A Legacy of Leadership & Inspiration
H.E. Laila Rahhall El Atfani has spent much of her career bringing people together. Her work connects business leaders, organizations, and communities across the Gulf region and Africa, with a focus on creating opportunities that can make a real difference.
She serves as Vice-Chairman for the Gulf States Region at the Global Chamber of Business Leaders. She is also the founder and president of I AM AFRICA, an initiative that draws attention to Africa’s potential and encourages stronger connections between the UAE and the continent.
A cause close to her heart is helping women and young people find more room to grow. Laila supports mentoring, skills training, leadership development, and entrepreneurship. She believes people do better when they have access to the right encouragement, useful connections, and a chance to show what they can do. She has also advocated for more opportunities for women in business and for young people to be included in conversations about the future.
Her work often involves building partnerships between people from different industries and backgrounds. She believes cooperation can open doors that may be difficult to reach alone, whether the goal is to support a new business, share knowledge, or help a community.
Laila’s leadership is guided by a simple idea: progress should include people. Business growth matters, but so does the opportunity it creates for others. That belief runs through her work with business networks, nonprofits, and initiatives focused on education and empowerment.
Over the years, she has continued to build connections across regions and encourage others to take part in shaping what comes next. For Laila, leadership means making space for more people to contribute—and helping turn shared ambition into meaningful action.
