Maz Hakim: Husband, Wedding, Sister and Background
The Afghan-Australian presenter behind Virgin Radio Dubai, her marriage to Ozan, family story, and broadcasting career
Introduction
Maz Hakim is an Afghan-Australian radio presenter, interviewer, podcast host, and event presenter best known for her long career with Virgin Radio Dubai. Her full name is Mariam “Maz” Hakim, although she uses Maz professionally.
She began her broadcasting career in Australia before moving to Dubai in 2014. Over the years, she has become a familiar voice on UAE radio and has hosted entertainment, lifestyle, music, and interview programmes.
Many people searching for Maz want to know about her husband, wedding, sister, nationality, family background, and career. She is married to a Turkish man named Ozan, while well-known international journalist Yalda Hakim is her older sister.
Her family story is also an important part of her life. Her parents fled Afghanistan during war, lived as refugees in Pakistan, and later settled in Australia.
Maz Hakim Quick Facts
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Mariam “Maz” Hakim |
| Known as | Maz Hakim |
| Profession | Radio presenter, host, interviewer, and podcast presenter |
| Background | Afghan-Australian |
| Born in | Pakistan |
| Raised in | Australia |
| Current base | Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
| Current radio station | Virgin Radio Dubai |
| Current show | The Vibe with Maz Hakim |
| Joined Virgin Radio Dubai | 2014 |
| Husband | Ozan |
| Husband’s background | Turkish |
| Sister | Yalda Hakim |
| Languages publicly mentioned | Farsi and Hindi |
| Other work | Event hosting, podcasting, and fashion entrepreneurship |
Who Is Maz Hakim?
Maz Hakim is a media personality whose career connects Australia, Afghanistan, and the United Arab Emirates.
Before moving to the UAE, she worked in Australian radio, including broadcasting in Canberra. She later accepted an opportunity in Dubai and joined Virgin Radio Dubai in 2014.
Her career has since expanded beyond traditional radio. She has worked as an interviewer, podcast host, moderator, MC, and entrepreneur.
Today, she is best recognised as one of Virgin Radio Dubai’s established presenters.
Her professional life in Dubai also places her among the UAE-based personalities and media figures regularly followed by readers of AE Info Box.
Maz Hakim’s Background
Maz comes from an Afghan family with a refugee history.
Her parents left Afghanistan because of conflict and crossed into Pakistan. During the family’s time there, they lived as refugees before eventually moving to Australia.
Maz was born in Pakistan during this period and later grew up in Australia.
This background has remained important throughout her public life. She has spoken openly about her family’s journey and the difficulties faced by people forced to leave their homes because of war.
Her mother also played an important role in the family’s story. Maz has publicly discussed how her mother worked as a midwife with humanitarian organisations while the family was living around refugee communities in Pakistan.
After arriving in Australia, the family built a new life there.
Is Maz Hakim Afghan or Australian?
Maz describes herself as Afghan-Australian.
Her family heritage is Afghan, while Australia was the country where she grew up and developed much of her early education and professional career.
For this reason, simply describing her as Australian or Afghan does not fully explain her background. Afghan-Australian is the clearest description based on how she has publicly identified herself.
She was born in Pakistan while her Afghan family was living there as refugees.
Maz Hakim’s Early Career in Australia
Before becoming a recognised Dubai radio personality, Maz worked in Australian broadcasting.
She was a radio announcer at 104.7 in Canberra.
Her work during this period was not limited to music and entertainment. She also became involved in refugee awareness and community activities.
In 2013, she served as a Refugee Week Ambassador and a Welcome to Australia Ambassador.
She also appeared at TEDxCanberraWomen, where she discussed subjects connected with identity, migration, and the refugee experience.
These activities reflected both sides of her public career: broadcasting and community engagement.
Moving to Dubai
A major career change happened in 2014 when Maz left Australia and moved to Dubai.
She joined Virgin Radio Dubai, part of the Arabian Radio Network.
The move gave her the opportunity to reach a much larger international audience in one of the Middle East’s biggest media markets.
Dubai later became the centre of her professional life.
What began as a move for a radio opportunity developed into a career lasting more than a decade.
Virgin Radio Dubai Career
Maz has held several roles during her time at Virgin Radio Dubai.
One of her earlier well-known programmes was Trending 20, an interactive music show that focused on popular songs, entertainment, and audience participation.
Her broadcasting style later moved beyond chart music into lifestyle discussions, interviews, local events, fashion, wellness, and Dubai culture.
She eventually moved from evening broadcasting to daytime radio.
As of August 2026, she presents The Vibe with Maz Hakim, which airs on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The programme combines music with conversations about lifestyle and life in Dubai.
Her long period at the same station is one of the clearest achievements of her professional career.
The Maz Hakim Podcast
Radio is not Maz’s only broadcasting format.
She also hosted The Maz Hakim Podcast, where she interviewed guests from entertainment, business, hospitality, health, and other industries.
The podcast built a sizeable archive of episodes and allowed her to hold longer conversations than a normal radio programme usually permits.
Guests have included well-known regional and international personalities.
