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About Me:
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Wafa Kanan—Corporate Bio
President, Unique Image, Inc.
Publisher, ALO Hayati magazine
President and Founder, ALO Cultural Foundation
Wafa Kanan transcended the tragedy and turmoil of her past in Lebanon to become an American entrepreneur and a leader in the movement to uplift Middle Eastern societies and culture.
After immigrating to the United States in 1990, Kanan founded Unique Image, Inc., an integrated brand marketing and print media solutions agency. There she has led marketing programs for such top Fortune 500 corporations as the Walt Disney Co, WellPoint, Southern California Gas Co. and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Her visionary thinking led to the creation of an ethnic marketing division that, among other accomplishments, publishes ALO Hayati, the world’s leading Middle Eastern lifestyle magazine, delivering a positive voice for the Middle Eastern community and read by 1.2 million people worldwide.
As chief strategist and visionary, Kanan orchestrates marketing, branding and print media solutions with a passion for client servicing. Kanan has created dynamic campaigns for top festivals, forums, entertainment venues, and tourist and technology industries while injecting an international business perspective into such event planning. Her valued reputation was forged through creating imaginative campaigns for business-to-business media, and breakthrough branding, as well as the bonus of end-to-end production. These comprehensive services are made possible by on-site printing facilities with direct mail services for large projects and clients who require tight timelines. She leads a well-seasoned team of designers and artists who are adept branding strategists, routinely delivering the media exposure every client craves.
Kanan was named 2006 Entrepreneur of the Year by the Los Angeles Business Journal, and is author of over 30 marketing white papers detailing the impact of direct marketing programs. Her firm is well known for conducting effective pro bono campaigns, often high profile and monumental in scale – recently securing $400,000 in no-cost treatment for one severely medically challenged child.
She has launched pioneering international programs partnering with government and economic developmental agencies, trade associations and chambers of commerce. Her efforts have greatly expanded the scope of cultural, consumer and business-to-business prospects in the U.S. and the Middle East. Kanan recently headed the first ever North American Delegation to Syria in October 2009 and initiated and sealed the historic City agreement between Los Angeles and Beirut signed into effect by the Los Angeles City Council in June of 2006. Other delegations she has headed include those to Oman, Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan.
The US House of Representatives awarded Kanan the Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition in 2007, and the State of California honored Unique Image for showing “resourcefulness, innovative spirit and cultural pioneering for a new generation.” The Los Angeles Mayor’s office has also endorsed Kanan and her work, with additional recognitions and honors bestowed by national and foreign government agencies for groundbreaking work on trade and international relations.
Raised in Lebanon, Kanan’s upbringing has served her well in the niche publishing arena. ALO magazine is now the voice for a highly influential audience in the U.S. and the Middle East with Kanan at the helm as publisher. Her tenacious style of revealing all sides of the Middle East has produced provocative insightful features with top world leaders, including HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum the Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Queen Rania of Jordan and Former Egyptian first Lady Madame Sadat. In 2007, Dialogue on Diversity awarded her its Entrepreneurial Achievement award for resourcefulness and innovative spirit as publisher and cultural pioneer for a new generation of the Middle East.
Overall, Kanan is building bridges of understanding and commonality between the U.S. and the Middle Eastern region with her work. She is well known as a passionate champion of the less fortunate. Her decades-long and wide-ranging philanthropic work—contributing over $2 million in monetary and in-kind services—culminated in the 2008 founding of the ALO Cultural Foundation whose mission is to educate, empower and enlighten members of disadvantaged global communities. “Our essential role is to leverage our influence to build better societies,” says Kanan. “It is essential for any corporate structure to use resources to empower non-profit organizations and manage pro bono campaigns.”
Kanan came of age during the violent aftermath of Lebanon’s civil war amid gunfire, bombings and death. Under these extraordinary circumstances, she discovered her literary voice as an essential outlet of expression, and soon gained a loyal following on Free Lebanon radio. She graduated with honors from the University of Lebanon with a degree in Political Science and Business, while establishing her first business, a travel agency and import-export business.
Her innovative approach to design has captured awards from the Printing Association of Southern California (“PIASC Bronze medal” for Best Design and Excellence in Direct Mail in 2001 and the “Award of Excellence” for Printing in 2006); the North American Publishing Company and Consumer Magazine in 2008 (“Pewter Gold Ink Award”); finalist in PR News’ prestigious Platinum Awards for outstanding pro bono campaign, and an Excellence in Business Award by the Valley Industry & Commerce Assoc., among other recognition.
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For further information, please visit:
Unique Image, Inc. http://www.uniqueimageinc.com
ALO Hayati Magazine http://www.alomagazine.com
The ALO Cultural Foundation http://www.alofoundation.org
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