Love that the WTSfest is like a safe space for women and gender non-conforming folks. So it’s weird that now we saw the scandal last year where an event planner for a tech event made fake female speakers’ profiles.  Why do you think these things still keep happening?

Yeah, I think there’s a lot of laziness unfortunately when it comes to this. Like, there is it, but then it’s also about how diverse is the event leadership team.

Like that’s always a question to ask. If there’s enough representation and diversity on the actual event organisers team, this stuff won’t happen because they’ll be able to think about this first in mind. They’ll be able to know this lineup isn’t diverse enough.

We need to tap into these networks, we need to tap into these connections. 

You know, women in tech SEO is only one example of an organization that’s making it very, very easy where we have our speaker hubs and our founder hubs and it’s very easy for you to find diverse speakers.

There are so many other communities and groups that host this on their websites and that makes finding diverse speakers a lot easier.

It’s just it’s unfortunate because there is a lot of laziness involved in this and it’s very, you know, last-minute type of, Oh no, you know, we need to do something about this, let’s kind of like, you know, Scrabble and try to see how we fix this.

The good news is a lot of this stuff is being called out now.
So people aren’t quiet about it anymore. There’s so much more conversation happening about it.

I think the more communities there are around, the louder these voices will become. 

Absolutely. What do you think men and organizations can do to support more women? It’s more than writing “I’m a feminist” in a Twitter bio. What actions can they take?

So yeah, I think many, many of us have had a lot of male mentors and male bosses who have been extremely supportive of our career and who have helped us get to places and gave us a lot of opportunities.

The first step is knowing how can you help support, amplify, and give opportunities to women in your job, women in your network, and women in your career, and how can you help amplify their voices as well.

When we talk about speaker lineups, something that always gets me asking the question is well, how come all the men are OK with being in a lineup that’s not diverse?

So I feel like if the conversation starts with them that really, there’s a massive difference between an accepted speaker who has an opportunity who turns around and says, you know what, I actually want to give this to a woman or I want to give this to, you know, someone diverse on my team instead. So that’s that’s always a really good second step as well. 

Thirdly, a lot of our sponsors, partners, and allies actually happen to be companies that are run by men and companies that have CEOs and founders who are men.

Supporting us that way and being able to partner up with us or sponsor us or provide funding like that’s a that’s a massive way to give back to some of these communities as well.

Basically, put your money where your mouth is. So how can event planners be more considerate? Because every event has to be inclusive to all women.

Again, it goes back to who’s on your organizing team, because if you don’t have representation there, they’re not really going to be able to think about some of that stuff.

But yes, definitely having a prayer room, having an on site creche, having a space for mothers or parents who need to breast feed or pump or anything along those lines, like being able to have all of these different safe spaces and zones, that makes it easier for people to go.

It doesn’t become a burden for someone to go attend the conference, and they don’t need to have to think about a lot of things. Instead, they’re able to get their training and their development and they’re able to, you know, contribute at the same time.

So I think that definitely makes a massive difference and then in terms of the lineup tends to showcase a lot of the attendees as well.

If you have a very male-dominated lineup, you’ll notice it in the attendees, you’ll notice that you also have very male-dominated attendees.

So I think it’s kind of like it’s this balance of well, how can we ensure we are like because another thing you can also do is as a conference, are you, are you allocating scholarship tickets to communities and organizations who need them.

Are you making sure there’s a scholarship fund? Are you making sure you’re covering expenses? Like all of this stuff is very important to ensure that you also, it’s not just about the diversity of the lineup, but also about the diversity of your attendees and who you’re reaching out to.

Amazing. Let’s talk about community building because you’re writing a book on that. For people who want to start building their own communities, especially minorities, what characteristics should they possess?

First of all, I love folks who decide they’re going to create their own thing, right? Because they might be around a lot of people and feel like there’s no space for them.

So, I always encourage people to go ahead and do that. One of the first things they need to think about is the culture of their community. What values do they want to embody? What’s the mission and vision?

Planning this out with a partner who shares similar values can be really helpful. Setting clear rules and values from the beginning is key.

That sounds crucial—laying down the foundation for a community’s culture. So, how about location? You grew up in Egypt and are now in the UK. Do you think location affects the opportunities available for community building, especially for women in tech SEO?

Absolutely. Being in a country like the UK opens up more opportunities for funding, partnerships, and support. It can be challenging elsewhere.

That’s why I’m passionate about supporting local communities and events—they often struggle with funding and resources.

Your journey is inspiring. Now, as a UN delegate and a leader in women in tech SEO, what are your future plans?

 I’m constantly learning and adapting to this role. Women in tech SEO has grown beyond my expectations, but I worry about inclusivity and accessibility. I want to ensure it’s not just for privileged groups. Through programs like UN Women, I hope to learn how to reach more diverse communities and markets.

Well, that’s just awesome. Yeah. Thank you so much Areej!

Yeah. Thank you for having me and thanks for the great questions.