Hala Zainal

Senior Manager, Programs and Community Outreach, National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS)

Hala is from New Zealand.

Hala is an Architect and a Behavioral Scientist with a vested interest in building better systems, where she brings the creative and pragmatic worlds together. She delivers experiences, programs and environments as a whole to influence social and behavioral change. She is passionate about contexualizing interventions and breaking down complex programs to delivering impactful solutions, across multiple industries.

Over the past 10+ years, Hala has incubated multiple projects and established key partnerships across the social sector, with a skillset cutting across strategy, program management and design. She brings together a wealth of knowledge and an ability to thoroughly investigate challenges, collaborating closely with related disciplines and stakeholders to devise sound, out-of-the-box outcomes.

Today, she serves as the Sr. Programs and Community Outreach Manager at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) in the United Arab Emirates, where she leads efforts to empower the MS community through innovative programs, awareness campaigns, and community initiatives. Her approach is grounded in understanding the needs of the MS community with relationship to the existing ecosystem, driving the development of attainable solutions. She blends technical expertise with a deep understanding of human-centered design to build better outcomes for the target audience at hand, drawing from her expertise in behavioral science, architecture, and strategic narrative-building.

On a personal level, Hala is also on an entrepreneurial path, where her passion for community building has been a key driver to her businesses, including community spaces and yoga teaching. Through this space, she has mentored aspiring business owners and students seeking higher education.

She holds a B.Arch and M.Arch in Sustainable Design and an M.Sc in Behavioral Science, along with multiple Project Management Certifications.