Raya Abirached

Raya Abirached is one of the most successful TV personalities in the Arab world, as well as the one with the biggest genuine smile. For over 20 years, she's perserved in this challenging and demanding industry, with a sheer persistence and an abundance of talent. Her ever growing passion for cinema has cememnted her status as one of the leading Arab TV presenters to interview the largest roster of regional and international celebrities. She is also a regular at the world's most prestigious film festivals and awards ceremonies. Abirached is the producer, writer and researcher of her own TV programs, such as SCOOP, which makes her an inspiration to many around the world with her successful career of more than 20 years. Raya started her career as a journalist in Beirut before moving to the UK in 1999. She holds a BA in economics, a Master's in Cinema from Lebanon, and a Master's in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Westminster in London. She is fluent in Arabic, English, French, and Italian. Raya believes that hard work and perseverance are the keys to success. She learned from her profession that it's necessary for people to go through hard days as well as good ones, a thing that taught her to become more patient. Abirached sees that the best advice she can give to women is, "believe in what you do, and never ever try to be someone else." Raya hosted several TV shows, including the weekly business show World Business, airing on CNBC Europe and Asia. She is also the researcher and presenter of her popular TV program Scoop With Raya, which airs on MBC 2 every Sunday, where she interviews Hollywood stars and get access to the most sought-after behind-the-scenes sets of films and TV series. She also co-hosts the hit TV talent show Arabs Got Talent with Saudi artist and presenter, Qusai. She covers important awards ceremonies, such as the Academy Awards, the BAFTAs and the Golden Globes, along with international film festivals, such as the Cannes Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival and the Venice International Film Festival. In 2018, Raya hosted the opening ceremony of the 2nd El Gouna Film Festival, and the opening and closing ceremony of the 10th edition of Dubai International Film Festival. Abirached lent her voice to the Arabic versions of some of the most famous animation films, such as The Angry Birds Movie and Smurfs: The Lost Village. In 2019, she joined the cast of the animation films Angry Birds 2 and Spies in Disguise. Moreover, Raya is the brand ambassador of many international brands, including Sony Mobile, Azza Fahmy, Banana Republic, the American Fashion House, Head & Shoulders, Jimmy Choo, Tiffany, Himalaya, IWC Schaffhausen Luxury Watches, Sunbites Crackers, Nestle Fitness, Armani and Bvlgari. In 2019, Abirached won the Arab Women of the Year Award for Achievement in Television ain London, as well as the award for Nickelodeon Arabia Favorite TV Personality of the Year in 2019. In June 2020, Raya was the moderator of the Arab Cinema Center's panel discussion on the future of Arab Festivals during the COVID-19 pandemic. The panel was attended by presidents and directors of Arab and international film festivals. During the 42nd Cairo International Film Festival, Raya moderated an in-conversation session with the acclaimed British actor Rufus Sewell and another one with Egypt's sweetheart actress Mona Zaki. In addition to that, Raya moderated Lagoonie Film Production's roundtable discussions with prominent cinema figures from the Arab world. Held on the sidelines of the 42nd Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), the roundtable featured three episodes with each of them consisting of three parts. In April 2021, Raya was appointed as UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador in the MENA Region making her the first Arab female to be appointed as UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. Raya was featured in the closing ceremony song of the fifth edition of El Gouna Film Festival (GFF)Met'ala' Beeky, which was held in October 2021, alongwith acclaimed actors, actresses, and filmmakers from Arab countries. For several years, Raya supported the refugees on many fronts, showing commitment to the UNHCR work. In 2020, over her Facebook page, she hosted a live fundraising winter telethon for the UNHCR's winter appeal. She has also constantly visited refugee camps in Jordan (Za'atari camp), and informal settlements in Tripoli, Lebanon. In 2020, she launched another fundraising call in Ramadan and interviewed a refugee family live on her Instagram for World Refugee Day.