I'm joined on the show this week by Fares Akkad. Fares is currently Regional Director for Meta and has a long track record with the company formerly known as Facebook. Over the course of his career, Fares has had stints at KPMG, Booz Allen and media giant MBC, as well as going it alone as an entrepreneur. As a son of a Syrian diplomat, Fares grew up in South America and Europe, before moving to the US for university. We talk about how being exposed to so many different cultures has solidified hi...
May 15, 2023•55 min•Season 5Ep. 6
Mounaz and Aya Abdel Raouf are the sisters behind the global luxury brand, Okhtein. They have always had a love for fashion and accessories, and day-dreamed about working in the industry from when they were children. In 2014, they turned their fantasy into a reality, launching Okhtein. Since then, they’ve had celebrities like Beyoncé, Emma Watson, Cardi B and Gigi Hadid photographed with their accessories. Their brother, Mohamed Abdel Raouf, joined the company as CEO in 2018. Today, Okhtein cont...
May 01, 2023•42 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Ramy started out as a stand-up comedian, and is the star of the eponymous hit show, Ramy, which has won Golden Globes and Peabodies, as well as Emmy nominations. He's also the co-creator of Mo with Mo Amer, and can be seen later this year in Poor Things with Emma Stone, William Dafoe and Mark Ruffalo among other big wigs of the industry. I binged watched all 3 seasons of Ramy and am so happy we are finally seeing a show that potrays the Arab immigrant experience as more than a 2D cliché. The sho...
Apr 17, 2023•46 min•Season 5Ep. 4
This season we've partnered with the Egypt Fashion & Design Council, which is launching the first edition of Egypt Fashion Week from May 12 to May 15. I’m joined on this bonus episode by two of the Council’s co-founders, Paul Antaki & Susan Sabet. We talk about the mission behind the EFDC and what they’re hoping to achieve with the first Egypt Fashion Week. You can find out more on their website, and also follow Egypt Fashion Week on Instagram and on TikTok. Learn more about your ad choi...
Apr 12, 2023•20 min
Omniya is an architect and a specialist in cultural heritage conservation, working between Cairo and London. She has worked on some landmark projects in the region, and now divides her time between the Egyptian Heritage Rescue Foundation (EHRF) in Cairo and the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London. Omniya was also one of four co-curators of the Islamic Art Biennale in Jeddah. Omniya talks about the effort that goes into maintaining our historical sites, including raising funds from acr...
Apr 03, 2023•49 min•Season 5Ep. 3
I'm joined on this episode by Ali Shihabi. Ali is a businessman, an investor, a scholar, a writer, and a pundit. A few years ago, Ali left the management of his company, Rasmala Investment Bank, to focus on his passion for writing and commentary. Ali has published two books — Arabian War Games and The Saudi Kingdom — and also writes for outlets like The New York Times, The Atlantic and Foreign Policy. We dig into his life's pivots, from being at the center of one of the biggest reshuffles in the...
Mar 20, 2023•55 min•Season 5Ep. 2
Welcome to Season 6! We're kicking off with a powerhouse broadcaster and journalist, Hala Gorani. Over a career spanning 25 years, Hala has covered natural disasters, wars, elections and interview key global leaders. Last year, Hala took a sabbatical from CNN and is currently working on her first book—a memoir that explores the subject of identity—which will be out in Spring 2024. We dig into her life’s pivotal moments, growing up in the US and France, how and why she chose to become a journalis...
Mar 06, 2023•46 min•Season 5Ep. 1
What I Did Next is back with a new season beginning March 6. On the show, we delve into people’s life journeys from the point of view of twists and turns, shifts and pivots. We’ve all had these moments in our lives that make us stop in our tracks, and course correct. Often we realize the importance of these moments only with hindsight, and this is what forms the underlying current of What I Did Next. We’ll also have a bonus episode with each guest exclusively for our members. You can subscribe o...
Feb 27, 2023•1 min
I hope you’ve enjoyed listening to Season 4 of What I Did Next! It’s been an incredible season and we want to thank each of you for listening in and sending in your feedback and reviews. As always, we end the season with our wrap-up episode where I’m joined by our producer Chirag Desai to chat about some highlights from the season, and a special interview with Magued Sherif, Managing Director at our season partner, SODIC. We’ll be back with new episodes in early March. Until then, follow us on I...
Dec 21, 2022•44 min•Season 4Ep. 9
On our final episode of the season, I’m joined by a powerhouse business woman and role model, Neveen El Tahri. Neveen is the first woman to sit on the board of both the Egyptian Stock Exchange and the Egyptian Financial Supervisory Authority. More recently, she’s been associated with the world of entrepreneurship. As Chairperson of Delta Shield, Neveen is enhancing growth and employment with a focus on youth, entrepreneurship & SME activities. Our conversation though did not just focus on he...
