With over 20 years of experience in project management, media production, and strategic communication, Naila Farouky is a Peabody Award-winning executive who has built a career across several continents.

In 2014, Naila assumed the role of CEO for the Arab Foundations Forum (AFF) – a regional, membership-based association of foundations and other philanthropy actors working across the Arab Region. Prior to her role at AFF, Naila served 13 years at the iconic Sesame Workshop in New York, where she was responsible for managing the project, content production, and creative aspects of Sesame Workshop’s multi-media co-productions of Sesame Street in 17 countries over the course of her career.

Naila grew up mostly in Cairo, Egypt, and has lived in Kenya, New York, Washington DC, Jordan, Switzerland, and South Africa. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the American University in Cairo and is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Philanthropy at Indiana University’s Lilly School of Philanthropy.