About Studio Hiwet
Studio Hiwet is a cultural strategy consultancy combining creative vision with operational rigor.
We design systems that hold global resonance while adapting to local context.
Our Values
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION
We bridge grassroots communities and institutional leadership, translating between contexts with clarity and cultural fluency.
EFFICIENT RESULTS
We deliver high-quality work efficiently, respecting both your timeline and the depth required for meaningful impact.
INNOVATION
We pair creative problem-solving with strategic rigor to create work and experiences that resonate beyond the current moment.
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
Our work is informed by lived experience across continents and deep engagement with diverse cultural contexts.
Michal Petros | Founder, Cultural Strategist
Spanning industries, continents and business objectives, the constant in my career has been cross-cultural communication. From my start as a nonprofit grant writer in Eswatini to building a creative practice alongside a corporate career in New York City, I enjoy connecting, creating and constructing fresh frameworks for understanding.
Studio Hiwet is named after my aunt, Hiwet, who raised me to understand the value of art, community, and civic engagement. Her early passing taught me something else—to create with intention, and to honor life by living it fully.
ሂወት / Hiwet means “life” in Tigrinya
The logo’s double dots (፡፡) are the Ge’ez period—read as a double colon in English. This duality reflects the cultural fluency of diasporic experience: rooted in one script, and interpreted through another.
It is within this space—between systems, languages, and ways of seeing—that I partner with organizations to translate cultural and organizational complexity into clarity. I help leaders better understand culture, navigate communication gaps, and design strategies that strengthen trust, alignment, and long-term programmatic goals.