Born in Saudi Arabia, raised in Egypt, and educated in Western schools, El-Katatney has an undergraduate business degree from the American University in Cairo where she was editor-in-chief of the student newspaper.
In 2006, El-Katatney travelled to England with Amr Khaled, the popular Egyptian televangelist, for a three-week youth training program.
In addition, her story Identity Crisis 101 was the winner of the Anna Lindh Mediterranean Journalist Award in 2009.
In 2011, her op-ed titled "The Veiled Muslim Bogeygirl," won the Samir Kassir Freedom of the Press Award in Beirut.
El-Katatney is the Young Audiences Editor at The Wall Street Journal in New York City, building a multiple medium digital magazine aimed at 18-34 year olds, launching in 2020.