I co-founded INSTAGLAM from zero and grew it across five GCC countries and onto global stages. I know the fear, the pivots, the slow seasons and the wins — from the inside
ENTREPRENEUR · EXECUTIVE STRATEGIST · SPEAKER · MENTOR
Your next chapter
starts with clarity.
Whether you're building a business, navigating a career change, or stepping into a bigger leadership role, I help you get clear on what comes next, and turn that clarity into action.
"Most people don't need another idea. They need someone who can see the strength they've been overlooking."
"You've waited long enough." Haifa Addas
MY STORY
A belief that changed. A life that followed.
For years, I believed I needed to be a man to make a difference.
Growing up in Saudi Arabia in the 1980s and 90s, the world around me looked very different from the one young women see today. Most of the visible examples of leadership, business and financial independence were men. The message I absorbed was that men were the ones who built businesses, created wealth and held positions of influence, while a woman's future was more often imagined around marriage and family.
But inside my own home, I had a very different example.
My mother was a hairdresser, a working woman and one of my earliest inspirations. I watched her work, build relationships with her clients and create something of her own through her talent and determination. She showed me strength and independence long before I had the words to describe them.
And yet, as a young girl looking at the wider world around me, I still sometimes wished I had been born a boy. Not because I didn't have a strong woman to look up to, but because I believed being a man gave you more possibilities, more freedom to build, lead, create wealth and make a difference.
It took me years to understand that I didn't need to become someone else to have that life.
After studying marketing at Concordia University in Montreal, I moved to Dubai and built a career across luxury communications and corporate strategy. Before turning 40, I fulfilled a promise I had made to myself: I built my own company.
In 2016, I co-founded INSTAGLAM. Ten years later, the business has worked across the GCC and on global stages including Cannes Film Festival and Paris Fashion Week. The journey has included success, uncertainty, difficult seasons, COVID, reinvention and the constant pressure of building something from nothing.
"You do not need to become someone else to make a difference. Sometimes, you simply need to see what was possible in you all along."
WHY WORK WITH ME
Not because I'm a coach. Because I've built.
People don't hire me for a framework. They hire me because I've been where they are — and I know what it actually takes to move through it
In early conversations with founders I quickly identify the mindset block, the positioning gap, or the wrong audience — things they've been too close to see.
Over a decade at L'Oréal, Chalhoub Group and alongside Hermès, Cartier and Dior taught me how great brands are built — and how to apply that to any business at any size.
Through Flat6Labs, DBWC, Sheraa, AWE UAE and international forums, I've helped founders from first idea to first client — in Arabic and English.
I don't tell you what you want to hear. I tell you what you need to hear — then I stay by your side while you do something about it
Roots in Saudi Arabia, built in Dubai. I understand the cultural weight and what it actually takes to build here. You don't have to translate yourself.
THE PROCESS
Every successful business starts with one
thing:
clarity.
Find Your Fingerprint™ is my process for helping you get from idea to launch — with the right mindset, the blueprint, a clear strategy, and the confidence to lead.
01
Discover
We identify what you're building, who it's for, and what is stopping you from starting.
02
Define
We build your offer, your positioning, and your go-to-market strategy.
03
Build
We create your launch blueprint and you leave with the confidence and the roadmap to execute it.
WHO THIS IS FOR
You're ready to stop circling. It's time to start moving.
- You know you are capable of more but do not know what your next chapter should be.
- You feel stuck in your career, business or next professional move.
- You have an idea but have been sitting on it — for months or years.
- You want to launch something but don't know how to position it or reach your first clients.
- You want to turn your knowledge, skills or story into income.
- You need honest guidance from someone who has actually built a business.
- You are serious, ready to do the work, and done with going in circles.
"I have worked with people at all stages — those starting from nothing, those rebuilding after a pivot, and those who simply needed someone to hold up a mirror and say: this is what you have, and this is what you can do with it."
"Every month you spend going in circles is a month your idea sits unlaunched. The session pays for itself the moment you stop overthinking and start moving."
What You Leave With
Real outcomes. Not promises.
Mindset The shift from doubt and overthinking to belief and momentum. You will leave thinking like a founder — not someone waiting for permission.
A clear understanding of what you're building, who it's for, and the unique value only you can bring to it
A go-to-market strategy and launch blueprint built for your specific idea — your audience, your offer, and how you reach your first paying clients.
Practical actions you can begin immediately. Not a someday plan. A this-week plan — with accountability to follow through
WORK WITH ME
Choose your next chapter.
Two ways to begin. Both built around discovering and building from your unique fingerprint.
