Ahaana Khosla
Trend Forecaster, Contributing Editor, BeautyMatter, Vogue Business
Ahaana Khosla is a trend forecaster, cultural strategist, writer, and editor with a background in fashion, beauty, and lifestyle journalism. She writes about shifting consumer behaviour, emerging trends, and cultural signals, with bylines in Vogue Business, Vogue India, Harper’s Bazaar UK & India, and BeautyMatter. Ahaana is also the founder of Foresight Forum, a platform dedicated to decoding the future of fashion, beauty, and hospitality through sharp insights and accessible storytelling. Her work bridges global perspectives with local relevance, helping brands and creatives stay ahead of the curve in an ever-evolving landscape.
Elizaveta Fadeeva
Skincare Brand Development Director and Project Lead, Incenta
Elizaveta Fadeeva is a Skincare Brand Development Director and Project Lead at Incenta, a private label innovation platform inside Unicare, one of the UAE’s leading cosmetics manufacturers with over 18 years of industry experience.
She works at the intersection of high-performance skincare manufacturing, strategic branding, and commercial execution — guiding clinics, wellness businesses, and emerging retail brands through the full journey from concept to shelf. With deep insight into formulation, packaging, and consumer behavior, Elizaveta helps founders and business owners launch products that are both market-ready and brand-aligned.
Gaëlle Doré
General Manager, Middle East & India, Centdegrés
Gaëlle Doré is the General Manager for Middle East and India of centdegrés, a strategic and creative agency specialized in building and elevating brands of the fragrance and beauty industry. With over 11 years of experience in the region, she brings her deep expertise in supporting local and regional clients, to craft meaningful, culturally relevant, and forward-thinking brand experiences.
Jacqui Burchell
Chief Commercial Officer, British Beauty Council
An experienced beauty industry leader with more than 25 years of experience across global beauty, wellness, retail and consumer brands, Jacqui joined the executive leadership of the British Beauty Council as Chief Commercial Officer in 2024. In this role, she works to develop commercial partnerships, drive industry initiatives, and support the growth and influence of the UK beauty sector. Her remit includes shaping strategic programmes, strengthening engagement with patrons and helping the Council deliver industry-wide campaigns and initiatives. Jacqui is committed to strengthening collaboration across the beauty industry.
Throughout her career, she has worked in senior roles spanning retail buying, marketing, product development, brand strategy, and commercial leadership for brands such as St.Tropez, Sanctuary Spa, Charles Worthington and Fudge Professional, helping to shape business growth within the beauty sector.
Kelly Kovack
Founder & CEO, BeautyMatter
Kelly Kovack didn't start in the media—she built brands. As an early executive at Bliss, she helped redefine how beauty was marketed, merchandised, and sold, paving the way for its acquisition by LVMH. She was at the forefront of the cosmeceutical movement as VP of Marketing for Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare and served on the BOD until its sale to Shiseido. She later founded Purpose Built, advising everyone from scrappy start-ups to Fortune 500 giants. She's even built award-winning brands of her own, including the cult-favorite fragrance line Odin New York, and category disruptor Rescue Beauty Lounge.
Now, as the founder and CEO of BeautyMatter, Kelly brings her decades of insider experience to the business intelligence world, cutting through industry noise to deliver sharp analysis, strategic insight, and the unfiltered truth. BeautyMatter isn't just reporting on the future of beauty and wellness—it's shaping it.
Kirsty Doolan
Editor, Cosmetics Design Europe
Kirsty Doolan is a beauty & wellness journalist with over 20 years of experience, across a range of trade and consumer titles. She has also worked for trend forecasting agencies and as a copywriter for leading beauty brands.
Mahdi Zahreddine
Managing Director, Dullberg Konzentra GmbH & Co KG
Mahdi Zahreddine is the Managing Director of Düllberg Konzentra Middle East, where he drives growth and creative excellence in the region’s fragrance industry. With an entrepreneurial mindset and a background in engineering, he brings over 12 years of experience in the fragrance, perfume, and cosmetics world, having developed products and businesses across 30+ countries in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
Marie Elshina
Head of Dubai branch, Grasse Institute of Perfumery
Marie is a perfumer and fragrance educator with international experience across niche and fine perfumery.
She is a professor at the Grasse Institute of Perfumery, where she teaches in both Grasse and Dubai, training the next generation of perfumers through a balance of craftsmanship, structure, and artistic expression. As Head of Branch in Dubai, she leads the institute’s regional presence and contributes to the development of perfumery education across the Middle East.
Olivia Phillips
Founder of The Desk, Editor at Large, Harper's Bazaar Arabia
Olivia Phillips is a luxury fashion editor and strategist with more than 20 years at the industry’s glossy yet sharp end. Former Group Editor-in-Chief of Harper’s Bazaar Arabia, she launched Bazaar Saudi and remains the only editor to have concurrently overseen three standalone editions across the region.
She has interviewed everyone from Victoria Beckham to Ryan Gosling and worked with the world’s most powerful luxury houses - always with a focus on putting women and cultural nuance at the centre of the conversation.
Now Editor-at-Large and founder of The Desk, she curates narrative, sharpens positioning and believes the edit is everything.
Half Greek, half English. Based in Dubai. Mum of two. UK Garage still on rotation.
Tarek Fawaz
Managing Director & Founder, LVF Consultancy
With over 15 years of experience in the fragrance industry, I have developed strong expertise across fragrance creation, brand building, and go-to-market strategy. My career has been driven by a deep understanding of market dynamics and a passion for building brands from concept to commercial success.
To further strengthen my strategic and leadership capabilities, I completed an MBA, complementing my hands-on industry experience with a solid business foundation.
Today, I lead my own consultancy, partnering with emerging and established fragrance brands to define their positioning, refine their storytelling, and successfully navigate competitive global markets.