The Billion Followers Summit hosts 150 CEOs and experts in technology, media, and economics
Dubai, January 7, 2017 – The Billion Followers Summit, in its fourth edition, hosts more than 150 of the most important CEOs and experts who lead giant companies and decision-making in the fields of technology, media, and economics.
Over the course of three days, during the period from January 9 to 11, 2026, the summit opens new doors to the content creation economy, through interactive dialogue in which CEOs who have millions of followers on social media platforms participate, in addition to exceptional sessions in which these leaders talk about their experiences in leading major companies and establishing startups that have reached the global level.
By hosting this large number of leading minds in one place, the One Billion Followers Summit aims to enhance its role as the largest platform for exploring investment opportunities and trends in the content industry and digital media, and to launch new ideas capable of making qualitative shifts in the path of innovation and creativity in this sector, which has today become one of the pillars of the global economy.
His Excellency Saeed Mohammed Al Eter, Assistant Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Strategic Projects and Head of the UAE Government Media Office, stressed that hosting the summit with more than 150 CEOs and international experts reflects its leadership and success in leading major transformations in the content industry economy, and consolidates its role as a global platform that brings together the most prominent minds and decision makers in technology, media, and the economy. Through this global forum for the most prominent executive leaders, it provides a stimulating environment for innovation, and the development of an integrated system that supports talent and opens new horizons for an accelerating economy. Growth of the content industry.
He said: “The summit confirms, through its rich and diverse agenda of events, and the participation of a wide range of global leaders, content makers and innovators in this promising field, that the UAE has become a global center for shaping the future of the content industry and digital media economy, and an open laboratory for ideas and innovations in various aspects of this sector. We are continuing to support every initiative that contributes to building a more influential and sustainable content economy, and gives young people and creators a global platform to invest their energies and create stories that inspire the world and meaningful content that benefits the world.” their communities.”
He added that the summit this year constitutes a meeting point between creativity, technology, and economics, and works to anticipate developments in the content industry, enhance the role of artificial intelligence as a human force capable of empowering societies, expand the scope of startup companies, and support education paths in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It also contributes to building new bridges between digital media, youth, culture, and sports, in a way that enhances the presence of meaningful content and gives its industry an influential development dimension.
The summit will host social media executives, including Fares Akkad, Regional Director of Meta in the Middle East and North Africa, Tarek Amin, Regional Director of YouTube in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey, Hussein Freijah, Vice President of Asia Pacific and the Middle East at Snapchat, Daniel Clancy, CEO of Twitch, and Kinda Ibrahim, Regional General Manager of Operations in the Middle East, Africa, South and Central Asia at TikTok. Dana Taher, General Manager of Havas, Tanaz Dezadji, CEO and Founder of Brandripplr, and Antoine Caironi, Regional Director of X Platform in the Middle East and North Africa.
The fourth edition of the One Billion Followers Summit will also be attended by the most important content industry experts in the world, led by John Goos, CEO of The Lighthouse – the first campus of its kind for creative content creators, Piao Avril, a digital media executive, commerce marketing expert and board advisor, Ahmed Iqbal, President of Canva in the Middle East and North Africa and Artificial Intelligence Product Manager, and Jeremy Boisneau, French entrepreneur and co-founder and CEO of Favikon, the marketing platform for content creators. AI-powered creators, and Oscar Hoagland, CEO and co-founder of Epidemic Sound, a music licensing company based in Sweden.
Dan Jermaine, Executive Creative Director of Google Brand Studio in London, and Mina Mikhail, CEO and Founder of Human Voice Over (HVO), a dubbing company focused on creative content makers, will also participate.
The fourth session of the summit will be hosted by Dr. Catherine Gabriel Kind, a global expert in artificial intelligence, data science and quantum computing, one of 18 experts worldwide selected by the World Economic Forum for its Global Future Data Council, and Jamie Van Leeuwen, founder of Absolutely AI, a creative agency for generative artificial intelligence.
The summit will also host Dylan Huey, a Gen Z entrepreneur, content creator, musician, speaker, and founder of REACH, the first and largest university club for content creators; Mohamed Fattal, founder and CEO of Alfan, a marketing platform with more than 40,000 content creators, influencers, and global brands; Lukas Coleman, CEO of Lunar On content creators, and Laura Edward, CEO of Viral Talent & Wild, which specializes in scaling creator content and publishing it across social media and IPTV platforms.
Also participating will be James Wright, Chairman and CEO of HAVAS PR Group, Jeffrey Hausenbold, Executive CEO of Beast Industries, Vishn Lakhiani, Founder and CEO of MindValley, the innovative educational platform, Pedro Peña, Vice President of YouTube in EMEA, and Lubna Moubayed, Head of Culture and Programs for EMEA at Apple.
The fourth edition includes the participation of Ben Akot, Senior Marketing Director at Feastables, Jacquis Caesar, Event Producer and Director of Programming for VidCon International, Sander Wobin, Founder of Evolving AI, the world’s largest artificial intelligence community, Brent Weinstein, Principal Leader at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), and Jim E. Lee, president of Crunch Labs and the Mark Roper YouTube channel, will talk about scaling innovative companies, STEM education, and how to create product-market fit.
The summit will be hosted by Katarina Lenk, CEO of Pulse & Business Insider Africa, who will talk about the role of digital media in empowering young people and creating content that expresses their ambitions; Steve Nouri, CEO and co-founder of GenAI Works, who is considered one of the top 10 global experts in the field of artificial intelligence and data science; Timothy Salmon, president of CatFace; and Shelley Zales, founder and CEO of The Female Content, which She has more than 7 million followers.
The agenda of the fourth edition of the One Billion Followers Summit includes more than 580 specialized sessions and workshops, and is attended by more than 15,000 content creators and influencers, and more than 500 expert and specialist speakers followed by more than 3.5 billion followers, and attended by more than 30,000 from around the world.
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