This week’s guest is Elie Khouri, a Lebanese-French businessman, entrepreneur, art patron and media leader. Best known as the founder and chairman of Vivium, a Dubai-based single-family office. A driving force in the communications industry, he has served as chairman of Omnicom Media Group for the Middle East and North Africa since 2019, following a successful 13-year tenure as CEO.

Beyond his corporate achievements, Khouri is widely recognized for his support of contemporary art and entrepreneurship and has gained further visibility as an investor on Shark Tank, where he backs innovative ideas and emerging businesses. Today, his focus is on growing his family office, generating long-term wealth and driving a transition toward alternative investing.

In this episode, we explore Elie’s journey as an entrepreneur and investor, with his experience on Shark Tank Dubai and his approach to evaluating businesses. The discussion covers the skill of sales, the role of social media, and lessons from his time at Omnicom, as well as the challenges of leading across cultures, finding talent and the values shaped by his upbringing.

Elie also shares perspectives on inspiration, mental health and AI as a growth enabler, before reflecting on building a family office, investing in start-ups and the qualities that define true entrepreneurship.

Please welcome to the show, Elie Khouri.

 

1:26 – Elie on Shark Tank Dubai and evaluating the quality of businesses

9:15 – The role of social media in sales

12:00 – Elie on Omnicom

16:29 – The challenge of running a successful business across different cultures

23:24 – Elie’s inspiration

28:40 – The rise of mental health issues

32:45 – The role of AI as an enabler

38:51 Investing in start-ups (some hugely successful, others failures)

53:45 – What success means to Elie

1:01:01 – Failure as a driver of growth

 

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