This is an exciting era for Fast Company to launch its Middle East edition after almost three decades of chronicling creativity, tech, and innovation. We begin this new chapter with Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business awards, recognizing thinkers, designers, journalists, entrepreneurs, and founders who have owned the uncharted through ground-breaking innovation and discovery. 

A stellar lineup of regional artists will also grace the event.  

Honorees at the event will witness dance performances, stand-up comedy, and sublime vocals of an opera singer from the region. The diverse lineup will reflect both the evolution of art and culture in the Arab world and the rise of Dubai as a hub for global talent to thrive.

Among them, Ahmad Joudeh, a celebrated Syria-born ballet dancer and choreographer, will provide a glimpse of a cultural revolution in the Middle East. Born in the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk, Joudeh has defied gender norms, societal restrictions, and extremism to inspire aspiring talent in the region. He became one of the three artists representing the region’s refugees at Eurovision 2021 and was featured on a podcast for UNHCR. His performance marks the rise of a brave new Arab society shaped by creative people. 

He will be joined by Italian American stand-up comic Mina Liccione, who turned her act into an immersive experience with projections and rhythms used in tandem. Known as Dubai’s “first lady of comedy,” Liccione is currently performing at the city’s Theatre of Digital Art and will grace the event with her tech-enhanced art.

Over the decades, Middle Eastern singers such as Abdel Halim Hafez and Cheb Khaled have enriched global genres with their earthy Arab vocals. As the region embraces Arabic hip-hop, the likes of Zeina Barhoum from Jordan represent classical opera singing in the Middle East. Barhoum, a UNWFP advocate and founder of the Amman opera that nurtures future talent from the region, will also be performing at the event.

From creativity thriving amidst adversity to global voices finding room for innovation in the Middle East and the evolution of classical art forms in a new Arab world, the lineup reflects the stories Fast Company aspires to tell about the region.

The black-tie glittering awards ceremony will be hosted at the Armani Dubai on June 23, 2022, and attended by over 200 notable guests and honorees.