empowerME Conversations

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Heartcast Media

17 episodes

9 months ago

Featured conversations with business and government leaders shaping the Middle East.

empowerME Conversations is a project of the Atlantic Council’s empowerME initiative.

Society & Culture

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Featured conversations with business and government leaders shaping the Middle East.

empowerME Conversations is a project of the Atlantic Council’s empowerME initiative.

Society & Culture

Episodes (17/17)

empowerME Conversations

Season 3 Episode 4 - Economies in Transition: Middle East

In Season 3, Episode 4 of the empowerME Conversations podcast, host and Atlantic Council empowerME Chairman Amjad Ahmad interviews International Monetary Fund Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department Jihad Azour with guest co-host empowerME Director Racha Helwa, as they discuss the economy and market opportunities of the MENA region, women and youth empowerment, and the development of differing entrepreneurial ecosystems within the region.

Season 3 of the empowerME Conversations Podcast is sponsored by UPS.

Key Takeaways

00:00 Intro

02:43 Azour discussed how the current outlook in the region has moved from promising to challenging in a world where inflation is on the rise, there have been disruptions in supply chains, and there are issues with energy supply and security

07:12 Azour emphasized that the rapid deterioration of climate conditions is only adding to the challenges that countries are facing, and reform must be well-calibrated to overcome these issues

12:25 Azour talked about the importance of direct targeted social assistance, such as in Morocco, where over 5 million families were provided with support through Morocco’s Special Fund for the Management and Response to COVID-19

16:09 Azour mentioned Egypt as an example of a country that has reformed over the last 5 years as it moved from untargeted subsidies to targeted support and improved living conditions for millions of people, highlighting that these changes have helped Egypt’s economy to grow 5%

19:42 Azour emphasized the importance of using renewable energy, citing Masdar, a company in the UAE that emphasizes renewable energy, as a positive example, and adding the importance of creating synergy between the region and other parts of the world in this area

23:33 Azour discussed how when the risk is high in regards to climate reforms, multilateral institutions are important to open the door for the private sector to come in

26:10 Azour stated that governments need a multipronged approach in their response to climate and that they should gradually widen their sources of energy with additional investment into renewable investment

29:04 Azour mentioned that there has been a move toward medium-term planning towards diversification to reduce dependency on oil and gas, and these are positive steps, but emphasized that challenge for Gulf countries is to continue to pursue diversification at a time when oil pries have reached over 100 USD a barrel

32:07 Azour emphasized that if the Middle East and Central Asian countries truly want to succeed in inclusion, they need very clear strategies to involve women in the economic and decision-making arenas

36:18 Azour discussed the IMF’s focus on creating job opportunities for women and its recent creation of a Gender Strategy, citing the IMF’s involvement in Jordan, and mentioned that it is important to level the playing field, as women in the region are often at a disadvantage due to issues with transportation, childcare, and more

38:23 Azour discussed the importance of entrepreneurship, and how entrepreneurship can help create jobs, build the competitiveness of the economy, and grow the economy over the medium term

41:42 Azour highlighted how being involved in the global market can help countries whether shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic, pointing to Morocco’s involvement in the production of spare parts as an example

44:32 Azour stated that debt combined with external shocks increase vulnerability, and discussed how the IMF helps countries deal with how to reduce the level of debt and the level of external shocks on economies

47:22 Azour mentioned that it is important to have a sustainable level of debt, and what
“sustainable debt” is depends on the country, the nature of the debt, and a...

3 years ago

54 minutes

empowerME Conversations

Season 3 Episode 3 - Economies in Transition: Jordan

In Season 3, Episode 3 of the empowerME Conversations podcast, host and Atlantic Council empowerME Chairman Amjad Ahmad interviews Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Minister H.E Ahmad Al-Hanandeh with guest co-host Beyond Capital Managing Director Tamer Al-Salah to discuss Jordan’s current economic situation, the pivotal role investors play in growing their entrepreneurial ecosystem, and the increasing involvement of women in the Jordanian economy.

Season 3 of the empowerME Conversations Podcast is sponsored by UPS.

Key Takeaways

00:00 Intro

02:20 H.E. Al Hanandeh discussed the many challenges that Jordanian youth face today, including unemployment and inflation, and focused on the potential for startups to turn these challenges into opportunities.

05:30 H.E. Al Hanandeh explained that the Jordanian government’s main priority is to grow the entrepreneurial sector by helping them access new markets, obtain financing, and find new talent through Digiskills, a not-for-profit company that works to identify the exact needs to private companies.

9:59 H.E. Al Hanandeh discussed Jordan’s National Entrepreneurship Policy, which establishes the government’s commitment to provide support for the entrepreneurship sector.

22:43 H.E. Al Hanandeh identified Jordan’s current target markets as the US, UK, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, and added that Jordan is also working to identify international and regional seminars, conferences, and fairs that can help create a roadmap for future endeavors.

26:28 H.E. Al Hanandeh discussed how the establishment of the Innovative Startups and SMEs Fund by the Jordanian government helped attract 12 VCs to Jordan, and emphasized that the more you invest, the more you attract other investors.

29:12 H.E. Al Hanandeh mentioned the need for greater contributions from seed investors.

32:18 H.E. Al Hanandeh talked about the ministry’s financing of three new tech hubs in Jordan.

34:22 H.E. Al Hanandeh explained that women are increasingly involved in startups, although women still face challenges due to lack of mobility.

35:30 Al-Salah argued that the flexibility of jobs today, as well as the increase in virtual employment, has increased women’s involvement in startups, and added that the company he works for, Beyond Capital, works to support women investors and increase female engagement in the entrepreneurial sector.

Quotes mentioned by H.E. Ahmad Al Hanandeh

“The entrepreneurial ecosystem is able to provide to be very flexible and agile in providing jobs at the very tough times. During COVID, when things were going bad all over the place, the entrepreneurial ecosystem grew. The entrepreneurial ecosystem created new jobs and new companies. The entrepreneurial ecosystem contributed heavily to the efforts of facing the consequences of the pandemic.”

