Halah Mohsen


Halah has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and brings 15 years of international experience as a communications and socio-economic specialist to her role at C&B, where she is responsible for managing the company’s day-to-day operations, streamlining activity and driving the overall business development process.

Halah began her career in 1996 working for the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) by planning and implementing public awareness campaigns, and coordinating media coverage for major international events, such as the Environment’97 International Conference and Trade Fair. Her regional expertise and communications skills were further honed while working for the leading environmental consultancy in Egypt, Environmental Quality International (EQI). At EQI, she was rapidly promoted from socio-economic researcher to socio-economic specialist in the course of 5 years while conducting field and desktop research for the European Union, USAID and the United Nations. She then went on to serve as Senior Program Specialist for the Center for Development Services of the Near East Foundation (NEF), overseeing and capacity-building an array of government and NGO projects throughout MENA. She later moved on to the American University in Cairo, her alma matter, with a 5-year stint that culminated in her being Assistant Director of Media Relations. Before joining C&B, Halah worked in the Dubai and Doha offices of Hill & Knowlton as account manager and consultant.

Her diverse background engaging in organisational PR in the public, private and non-profit sectors for a diversity of employers and clients has helped her develop keen insight into regional market dynamics, while refining her relationship-building techniques and knowledge of the media. It is this combination of experience that gives her a competitive edge in determining highly effective PR strategies across multiple platforms, to maximise results for any client. She also specialises in conducting media training sessions and crisis management at international standards of practice.

Halah likes to think outside the box and approaches her work with a 360° perspective. Born in Atlanta, Georgia and raised in Cairo, Egypt, she has lived in Holland and Qatar, as well as the UAE.

Mastering the Elusive Art of ‘Work Life Balance’

Public Relations No Responses »
Jan 092013

10 months ago, and for the first time in my then 16 year old career, I experienced what I now refer to as a severe episode of professional exhaustion.

I had been working non-stop since I graduated from college, taking on new projects and assignments and whatever I could get my hands on to get ahead in my job. I had been working long hours in what is known to be a very stressful job, never satisfied with just meeting the job requirements, but rather striving to go over and beyond the call of duty. My blackberry had never been switched off since 2006, and I was answering emails within minutes of receiving them, no matter how many I received, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. I was always reachable by the office and my clients, week days, weekends, public holidays, personal vacations, you name it, I was there.
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Posted by Halah Mohsen at 10:22 AM Tagged with: , , , ,

You work in PR.. so what is it that you do exactly?

Uncategorized No Responses »
Feb 082012

During my father’s recent visit, he asked me a question that continues to pop up almost every time we meet. And this has been going on for the past 7 years. And the question isn’t about my personal life! It’s actually: “What is it exactly that you do for a living?” And no matter how many times I try to explain what public relations is to my father AND mother, they don’t seem to get it. My explanation somehow always leads them to think that I actually book advertising space for clients. No matter which angle I take, or examples I give, I don’t seem to be able to explain it properly to them. Working in the industry for so long, I tend to forget that for those who have never been exposed to the world of PR in the professional sense, the concept is indeed alien to them.
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Posted by Halah Mohsen at 10:53 AM Tagged with: , , , ,

Making your Event Eventful

How to, Media, Product Launches, Public Relations No Responses »
Dec 212011

Although a discipline on its own with its specialized agencies, Event Management often becomes the responsibility of Public Relations firms.

Small or large in scale, to insure the success of any event – and to guarantee smooth roll out of activities – a huge amount of effort must go into the preparation phase. There are many resources you can consult for tips on managing events and things you should consider before, during and after your events, but one of the best and most useful guides that I have come across is by The Leonardo Programme.
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Posted by Halah Mohsen at 12:24 PM

Louboutin’in Your Brand

Do's and Don'ts, How to, Marketing, Media, Product Launches No Responses »
Dec 052011

Christian Louboutin has built a brand that is synonymous with beauty, design and luxury. The expensive shoes, with their distinctive red soles, have become so famous – to the extent that when YSL designed a red soled shoe earlier this year, it fell under litigation. But what really is the secret behind the larger than life success of the Louboutin red-lacquered soles? The answer is distinctiveness. Christian Louboutin shoes stand out with their bright red Pantone 187C soles, and because once we’ve see them, we know you’ve paid a fortune for your footwear.
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Posted by Halah Mohsen at 11:27 AM Tagged with: , , , ,

