How a marketing agency is taking the Palestinian cause global

Kathrine Nicolaisen, a Danish marketeer, and founder of Olives & Heather, was fuelled by a sense of justice and, one part ire, to form a remote-first marketing agency, in an attempt to showcase Palestinians on the world employment map. 

She speaks with Salaam Gateway on creating awareness, showcasing Palestinian talent regionally and globally and uplifting the indigenous society. 

Talk us through your journey of creating Olives & Heather?
I’m originally from Denmark but have been living abroad since I was 19. I built my career as a marketeer working in tech, but after my first trip to Palestine in 2018, I started looking for ways to get involved with the Palestinian cause. I was driven largely by a great sense of indignation, and wanted to offer support in a meaningful and relevant way.

At first, I spent a year working remotely for a Palestinian civil society organisation supporting their marketing efforts but then made the move to Palestine in 2020 to spend six months volunteering.

From there it snowballed: I landed a consultancy gig with another civil society organisation, I got a job with an American NGO operating out of Gaza, and by December 2021, I transitioned into what is now Olives & Heather. 

At first, I thought I would work as a marketing strategist supporting Palestinian startups, but as time went on, there was demand not only for strategy but hands-on execution, too.

That’s when I realised that the potential impact of Olives & Heather would be across three pillars: supporting Palestinian founders, amplifying Palestinian voices through advocacy work, and creating alternative job opportunities for Palestinian marketeers and designers.

The latter turned out to be the more significant part. 

How is the company creating opportunities for the next generation of Palestinian professionals?
Palestinian youth are amongst the highest educated in the region. The literacy rate is near 100% - 70% have attended university, and the level of English spoken across Palestine is exceptionally high for the region.

On top of that, Palestine has a long tradition of digital work dating back to the 90’s, when the first software companies were launched, followed by a wave of entrepreneurship, startup, and freelance culture after the 2007/2008 Gaza war.

In Gaza alone, tens of thousands of young people have been making a living online for years, so the talent and skills are already there. All they need is a chance, and that’s where Olives & Heather comes in. 

We’re a remote-first marketing agency with a team of 15 people, mostly women, working from locations such as Ramallah, Jericho, Tulkarem, Gaza City, Deir Al Balah, etc. 

Staying connected with the Palestinian tech community, whilst working with local tech startups and ecosystem builders is our bread and butter. However, over the last two years, we’ve greatly expanded and we now work with tech companies, startups, and ecosystem builders globally. 

What are the key impediments in promoting Palestinian talent?
Challenging stereotypes and reframing the narrative is a central part of our job. Over the years we’ve worked closely with key ecosystem players like Gaza Sky Geeks, the Palestinian IT Association, BuildPalestine, and many accelerators and tech upskilling initiatives.

Key obstacles and misconceptions tend to be rooted in a fear of investing in an unstable workforce and infrastructure, scepticism towards education and skills level, but also the fact that Palestinian labour is twice as expensive as its neighbouring countries Egypt and Lebanon, and 3-5 times more expensive than traditional Far East outsourcing destinations. 

This means that not only does Palestinian talent have to deliver excellent work, they have to go above and beyond from a service aspect in order to compete - and that was before the war in Gaza. 

Olives & Heather’s role is to attract international clients, creating opportunities for Palestinian talent that did not exist otherwise. 

Our duty is towards our team, but the team also understands that with every project, every client comes a responsibility to do your absolute best - not for Olives & Heather - but to pave the way for more opportunities to come.

Our greatest success is not just how many jobs we can directly create for Palestinian marketeers and designers, but our wider impact across the Palestinian tech ecosystem. 

What are the company’s key goals for 2026? 
Prior to the war, the youth unemployment rate in Palestine was estimated to be between 50-70%, meaning local opportunities were not just scarce - they were almost non-existent.

With the ceasefire in place, we are seeing a surge in Gaza-based freelancers looking to return to work. With the Palestinian tech ecosystem being dealt a serious blow, local opportunities are scarce, with freelancers needing all the support and opportunities they can get. 

Our goal as a business is to aggressively grow and expand as much as possible, and we hope to provide stable income for over 100 freelancers by 2028.

All growth to date has been entirely organic, and we are now ramping up our marketing and sales efforts, but we are also exploring alternative funding opportunities from philanthropic investors or business angels.