Leadership Lessons with Noha Hefny, Corporate Affairs Director, Kellanova 

Amy Hayer, Partner at Hanson Search, speaks with Noha Hefny, Corporate Affairs Director (Middle East, Turkey & Sub-saharan Africa), Kellanova about her leadership journey, the evolving communications landscape in the region and the opportunities for women in corporate affairs. 

Could you tell us a bit about your communications career path

I have spent twenty-four years working across the private sector, international development and social entrepreneurship. My journey spans multinationals including PepsiCo and Kellanova, three UN agencies (UNHCR, UN Women and UNESCO) and various purpose and impact-driven ventures. I started my career as a humanitarian worker with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), focusing on the international protection of asylum seekers and refugees across East Sudan, South of Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt. That experience gave me a deep understanding of people, cultures, crisis and resilience. It enabled me to remain calm under pressure which serves me well today and reminds me of the importance of humility and being of service.  

When I moved to Dubai in 2006, communications felt like a natural next step. I had always loved public relations, external affairs, public speaking and storytelling, and the skills I gained at the UN translated directly into the communications field. I began at TRACCS, at the time the regional affiliate of Fleishman Hillard, where I learned the foundations of PR, before joining PepsiCo for close to nine years.  

At PepsiCo, I was the first communications hire in Dubai office and held various roles covering Asia, Middle East and Africa focused on all areas of communications, public policy, government affairs and social impact.  I became skilled at reputation management and public affairs, and later in 2013, was selected to build and lead the Middle East and Africa corporate affairs and CSR function. I reported to the regional president and for the first time in my journey, served on a regional leadership team and I was only 29 or 30 at the time. I have since held senior roles at various organizations including UN Women, McKinsey, ADNOC Distribution and now Kellanova. 

What has been one of the most significant challenges you’ve faced in communications and how did you navigate it?

One of the recurring challenges has been navigating some of the invisible barriers to gender equality and unconscious bias. I stepped into leadership at 29 or 30, often sitting with much older, long-tenured colleagues, and I had to work hard to build credibility and demonstrate that corporate affairs can be a strategic partner, not just a support function. In many ways, that experience, accelerated my career growth and sharpened my leadership skills very early on. 

Earlier in my UN career, in my early twenties, I dealt with perceptions about being a young woman from the Arab world, and working on the field during my time at UNHCR including questions about how my parents allowed me to go to “remote areas” alone to and be a humanitarian field worker, which they perceived as a hard job. Later, when I became a mother, I encountered doubts about my ability or willingness to continue working and to balance both roles. At that time, I had already reached my first leadership role. My purpose and ambition had nothing to do with my gender or the nature or location of my role, I always went after my passion and purpose, so these assumptions often surprised me but they reinforced my determination at the same time. I chose to see these moments as a motivation to stay the course and continue thriving, focusing on excellence, delivering strong results in every role, continuously learning, and expanding my network and impact in all organizations I served.  

My strategy was to draw strength from these experiences rather than be defined by them. I stayed anchored in my values and purpose which continue to guide my leadership journey and personal transformation till this day.  

Perseverance, resilience, a growth mindset helped me transform challenge into confidence and clarity, always with a clear sense of who I was. I stayed grounded in my truth and authenticity, unlocked new phases of growth with each challenge which gave me the courage to explore new paths, including social entrepreneurship at some stage again focusing on purpose and impact. 

How do you think the communications landscape in MENA differs from other regions, and what unique opportunities or challenges does that present?

The MENA region is incredibly diverse, and that diversity must be reflected in our communications. As communicators, we have a responsibility not to reinforce stereotypes through our content. That means ensuring the stories we tell and content we develop reflect the region’s cultural, generational and socio-economic diversity, accurately portray people and communities, and preserve dignity of the people we portray. Language is another critical factor. Bilingual or multilingual content, particularly in roles covering broad regions like AMEA or MEA, matters tremendously for many markets and messages must be tested and localized to ensure relevance. A “one size fits all” approach simply doesn’t work in the Middle East and likewise across markets. The opportunity lies in telling authentic stories from the region to the rest of the world and leveraging our unique cultural understanding from living in the region to build trust with stakeholders. 

How have you seen the role and visibility of women in communications at a senior level evolve during your career? 

