Culture Architects: Branding in the Age of Algorithms

// Panel

Location: The Landing Upstairs

Time: 11:15 AM – 12:00 PM

Moderator: Nuria Almuradi

Speakers: Sakib Afridi, Hoda Abrahim, Rodrigo Quieroz, Faisal Owimer

Abstract:

In an algorithm-driven marketplace, brands operate at the collision point of authenticity, scale, and technology. Storytelling collides with data, community clashes with commercialization, and faith-driven values are tested against the pressures of growth. This panel examines how narratives are crafted when algorithms dictate visibility, how trust is built when performance metrics dominate strategy, and how identity is negotiated in the age of AI-driven search. The discussion asks: can brands scale without losing their soul, and can technology amplify culture without reducing it to content?

Speaker Biographies:

Nuria Almuradi — Nuria is an nyc based content creator, DOE educator, and founder of Nur Agency. She strives on building community as well as embracing and amplifying the MENA culture.

Sakib Afridi — Saks Afridi is a New York–based creative director and multidisciplinary artist with 20 years of global advertising experience, blending strategy with storytelling for major brands and exploring identity and cultural memory in art.

Hoda Abrahim — Hoda Abrahim is the founder and CEO of Love, Inshallah, a modern Muslim matchmaking service based in the United States. Her platform blends faith-centered values with personalized, tech-enabled matchmaking to serve Muslims seeking meaningful relationships beyond swipe culture. Hoda is best known as the co-host of Hulu’s Muslim Matchmaker, but her journey began long before television. Over the past decade, she has successfully matched more than 80 couples, creating a trusted space for intentional connection within the global Muslim community. With a unique understanding of cultural nuances shaped by her life across the U.S. and Europe, she helps clients navigate the complexities of modern love while staying true to Islamic values. A mother of two and a passionate community-builder, Hoda is redefining what it means to find love in the digital age, one match at a time.

Rodrigo Quieroz — Based in Brazil, Rodrigo Queiroz is Head of Growth at Segments Agency, leading performance marketing and analytics for clients across Australia and the Middle East. He brings 15 years of experience across Google and Meta ecosystems, conversion optimization, and data analysis. Previously at Google Australia, Rodrigo helped shape the ads solution and the adoption for organizations across all verticals, from small businesses to global enterprises, driving measurable growth and digital transformation in Asia-Pacific.

Faisal Owimer — Faisal Owimer is a Founding Client Success Engineer at Goodie AI, a New York–based startup helping brands gain visibility in AI search through Generative Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). He has led core product development from the early stage, combining full-stack engineering and product expertise to deliver AI-driven tools that empower marketing teams and define the future of AI search.