Feb 5, 2025
Read Time: 3 min
The Who
What is the first community you felt a sense of belonging to and why? How has this community influenced your personal and professional life?
The Cycling 4 Justice (C4J) community has been instrumental in shaping both my identity and my understanding of community. C4J organizes annual cycling tours across countries to raise awareness and funds for Palestinians living in Gaza, and I’ve been privileged to join two of their rides over the past decade. Being originally Palestinian but having lived everywhere except there, connecting with fellow Palestinians and advocates for justice has been incredibly powerful. There’s also a unique magic in being outdoors, pushing yourself physically, and sharing that experience with a committed group of people.
The Why
What role do you think the communities play for the future of your business - be it from a brand, talent, innovation or sustainability lens?
I’ve been working at the newly launched Department of Innovation at the Ministry of Culture (MoCX) in Saudi Arabia, where we are in the early stages of defining “cultural innovation.” Here, building community is essential—it allows us to champion new ideas, experiment, and test concepts emerging from the fringes, bringing them closer to the mainstream.
The What
Can you share a success story where community cultivation efforts, be it inside your organization or across the ecosystem, have led to meaningful impact? If you did, how did you measure this success?
In 2022, while working as a Creative Strategist at MDLBEAST, a music entertainment company in Riyadh, we aimed to unify the regional music scene through workshops and events. These sessions allowed us to explore unique challenges within different music scenes and celebrate regional talent through performances. Sometimes, it takes a neutral outsider to help bring together a fragmented community. While impact was measured anecdotally, it was evident that these events reignited momentum in reactivating the local music scene.
What strategies have you found effective in fostering a culture of collaboration and trust, the key ingredients for communities? How do you maintain and nurture this culture over time?
As Arabs, we are inherently communitarian—favoring the collective over the individual—so fostering a sense of community comes naturally. Personally, I believe in being fully myself in most contexts—this authenticity creates a disarming effect, allowing for genuine connections. Trust develops when people feel comfortable and at ease, eventually leading to a shared sense of belonging.
The How
How do you balance the needs and interests of the community with the business goals of your organization? What strategies do you use to align these objectives?
At the Ministry, our work directly serves the cultural community and the wider public, so our objectives are inherently aligned. We rely on partnerships across public and private sectors, as well as engagement with creatives and cultural practitioners. At MoCX, we embrace “Contemporary Traditionalism”—integrating traditional values into today’s workplace. Our innovation initiatives demand collaboration across all Commissions and Departments within the Ministry. To achieve this, we build internal platforms for communication and ideation, bringing key stakeholders together to develop innovative solutions to cultural challenges. These platforms provide opportunities for people to share ideas and be heard, while we work collectively to synthesize insights into actionable solutions. By remaining consistent in our engagements and experimental in our approach, we create an environment that is both reliable and exciting, keeping people engaged over time.
The Next
What role do you see technology playing in the future of community cultivation? Are there any emerging tools or platforms you are particularly excited about?
While nothing can replace the power of physical connection, technology is essential for expanding networks across geographies and demographics. Audio-based community platforms offer a good balance between real-time interaction and anonymity, which is particularly relevant in Saudi culture, where privacy is a key value. As the society transitions to more public discourse, technology can help communities exchange ideas in ways that align with their cultural values.
What advice would you give to other leaders looking to adopt a community-powered lens in their organizations? What common pitfalls should they avoid?
Community is fostered and nurtured over time—it is not something that can be imposed from the top down. It is also highly dependent on time and place. The slow and intentional growth of communities ensures that individuals remain engaged. One common pitfall is measuring community growth by numbers rather than impact. Many communities lose their value when they grow too fast and lose their purpose. The key takeaway? Grow intentionally, not exponentially.