JEDDAH: Saudi entrepreneur Ayah Kattan is quietly reshaping the way motorsport fans in the Kingdom experience racing culture.
As a co-founder of Fandom — a motorsports and fan-culture brand born from her deep love of speed, community and identity — Kattan represents a new generation of Saudi leaders who blend personal passion with business acumen.
Kattan tells Arab News she was “a very active, responsible, and disciplined child” whose days were filled with after-school activities ranging from ballet and piano to religion classes, basketball and badminton. Her mother, she said, “kept me busy and helped me explore different hobbies and activities,” instilling early structure and curiosity.
Ayah Kattan competing in the 2024 Saudi Dirt Bike Championship. (Supplied)
But socializing didn’t come easily to her. “As a child, I was shy and introverted,” Kattan recalls. She found comfort in movement rather than crowds, laying the foundations for a lifelong connection to motorsports.
“I spent a lot of time on my BMX bike and my yellow 90cc Suzuki Quad Bike… trying different tricks,” she says.
Her father played a defining role in shaping her love for adventure. Family road trips and camping excursions were frequent. “I often didn’t know the destination,” Kattan says. “I just went with the flow and was prepared for an adventure.”
These experiences nurtured her appreciation for nature and helped her grow comfortable with uncertainty.
Prince Khalid bin Sultan bin Abdullah Al Faisal, Chairman of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (C) visits Fandom in Yanbu at the start of the Dakar Rally. (Supplied)
From a young age, she was encouraged to be independent, to think for herself, take responsibility, and adapt quickly. “Along the way, I faced challenges that forced me to grow faster than I expected,” she says, adding that those moments brought clarity about her identity and what mattered most.
Entrepreneurial thinking was also a part of her early life. Surrounded by siblings who challenged one another intellectually, she grew accustomed to conversations about ideas, gaps, and solutions. “This normalized the idea of problem-solving and thinking big,” she explains.
Her father encouraged her to believe in herself and demonstrated through his own entrepreneurship that “the biggest freedom a person can feel is owning their time and having fun with the work they do,” she adds.
Kattan pursued her undergraduate degree in Business Administration at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. The university’s cooperative education model, which requires students to complete a year of professional work experience, was, she says, “one of the biggest blessings I had.”
Her early roles included social-media marketing at Harvard University and digital marketing at Zipcar, experiences that introduced her to branding, storytelling, and strategic marketing. Academically, her studies spanned strategy, supply chain, people management and marketing, providing a broad understanding of how businesses operate.
“I was intentional about building a strong foundation,” she says. “At the same time, my career evolved organically. I have strong faith in the path chosen for me.”
Fandom's stall at Jeddah Superdome during the Let's Meet cars exhibition in January. (Supplied)
Kattan spent years working toward a clear goal: joining one of the Big Five consulting firms. Every decision she made was aligned with that ambition, and she achieved it. However, about a year into consulting, she had a moment of clarity.
“While I was grateful for the experience, I did not see myself in that path in the long run,” she says. “At that point, I made the decision to lean into motorsports and follow what genuinely pulled me.”
Her initial ambition was to become a professional motocross athlete, coach, and trainer, and eventually open a motocross school. She was well aware that she was taking a risk, but, she explains: “Choosing authenticity over certainty felt necessary.”
Trusting her instincts, she committed fully. “One thing led to another, and five years later, Fandom was born.”
Having studied and lived abroad, Kattan had experience of global fan cultures. “I saw firsthand how these experiences were monetized in a way that felt authentic to fans,” she says. In Saudi Arabia, however, she felt there was “a gap between the scale and prestige of the events and the overall merchandise fan experience.” Fandom, then, is not simply a purchasing platform. “We don’t just sell merchandise; we create a community of enthusiasts and offer them the space to express themselves through experiences and fashion,” says Kattan.
The first big break for the company, which Kattan co-founded with Alawi Kayal — came when they were approached to be the official merchandiser for the Dakar Rally. Today, Fandom collaborates with more than 20 international and regional institutions, including the Dakar Rally, World Rally Championship, Formula 1 teams, Rally Saudi and the Esports World Cup.
Beyond motorsports, Kattan is also the founder of Serene Mental Health. For her, the connection is clear. “Mental health is the core of everything,” she says, emphasizing the importance of empathy, safe spaces and self-awareness in both one’s personal and professional life.
Looking ahead, she believes the Kingdom’s leisure landscape is entering a defining era. She sees fan culture expanding beyond race weekends into year-round communities.
“The future is big for sports and entertainment in (Saudi Arabia),” she says.