Dec 12, 2022•49 min•Season 4Ep. 8
I’m joined today by a living legend, Tarek Nour, who single-handedly revolutionised the advertising world in Egypt and the Middle East at large. He made household names out of major brands with catchy jingles and his signature voice-overs. Today Tarek is semi-retired, active in some aspects of his business but also able to take a bird’s eye view of the industry, his life and Egypt. We also have more from Tarek in a bonus episode exclusively for our members coming out next week. You can subscribe...
Nov 28, 2022•49 min•Season 4Ep. 7
I’m joined on the show today by Caroline Louca. Carol is an art consultant and started out as a corporate lawyer in Paris and Cairo. In 2008, she moved to the UAE and joined the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority. In that role, she was intricately involved with the establishment of the Louvre, the Guggenheim and the Zayed national museums. She then joined the Middle East team at Christie's in Dubai. Carol and I are old friends and we had a great chat about her career and the art world, espe...
Nov 14, 2022•41 min•Season 4Ep. 6
My guest today is Ayman Mohyeldin, the Arab-American TV anchor on the NBC and MSNBC networks in the US. Ayman spent his formative years in the United States and gravitated towards journalism after he graduated. Over the years, he’s worked as a field producer and reported in the Middle East with CNN and Al Jazeera in addition to the NBC network of channels. A few years ago, he exchanged his flak jacket for a suit & tie to take on prestigious and high-profile anchor positions in New York with ...
Oct 31, 2022•39 min•Season 4Ep. 5
Dr. Nadine Hachach-Haram joins me in the hot seat today to discuss her amazing, life-changing work. Dr. Nadine is a reconstructive surgeon working with the National Health Service in the UK. She's is also the founder of Proximie, a start-up revolutionising how surgery is conducted, with a technology platform that enables operating rooms across remote locations to virtually interact and conduct surgeries in real time. Dr. Nadine saw the horrors war inflicts on people and communities during her fo...
Oct 17, 2022•40 min•Season 4Ep. 4
My guest on this episode is a giant in every field he’s ventured into, Mo Gawdat. Mo was Chief Business Officer at Google X, and is now the popular author of Solve for Happy, Scary Smart, and more recently, That Little Voice in Your Head, with more books to come. He is also behind the One Billion Happy movement which is inspired by his late son, Aly, who died tragically in 2014. Mo today is more monk than mogul. He has gone from corporate man to living out of a carry-on bag, lugging his podcast ...
Oct 03, 2022•58 min•Season 4Ep. 3
My guest on this episode is Amy Mowafi, who makes up one-fourth of the MO4 network of companies. Amy and her team are the digital publishers of CairoScene, ElFasla, StartUpScene, NFTYScene, NFTY Arabia, SceneNoise, SceneTraveller, SceneEats, CairoZoom & the SceneNOW App. They also house a digital creative agency and are leading the way in the Web3 universe as well. Amy brings passion, authenticity and a sense that anything-is-possible to everything she does. She is a fierce proponent of what...
Sep 19, 2022•50 min•Season 4Ep. 2
We’re kicking off this season with Fadi Ghandour, an icon of the Middle East’s business and entrepreneurial landscape. After co-founding Aramex, Fadi became the poster-boy for Arab entrepreneurship success. Aramex went on to become the first Arab company to list on NASDAQ, not a small achievement by any means. We’re focusing our conversation on the pivot that followed, when Fadi decided to leave Aramex and everything he’s been doing since. We also have more from Fadi in a bonus episode exclusive...
Sep 05, 2022•43 min•Season 4Ep. 1
What I Did Next is back with a new season, beginning September 5th. If you’ve heard the show before, you’ll know that the guests on our show are leaders in their fields from across the Middle East. This season we have entrepreneurs, doctors, designers, journalists, innovators and more! You’ll hear a new guest join me in the hot seat every other Monday until the middle of December. We’re also launching a subscription via Apple Podcasts this season. If you like the show as it is, nothing will chan...
Aug 31, 2022•1 min
I hope you’ve enjoyed listening to Season 3 of What I Did Next! We’ve had an incredible line-up of guests, and want to thank each of you for listening in and sending in your feedback and reviews. Listen in to our wrap-up episode where I sit down with our producer Chirag Desai to talk about the highlights of the season, some learnings and a look ahead to Season 4. We’ll be back soon — until then, you can follow us on Instagram, Twitter and on Facebook for updates on the show. This episode is brou...
Jun 27, 2022•42 min•Season 3Ep. 9
I’m delighted to have Youssef El Deeb as my guest today. Youssef is a film-maker, photographer, writer, ad-man, broadcaster, foodie and even a sailor. A son of Alexandria, Youssef’s life has seen him move from Egypt to Canada, to Kuwait, and finally to Dubai where he currently resides. In 2006, Youssef launched the food channel, Fatafeat, a venture he calls ‘his baby’. Youssef created the Fatafeat catchphrase, El Haya Helwa. The origin of this phrase is very close to his heart but can also be se...