“The more you invest into your ecosystem, the more you attract other investors to come and invest in your ecosystem.”

“We reached out to an ecosystem that includes hundreds of new startups in different fields, hiring thousands of Jordanian youth into this ecosystem and plenty of very high promising startups, Jordanian startup companies, that have the potential to cross the border regionally or internationally.”

Guest Social Media Links

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahmadalhanandeh/?originalSubdomain=jo

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamer-al-salah-20a60616/

Show more...

3 years ago

40 minutes

empowerME Conversations

Season 3 Episode 2 - Economies in Transition: Egypt

In Season 3, Episode 2 of the empowerME Conversations podcast, host and Atlantic Council empowerME Chairman Amjad Ahmad interviews Arab Republic of Egypt Ministry of International Cooperation Minister H.E. Rania A. Al-Mashat with guest co-host UPS President for International Public Affairs and Sustainability Penelope Naas to discuss Egypt hosting COP 27, increasing women in leadership positions, promoting inclusivity in the economy, energy transitions, and the continued development of Egypt’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Season 3 of the empowerME Conversations Podcast is sponsored by UPS.

Key Takeaways

0:00 Intro

4:50 H.E. Rania Al-Mashat discussed Egypt as the first country in the Middle East and North Africa or in Africa to issue green bonds, which are anchored on projects that have outcomes related to climate action, such as sustainable infrastructure, water, waste management, transportation, and renewables.

6:10 H.E. Al-Mashat underscored Egypt’s forethought as the country invested in silos for wheat storage for the first time in 2014, demonstrating the resilience in adaptation projects which allowed the country to survive the wheat crisis.

9:10 H.E. Al-Mashat argued that Egypt will attract capital amongst competition because of its success and goals such as the global competition for startups with Green Solutions and continued focus on adaptation for Africa.

13:20 H.E. Al-Mashat emphasized the importance of COP 27 and the necessary energy transitions in Egypt, and Africa at large.

17:00 H.E. Al-Mashat gave an overview of Egypt’s current and future projects to target climate action, such as the Integrated Sustainable Energy Strategy which includes KPIs for renewables, both wind farms, and solar plants, and by 2035 40% of Egypt's energy mix will be renewables.

19:45 Penelope Naas reflected on Egypt asan important crossroad with regards to Egyptian waterways connecting the East to the West, and how this relates to Egypt’s relative climate and the fragility of supply chains and infrastructure.

23:10 H.E. Al-Mashat asserted that regionalization and localization are not mutually exclusive when it comes to supply chain resiliency and furthered that there must be localization but with a level playing field.

26:23 H.E. Al-Mashat stated that there are three words that shape the future of every country's economy: inclusive, digital, and green.

29:30 H.E. Al-Mashat agreed that Egypt must continue to support women at all levels and cited the Closing the Gender Gap accelerator which supports women in leadership positions, pushes for equal remuneration, and also pushes for digital skills.

32:40 H.E. Al-Mashat reflected on Egypt’s increased emphasis on the implementation and execution of recent projects and those since 2011.

37:50 H.E. Al-Mashat purported her optimism and positivity for Egypt come from the amount of engagement that takes place within the country and with other countries.

Quotes mentioned by H.E. Rania Al-Mashat

“Women’s participation requires commitment from the government. And once that happens, culture starts to change… when women are in leadership positions and they do well, it becomes more familiar.”

“I think there are three words that shape what every country's trying to do now on a national level or in partnerships, whether with the private sector or with IFIs, and it is an inclusive economy, a digital economy, and a green economy.”

“There's also a lot of commitment, not just from the government but also from the private sector, that has been experimenting with incubators, pushing risk capital and venture capital into these startups... a key point is to market more and to make the success stories known.”

Guest...

3 years ago

40 minutes

empowerME Conversations

Season 3 Episode 1 - Economies in Transition: Palestine

In Season 3, Episode 1 of the empowerME Conversations podcast, host and Atlantic Council empowerME Chairman Amjad Ahmad speaks with Palestine Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and Empowerment H.E. Osama Al Saadawi and guest co-host Ibtikar Fund Managing General Partner Habib Hazzan about the challenges facing Palestine's entrepreneurial ecosystem, the private sector's role in promoting economic growth, and strategies to expose local entrepreneurs to global markets.

Key Takeaways

0:00 Intro

1:46 H.E. Osama Al Saadawi gave an overview of entrepreneurs in Palestine’s day-to-day, especially in regard to increasing threats of occupation and the restriction of movement

11:34 H.E. Al Saadawi discussed the processes of integrating markets within Palestine and the Palestinian government’s push to cluster enablers for market efficiency

15:50 H.E. Al Saadawi examined the recently passed Start-up Act Law, because the Palestinian Companies Law did not address entrepreneurship or startup needs.

17:15 Habib Hazzan argued that the severed access of Palestine to other markets and communities is the primary obstacle to economic growth in the West Bank and Gaza.

20:55 Hazzan explained the current funding Palestine has received and will receive from external sources to promote entrepreneurship, highlighting World Bank programs, Intersect Innovation Hub, and Flow Accelerator as well as angel investors. Hazzan also discussed the need to engage more deeply with the Palestinian diaspora.

25:40 H.E. Al Saadawi emphasized the need for investors to see a very clear enabling environment for business and underscores the Palestinian government’s push to develop regulations and laws that convince businesses to expand in Palestine.

34:30 H.E. Al Saadawi underscored that with an increased level of confidence in regulations and with enough exposure, then startups in Palestine will attract investors. He cited studies that the contribution of money to the success of startups globally does not exceed 24 percent.

