voice. To do that, we need to push boundaries to tell our stories.”

For Wright, the power lies in the blend of perspectives: “As women, we have such different experiences and perspectives. But when we’re all in agreement, those perspectives layer—and that’s how we stay relevant to a wide audience.”

El Hachem underlined the tangible value women bring to leadership: “The perspective, multitasking, empathy—and beyond that, the diversity of thought—make a successful company.”

And Chaiban tied it all back to the heart of human connection: “If your strategy and your thinking are rooted in human need and motivation, they’ll transcend borders and connect with people.”

For electriclime°, which continues to grow its creative footprint across the Middle East, °W13 x Women Leading Stories is a reminder that progress in storytelling starts behind the camera, on set, and definitely in conversations like these.