Khadija Al Bastaki

Khadija Al Bastaki is the senior vice president of Dubai Design District (D3), a global business hub for design, art and creativity, which is part of the Tecom Group in the United Arab Emirates. Al Bastaki has started streamlining some of the fragmented, competing fashion industry events in Dubai. She officially endorsed one long-running B2B event (Arab Fashion Week), sanctioning a rebranding of it to Dubai Fashion Week. By putting the weight of D3 behind it, she maintained the event’s affiliation with the Arab Fashion Council, helping unite the industry around a single showcase while preserving its regional character. This, in turn, has strengthened Dubai's position as the fashion capital of the Middle East and the global gateway to the region while providing greater clarity to designers and other industry stakeholders. 

Al Bastaki joined D3’s leadership team in 2019, launching a series of strategic cultural and commercial initiatives to amplify brands and talent that contribute to the local and regional creative economy. Dubai Fashion Week adds to D3’s calendar of events, including Sole DXB, a streetwear trade show and youth culture lifestyle festival, and Dubai Design Week. She is a staunch advocate for grassroots talent, working closely with Tecom Group’s start-up incubator In5 Design and D3’s Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI). Al Bastaki brings over 15 years of experience in management positions at Tecom Group, Economic Zones World (EZW), Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) and DP World.

Khadija’s unwavering commitment to advancing the region’s fashion and creative industry through the d3 ecosystem earned her a ranking in Forbes ME’s 100 Most Powerful Businesswomen 2024 list, Arabian Business’ 50 Women Leaders 2024 and Hello Arabia’s Hello! 100 Icons this year.

Khadija is also a staunch advocate for grassroots talent and nurturing and educating the next generation of designers. Along with working closely with in5 Design, a start-up incubator by TECOM Group, d3 is home to several creative higher education and learning institutions, including the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI), FAD Institute of Luxury Fashion and Style Dubai, and, most recently, a permanent campus for L’ÉCOLE School of Jewelry Arts. Khadija also led on exciting new strategic partnerships for d3 in 2023 with Milan’s Durini Design District and Italy’s prestigious interior design association, AIPI, to further raise the profile of Dubai’s creative ecosystem in key international markets and further strengthen Dubai’s position as a global hub for the design and creative industries.