37:02 Hazzan explained that recently the Israeli government has been piloting a program where they give permits to Palestinian engineers to work directly in Israel.

40:30 H.E. Al Saadawi discussed the Palestinian Coding Academy as a successful example of improving Palestine’s IT sector.

45:16 H.E. Al Saadawi referenced that many government employees in Palestine are female and emphasized that while the government is committed, the private sector, usually family businesses, often center men, and females cannot benefit in all cases from such businesses.

Quotes mentioned by H.E. Osama Al Saadawi

“...create an ecosystem that will convince the private sector that we have an investment pipeline environment in Palestine that will be of success.”

“I think this is our role mainly to open the road for the private sector as a government.”

Guest Social Media Links

https://www.linkedin.com/in/usama-sadawi-59751341/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/habib-hazzan-658a2a3/

3 years ago

47 minutes

empowerME Conversations

Season 2 Episode 6 - The Evolution of the Food and Beverage Sector in MENA with Tamer Mosalam

PepsiCo Vice President and General Manager for GCC and the Levant Tamer Mosalam joins Atlantic Council empowerME Conversations host Amjad Ahmad for a conversation about innovation and emerging opportunities for the food and beverage sector, the increase in women’s employment in Saudi Arabia, and ways governments and corporates can support entrepreneurs.

Key Takeaways:
0:00 Intro
1:58 Tamer talks about the change in consumers over the last 24 months, and how they've now been defined as consumers at home
4:05 Tamer talks about the the younger population in the Middle East and how they are the key to shaping the future
6:04 Tamer talks about the effect Covid has had on innovation and supply chain of manufacturing materials for companies
8:36 Tamer details the importance of startups in the region and how growing the economy is reliant on their success
10:38 Tamer explains how PepsiCo is working with these startups and the programs they have created to help them launch and grow
13:35 Tamer talks about his excitement in the growth of e-commerce and digitization for entrepreneurs
16:16 Tamer talks about women empowerment and participation in Saudi Arabia
19:48 Tamer talks about consumers in the Middle East and how they are driving investors and companies into the region
25:30 Tamer explains the importance of the coming five years for healthier innovation
27:50 Tamer talks about how direct to home will transform supply chain in various industries and regions
32:14 Tamer details their recent investments in US plant based companies
33:35 Tamer talks about recycling and how it is a key factor for companies in the future

Resources Mentioned:

PepsiCo - PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the food and beverage market. It oversees the manufacturing, distribution, and marketing of its products.

Quotes Mentioned:
"The first advice I would give that you have to read a lot. You have to educate yourself about the area where you're building your idea about. You're learning the different trends across the region and the world is very important and critical for ideas to shape up. And the minute those great ideas are shaped up, the appeal of funding is more comes their way as well."

"That also will make you think whether you replace your own delivery trucks with the delivery companies or that you will have more friendly and more environmentally friendly trucks going around the city or the consumer will go and pick their products from a distribution hub that will work with technology as well. I think the sky's the limit when it comes to that."

Guests Social Media Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamer-mosalam-6a996348/?originalSubdomain=sa
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tmosalam?lang=en

4 years ago

37 minutes

empowerME Conversations

Season 2 Episode 5 - Building Growth: The Future of MENA‘s Construction Sector with Samer Khoury

Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) Chairman Samer Khoury joins Atlantic Council empowerME Conversations host Amjad Ahmad for a conversation about the future of the construction industry, how companies can partner with and support startups, policies needed to boost the region’s economic growth, and ways to improve the talent pipeline and bring more women into the workforce.

Key Takeaways:
0:00 Intro
1:36 Samer gives an overview of the region as it comes out of Covid and the push for megaconstruction across the Mena region
3:19 Samer talks about civil infrastructure and big commercial cities on rise like Neom, and how they are pushing towards greener energy
7:13 Samer explains how Covid slowed the process of project completion due to materials having slower transport times and being stuck outside of the countries
10:58 Samer talks about the countries currently with the highest FDI and how they are opening up to be more attractive to investors
12:50 Samer talks about how companies are creating STEM programs through universities to help college graduates enter the field of work with the knowledge needed to succeed
16:48 Samer talks about how Covid changed the work from home model and how online meetings can truly save on time and travel expenses and be beneficial to many companies
19:03 Samer breaks down the number and percentages of women in the workforce and how they are trying to grow with more women in the industry
21:52 Samer talks about the use of small companies and their partnerships so they can help develop their products in a beneficial way for both parties
27:27 Amjed raises a question on geopolitical risk and temperatures in certain regions being a risk factor for investments
30:17 Samer gives his three general trends that have him excited for the future
35:46 Samer gives his predictions and updates on where he see's his company CCC moving in the next decade

Resources Mentioned:

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/

CCC: the largest construction company in the Middle East and ranks among the top 25 international contractors with a revenue of US$5.3 billion in 2013 and 7.4 billion by 2017.

FIFA World Cup: an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, the sport's global governing body.

ExxonMobil: an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is the largest direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, and was formed on November 30, 1999, by the merger of Exxon and Mobil.

Chevron: an American multinational energy corporation. It is the second largest oil company in America. One of the successor companies of Standard Oil, it is headquartered in San Ramon, California, and active in more than 180 countries.

Quotes Mentioned:

"Women are more meticulous, they're more hardworking, and they care a lot about their continuity because they have a family to care for. So I think this is a trend in the Middle East that we have lagged behind. And I can see it accelerating in the next few years somewhere."

"This is where you help your small, innovative ideas. You are their pilot projects and you can then scale them up. When they go out and they say we tried this on this project with CCC and now it's very good and we have all the data, all the history. They can get other clients and they can get more capital and then they can grow faster."

"There's a lack of cash, lack of funds. So basically, when you are on a limited budget, rather spend it on your own people rather than spent it somewhere else."

Guests Social Media Links:
Website: Show more...