Strategic Founder Session
Perfect if you're facing one important business decision and want an experienced founder's perspective before making your next move.
THIS IS FOR YOU IF
- You have a specific business challenge you need expert perspective on
- You want an honest outside opinion on your brand, strategy or direction
- You need to make a decision and want someone who has built something to think it through with you
- You want clarity on one thing — fast
YOU WILL LEAVE WITH
- A clear point of view and honest feedback on your specific challenge
- Practical next steps you can act on immediately
- The confidence to make the decision you've been circling
Launch Intensive
From idea to launched — with the mindset, the strategy, and the confidence to lead. Intensive 1:1 work that ends with you building and running a real business.
THIS IS FOR YOU IF
- You have an idea but haven't started — and you're done waiting
- You've been going in circles and need someone to hold you accountable
- You want to build something real and need both the strategy and the mindset work to do it
- You are ready to commit six weeks and do the work
WEEK BY WEEK
- Week 1 — Mindset: develop the mindset required to build a business
- Week 2 — Idea: validate your business idea and who it's for
- Week 3 — Offer: create an offer customers actually want
- Week 4 — Brand: craft your positioning, messaging and personal brand
- Week 5 — Go-to-market: develop a practical customer acquisition plan
- Week 6 — Launch: launch confidently with a clear roadmap and accountability
YOU WILL LEAVE WITH
- Launch-ready with a clear go-to-market strategy and blueprint
- A defined audience, offer and route to your first clients
- The confidence and accountability to keep moving
This is not a done-for-you service. I will help you see clearly, make decisions and move forward — but you must be ready to do the work.
TESTIMONIALS
What people say.
She does not sell you the dream. She is just real — refreshingly real. She sits with you in the mess, helps you figure out what actually matters, and pushes you — kindly but firmly — to stop circling and start moving.
Haifa is a powerhouse — she leads and mentors by example, not empty words. Through our conversations she helped me shape and execute my ideas more clearly, and gave me the confidence to act.
Haifa does not just advise — she shows up. The brainstorming, the encouragement when things felt impossible, and the push to keep going. She was there for every stage of launching my business, and that made all the difference.
Working with Haifa gave me greater clarity and confidence in my brand. She has a rare ability to combine strategic thinking with genuine care for the people she mentors.
What truly sets Haifa apart is how deeply she cares. Practical, real-world insights you can actually trust. From refining your pitch to celebrating your success, she stays by your side.
Haifa is energetic, highly engaging, and brings a positive energy to every session. What I appreciated most is that I always left our conversations feeling motivated and excited to put into action everything we had discussed.
About Haifa
The Story Behind Find Your Fingerprint™
Haifa Addas is an entrepreneur and executive strategist who draws on 22 years of corporate, luxury and entrepreneurial experience to help founders and future founders turn their strengths, experience and ideas into businesses they can confidently launch and lead.
After building a career at L'Oréal's luxury division, Chalhoub Group and ABIS, she co-founded INSTAGLAM in 2016 — growing it from the UAE across the GCC and onto global stages including Cannes Film Festival, Paris Fashion Week and Toronto Fashion Festival.
Since 2019, she has mentored founders through Sheraa, Dubai Business Women Council, AWE UAE, Flat6Labs, the UAE Ministry of Culture, and international forums including the Kazan OIC Youth Forum and ET Future Forward Middle East.
Her approach combines mindset work, honest conversation and real business strategy. She does not offer textbook theories or unrealistic promises. She helps people get from idea to launched — with the clarity, confidence and go-to-market thinking to actually do it.
Separately, through INSTAGLAM, Haifa works with luxury brands to deliver exceptional beauty experiences across retail, hospitality, events and editorial productions. For INSTAGLAM partnerships, visit instaglam.co.
EXPERIENCE BUILT ALONGSIDE
L'Oréal
Hermès
Dior
Cartier
Fendi
Chopard
Sheraa
Ministry of Culture UAE
SPEAKING & MASTERCLASSES
Ideas are powerful. How you communicate them is what moves people.
I speak and lead masterclasses on entrepreneurship, communication, personal branding, leadership and building with confidence.
My sessions bring together real-world experience, honest lessons from building and leading, and practical insights people can actually use, whether I'm speaking to founders, executives, students or emerging leaders.
SAMPLE TALKS
- Build Before You Feel Ready
- Find Your Fingerprint: Personal Branding with Confidence
- Leading Without Becoming Someone Else
- From Idea to Launch: Entrepreneurship in the GCC
Your business won't build itself.
You've waited long enough.
If you're serious about turning your idea into something real, let's talk.
Already know what you need? Book a session directly or apply for the intensive.