Season 10 Episode 1:
Maha Abouelenein, CEO of Digital & Savvy and Best-selling Author of 7 Rules of Self-Reliance
Maha Abouelenein is a strategic communication expert, best-selling author, and entrepreneur with more than three decades of experience. As the CEO and Founder of Digital and Savvy, a global communications consulting firm with offices in the United States and United Arab Emirates, Maha has been instrumental in orchestrating transformations in communication strategies for clients that include global corporate giants, high-growth startups, sports organizations, top governments, CEOs, and high-net-worth individuals. Maha is all about relationships—building, nurturing, and serving them. She is an advocate of value creation and the pursuit of cultural relevance as the cornerstones of effective storytelling and communications.
In 2024, Maha released her debut book, 7 Rules of Self-Reliance: How to Stay Low, Keep Moving, Invest in Yourself, and Own Your Future which became a USA TODAY bestseller and provides a transformative guide on mastering self-reliance. It offers practical personal and professional growth strategies, focusing on creating value, opportunities, and relationships. The book dives into the importance of personal branding, reputation management, and lifelong learning—essential tools for thriving in today’s fast-paced world.
Raised and educated in the United States to Egyptian parents, Maha is at home in both Western and Arab worlds, offering a global perspective that translates into her work. Maha is an Advisor to the BRIDGE Alliance, Lockchain.ai, JumpShot (the Top Golf of Basketball), the Global Gaming League, sits on the Global Board of Directors of the Associated Press, and is on the Board of the Animal Humane Society.
Maha handled communications for some of the world’s largest tech companies in the Middle East—from Google and Netflix to Udacity and Careem (Uber Middle East)—and more. She also supported promotions and sports marketing programs & strategic partnerships for the Olympics, NASCAR, ATP Tennis, Women’s Hockey, and the NFL at consumer product giant General Mills before becoming an entrepreneur.
She was honored as one of the most influential women in Dubai, named one of the most impactful Egyptians, and nominated as one of the Forbes Power Women of the Middle East. In the U.S., she was named by PR News as one of the Game Changers in the PR Industry and one of Minnesota’s Leading Women in Business by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Journal. Maha is a contributor to Forbes and Entrepreneur Magazine. Maha is a dual citizen, avid tennis player, and resides in Wayzata, MN.
Connect:
Podcast: Savvy Talk
Our Non-Profit Spotlight: Animal Humane Society