Riham ElHoushi

A bilingual advisor skilled at uncovering insights through asking the right questions, solving cross-departmental problems, and helping clients operate effectively in multicultural environments. Combines deep expertise in communication and narrative design with strong operational instincts, talent leadership, and systems thinking. Led large, multi-functional teams; built new departments from the ground up; and shaped conversations around tourism, education, sustainability, and public health.

Passionate about animal welfare, environmental sustainability, and using communication as a tool for societal impact.

Account Director to Group Account Director at Memac Ogilvy Qatar (2015-01 – Present)

• Grew the PR & Influence department to make it the main revenue stream for the Qatar office while navigating market shifts and internal restructures, ensuring continuity, morale, and performance across teams.
• Built and led large-scale PR operations, including a 20-person integrated team for six successful editions of the Doha Forum.
• Grew the Qatar Tourism account from a single-person operation to a multi-functional team of eight, establishing systems, workflows, and culture that enabled long-term growth.
• Expanded the Qatar Foundation team to meet evolving institutional needs, strengthening recruitment, retention, and capability-building.
• Played a central role in agency leadership, contributing to business development, operational planning, and strategic decision-making.
• Helped the company and clients operate efficiently through difficult periods, maintaining stability and performance.
• Trusted advisor to the agency's most high-profile clients, providing counsel on crisis management, organizational change, leadership communication, and public positioning.
• Frequently engaged to train senior leaders in message delivery, media handling, and strategic communication in both Arabic and English.
• Guided clients through sensitive restructures, public scrutiny, and sector-wide shifts with clarity, discretion, and strategic foresight.
• Developed content strategies across health, sustainability, and education, helping clients communicate complex topics with clarity and impact.
• Supported clients in navigating multicultural contexts and aligning diverse stakeholder groups.
• Designed and executed public awareness campaigns that contributed to government-level policy changes prioritizing tourism in economic reform.

Senior Account Executive to Account Director at BLJ Worldwide (2012-01 – 2014-12)

• Built messaging and media strategy for Teach For Qatar, helping attract 700+ recruits in year one.
• Designed internal communication strategies for education reform projects across literacy, arts, and early childhood development.
• Directed PR for the Doha 2020 Olympic & Paralympic Bid, managing milestones, digital engagement, and stakeholder mobilization.
• Executed a month-long campaign for 1001 Inventions & Arabick Roots, drawing 72,000 visitors and breaking client records.
• Managed media strategy for Northwestern University in Qatar, including crisis response and research promotion.
• Developed Qatar Shell's CSR Messaging Handbook and trained spokespeople.

Press Officer to Corporate & PR Specialist at Qatar Foundation (2009-01 – 2011-12)

• Built relationships with global media and managed campaigns for science and research.
• Built internal PR infrastructure and managed up to 25 internal accounts simultaneously.
• Launched major initiatives including Biobank Qatar, Qatar Green Building Council, and HEC Paris in Qatar.
• Organized PR operations for the World Conference of Science Journalists 2011, hosting 700 journalists.

Reporter, Blogger at Various Outlets (2007-01 – 2009-12)

• Published in The New York Times, Huffington Post, Egypt Today, Business Today Egypt, and others.

B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication (Hons) – American University in Cairo