What I Did Next

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 realities of the region’s finance and business industries. 

This episode is brought to you by Marakez, building spaces for life; and by EFG Hermes, the leading financial services corporation in frontier emerging markets.

This episode is brought to you by EFG Hermes One, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets. Start investing today!

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 conversation with her where she unpacks what inspires her and more profoundly talks about the shadow that growing up in the Lebanese civil war still casts across her life and outlook. You can find the episode in Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Podbean.

This episode is brought to you by Marakez, building spaces for life; and by EFG Hermes, the leading financial services corporation in frontier emerging markets.

This episode is brought to you by EFG Hermes One, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets. Start investing today!

Bobby Chinn—celebrity chef, raconteur, comic, mimic and globetrotter—is my guest on the show this week. Perhaps best known in the Middle East as one of the judges on MBC’s highly rated show, Top Chef, Bobby brings a unique perspective on what a life journey should look like. 

Our conversation covers everything from his peripatetic childhood to his steep learning curve trying to find the path that was best for him. Taking us on his journey we are entertained and awestruck by his innate positivity and optimism. 

The most striking thing for me was his deep love of family and country that he kept reverting back to time and again during our chat.

This episode is brought to you by Marakez, building spaces for life; and by EFG Hermes, the leading financial services corporation in frontier emerging markets.

This episode is brought to you by EFG Hermes One, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets. Start investing today!

Meet Dr. Lama Al-Sulaiman: wife, mother, business-woman and most notably, an unexpected pioneer of women’s rights in Saudi Arabia. Listen to her story, where she comes across as thoughtful and compassionate. She opens up about her challenges and talks passionately about helping the underdog and less fortunate as well as her fight to get women treated equally in the boardroom.

This episode is brought to you by Marakez, Spaces for Life. Marakez is one of the largest mixed-use developers in Egypt that designs, builds and manages their own properties which have grown to become the heart and soul of the communities they serve.

This episode is brought to you by EFG Hermes One, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets. Start investing today!

Today Hassan Al Damluji, the Deputy Director of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is our guest on the show. 

We trace his life journey, from a young adult discovering his Iraqi roots, to his current role in public health. We talk about his work in the region and his developing a more global world view. Discover how chance trips and encounters have contributed in shaping Hassan’s path.

This episode is brought to you by Marakez, Spaces for Life. Marakez is one of the largest mixed-use developers in Egypt that designs, builds and manages their own properties which have grown to become the heart and soul of the communities they serve.

This episode is brought to you by EFG Hermes One, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets. Start investing today!

Today I welcome Nada Debs to the show. Nada is a Lebanese designer who has re-invented the Levantine tradition of wood-work making. She has taken traditional techniques and given them a modern, contemporary twist. Nada works across a wide range of design including furniture, accessories, crafts, fashion and interiors.

Nada’s life—from her childhood in Japan to graduate school in the US—have all laid the foundations for her professional and personal journey. The 'less is more’ aesthetic that Nada brings to all she does has gained her wide recognition and this has translated into very interesting and dynamic collaborations with such diverse brands as Louis Vuitton, Converse and IKEA.

This episode is brought to you by Marakez, Spaces for Life. Marakez is one of the largest mixed-use developers in Egypt that designs, builds and manages their own properties which have grown to become the heart and soul of the communities they serve.

This episode is brought to you by EFG Hermes One, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets. Start investing today!

Today I am delighted to welcome journalist Max Rodenbeck to the show. From 2000 to 2015 he was the Economist’s man in the Middle East—in 2010, in an article for the magazine, Max predicted the seismic changes that were to come in Egypt in January 2011.

Having been raised from the age of 2 years old in Egypt, Max is not your usual expat; his wife is Egyptian and he has deep roots in the country. Max is also the author of one of my favourite books, Cairo: The City Victorious, a must read for those interested in history and cities.

This episode is brought to you by Marakez, Spaces for Life. Marakez is one of the largest mixed-use developers in Egypt that designs, builds and manages their own properties which have grown to become the heart and soul of the communities they serve.

This episode is brought to you by EFG Hermes One, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets. Start investing today!

We’re kicking off our new season with Fatma and Amina Ghaly, the two talented sisters who are the driving force behind the luxury jewelry brand, Azza Fahmy. They work hand-in-hand to ensure their mother’s philosophy and aesthetic are moved forward for a new generation of customers. The sisters have been instrumental in taking the firm from a local Egyptian niche company to a luxury international brand with 19 retail doors across the Middle East as well as in London and Washington DC, and a staff of over 280 people.

This episode is brought to you by Marakez, Spaces for Life. Marakez is one of the largest mixed-use developers in Egypt that designs, builds and manages their own properties which have grown to become the heart and soul of the communities they serve.

This episode is brought to you by EFG Hermes One, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets. Start investing today!

📣 Season 2 begins August 23! 

We’re thrilled to back with you for a new season of What I Did Next, starting Monday.

Season 2 is a bit less Egypt-centric, we’ve cast a wider net to include an amazing line-up of guests from across our amazing region, and across a range of industries.

We’re also excited to announce that the season will be sponsored by Marakez.

Whether you listen to the show on your walk, your commute, your workout or simply bumming around, we hope you enjoy this season! Remember to stay connected to us for the latest episodes and news.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're wrapping up season 1 today with a slightly different episode. My producer Chirag Desai is turning the tables on me and asking me about my own life journey and the show's two staple questions. A big thank you to our guests this season, and to all of you for joining us, and leaving us wonderful reviews.

A new season of What I Did Next is currently in the works with another amazing line-up of guests coming your way in a couple of months. Until then, please stay tuned to our Instagram where we'll be sharing bonus material from Season 1 and news on what's coming next.

Thanks to Marakez for their support of the show.

This episode is brought to you by EFG Hermes One, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets. Start investing today!