Jun 13, 2022•50 min•Season 3Ep. 8
I’m joined on this episode by Nadine Kanso, the ultra-chic and super-creative jewellery designer, photographer, purveyor of beautiful things and all ‘round influencer. Nadine has taken the concept of what it means to be an Arab and translated it using her camera lens, calligraphy or by moulding gold into bold, strong letters to form her signature brand, Bilarabi. Over the years, she has become a leader and style icon in the region. Nadine shares her key pivot points and how there was no linear p...
May 30, 2022•45 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Dr. Ahmed Heikal is today’s guest on the show. As chairman and CEO of Qalaa Holdings, Ahmed is well known to many in the business community across the Middle East. Prior to founding Qalaa Holdings, Ahmed was an integral part of the rise and dominance of EFG-Hermes bank. To some, Ahmed is a polarizing figure. We talk candidly about the trajectory of his career, his appetite for risk and how he views the current phase of his career. This episode is brought to you by: Marakez, Spaces for Life Learn...
May 16, 2022•54 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Clarissa is a multi-award winning journalist and Chief International Correspondent for CNN. She’s been reporting for over 15 years from various countries in the region, including Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. More recently, she covered the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, and she’s also been covering the Ukraine war. Clarissa is also the author of On All Fronts: The Education of a Journalist, one of my favourite books of 2020. She talks about her unconventional childhood and...
May 02, 2022•40 min•Season 3Ep. 5
I’m delighted to welcome Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi to the show. Sultan is someone I have long-admired from afar; a man who has worn many hats over the decades—businessman, art collector, activist, academic. Sultan’s story starts out as a proud son of Sharjah in the UAE before he came to the attention of a wide audience around the world for his activism during the 2011 revolutions in the Arab World. His heritage, nationality and deep sense of what it means to be Arab today is the thread that links ...
Apr 18, 2022•48 min•Season 3Ep. 4
We have the gorgeous Hend Sabri on the show! Hend is the queen of our cinematic hearts, and a leading light of both the silver and the small screens. Although a lawyer by training, Hend went on to star in ground-breaking roles such as Asmaa, where she portrays an HIV-positive woman in rural Egypt, and Ola in Ayaz-Atgawez, whom she recently brought back Finding Ola, which is available on Netflix. Hend has often taken on difficult and taboo subjects that are whispered about but not spoken about ou...
Apr 04, 2022•50 min•Season 3Ep. 3
My guest on this episode is Kito de Boer. Kito spent nearly 30 years at McKinsey, and his exposure to the world of management consultancy as well as international political institutions has given him unique insights into what makes the world go ‘round. Kito also reveals himself to be a man of many hobbies and facets, acknowledging the grounding importance of family and the essential need for a satisfying ‘inner life’. He and his wife are avid collectors of Indian art. His work in helping set gov...
Mar 21, 2022•50 min•Season 3Ep. 2
We’re starting season 3 with the Soprano sensation Fatma Said. Fatma is a soprano taking the world of opera by storm. Since starting out at the iconic La Scala theatre in Milan, she tours the world as a soprano bringing beloved roles to life in productions spanning the traditional languages of opera; Italian, German, French and Russian. In October 2020 Fatma released her debut album with Warner Classics called El Nour, where she crosses cultures from Spain, Egypt and France and encompasses class...
Mar 07, 2022•50 min•Season 3Ep. 1
We hope you’ve enjoyed listening to Season 2 of What I Did Next! We’ve had a great line-up of guests, great feedback and some Apple Podcasts love by being included in their Best of 2021 selection. What more can a podcast ask for?! Tune in to our wrap-up episode where we discuss the highlights of the last 8 episodes and look ahead to Season 3. Listen to the show to hear about an exciting new announcement as well! Happy holidays everyone :) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adch...
Dec 13, 2021•42 min•Season 2Ep. 9
I’m delighted to welcome Prince Abbas Hilmi onto the last episode of Season 2. Prince Abbas Hilmi is a descendent of two Middle Eastern royal houses. Through his father, Prince Mohamed Abdel Moneim, he is a descendent of Mohamed Ali of Egypt, while his mother, Neslishah Sultan, was the granddaughter of Mehmed VI, the last Ottoman Sultan. A quiet and modest man, Prince Abbas Hilmi spoke to me about his unique life journey, weaving stories of royalty and history with the more contemporary realitie...
Nov 29, 2021•41 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Meet Kim Ghattas, journalist, writer and lecturer. Kim’s career has been extensive and multi-layered. Kim, who is half Lebanese and half Dutch, shot to prominence as a BBC reporter, first covering Lebanon and then reporting on U.S. foreign policy from the United States. Lately, she has gained recognition as an author of bestselling books. First came The Secretary and more recently, Black Wave, a must-read for all those interested and concerned about Middle East politics. Listen to my conversatio...
Nov 15, 2021•49 min•Season 2Ep. 7
