Amina Taher Appointed Chairwoman of the Arab Fashion Council

The Council appoints one of the Arab world's most respected leaders in brand and public affairs to carry a decade of achievement into its next era.

The Arab Fashion Council (AFC), the body that represents and governs fashion across the 22 nations of the Arab League, today announced the appointment of Amina Taher as Chairwoman, effective 9 July 2026. Her arrival places one of the region's most respected figures in brand, communications, and public affairs at the head of an institution that has, in a single decade, moved Arab design from the margins of global fashion to its center.

The Council assumes this chapter from a position of settled strength. Since 2015 it has built the region's fashion infrastructure where little existed, co-founded Dubai Fashion Week together with Dubai Design District and grew it into one of the platforms the industry watches most closely, and set the designers of the Arab world alongside the houses of Paris, Milan, London, and New York. Taher's appointment extends that authority into government, diplomacy, and institutional partnership, the arenas in which the Council's next decade will be decided.

Taher brings to the role more than two decades of leadership across aviation, fintech, media and sport. Working at the intersection of brand, diplomacy and culture, she has built brands, shaped public affairs and forged strategic partnerships that have elevated regional organisations on the global stage. Her previous leadership roles include Etihad Airways, where she helped position the airline as a partner to the fashion weeks of New York, London and Paris while strengthening its collaboration with the Arab Fashion Council, and Wio Bank, where she served as Chief Marketing Officer. She holds a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University and an MBA from London Business School, has served on the boards of leading institutions across the UAE, and has been recognised among Forbes Most Powerful Businesswomen in the Middle East.

“Few leaders move with equal fluency across government, industry, and culture, and fewer still bring that fluency to the service of design,” said Jacob Abrian, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Arab Fashion Council. “The Council has already placed Arab creativity where it belongs, at the center of the global conversation. Amina Taher's appointment is not a change of direction. It is a recognition of the standing the Council now holds, and a commitment to hold it with even greater seriousness.”

“The Arab Fashion Council has played a defining role in positioning Dubai as the region's leading fashion hub and creating a platform for Arab designers to gain global recognition,” said Amina Taher, Chairwoman of the Arab Fashion Council. “Over the past decade, it has built the institutions, partnerships and international credibility that have transformed the region's fashion industry. I am honoured to build on that strong foundation. Together with our partners across government, industry and the creative community, we have an opportunity to further strengthen the Council's impact, support the continued growth of the creative economy, and create even greater opportunities for the next generation of Arab designers to thrive on the global stage.”

As Chairwoman, Taher will steward the Council's institutional partnerships and its standing with government and the diplomatic community, as the AFC continues to advance the region's designers, its fashion economy, and its place among the capitals of world fashion.

The appointment will be marked by an exclusive gala in September 2026, where Taher will unveil the manifesto that will guide the Arab Fashion Council under her leadership. Held by invitation, the evening will convene dignitaries and members of the diplomatic community alongside leaders of the fashion and media industries, to open her tenure and the Council's next chapter.