4 years ago

38 minutes

empowerME Conversations

Season 2 Episode 4 - Rejuvenating Retail with Alain Bejjani

Majid Al-Futtaim CEO Alain Bejjani joins Atlantic Council empowerME Conversations host Amjad Ahmad for a conversation about the future of retail in the Middle East, consumer desires for more modern and fulfilling experiences, and policies that will promote talent from the inside and economic growth.

Key Takeaways:
0:00 Intro
1:13 Alain talks about the pandemic and what he is now seeing post pandemic given that he operates in different countries and its impact on business in the Middle East
5:20 Alain explains if the pandemic was the turning point of the economy especially in the Middle East region
12:19 Alain talks about the key areas that people need to focus on to keep the momentum of growth going and to even accelerate it especially in the Middle East
19:32 Alain talks about the importance of regional integrations and how he feels about where it’s headed to especially in the Middle East Region
21:10 Alain talks about the consumer trends that he is seeing in the Middle East region that have come up due to the pandemic
29:35 Alain also talks about retail, how the retail space is changing, how he sees retail going forward and if it’s dying
36:35 Alain shares his thoughts evolving around the digital entrepreneurship that's happening and how he sees that playing out
39:43 Alain talks about the lessons that he has learnt through the failures that he has encountered
41:44 Alain shares his advice to other entrepreneurs and also talks about the space that would invest in that would be good for business

Shows Mentioned:
https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/
WHO: http://www.who.int/
FDI: https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/economics/foreign-direct-investment-fdi/
Carrefour: https://www.carrefour.com/en
Mall of Oman: http://mallofoman.net/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/

Quotes Mentioned:
“The pandemic was a wakeup call on many aspects and a wakeup call for everyone, with no exception.”
“Different markets, different realities.”
“The well-being and the happiness of your citizens and residents matter.”
“You only know the value of what you have until you don't have it anymore.”
“One shouldn't waste any crisis or shouldn't let any crisis go to waste.”
“Retail is not going to die, retail will continue to be here, but it's going to be here in different ways.”

Guests Social Media Links:
Website: https://www.majidalfuttaim.com/en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alainbejjani/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alainbejjani
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alain.bejjani/

4 years ago

44 minutes

empowerME Conversations

Season 2 Episode 3 - The Path to 25 Healthcare Breakthroughs with Patrick van der Loo

Pfizer Regional President for Africa and Middle East Patrick van der Loo joins Atlantic Council empowerME Conversations host Amjad Ahmad for a conversation about the COVID vaccine rollout in the region, prospects for machine learning and AI to revolutionize healthcare, policies that will promote innovation, and ways companies can nurture women leaders in the workplace.

Key Takeaways:
0:00 Intro
1:30 Patrick talks about his observations of what is happening in Africa and Middle East regions after rolling out the vaccine and other initiatives and what they are focused on
5:33 Patrick talks about the significant areas specifically in the Middle East that they are present in in the 19 country portfolio
7:39 Patrick talks about how the pandemic has affected their strategy or way of operating in the region
11:11 Patrick talks about the current trends and the role that Pfizer is playing in the SME and entrepreneurship and what he would tell the entrepreneurs to focus more on
15:53 Patrick talks about some of the interesting models of distribution that he is seeing in the Middle East
17:48 Patrick talks about the establishment of a manufacturing hub for the vaccine and where he sees that playing out during the pandemic
22:48 Patrick also explains if there is a more important than the other in terms of regulations to drive change in the positive direction
23:59 Patrick talks about what he has found to be interesting managing Middle East and Africa region and he is from Asia
28:07 Patrick talks about what it is about Pfizer that made him the most attractive place for women in the Middle East to work for and why they actively encourage the exchange of talent
34:30 Patrick talks about policies that are instrumental in allowing for retention of women employees at Pfizer and what other leaders should do
37:55 Patrick talks about what he thinks the government needs to do to increase the talent base in the Middle East region and specifically in his sector
41:08 Patrick talks about what he is expecting to see in the near future with regards to new variants of the pandemic popping up and with the manufacturing of the vaccine

Shows Mentioned:
COVAX: https://www.who.int/initiatives/act-accelerator/covax
Glaxo: https://www.gsk.com/en-gb/home/
B-Imtiyaz: https://twitter.com/ambalgindc/status/1389283107837186050?lang=en
African Union: https://au.int/
BBBEE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broad-Based_Black_Economic_Empowerment
DICO: https://www.dicogroup.com/

Quotes Mentioned:
“Breakthroughs change patient lives.”
“Many of our go-to-market initiatives now are not the traditional rep just visiting a doctor model, but it's really driven by the use of A.I.”
“In every business, customers should come first.”
“We’re constantly searching for solutions that simplify that patient experience.”
“It takes a little bit more time to get also to the right level of vaccination.”
“You need a strong IP culture to help promote medical progress.”
“Many employers don't really listen to what the colleagues have to say.”
“Nobody had made or thought about a covid-19 vaccine until this pandemic.”

Guests Social Media Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-van-der-loo-42048b2/?originalSubdomain=ae
Company Website: Show more...

