Rise Announces 2026 MENA Mentoring Cohort

London, United Kingdom, 1 September 2026 – Rise, the award-winning global professional community supporting gender diversity in the broadcast and media technology sector, is pleased to announce the Middle East (MENA) region mentoring cohort for 2026. The initiative completes the 2026 intake that spans the UK, Europe, ANZ, APAC and India, as well as North America, aligning with Rise's mission of fostering inclusivity and diversity in the industry on a global scale. The 2026 programme brings together 32 mentor-mentee pairings from across the region and forms part of Rise’s wider global mentoring programme, which this year includes more than 150 pairings across the UK, Europe, ANZ, APAC, India and North America.

Participation in the programme provides mentees with access to a range of professional development opportunities, including networking events, workshops and industry-led sessions designed to support long-term career growth. Each mentee also receives a minimum of two hours of dedicated one-to-one mentoring per month throughout the programme

Running over six months, the Rise mentoring programme combines global collaboration with regional relevance. While all cohorts will take part in a number of shared international sessions, each territory will also follow a tailored programme designed to reflect the unique priorities, challenges and opportunities within its local market.

The 2026 MENA mentoring programme is supported by industry partners including Vizrt, Qvest and Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Kathey Battrick, Chairperson RISE MENA, announces: “We’re really proud to have launched the first Rise peer-to-peer mentoring programme in MENA. The response from across the industry has been fantastic, with experienced professionals giving their time to share their knowledge and expertise. It’s about creating meaningful connections and helping women across the region build their networks and develop their careers.”

Karen Coetzee, Regional MENA Mentoring Program Lead at Rise, stated: "The MENA region is home to an ambitious and rapidly developing media and technology sector, with women playing an increasingly important role in its growth.

RISE brings 32 pairings together for our first cohort — women building careers in media and technology, matched with leaders at the top of those same sectors. What those mentors bring is time, honesty and access, and that's what changes a career.”

Neha Modi, Mentoring Program Lead at Rise, shares: “RISE has been a very personal part of my journey. From being a mentee in 2021 to now helping bring the first-ever RISE MENA programme to life feels incredibly special. It’s a true full-circle moment, and I can’t wait to see this community grow and create an impact across MENA”

The Rise MENA Mentor and Mentee pairings represent the bread of the MENA broadcast media, technology and creative sectors including the emerging AI and retail media sector converging with CTV streaming. We welcome the first cohort.

Mentee and mentor pairings for the 2026 global programme (A-Z by mentees):

To find out more and to discuss how you can get involved, please contact Neha Modi, Mentoring Lead at Rise MENA on Neha@risewib.com or Karen Coetzee: karen@centralfilms.com