A wise person once said, there is no force more powerful than a woman determined to rise. From Joan of Arc and Mother Theresa to Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole, the history books are full of inspirational women who fought for the right to vote, made countless scientific breakthroughs and raised whole generations. Yet still, more often than not, we need reminders of just how brave and powerful the female voice can be.
While the ultimate in gender equality might be when we don’t have to talk about gender at all, the problem is we’re still a long way off that. To get there will involve positive action to drive cultural and social change — and that’s where Olga Fler comes in. A triple threat, Olga has set her sights on championing women not just on International Women's Day, but on all of the other 364 days of the year, too.
From establishing her own PR company at the age of 19 to launching one of Russia’s largest charity auction houses, Meet For Charity, which has successfully crowdfunded more than US$3 million for over 120 charities since 2016, it’s clear that Olga Fleur is quite the female powerhouse. It’s no surprise that she’s also the force behind the launch of Dubai’s newest intellectual member’s club Akademy, which seeks to unite academic, creative, thought and business leaders through the power of education. “I joined the co-founding members of Akademy from London to help support its expansion into the UAE,” Olga tells MOJEH. “I hope to continue the dialogue of knowledge through education while continuing to focus on philanthropy and social entrepreneurship.”
Initially launched in the UK in 2020 alongside Anastasia Belyak and Kamilia Shaimieva, the bespoke membership-based platform saw immediate interest from the world’s intellectual, artistic and cultural circles, championing a curated programme of events, lectures and social evenings designed to spark conversation. The UAE offshoot aims to celebrate Middle Eastern heritage and raise further awareness of the thriving culture in the region. “We have great minds and exceptional talent here, and I hope Akademy will be the meeting point for like-minded individuals to share ideas, encourage dialogue and evolve wisdom,” she adds.
Having already teamed up with some of the Middle East’s most influential women — Qatar’s first female composer and singer-songwriter Dana Al Fardan wowed guests at the platform’s recent launch party at Dubai Opera, attended by the region’s most impressive movers and shakers including Murad Osmann, Jessica Kahawaty, Rosemin Manji, Rym Saidi and Loujain Adada — Olga and the team are now focusing on curating a series of bespoke events and lectures designed to supercharge minds, while hoping to inspire them in their personal and professional lives.
“We’ve already run four great events including an exclusive preview of the solo exhibition of Iraqi contemporary artist Hayv Kahraman at The Third Line Gallery, and in April we’re also putting on a private screening of the film It Ain’t Where You Are From presented by the executive artistic director at NYU Abu Dhabi and Philip Rachid, AKA Soultrotter, in a special conversation on the Middle East’s underground movement culture,” adds Olga. Learn more
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