Marwa Al-Sabouni is a Syrian architect and writer known for her belief in the role of architecture in maintaining a city's peace. Born in Homs, she pursued architecture despite the prevailing trend of high-achieving students studying medicine. Al-Sabouni's doctoral dissertation, "Stereotyping in Islamic Architecture," gained recognition in the architectural community. Her experiences during the Syrian Civil War deeply influenced her work, leading to the release of her autobiography, "The Battle for Home," in 2016. This book explores the impact of architecture on community relationships and proposes urban developments to restore peace. In 2021, she published "Building for Hope: Towards an Architecture of Belonging." Al-Sabouni's contributions have been acknowledged with numerous awards and honors, including being selected as one of the BBC 100 Women in 2019. Through her writings, TED talk, and expert advice to various organizations, she continues to advocate for the significance of architecture in fostering harmony and social cohesion in cities.

Marwa Elselehdar, also known as Marwa El-Selehdar, is renowned as the first Egyptian female ship captain, having achieved this milestone after graduating from the Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport in 2013. Despite facing gender-based discrimination and being the only female among 1200 students in her department, she persevered and rose to the rank of First Mate before eventually becoming Egypt's first female ship captain. In 2015, she made history by captaining the first vessel through the expanded Suez Canal, the MV Aida IV. Marwa has been recognized for her groundbreaking achievements, being honored by Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during Egypt's Women's Day celebrations in 2017. Additionally, she holds a Masters in Business Administration from Cardiff Metropolitan University. Despite false rumors circulating during the Ever Given incident in 2021, it is important to note that Marwa was serving as first mate on the Aida IV at the time, which was located hundreds of miles away from the Suez Canal. Currently, she is on track to take her final exam to attain the rank of captain in May 2021.