Gerety Talks the Power of Language with Marie-Claire Maalouf

Just like the award show, the Gerety Talks series puts some of the marketing and creative industry’s true changemakers in the spotlight and at the centre of the conversation for a refreshing take on what leadership looks like. Named for Frances Gerety, the copywriter who in 1948 coined the slogan 'A diamond is forever'. The Gerety Awards brings together a jury to select the best in advertising that resonates most with a female audience, creating a benchmark that is relevant to the market reality, all while redefining the standard to which advertising has traditionally been held.

'Mommy. Executive creative director. Next creative leader. Award winner. Kinesiology coach. Mentor. Speaker'. Marie-Claire holds many titles, but the one she believes truly defines her is ‘A Student of Life’. Two weeks after graduating with honours from the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts, Marie-Claire, being top of her class, was approached by BBDO for an Art Director position. Her drive and contribution to growing the business and the teams made her a key player in the agency. She currently holds the title of Executive Creative Director. As ECD, MC, as called by her colleagues, leads a wide portfolio of around 12 international and local clients such as ADCB, Van Cleef, Hayatna, Samsung, IFFCO, AnNahar, Sadia, Essity and Nakheel. She contributed substantially in bringing home to the MENA region the most coveted awards of the industry. In 2022, she helped win more than 85 awards, amongst which the only D&AD Yellow Pencil won by MENA this year, and one of the two Cannes Lions Grand Prix won by the MENA region. Being an advocate for female empowerment, Marie-Claire won the ‘Next Creative Leader’ global award in Chicago by the 3% Conference in 2019, celebrating and identifying MC as a leader who is making her mark with both delivering great work and advocating for diversity. She was also invited to be a Jury and a mentor for the same conference in 2020