admin In an industry often driven by spectacle, Hala Tfayli has built her success on substance. As the Founder and CEO of The Channel MENA, she has emerged as a sharp, discerning force in the world of advertising—eschewing inflated promises for grounded strategies and long-term impact. Her approach is neither traditional nor trend-driven. Instead, it’s shaped by a rare blend of client-side insight, operational discipline, and an unwavering belief in the power of clear thinking.
Few founders in the marketing space can claim the same multidimensional foundation. Tfayli’s career has spanned research, retail, architecture, and consultancy—each experience deepening her understanding of how different industries think, sell, and grow.
“The most powerful ideas fall flat without the right systems behind them. Strategy means nothing if it can’t be executed well”
– Hala Tfayli
Strategist at the Source
Tfayli’s professional roots go back to her early role as a research analyst at Zawya Reuters. There, she gained a respect for precision—how the right data, analysed well, could drive smarter decisions. It was her introduction to the mechanics behind business strategy, and it shaped how she would later build her own firm.
Her move to Alshaya, one of the region’s most prominent retail groups, took her from the research desk into the fast-paced, consumer-facing world of Middle Eastern retail. It was an environment that demanded quick thinking and operational clarity. She learned how brands perform in market—not just how they’re built on paper.
Later, as Head of Marketing for SSH, a leading architecture and engineering consultancy, Tfayli was tasked with building a marketing department from the ground up. She supported regional expansion, bridged the needs of a new international leadership team, and positioned SSH in a competitive space with long sales cycles and complex stakeholder ecosystems. It was, by her own admission, one of the most formative chapters of her career.
From Corporate to Creator
In 2017, Tfayli took the leap that would define her career. Leaving behind the security of corporate leadership, she launched The Channel MENA—a boutique advertising agency built around flexibility, strategy, and relevance. Officially founded in Beirut in 2018, the agency was remote-first before the rest of the world caught up. That early adoption wasn’t just a logistical decision—it was a strategic one. By lowering overhead and increasing talent mobility, she could focus resources where they mattered most: talent and thinking.
From Beirut to Kuwait to Saudi Arabia, the firm has grown quickly but carefully, avoiding bloat and chasing sustainable, quality-driven expansion. Today, The Channel MENA is known for its smart, brand-aligned campaigns and pragmatic marketing counsel.
Operational Intelligence at the Core
Tfayli’s approach to leadership is direct: build the right systems and the right team, and growth will follow. She views operations not as a back-end function but as the engine that powers creative excellence. Processes are not static—they evolve with the business, the clients, and the technology available.
She is constantly refining workflows, investing in tools, and reassessing fit—not only in talent but in client partnerships. It’s a high-touch approach that gives the agency its edge. Her deep involvement in daily operations, from client strategies to internal follow-ups, ensures alignment across every layer of execution.
Clarity Over Clutter
In a landscape where marketing often veers toward the noisy or theatrical, Tfayli champions clarity. She insists on working with clients who understand the value of key performance indicators (KPIs), return on investment (ROI), and efficient spending. Rather than flooding channels with content, she advocates for thoughtful placement, meaningful messaging, and measurable results.
That mindset has made The Channel MENA a trusted advisor to brands—not just a service provider. The agency consults on everything from campaign architecture to media selection, always anchored in commercial logic.
The Human Factor
Yet for all the systems and strategy, Tfayli is quick to point to her team as the agency’s real differentiator. She’s built a culture that prioritises collaboration, ownership, and trust. Mistakes, she says, are part of the journey. What matters is having the right people around you to learn, adapt, and move forward together.
The team culture at The Channel MENA reflects this ethos: lean, agile, cross-functional. Each member is empowered to challenge ideas, take initiative, and contribute to the broader vision. Tfayli sees this not just as a leadership philosophy, but as a business imperative.
Responsible by Design
Tfayli’s vision for marketing extends beyond ROI. She’s vocal about the waste that still exists in the industry—campaigns driven by visibility rather than purpose, media spends that favor reach over relevance. For her, every campaign should carry a degree of social and environmental responsibility. It’s not a value-add; it’s a value baseline.
Under her leadership, The Channel MENA is beginning to embed corporate social responsibility (CSR) principles into its creative and strategic processes. Whether it’s aligning with meaningful causes or choosing more sustainable media channels, the agency is shaping a more conscientious form of marketing.
“Every campaign is a chance to create value—commercial, social, or both. Good marketing doesn’t just sell—it contributes”
-Hala Tfayli
Eyes on the Journey, Not Just the Horizon
Tfayli is candid about the uncertainty that comes with running a business in the digital age. The pace of change makes long-term planning both necessary and fragile. But instead of trying to predict every shift, she focuses on enjoying the process, responding in real-time, and growing with a team that shares her values.
Her ambition isn’t to build the biggest agency—it’s to build the most resilient, relevant, and respected one. That’s why clients stay. That’s why the team stays. And that’s why The Channel MENA continues to grow.
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