Senior Account Executive at Fleishman Hillard
Naif has almost two years of experience in public relations and corporate communications, in addition to three years of experience in journalism, with a strong network locally and globally. He’s also well-experienced in content management and campaign activations. He has been involved in major events like the Future Minerals Forum in the media relations and content management team, as well as Hewlett Packard’s participation in LEAP and OSN events.
Naif worked at Riyadh Airports Company as a corporate and digital communications specialist, handling digital media, public relations, media, and external communications. He joined FleishmanHillard as a senior account executive in 2022 for the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Industry and Minerals Resources project.
Why did you choose this career path?
When I was a child, I had the dream to be a writer of articles and content.
How did you land this job?
When I was working at Riyadh Airports in the communications team, we were clients of FleishmanHillard, and my current manager, Omar Shereen, was on the agency side. Omar saw my potential and asked me to join the team at FleishmanHillard, an opportunity that I was delighted to accept since this is a very famous agency and one of the top 10 worldwide.
How do you compare your work life vs what you imagined it would be?
I imagined my work life to be much more difficult than it is. I guess I used to have lots of misconceptions about work. The reality is that there are a lot of support systems and I keep developing my skills.
What do you wish you had been told before you started working?
Maybe about the importance of networking and relations in media life.
What is the best thing someone could tell you about your work?
When I do a great job and I receive appreciation from the top management.
What is the worst thing someone could tell you about your work?
Once, I was told my work was not up to the standard, which was discouraging but at the same time motivated me to improve.
What’s the most valuable lesson you have learned at work so far?
The importance of having the right guidance, which has been demonstrated by my manager’s mentorship.
Who’s your role model?
My manager, Omar Shereen.
If not this, what would you be doing?
If not an account executive, I would be a marketing specialist.
What do you see yourself doing in 10 years?
In 10 years, I see myself as vice president for community engagement
The 30 Under 30 ranking was first published in Communicate's Q1 2023 print issue.