There has been progress, but there is still a long way to go. Communications and corporate affairs are sometimes still viewed as advisory or support functions rather than strategic business drivers, which can make securing investment and influence more challenging. Our role becomes more visible and valued in times of crisis or transformation when reputation and stakeholder trust take center stage. 

Post-COVID, and with the acceleration of the digital revolution, I’ve seen improvement. Many companies now recognise the importance of reputation, stakeholder trust, ESG  and societal engagement. Some organisations are heavily investing in corporate affairs, future skills, and integrated communications structures but this level of commitment is not yet consistent across the market. 

When it comes to women specifically, I’ve seen a clear shift in visibility, but not yet fully in power and decision-making authority. There is a strong pipeline of talented women in mid-level and even senior communications roles, but far fewer in C-suite positions, on executive committees or boards. Sometimes, women lead the function in practice, delivering responsibilities of a VP level or above but without the title, reporting line or influence that reflect their contribution. Until more women are in the C-suite, shaping strategy, not just executing it, we must continue to invest time and money to advance women’s leadership and representation, to champion their visibility, open opportunities, and create enabling environments and conditions for them to thrive and reach the highest levels of leadership.  

What changes would you like to see in the next decade to further support and empower women in the industry?

We need to fully integrate AI and emerging technologies into the communications function. For women leaders, particularly underrepresented women in various markets, technology can be a powerful equalizer of opportunities, helping them stay connected to opportunities, knowledge and networks. 

Additionally, we need to address the lack of senior roles, not the lack of talent. Many organisations create Head of Communications roles for very large regions but cap them at the Director level. We need more C-suite and executive roles, CCOs, VPs, SVPs, EVPs, dedicated to corporate affairs and communications. These remain scarce. Likewise we need to invest in the future generation of talent to ensure readiness for leadership roles, and put in place strong succession plans. 

I would also like to see more localisation of senior leadership with more diverse representation from the Middle East and particularly, more women. Cultural intelligence and deep knowledge of the region are critical in our function. More women, and more Arab women, should be leading corporate affairs teams at the highest level, appointed on merit, no doubt about that, not gender. This is essential if we are to unlock the full economic potential women bring, and tap into the significant talent pool of senior female talent that remains underutilised today. We need to open senior advisory roles for women to be able to continue their career during times they have to dedicate to personal or family responsibilities to enable career growth and avoid stagnation or exit from the workforce all together. Some flexible opportunities are out there, but they are limited and not always at the level of the women seeking these types of opportunities. Return to work programs are critical post maternity or after long breaks, providing women with the confidence to return to work and to transition swiftly. 

What advice would you give to young women starting out in communications who aspire to reach leadership positions in the region?

Understand that career paths are never linear, growth will be accelerated at times, but also sometimes slower, so use quieter moments to upskill, reflect and grow. Look for mentors and sponsors, leaders both men and women who can open doors, advocate for you and give you honest and open feedback.  Look at feedback as a gift for growth and every opportunity and challenge as a chance to learn and grow. Champion women’s leadership advancement and gender equity, ask for the support structures needed for you and other women to thrive such as flexible working, parental support, inclusive policies to help women stay and progress after major life transitions. Ask for support when needed, and be consistent, persevere and have patience, leadership is built over time but with hard work, strong values, resilience and purpose, you can achieve anything you aspire for. 

Women are often uncomfortable with self-promotion, but in today’s digital world, visibility is not optional. We’re excellent at helping organizations and others tell their stories, but we must apply those same skills to our own careers. Talk about your work and share your achievements, make sure you articulate your value, this is essential for success. 

Finally, start learning AI now. It will rapidly reshape our industry and it has already in many ways. Use it as an assistant to enhance your work, but remember that the most powerful outcomes come from combining AI with human judgment, empathy, emotion, and creativity, especially in our field, as this cannot be done by the machine alone. Finally, and above all, self-care and believe in yourself. Carve your seat at the table and don’t wait for anyone to carve it for you, have a voice, and share your power and presence with the world.  

Whether you’re hiring, building capability or considering your next move, our team at Hanson Search can support you with expert executive search guidance and tailored recruitment insight.

Amy Hayer is the global Head of Healthcare and Communications. She has a proven track record in advising and counselling professionals on critical career choices across both the UK and the MENA region.

Hanson Search is a globally recognised, award-winning talent advisory and headhunting consultancy. We excel in helping businesses recruit world-class, transformative talent for business-critical roles that drive revenue and manage reputation and risk.