Young but Mature: Facebook Endures

Social Media No Responses »
Nov 202011

Facebook is not just a social networking site that is growing exponentially and becoming part of the everyday lives of millions of people around the planet (over 726 million online users and growing), but has also become a discipline of research on its own.  The major part of literature on social media focuses on Facebook regardless of the angle taken. From the discussion of new applications, comparisons with other social networking tools, the significant role it has in social and political movements, all the way to the psycho-social and human behavioral attitudes associated with the use of Facebook. Even the words “like” and “poke” are being used in everyday language in reference to Facebook. Continue reading »

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Posted by Halah Mohsen at 11:06 AM Tagged with: , , ,

Putting Strategy Back Into Your Communication Plan

Media, Public Relations No Responses »
Nov 142011

Just like writing press releases, pitching one-on-one interviews and nurturing media relations are all part of the hectic daily lives of Public Relations professionals. Alongside that is the task of designing communication plans that are both strategic and impactful for your clients. But sometimes, once you’ve been working with a client for a while, you lose track of some of the basics, so here’s a little refresher.

When preparing a communications plan, there are six questions that you must ask yourself. Continue reading »

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Posted by Halah Mohsen at 12:53 PM Tagged with: , , ,

Banking on Social Media

Social Media No Responses »
Oct 242011

More and more banks around the world are realizing that the advantages of actively engaging with customers via social media platforms far outweigh their ‘perceived’ disadvantages. Social media has proven to be an extremely effective tool in building bridges with consumers by creating open channels of dialogue that ultimately leads to increased customer satisfaction. In the times that we live in today, where there is a general distrust of the financial community, banks are better able to establish a bond with their clients through social media and overcome these biases.

Banks can now engage with their customers, launch marketing and promotional activities online and interact more with their stakeholders using Facebook, Twitter and blogs.  But more than any other industry perhaps, banks need to be vigilant in their social media activities. Total ignorance of the tools to be used, impatience for ROI and unpreparedness can be damaging to any bank and its reputation. Continue reading »

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Posted by Halah Mohsen at 3:35 PM Tagged with: , , , ,

The Online Baby Boom

Social Media No Responses »
Oct 172011

My three and a half old niece always amazes me at how good she is with computers. Although she can’t read yet, she knows what all the online icons mean and can work on mom’s laptop to play her favourite online games. The iPad has made that even easier for her. Now for someone who interacted with a computer for the very first time when she graduated from college, that’s just plain remarkable!

From Gaga to Google, a baby’s life online is no longer confined to online picture albums on Facebook. Parents are now creating Twitter feeds and blogs for their kids. In many ways, social media has replaced the traditional baby book. Domain names are no different as they are viewed as an essential element of online identity and parents are rushing to secure them for their kids’ future online existence.

Remember the first time you used a computer?

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Posted by Halah Mohsen at 10:34 AM Tagged with: , , ,

Spicing Up Internal Communications

Media, Public Relations, Social Media No Responses »
Oct 102011

How many times have you received a staff circular in your inbox only to ignore it? Or just hit delete? It’s probably because you know it’ll be boring, since internal staff communication in the form of emails is one of the driest forms of communication. The direction is one way (or you have to keep replying to all – which is just plain annoying) and doesn’t leave much room for the staff to interact with it. Then there are those of us who think, ‘I’m sure I’ll hear it through the grapevine since my colleagues will be talking about it’, and if there’s something that sounds really important, you’ll go ahead and read it. How bout we change all of that?

It’s time to start using the tools made readily available to us to enhance the way we work and spice up our communications. More and more companies are sending out internal communication messages virally, using a YouTube-like platform that is more engaging, interactive, and allows for staff to post comments. With costs going down every day, getting involved in video is not reserved for the elite, with more people taking this route to communicate with their employees including Boeing and Mayo Clinic. Seeing your CEO speak on video – where you can experience his emotions and reactions, is much more exciting than reading black text on a white screen. Continue reading »

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Posted by Halah Mohsen at 11:51 AM Tagged with: , , , ,
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