A montage of Expat Media in the last 10 years. ARCHIVE
Expat Media is officially celebrating its milestone 10th anniversary this year, marking a decade of extraordinary growth from a modest 2016 digital newsroom into one of the UAE’s most recognized community media brands.
Founded by multi-award-winning media trailblazer and CEO Mars Yabut De los Santos, the platform has spent ten years breaking boundaries, amplifying unheard voices, and pioneering public service journalism across the emirates.
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Underpinning this growth is a leadership team of formidable industry pioneers. De los Santos is recognized as one of the UAE’s top entrepreneurs, a Global Filipino Icon, and a recipient of journalism honors after serving as a pioneering digital head for major regional publications. She has long championed independent media enterprise.
Working alongside her is Editor-in-Chief Florence Pia Yu, one of the UAE’s pioneering professional online editors in mainstream media, whose decorated career includes winning the prestigious Dubai Government’s Journalism Award twice. Her sharp investigative eye, empathetic storytelling, and editorial leadership have steered the newsroom’s most impactful coverage, cementing both women as trailblazers who broke glass ceilings in Middle East media.
Reflecting on the milestone, De los Santos shared: “Reaching a decade in media isn’t just about surviving the shifting digital waves. It is about staying deeply rooted in the lives of the people we serve. When we started in 2016, our vision was simple: to tell authentic stories that matter. Seeing how our journalism has grown into a bridge for communities, a catalyst for real-world change, and a trusted voice for expats in the UAE is both humbling and deeply fulfilling.”
The platform built a profound legacy of running exclusive stories and advocacy campaigns that directly inspired tangible change, from exposing community vulnerabilities and consumer rights issues to driving official action on overlooked expat grievances.
In addition to news, the publication has nurtured future generations through unique community-driven initiatives, such as introducing special sections like the popular My UAE Story, which gives children and teens a platform to share their amazing experiences and perspectives growing up in the UAE.
Over the past ten years, Expat Media’s footprint expanded far beyond daily digital reporting. In 2018, the newsroom was appointed by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation to manage the inaugural “From UAE With Love” campaign, which won the UAE government’s CSR Event of the Year.
The brand also partnered with the Sharjah Labour Standards Development Authority to launch Sharjah’s first Filipino Labour Day Festival, strengthening cross-cultural engagement across the region’s diverse workforce.
During the height of the 2020 pandemic, Expat Media transcended traditional reporting by directly responding to thousands of requests for help, becoming one of the rare media organizations to actively deliver care packages to struggling residents.
Continuing its commitment to large-scale cultural impact, the team helped stage a record-breaking musical production at Expo 2020 Dubai built around an original song featuring 120 performers, creatives, and the UAE’s first Emirati countertenor.
In 2023, the publication broadened its multi-platform reach with the successful launch of the Expat Media Special Edition magazine, evolving into one of the UAE’s largest distributed print magazines spanning major malls, exchange houses, and partner hubs from Dubai to Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates. These continuous public service efforts culminated in major national accolades, including being named the Best UAE News and Entertainment Platform at the 2025 UAE Business Awards, alongside digital innovation honors in Dubai and abroad.
Expat Media’s Editor-in-Chief emphasized the human element behind these achievements: “True journalism happens when you with your community. Whether it is connecting readers with authorities, giving youth a voice through My UAE Story, or highlighting inspiring personal triumphs in our Special Edition magazine or through expatmedia.net, our compass has always pointed toward authenticity. We don’t just report news; we live it alongside our readers, and that is why this 10-year journey belongs just as much to them as it does to us,” Yu said.
Looking ahead, Expat Media Group continues to diversify its operations across digital syndication and corporate solutions, ensuring its next decade remains anchored in trust, purpose, and community empowerment. ICA/Expat Media
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