I’m joined this week by Malak El Baba, Egypt Country Manager for Visa, and a leader and role model for so many in her industry. We had a wonderful conversation that spanned different countries and phases of her life.

Although she has spent nearly two decades in banking and finance, she actually started out wanting to become a diplomat. But destiny had other plans, shaping not just her career but who she married and where she lives today.

Like a true marketer, Malak is very much a people-person, a team builder, and a team player. She’s also an optimist. She truly embodies the traits I find is most successful people. Malak also leads Visa’s Women Leadership Network for MENA, and is the winner of several market leadership awards including four MENA Effies’ awards and 2 Media Efficiency awards.

This episode is brought to you by:

EFG Holding, a trailblazing financial institution with a Universal Bank in Egypt and the leading investment bank in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

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

Hatem Alakeel is an award-winning Saudi designer, fashion entrepreneur and podcast host. He has designed for global icons including Mattel’s Barbie, Evian, Lexus, Fairmont, Raffles, and the Ritz Carlton among others, and he was among the first regional artists to create and celebrate Saudi traditions.

With his first company, Toby Hatem Alakeel, Hatem brought the traditional thobe into the luxury fashion world, with displays at Harvey Nichols, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Boutique 1. Today, he runs Authenticite, a consulting and creative production agency connecting creators and brands who want to understand Saudi culture. He also continues developing content with his editorial pieces showcasing Saudi artists on his website, and through his podcast, Gems of Arabia.

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

Janan Shihadeh has made her mark creating bespoke pieces for clients all around the world—from murals in Washington D.C., to furniture and candles in Cairo, to transforming old handbags into little arm-candy jewels in Dubai.

To say that Janan is versatile is an understatement. She brings passion, imagination and dynamism to whatever art medium she is working on and her eye for detail and colour is unsurpassed. Janan and I have known each other a long time, we even attended the same high school in Jeddah. As a friend, Janan is fun and mischievous. As a guest, she comes across as passionate, eager to tell her story and driven to make her mark through art. 

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

His Excellency Amr Moussa has had a distinguished career in the world of international diplomacy and cooperation. He served as the Ambassador of Egypt to India for 3 years in 1983, he was the Permanent Representative of Egypt to the UN in 1990, he was the Foreign Minister of Egypt for 10 years until 2001, when he became Secretary-General of the League of Arab States. 

He continues to leave an impact today as an elected member of the Panel of the Wise, a critical pillar of the Peace and Security Architecture of the African Union, and as Chairman of the High-Level Advisory Council to the High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations or UNAOC.

This episode was brought to you by EFG Holding, a trailblazing financial institution with a Universal Bank in Egypt and the leading investment bank in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

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

A new season of What I Did Next begins March 5.

I’ll be welcoming a new guest from our region every other Tuesday, and we’ll take a deep-dive into their lives’ pivotal moments. We’ll cross-cross the region and cut across a variety of industries to bring you conversations of success, failure, and everything in-between. This season, I’ll be talking to pioneers from the worlds of art, fashion, business, politics, sustainability, broadcasting and tech.

Make sure to hit the follow button so you’ll get an alert for new episodes. You can also subscribe to become a member of the show to get bonus episodes with each guest and all of our previous bonus content as well. Subscribe in Apple Podcasts or visit our website for more.

You can also find extended clips from all our episodes on YouTube, and connect with us on Instagram, X and on LinkedIn—just search for What I Did Next.

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

We’re currently on a season break and will be back with new episodes in March. In the meantime, I wanted to share my conversation legendary ad-man, Tarek Nour. Tarek told me about the trials and tribulations of the advertising world, and how he continued to adapt to the constantly changing industry. 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. 

Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, X or on LinkedIn for updates, and you can also find longer video clips from my interviews on YouTube. We’ll be back with new episodes in a couple of weeks!

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

We’re currently on a season break and will be back with new episodes in March. In the meantime, I wanted to share my conversation with soprano sensation Fatma Said. Fatma talked to me about her incredible achievements, burning out and a lot more.

You can find her album, El Nour on various streaming platforms here.

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

We’re currently on a season break and will be back with new episodes in March. In the meantime, I wanted to share my conversation with Prince Abbas Hilmi, who told me about his unique life journey and the Egyptian royal family. 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.

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

We’re currently on a season break and will be back with new episodes in March. In the meantime, I wanted to share my conversation with journalist and author Kim Ghattas. 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, The Secretary and Black Wave, a must-read for all those interested and concerned about Middle East politics. 

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. 

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

Today’s episode is a deep-dive with our partners, EFG Holding. As a long-time sponsor of the show, EFG Holding have been avant-garde and frontier-breaking, keeping with their own ethos of being a trailblazing financial institution with a Universal Bank in Egypt and the leading investment bank in Frontier and Emerging Markets.

This week, I’m sitting down Aladdin El Afifi, CEO of EFG Finance, an EFG Holding company - EFG Holding’s Non-Bank Financial Institutions (NBFI) platform. I also speak to Mohamed Abou Basha, an MD and Head of Macroeconomic Analysis at EFG Hermes Research. We talk about their early career pivots, what brought them to EFG and how the company’s culture and values is at the foundation of their growth.

Thank you for joining me on this season of What I Did Next. We’ll be back with a new season in March. Until then, you can catch up on any episodes you’ve missed and also watch segments of our interviews by following us on YouTube.

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