Iman Al Hindawi
Founder & CEO
Middle East Center for Culture and Development (MECCAD)

     Iman Al Hindawi is an experienced professional in the field of arts, culture and socioeconomic development who has worked in the Middle East, Europe and the United States for sixteen consecutive years. She holds a B.A. degree in Business Administration from Yarmouk University in Irbid-Jordan, and a M.A. in Arts Administration from Columbia University in New York. She is the first Arab female holder of a graduate degree in arts administration with concentration on cultural entrepreneurship development.

     Al Hindawi is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Middle East Center for Culture and Development (MECCAD) in New York-USA and Amman-Jordan. MECCAD aims at building and disseminating knowledge and expertise regarding the development and use of cultural resources for social, economic and human development in the Arab world. It has been the vision of Ms. Al-Hindawi to create MECCAD with the sole mission of bridging gaps and fostering a true understanding of Arab cultures by attempting to break down stereotypes portrayed images in the mass media and bringing to the public’s attention the often overlooked aspects of Arab culture: its openness, richness and diversity.

     Al-Hindawi has launched the first Arab International Cultural Market under the name of “Souk Ukaz; An International Cultural Market” in Amman, Jordan since the year 2001. “Souk Ukaz” is a multidisciplinary cultural market of ideas and experiences which stimulates creativity, awareness and understanding of Arab cultures through artistic and cultural initiatives. Since then, Souk Ukaz has transformed the landscape of the arts and culture sector in Jordan and many other Arab countries, allowing policymakers to reconsider government policies regarding the field. She has served as Advisor to the Minister of Culture in Jordan and headed a team of experts for the implementation of the “Reform and Restructure Plan for Media, Arts and Culture Sector in Jordan”.

     Al-Hindawi has been hired by several renowned organizations among which are UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. She has been commissioned to conduct the Regional Consultation for the Arab World for the UNESCO 2nd World Report on Cultural Diversity. Ms. Al-Hindawi has carried out a thorough research in the 22 Arab countries to explore the challenges and opportunities as well as the manifold aspects of cultural diversity in the Arab region.

     Al-Hindawi has also worked with the Institute for Cultural Enterprise (ICE) in New York. ICE is an organization dedicated to the promotion of cultural enterprises worldwide and the advancement of the notion of cultural entrepreneurship.

     Al-Hindawi is an experienced fundraiser who has secured multi-year funding from several philanthropic organizations such as the Ford Foundation, the Prince Claus Fund, TEXACO Foundation and many other corporations such as NOKIA, NESTLE, and FASTLINK.

     She is part of several professional global networks and has managed global initiatives such as the successful organization of the second edition of the “World Culture Forum”, the first of its kind in the Arab world organized under the Patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan in December 2005 at the shores of the Dead Sea. The Forum has attracted over 600 experts and professionals in the field of media, arts and culture and socioeconomic development.

     Al Hindawi has worked on culture and tourism development for the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) where she designed, planned, promoted, and produced the first annual cultural market “Spring of Culture” which is now an annual event since 2006.

     Currently, Al-Hindawi is in the process of organizing the "First Arab Forum on Philanthropy" as well as a regional conference on "The Promotion of Cultural Assets for Socioeconomic Development". She is a dynamic worker who is often invited to speak at various gatherings dealing with issues related to the arts, culture, cultural entrepreneurship, woman rights, and socioeconomic development. She is a regular participant at the annual gatherings of the World Economic Forum (WEF).