Randa Habelrih
Randa is passionate about changing the standards of social inclusion for our young people on the spectrum. Her work in this area has been recognised internationally; winning Gold and Silver in the 2017 International Women in Business Stevie Awards. In 2019 she also received a Women’s Economic Forum award.
Randa’s corporate experience with big brand companies, her background in marketing and lecturing, coupled with her lived experience of autism allows for a unique perspective in fostering inclusion and empowerment.
The experience of raising her son in a world that wasn’t ready to embrace his differences sparked in her a passion to change the standards of inclusion in our society. Randa takes her message of inclusion and of making a difference, all over the world.
IT’S ALL ABOUT MATES
Randa believes that we each have the power to create real and sustainable change by breaking down the goal into manageable pieces.
“If you can’t change the whole world, then change the world for one person”.
Her mission is to build a movement of individuals, entrepreneurs and educational institutions that are committed to creating a more equitable and sustainable world. Randa’s programmes which fall under the MATES banner, are based on the premise that we all crave a sense of belonging and need to be connected socially.
MATES is an acronym for Mates Assisting To Engage Socially.
The MATES events and programmes include:
- Model MATES – a fashion industry event
- School MATES – a peer led, social inclusion and leadership initiative for high schools.
- Best MATES – an interactive puppet show for primary school students starring Richard Habelrih
- Autism MATES Speaking Conference – a speaking event which showcases our young people on the spectrum
- Autism MATES Global Support group – a closed Facebook support group for over 5,000 parents and professionals
- Business MATES – a movement of engaged and socially responsible businesses and entrepreneurs using their influence and incorporating social responsibility into their marketing plan and branding to create a more caring and connected world
While Randa is passionate and focuses on instigating change, she is most proud of the fact that her son, who she was told would never talk, is now advocating for himself and his peers, and is a sought after keynote speaker.
DOWNLOAD RANDA’S SPEAKING PROFILE:
Awards