4 years ago

47 minutes

empowerME Conversations

Season 2, Episode 2 - Democratizing Commerce with Ramez Shehadi

Key Takeaways:
0:00 Intro
1:23 Ramez talks about digitization of the Middle East economy, what it means and what he is seeing on the ground
3:40 MENA internet penetration higher than global average (https://www.statista.com/statistics/265171/comparison-of-global-and-middle-eastern-internet-penetration-rate/)
5:22 Ramez shares some of the reasons why he feels that businesses are still struggling to join the digital world
7:55 100,000 UAE Golden Visas for coders: Who can apply and how (https://www.khaleejtimes.com/news/100000-uae-golden-visas-for-coders-who-can-apply-and-how)
8:53 Ramez talks about what he does with his role at Facebook to get more of the SMEs online and be digital
9:30 New unicorns spike 491% to 136 in Q2, says report (https://www.zawya.com/mena/en/business/story/New_unicorns_spike_491_to_136_in_Q2_says_report-SNG_226689313/)
11:10 Facebook launches #LoveLocal initiative in MENA (https://www.sme10x.com/10x-industry/facebook-launches-lovelocal-initiative-in-mena)
14:22 Ramez talks about how the pandemic has been kind of a wake up call for the SMEs to go big and digitalize
17:09 Huda Beauty (https://hudabeauty.com/us/en_US/home)
17:44 Will conversational commerce be the next big thing in online shopping? (https://www.economist.com/business/2021/07/10/will-conversational-commerce-be-the-next-big-thing-in-online-shopping)
18:04 Ramez talks about e-commerce and c-commerce and how they are evolving in the Middle East region and what plans Facebook has towards that
22:42 Dubai 'ghost kitchen' Kitopi is adjusting to life in a pandemic (https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/ghost-kitchens-kitopi-spc-intl/index.html)
27:06 Ramez talks about the transformation of Facebook in terms of the revenue structure and how it changes as the environment changes
29:15 Ramez talks about advertisements in the Middle East and if it has fully digitalized in terms of even putting the advertiser's money online
32:18 Ramez also talks about scalability and how brands are being able to scale globally thanks to platforms like Facebook especially in the Middle East
36:16 Ramez talks about what people should be focusing on in the ecosystem for them to be successful especially in the Middle East
39:15 Ramez talks about entrepreneurship and why we need to widen its definition so as to even accommodate the small businesses and what can be done to help the SMEs
42:36 Ramez talks about how Facebook balances its business goals and the social issues especially in the Middle East region

Shows Mentioned:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
WhatsApp: https://www.whatsapp.com/?lang=en
Messenger: https://www.messenger.com/
MENA Region: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MENA
Huda...

4 years ago

45 minutes

empowerME Conversations

Season 2, Episode 1 – Transforming Logistics with Jean-Francois Condamine

UPS President for Indian subcontinent, Middle East, and Africa Jean-Francois Condamine on the e-commerce boom in the Middle East, promoting sustainability in the logistics industry, and empowering small and medium enterprises to become regional and global exporters.

Key Takeaways:
0:00 Intro
1:10 Jean-Francois talks a little bit about the current state of the logistics industry in the Middle East
2:00 Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince launches National Transport and Logistics Strategy (https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2021/06/30/Saudi-Arabia-s-Crown-Prince-launches-National-Transport-and-Logistics-Strategy)
5:05 E-commerce in the region set to be worth $48bn by 2022 (https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/technology/e-commerce-in-the-region-set-to-be-worth-48bn-by-2022-1.745643)
6:16 2020 UPS Corporate Sustainability Report (https://about.ups.com/us/en/social-impact/environment/climate/2020-ups-corporate-sustainability-report.html)
8:55 Jean-Francois explains if the new Saudi strategy is trying to compliment or compete with UAE in terms of positioning in the logistics industry
12:08 Jean-Francois talks about the trends in terms of the e-commerce companies looking to enter the Saudi market, the challenges they face, and if the market is expanding
14:01 Jean-Francois talks about digitalization and how it enables the ease of doing business and facilitation
15:25 Jean-Francois talks about the similar characteristics that the best-emerging markets have other markets could learn from for them to also be good
17:36 Jean-Francois talks about how different economies pivoted and sort of transformed themselves during the pandemic
18:00 Dubai restructures business chambers to lead 'economic transformation' (https://www.arabianbusiness.com/politics-economics/465250-dubai-restructure-business-chambers-to-lead-economic-transformation)
19:44 Jean-Francois talks about the role that UPS is playing and the programs that it has embarked on in helping the SMEs expand in the market
20:28 The impact of SMEs on the UAE's economy (https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/business/crowdfunding/the-impact-of-smes-on-the-uae-economy)
21:24 UPS Women Exporters Program (https://www.ups.com/us/en/services/small-business/women-exporters-program.page)
25:14 Jean-Francois talks about why the SMEs need to be exporting their products outside of their own geography
26:18 UPS Smart Logistics Challenge - AstroLabs (https://astrolabs.com/ups-smart-logistics-challenge#:~:text=UPS%20partnered%20with%20AstroLabs%20in%20advance%20of%20Expo,solutions%20with%20UPS%20in%20an%20emerging%20markets%20context.)
26:45 Jean-Francois talks about why they decided to partner with logistics startups rather than compete with them
29:30 Jean-Francois talks about what they are focusing on in the logistics technologies that they need to pay attention to that could be exciting in the next decade
30:53 Jean-Francois explains if we should expect to see an all-electric...

4 years ago

33 minutes

empowerME Conversations

Must See (Saudi) TV with Alaa Fadan

Saudi Arabia-based Telfaz11 has long been regarded as one of the leading players on the MENA region’s digital media scene. 2020 has been a year in which Telfaz11 (whose creative content had garnered it more than 2.3 billion views and 24.8 million subscribers) has had to pull the shutters down on some of its productions owing to the effects of the COVID-19 crisis- but it’s also been a year where it inked a multi-picture deal with Netflix. We're joined by CEO Alaa Fadan who talks the rise of the business, and where it could head in the future.

