ROHAN AHMED

Multidisciplinary Writer and Founder

The Magic Drive

Rozan Ahmed is an award-winning Sudanese-British writer, curator and diplomatic advisor. She is internationally renowned for her visionary direction in CCI - an acronym she coined in 2016 to highlight “Creative & Cultural Industries” from the Global South, particularly the African and Arabian regions. Ministerial in approach and leading in her cause, Ahmed has carved a multidisciplinary career that effectively mirrors her multicultural background.

Ahmed pioneered the concept of “strategic storytelling” as a crucial tool in nation-building, harnessing CCI to reclaim identity, promote tourism and enhance international relations. In cultural diplomacy, she advises governments, civil institutions and global brands on leveraging creativity for global engagement, investment and appeal. Additionally, and in the field of sports, she made history as the first - and only - woman to introduce boxing to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Her philanthropic initiatives include The Magic Drive, a power program using fashion to build confidence and capacity among young people in Kenya and beyond. As an activist, she amplifies awareness, education and advocacy for her war-torn homeland of Sudan. Ahmed’s legacy of third culture ownership has received honours and awards in the UK, UAE, Kenya and Nigeria for her transformative contributions to fashion, music, tourism and cultural development.

A mastermind of what she calls “human globalisation”, Ahmed continues to redefine hegemony, redirect creative agendas toward local priority, and inspire new ideas in view of “belonging” worldwide.