Believe Unveils Dynamic New Leadership to Drive Best Local Service and Growth in MENA

Believe Unveils Dynamic New Leadership to Drive Best Local Service and Growth in MENA

Believe, one of the world’s leading digital music companies, announces today a new leadership structure in MENA, with the nomination of Liliana Abudalo as Head of Label & Artist Solutions, MENA and Celine Hitti as Head of Artist Services, MENA. Both will report to Dolly Makhoul, Believe’s Regional Managing Director, MENA.

This new leadership structure marks a significant milestone in the development of Believe, allowing the Group to deliver enhanced services to its labels and artists, with higher efficiency and leadership in the region.

Dolly Makhoul 2023

Dolly Makhoul, Believe’s Regional Managing Director, MENA, said: “This new leadership team represents a bold step forward in our mission to deliver unique value to our partners and clients, accompanying them at every stage of their development. Through our MENA footprint, we aim at continuing to establish Believe locally as a leading music company in line with our own vision, model and values: independence, expertise, respect, fairness and transparency.”

Based in Dubai, UAE, Liliana Abudalo will head Believe’s Label & Artist Solutions, a key leadership position to drive excellence ingrowing and serving the Group’s client portfolio in MENA. Thanks to her physical proximity to key regional digital partners, she will ensure alignment with their strategies, programs and priorities in order to better support local artists and labels. In this role, Liliana Abudalo will lead Believe’s highly experienced and competent Label & Artist Relations managers in Egypt, UAE,Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria, as well as the editorial & marketing partnerships team.

With over 16 years of experience in digital advertising, technology and music, Liliana’s journey in the music industry began in London with YouTube, where she played a key role in live-streaming major music events like Tomorrowland. Later, she moved to Dubai, where she spent a decade working with key music labels, distributors, and artists in the MENA region.

 

Liliana Abudalo

Liliana Abudalo, Believe’s Head of Label & Artist Solutions, MENA, added: “Our goal is to support both label and artist clients by equipping them with the tools, trust, and vision to shape their own success stories—empowering them at every stage of their journey. Real success goes beyond creating hits; it’s about forging connections and working hard.”

Based in Paris, Celine Hitti has been promoted to Head of Artist Services. In her new role, she will focus on empowering independent artists through premium services designed to maximize their audience and enhance fan engagement. These services will be driven by innovative marketing strategies developed and executed by expert international teams, all with the goal of nurturing the next generation of top MENA artists in the digital era. With this appointment, the scope of the Artists Services division, which previously focused on Maghreb, has been expanded to cover all key MENA territories, with an additional strong focus on Egyptian, Lebanese and Khaleeji artists.

Formerly Believe MENA’sHead of Editorial & Marketing partnerships, Celine has greatly contributed to the development of the Arab music scene. She has supported independent artists and nurtured young talents by conceiving and executing strategic commercial marketing projects and leading numerous digital distribution workshops in MENA and Europe. Most recently, she was recognized in BillboardArabia 40 under 40 list.

 

Celine Hitti uncropped

Celine Hitti, Believe’s Head of Artist Services, MENA, said: “I’m excited to step into this new role and continue supporting the incredible talent across our region. This new chapter offers an important opportunity to further amplify the voices of MENA’s artists and provide them with the right support and strategies to advance their careers, while ensuring their music resonates both locally and globally.”

Dolly Makhoul, Believe’s Regional Managing Director, MENA, concluded: “After a decade of dedicated service with Believe in the local market, I am excited to embark on this new chapter, where I will continue collaborating closely with both Liliana and Celine to continue building on our shared successes, and I look forward to crafting new, inspiring success stories with our artists, labels and partners in the region.”