2024 MEPRA Awards Winner
Gold Winner
Best Business to Business Campaign
Bronze winner
Best Non-profit / Pro-Bono Campaign
Best Collaborative Partnership Campaign
Free and Exclusive to Members
Submitted by
Dubai Holding
About the Campaign
Dubai Holding brought its Sustainability Strategy to life in Ramadan by bringing together 12 internal and external partners and uniting 40,000 employees to give back and think more sustainably about underused business assets. The Gift It Forward campaign centred around a volunteerism effort repurposing new, unused inventory across owned warehouses and partner brands into unique gifts for blue-collar workers and underprivileged individuals across Dubai. The campaign not only rallied DH and partner brand’s employees under the Group’s Philanthropy pillar, but it also exceeded expectations by repurposing and gifting 120,000 items to those in need, valued at over AED 7 million, smashing the KPI by +312%. It also prevented more than 30 tons of assets from potentially ending up in landfills, creating a positive social and environmental impact.
Presented by
Tala Khlat, Associate Director, Philanthropy, Dubai Holding
Tala Khlat is the Associate Director of Philanthropy at Dubai Holding, where she leads initiatives that blend sustainability with social impact. With over 14 years of experience across non-profits, aid agencies and academia, she has shaped impactful strategies in education, youth development and community building.
Tala spearheaded the Group’s award-winning “Gift It Forward” programme and founded Min ila, a Lebanese NGO promoting citizenship education. She holds a BA in Economics from the American University of Beirut and an MA in Social Work from St. Joseph University of Beirut.
Malaika Fernandes, Senior Manager, Sustainability Communications, Dubai Holding
Malaika Fernandes leads Sustainability Communications at Dubai Holding, amplifying theGroup’s impact in sustainability and philanthropy to key stakeholders. With a background in agencies, working across communications, digital and brand campaigns, including sustainability-focused initiatives, she brings a strategic lens to internal engagement and external storytelling. Malaika holds a CIPR Diploma in Sustainability Communications from PR Academy, a Leadership Certificate from Cornell University and degrees in Literature, Journalism and Public Relations & Corporate Communications.
Location
This is a virtual session hosted on Zoom
Date & Timings
Wednesday 9th July 2025 12:30 PM – 1:15 PM GST