Key Takeaways:
0:00 Intro
1:01 Alaa talks about the journey and the opportunity that he saw in creating Telfaz especially in an era when entrepreneurship was not fashionable
9:06 Alaa talks about how they reduced cost of running their business and how they distributed it to the people and became huge in Saudi Arabia in terms of content
11:14 Alaa talks about how their content resonated with creating an outlet for Saudi creatives and a Saudi voice as they grew
14:21 Alaa also talks about how the globalization of their content will look like after signing the deal with Netflix and being given that global exposure with their shows
17:41 Alaa talks of the movie industry in Saudi especially opening of the movie theatres in time when others countries are retreating from it going virtual and if the industry will survive
20:40 Alaa shares some of the ecosystem changes that he has seen in the industry in the last 10 years that he has been in this business
22:35 Alaa also talks about if the talent pipeline has become more robust in Saudi now that there's a professional outlet for creativity
23:03 Alaa talks about what needs to happen for the talent pipeline to improve especially in Saudi Arabia
25:08 Alaa also talks about what needs to be done in Saudi to motivate the big companies and the government to start working with the local talents
26:26 Alaa explains from an educational side how they are investing in it to create a sort of vertical and creative arts
27:26 Alaa talks about the engagement of women in arts and creatives and if the participation of women in this industry in Saudi is increasing
30:10 Alaa talks about the funding side and some of the challenges that he faced in getting the capital and especially the venture capital
32:13 Alaa explains if there will be more Saudis starting companies today in the entertainment industry and viewing it as a career
34:47 Alaa talks about the importance having the role models in an industry that are doing well and how it encourages young entrepreneurs
36:29 Alaa also talks about the big observations that he is noticing about the culture change in Saudi in the past few years
39:14 Alaa talks about how digitalization has accelerated due to the pandemic and how the pandemic has impacted Telfaz
40:59 Alaa also talks about if there are more international players approaching him and Telfaz for more Saudi specific content
43:06 Alaa talks about where he sees Telfaz in the next five years given all of this acceleration of the industry in Saudi
44:34 Alaa talks about their audience and if he sees it expanding locally and even globally in the near future

Shows Mentioned:
Netflix, Inc. is an American over-the-top content platform and production company headquartered in Los Gatos, California. Netflix was founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California.

STV is a Scottish free-to-air television channel owned by STV Group plc and is a part of the ITV network. It operates the two Channel 3 licenses in northern and central Scotland, formerly known as Grampian Television and Scottish Television.

https://www.venturesouq.com/

Clubhouse is an invitation-only audio-chat iPhone app launched in April 2020 by Paul...

4 years ago

46 minutes

empowerME Conversations

Transforming Homz with Mahmoud Ibrahim

Key Takeaways:
0:00 Intro
0:59 Mahmoud shares a little background of what made him choose the path of founding startups
3:18 Mahmoud talks about the challenges that he and the company faced especially with regards to the market
5:29 Mahmoud also shares some of the lessons he learned in Pakistan and how that market developed in terms of e-commerce in those early stages
7:59 Mahmoud shares his thoughts on why he thinks Alibaba were attracted to the Daraz as a marketplace
11:11 Mahmoud talks about success in startups and if he has seen a ripple effect of success stories in the case of Daraz
12:52 Mahmoud talks about what made him start Homzmart, the three factors to starting a new business, why he chose that particular industry and why in Egypt
18:45 Mahmoud talks about the difference between when he operated Jumia versus now Homzmart specifically with regard to government
20:42 Mahmoud talks about digitization and the common thing that he has noticed in the e-commerce markets that creates a business opportunity
23:17 Mahmoud explains how the positive government regulations of making it easier to do business has made young people want to be entrepreneurs
25:00 Mahmoud talks about what he perceives now as his biggest challenge to scaling his business across the region
26:51 Mahmoud explains how talent has played part in the success of his business
30:07 Mahmoud talks about the experience he has had with Homzmart when it comes to women and women inclusion in the business
32:42 Mahmoud shares his point of view as a CEO on women moving up the ladder within Homzmart and taking on leadership positions
36:05 Mahmoud talks about the one thing that policymakers could focus on that would really move the needle in terms of having more companies started
39:32 Mahmoud explains how he finds the financing environment to be and at the various stages of startups in Egypt
42:35 Mahmoud talks about how easy it would be to start a business especially for the youths especially in Egypt
45:36 Mahmoud talks about the next big area that he would tell a young entrepreneur with a million dollar seed funding to focus on
48:36 Mahmoud shares the vision of Homzmart in the next 12 months

Shows Mentioned:
Jumia is an online marketplace for electronics, and fashion among others targeting several African countries.

Alibaba Group Holding Limited, also known as Alibaba Group and as Alibaba.com, is a Chinese multinational technology company specializing in e-commerce, retail, Internet, and technology.

Amazon.com, Inc. is an American multinational technology company based in Seattle, Washington, which focuses on e-commerce, cloud computing, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence.

Cisco Systems, Inc. is an American multinational technology conglomerate headquartered in San Jose, California, in the center of Silicon Valley. Cisco develops, manufactures and sells networking hardware, software, telecommunications equipment and other high-technology services and products.

Daraz is an online marketplace and logistics company which operates in markets of South Asia and Southeast Asia. It was founded in 2012 as an online fashion e-commerce marketplace in Pakistan by Muneeb Maayr & Farees Shah at the based venture builder, Rocket Internet.

Tesla, Inc. is an American electric vehicle and clean energy company based in Palo Alto, California. Tesla's current products include electric cars, battery energy storage from home to grid scale, solar panels and solar roof tiles, as well as other related products and services.

Quotes Mentioned:
“There are two kinds of people alive, which are, people embracing change and people creating the change.”
“After the currency dilution in 2017 in Egypt, they had to allow a lot of like fundamental changes in the way the economy operates...

