In our upcoming episode, award-winning novelist Avni Doshi opens up about her literary journey. From the process of crafting her debut novel Burnt Sugar, to grappling with the aftermath of critical acclaim, she shares insights into her creative process and the cultural depth that defines her work. Avni and Hashem’s conversion navigates Avni’s love of astrology before moving on to her artistic doubts and the prospect of her book hitting the big screen. 

Coming to your podcast player August 8!

Chef, hotelier and author Fadi Kattan shares a special recipe to help Hashem reuse his leftover Molokhia. Listen to the full episode with Fadi in your podcast apps right before this one, or on our website: https://thelighthouse.ae/podcast/fadi-kattan/

Hashem catches up with chef, hotelier, and author, Fadi Kattan in Bethlehem. Chef Fadi talks about his newly published cookbook, Bethlehem, which is essentially a celebration of Palestinian Food. It is a beautiful homage to Palestine’s food culture conveyed via Fadi’s memories. Snippets of oral history are prominently featured including his grandmother’s recipes, his twists on traditional Palestinian dishes and the concept of ‘loqma’, breaking a dish down to its essence of a single bite. He also highlights the local farmers who inspired him to bring his culinary vision to life.

This week, we’re flipping the script. Art consultant Caroline Louca gets behind the host’s mic to chat with Hashem the art collector! As a long-time friend of Hashem’s, an art advisor, and former Managing Director of Christie’s Dubai, Caroline digs deep into Hashem’s passion for art. They talk about Hashem’s art enthusiast and academic mother, who exposed him to the world of art, how memories of Egypt’s bygone era continue to influence his collection, and why the introduction to seminal GCC artists such as Hassan Sharif was so pivotal to him.

Hashem and Caroline also discuss the evolution of The Lighthouse into a vibrant community hub that fosters connections between art-curious individuals and artists. And here’s a sneak peek: Hashem comes from art royalty, the father of modern Egyptian painting, Mahmoud Said, being his great granduncle.

• Hashem Montasser tells Youssef el Deeb about his journey from Wall Street to building The Lighthouse

Hashem catches up with the renowned art collector and CEO of Vivium Holding, his newly established family office.

Elie, a self-made man who grew up during Beirut's civil war has had a fascinating career journey, pivoting to advertising early in his career and then building & leading Omnicom Media Group MENA for 18 years. In 2017, he established Vivium Holding, a family office focused on all things Elie, a portfolio that includes real estate, tech and hospitality. 

This wide-ranging conversation covers the evolution of advertising in the region, the current state of the Dubai art and design scene as well as his patronage and interest in art. Elie is also a "Shark" on the Dubai edition of the hit reality series Shark Tank and shares key advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.

As someone with a keen eye for detail, Elie also picks up on Hashem's unwavering commitment to wearing black!

Hashem catches up with Hamad Al Awar, the founder of the home-grown burger brand, High Joint, a police officer and a creative artist. Having met at a shawarma place in a very interesting coincidence, Hashem decided to bring their conversation to The Lighthouse Podcast room and explore the man with multiple hats. Hamad walks us through how he is able to balance between all of his roles while being a father of four.

Catch our brand new episode this Thursday with Hamad Al Awar, the founder of the beloved home-grown burger brand 'High Joint'.

Hashem catches up with Mohamed Maktabi, the CEO of Iwan Maktabi, the go-to address for rare carpets and textile art in the MENA region. They go back in time as Mohamed reveals the captivating tale of his family's heritage: from his grandfather's migration from Iran to Lebanon, fueled by a passion for collecting the most exquisite carpets, to the present-day business in Beirut and Dubai. Mohamed shares his passion for storytelling through the intricate artistry of carpets and how the business came to be named ‘Iwan Maktabi’ (spoiler alert: it’s not a family member!).

We're back this week with a brand new episode with Mohamed Maktabi, the man behind the carpet dynasty, Iwan Maktabi. Find it in your podcast player this Thursday.

In our 2023 review episode, our producer Chirag Desai catches up with Hashem to discuss the milestones from this past year such as coping with fear of failure, the allure of leaving a legacy behind and the loneliness of being an entrepreneur. Plus, Hashem talks about his soft spot for the late Queen Elizabeth – and we finally find out why!