She has continued developing interview-based projects as part of her wider media career.
Maz Hakim’s Husband
Maz Hakim is married to a man named Ozan.
She had already spoken publicly about him before their marriage and described her partner as Turkish.
Maz described herself as Afghan-Australian while explaining the different cultural backgrounds in their relationship.
The couple’s story attracted attention partly because their wedding celebrations brought together Afghan and Turkish traditions.
Maz has also discussed meeting her partner online while living in Dubai.
The relationship developed over several years before they married.
Some websites give additional information about her husband’s surname, profession, or personal background. However, those details are not included here because strong public confirmation is limited.
Maz Hakim’s Wedding
Maz publicly confirmed her marriage through her own professional social-media account.
She explained that the couple completed the official civil marriage formalities at a court in Abu Dhabi.
A larger celebration followed.
Their wedding events reflected both sides of the couple’s heritage. Afghan and Turkish traditions were included, making the celebrations a blend of two cultures.
This multicultural element became one of the most widely discussed parts of their marriage celebrations.
An exact wedding date should not be treated as confirmed because available public references do not provide a consistently reliable date.
Who Is Maz Hakim’s Sister?
Maz Hakim’s older sister is Yalda Hakim, one of the best-known international journalists of Afghan heritage.
Yalda has worked for major global broadcasters and is currently associated with Sky News.
She became widely recognised for reporting and presenting major international stories, conflicts, elections, and political developments.
Maz has publicly spoken about Yalda as her sister, so their family relationship is firmly established.
Although both sisters work in media, their professional paths are different.
Maz has mainly focused on radio, entertainment, lifestyle presenting, interviews, podcasts, and live events.
Yalda’s work is centred on international news and current affairs.
Maz Hakim and Yalda Hakim’s Family Story
The sisters share the same refugee family history.
Their parents left Afghanistan because of war and eventually built a new life in Australia.
Growing up in an immigrant and refugee family influenced the public work of both sisters in different ways.
Yalda later became known for international journalism, including extensive reporting involving Afghanistan and world affairs.
Maz became involved in refugee advocacy alongside her entertainment career.
Their professional success has therefore developed in different parts of broadcasting while remaining connected to a shared family background.
Refugee Advocacy
Maz has used her public platform to discuss refugee experiences.
Before moving to Dubai, she was involved with Refugee Week activities in Australia.
She also supported Welcome to Australia, an organisation focused on creating a more welcoming environment for migrants and refugees.
Her advocacy is closely connected to her family’s own journey from Afghanistan.
Rather than treating refugee issues as a distant subject, she has spoken from personal family experience.
Charity Work
Her public activities have also included humanitarian and charity projects.
Maz has participated in work connected with Dubai Cares, including a humanitarian visit related to improving education opportunities for children.
She has also hosted fundraising activities linked with organisations working on clean water, sanitation, and community development.
These projects represent another part of her career outside regular radio broadcasting.
Business and Fashion Work
Maz has also entered entrepreneurship.
She launched Expand By Maz, a clothing project connected with Afghan culture and socially conscious fashion.
The project reflects her interest in combining contemporary design with her cultural heritage.
It also shows that her professional interests go beyond radio and presenting.
However, reliable public information does not provide enough financial detail to calculate the size or value of the business.
Languages
Virgin Radio Dubai has publicly listed Farsi and Hindi among the languages Maz speaks.
Growing up in an Afghan family in Australia and later working in the multicultural environment of Dubai has also shaped her international public identity.
Current Work
As of August 2026, Maz remains an active presenter with Virgin Radio Dubai.
She hosts The Vibe with Maz Hakim on weekdays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
In addition to radio, she continues to be associated with interviews, podcasts, live events, moderation, and other media work.
Her career now spans more than a decade in Dubai broadcasting.
Interesting Facts About Maz Hakim
- Her full first name is Mariam, while Maz is her professional name.
- She was born in Pakistan after her family fled Afghanistan.
- She grew up in Australia.
- She worked in Canberra radio before moving to Dubai.
- She joined Virgin Radio Dubai in 2014.
- Her older sister is international journalist Yalda Hakim.
- Her husband, Ozan, is Turkish.
- Her marriage celebrations included Afghan and Turkish cultural traditions.
- She has worked as a refugee advocate.
- She has expanded her career into podcasts, events, interviews, and fashion.
Final Words
Maz Hakim has built an international media career shaped by several countries and cultures.
Born in Pakistan to an Afghan refugee family and raised in Australia, she first developed her broadcasting career in Canberra. Her move to Dubai in 2014 became the beginning of a long relationship with Virgin Radio Dubai.
She is now known not only as a radio presenter but also as an interviewer, event host, podcast personality, and entrepreneur.
Her personal life has also attracted public interest following her marriage to her Turkish husband, Ozan. Their celebrations combined Afghan and Turkish traditions.
Maz is also part of a notable media family, with her older sister Yalda Hakim becoming an internationally recognised television journalist.
The strongest confirmed picture is therefore clear: Maz is an Afghan-Australian broadcaster whose career, marriage, family background, and long connection with Dubai have all contributed to her public profile.