4 years ago

48 minutes

empowerME Conversations

From Fashion to Fintech with Hosam Arab

Key Takeaways:
0:00 Intro

0:41 Hosam shares a little background of what made him to become an entrepreneur he is now

2:29 Hosam talks about the history of his company and why he decided to venture into fashion industry

4:23 Hosam talks about e-commerce and what led them to take their fashion business online and how convenient it is to both the businessman and the customers

6:37 Hosam talks about how it was becoming an entrepreneur and starting a business in times when entrepreneurship was not so common

8:06 Hosam also talks about their growth process and the positive and the negative things that he and the company encountered

11:07 Hosam shares his experience with e-commerce and the challenges that he faced while scaling specifically with e-commerce

13:00 Hosam talks about cross-border scaling challenge that they faced as a business and how they dealt with it

15:16 Hosam shares an advice to entrepreneurs who are planning to be in the e-commerce, what to do and what not to do

16:50 Hosam also shares his thoughts on vertical e-commerce and horizontal e-commerce and which is more convenient especially in these times

19:02 Hosam talks about Omni-channel retail and shares his thoughts around it if it’s important

20:49 Hosam talks about what prompted him to move from the fashion world to FinTech and how that has been for him

24:25 Hosam explains different reasons as to why FinTech is doing well in some regions than others

25:26 Hosam also explains why FinTech is growing quicker nowadays as opposed to earlier days

27:27 Hosam compares his early stage back then in his first company and early stage now in his new venture Tabby

28:50 Hosam talks about the challenges that he and the company are facing today as a startup and if they are different from ones from initial company

30:36 Hosam talks about the advice he would give to someone in power with the ability to change entrepreneurship if he was given the chance

31:23 Hosam also shares advice to the young that are planning on starting their entrepreneurial journey

32:44 Hosam talks about the impacts that the pandemic has caused especially in the e-commerce

34:40 Hosam shares the vision of Tabby in the near future

Shows Mentioned:
https://tabby.ai/

https://en-global.namshi.com/

Zappos.com is an American online shoe and clothing retailer based in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.

Google LLC is an American multinational technology company that specializes in Internet-related services and products, which include online advertising technologies, a search engine, cloud computing, software, and hardware.

Amazon.com, Inc. is an American multinational technology company based in Seattle, Washington, which focuses on e-commerce, cloud computing, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence.

BeautyCart is a dynamic and rejoice online seller.

Omni-channel retail is a multichannel approach to sales that focus on providing seamless customer experience whether the client is shopping online from a mobile device, a laptop or in a brick-and-mortar store.

Emaar Properties is an Emirati multinational real estate Development Company located in the United Arab Emirates.

FinTech is a portmanteau of the terms “finance” and “technology” and refers to any business that uses technology to enhance or automate financial services and processes.

Quotes Mentioned:
“Fashion was one of those that everyone globally was sort of questioning whether it could work online.”
“Offering customer convenient option needs to come at the same time as a great experience...

4 years ago

37 minutes

empowerME Conversations

Double Vision with Anass Boumediene and Mehdi Oudghiri

Eyewa was founded in 2017, with a purposeful intent to offer an advanced and easy-to-use platform to purchase high-quality eyewear at affordable prices, creating a unique, efficient, and memorable shopping experience to all. Ever since, we became the largest and most trusted online eyewear store in the Middle East to provide the finest brands of prescription glasses, sunglasses, blue light glasses, color contact lenses, and corrective contact lenses.

Key Takeaways:

0:00 Intro

1:02 Anass talks about why they decided to leave their jobs and be entrepreneurs

2:05 Mehdi shares a little background on their first venture in food delivery as entrepreneurs and how their journey in the tech world started

6:14 Anass also explains what he thought was unique in Saudi Arabia in 2015 that caused the significant growth of the Foodpanda

7:55 Anass talks about the demand that was there in Saudi but the supply was less which gave them the opportunity

8:38 Anass also talks about how profitable the business of food delivery is in the Saudi Arabia as compared to other regions

11:33 Anass shares a little background of the Eyewa company and how it all started and why they decided to be in the eyewear space

12:46 Anass also shares the reasons that made them decide to be an e-commerce company and focus on the online sales

14:11 Anass also talks about the ecosystem they were operating in while growing Eyewa in raising the capital

15:30 Anass also talks about how they made sure that they had the right talents in their team and the right culture in their business

18:40 Mehdi talks about what he feels has been the most significant challenges in the ecosystem of building a company

20:18 Anass talks about what it would take to cultivate local talent in their region rather than having exported talent

21:56 Anass shares what he thinks needs to be done to encourage and push more people to entrepreneurship

23:33 Anass also shares his thoughts on why there is less unicorns in their region in the business world

24:56 Mehdi explains how having significant access to scale funding, would it make your journey a lot easier to scale especially in overcoming laws and regulations

27:33 Anass and Mehdi share the impacts that Covid has made in their business and how it has impacted the macro of e-commerce

31:16 Anass talks about the future of retail and how they are going to be different from other retailers

35:39 Mehdi talks about the ways they are creating innovation in their company, how they’re using virtual reality Try-on, how they're using A.I., how they're using machine learning

39:09 Anass and Mehdi explain why they were able and successful in hiring so many women in Saudi Arabia and why women and not men

42:34 Anass talks about if we're going to see more women moving up to the C Suite and to boards as the entrepreneurial landscape continues to increase

45:23 Mehdi and Anass talk about the next big investment trends where people should put their money specifically in the region

Shows Mentioned:
Bain & Company: is a top management consulting firm.

Rocket Internet: incubates and invests in internet and technology companies globally.

Foodpanda is a mobile food delivery marketplace owned by Berlin-based company Delivery Hero SE and operates in about 50 countries.

HungerStation delivers your favorite food and grocery nearest to you in Saudi Arabia.

Otlob is the number one online food delivery in Egypt.

24h.ae is active in the UAE and provides a convenient way to order food in seven cities - Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah.

Quotes Mentioned:
“In Saudi, we have a very young population, very...

4 years ago

48 minutes

empowerME Conversations

It's a Mumz World with Mona Ataya

Mona Ataya, CEO and founder of Mumzworld.com, has proven to be one of the Middle East’s most prominent of women entrepreneurs. Beyond leading a successful and growing SME, and inspiring her employees and communities, Mona is on a mission to change the region, one mum at a time.

A transformational leader and a change agent in every sense of the word, Mona has managed to grow Mumzworld from a business plan on paper to an enviable brand reaching more than 2 million mothers across the region in 7 years.

Founded in 2011, Mumzworld has pioneered a revolutionary and gold standard e-commerce shopping experience for all things mother, baby and child in the ME region. Today, Mumzworld prides itself with being the leading, trusted and definitive source with over 200,000 products, an engaged community, exclusive product offerings and delivery to over 20 different countries in the fastest, most convenient and cost-effective way, at everyday low prices.

Key Takeaways:

0:00 Intro

0:41 Mona shares her journey of entrepreneurship and what really made her become an entrepreneur

3:23 Mona talks about three things that are necessary when starting a new business, that is, the people you are starting the business with, capital and your risk appetite

5:02 Mona talks about how entrepreneurship has changed or developed from back then when entrepreneurship was not fashionable till today

8:18 Mona also talks about capital, talent, laws and regulations and corruption and how she would rank them in today’s environment

8:44 Mona shares the reasons why she ranked laws and regulations as number one specifically in her sector

9:49 Mona talks about why she would rank capital as number two also in her sector and why the scale capital in the e-commerce sector is lacking

12:43 Mona also talks about what impacts the scalability of her business more in terms of challenges and the two most important drivers for growth

13:53 Mona speaks of what she has done at Mumzworld proactively to increase the participation of women in the economy

17:32 Mona gives advice to the private sector on what they need to do to increase the participation of women in the economy

19:15 Mona talks about how COVID has accelerated flexibility to work from anywhere and anytime and how it has also impacted the e-commerce sector

22:29 Mona shares the vision of e-commerce sector now that it has been impacted by the pandemic

25:24 Mona talks about how and why vertical players are working and also not being crushed by the horizontal players such as Amazon

28:38 Mona shares what to focus on technologically in e-commerce as a vertical player due to the innovations happening in e-commerce

30:22 Mona shares two things that has been the trepidation of the foreign investors investing in e-commerce especially in the Middle East region

33:23 Mona talks about the gap or what’s missing for people to be able to create real innovation

35:55 Mona also talks about the ripple effect of Bayt and of Mumzworld especially to the Middle East region

38:55 Mona explains the biased and non biased way where she would invest in, in the Middle East if she had $10 million and why

Shows Mentioned:
FMCG: Fast-moving consumer goods, also known as consumer packaged goods, are products that are sold quickly and at a relatively low cost.

P&G: The Procter & Gamble Company is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble.

Johnson & Johnson: is an American multinational corporation founded in 1886 that develops medical devices, pharmaceutical, and consumer packaged goods.

Bayt: is the Middle East's #1 job site in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA...

4 years ago

42 minutes

empowerME Conversations

Translating Business with Tarjama Founder and CEO Nour Al Hassan

In Season 1, Episode 1, Tarjama Founder and CEO Nour Al Hassan discusses what drove her to become an entrepreneur, her company’s prescient flexible work model that has promoted women’s economic inclusion as well as resilience, and her policy wish list to help more endeavors like hers succeed in the Middle East.

Key Takeaways:

0:00 Intro

0:49 Nour shares her entrepreneurial journey, how she started her business and importance of working from home

2:49 Nour talks about how it was like to start a business in Jordan and how the ecosystem was back then

3:54 Nour shares the reasons that made her move from Jordan to UAE

5:56 Nour also talks about the importance of education and making people aware that working from home doesn't mean the quality of the work is bad

7:43 Nour talks about why women participation rate in the economy is low despite them having a very high literacy and educational rate such as flexibility

10:36 Nour also talks about flexibility and the impact that COVID has made on flexibility and how nowadays people can work from anywhere

11:35 Nour explains why culture or husband not wanting his wife to work are not the only issues that causes low participation of women in the economy

12:42 Nour also shares her sense of the entrepreneurial ecosystem today and how she sees it differently

13:37 Nour shares her thoughts on where she thinks still a lot more needs to be done in concern with the ecosystem and how they hinder scalability of a business

15:31 Nour talks about government regulations, how some of them hinder businesses from scaling up and what could be done

16:35 Nour shares her thoughts on if the UAE is headed in the right direction in terms of ownership and if it’s impacted her

18:28 Nour talks about the importance of technology in a business and why she is digitalizing her company

23:14 Nour talks about how the Ureed.com platform is unlocking more women to participate in the economy

24:14 Nour also talks about how Ureed.com has unlocked more clients globally for her company

25:00 Nour shares the vision of Tarjama and where their focus will be in the next few years to come

26:41 Nour shares her thoughts on what it’s going to take to be innovative and stop borrowing ideas from others in terms of AI, machine learning and all the new technology

28:59 Nour talks about the positive and the negative changes that she is seeing in Saudi in terms of business

31:53 Nour shares the role that Amman plays in terms of connecting talented humans with businesses for them to grow

33:38 Nour also talks about what her biggest challenge in the business is and what needs to be done

Shows Mentioned:
Ureed.com will connect you with over 35K vetted freelance talents across all professional domains. You think big, you get big!

https://www.tarjama.com/

https://twitter.com/acmideast?lang=en

www.atlanticcouncil.org

Quotes Mentioned:
“The power of network, when it comes to females is very strong.”
“There was no ecosystem that actually looked after entrepreneurs the way the ecosystem is built now.”
“Customer is always right and comes first.”
“If women are given the opportunity, they'll be able to do anything.”
“When the woman gains financial independence, she feels completely empowered, totally capable of actually having her own opinion and participating in the house.”
“People want to see more scalable companies to attract investment and foreign direct investment.”
“If they sell locally, they're good enough.”
“In the...

4 years ago

38 minutes

empowerME Conversations

Pilot Episode

Features conversations with business and government leaders shaping the Middle East.

empowerME Conversations is a project of the Atlantic Council’s empowerME initiative.

4 years ago

4 minutes