What I Did Next

Ayman Tamer is the Chairman of the Tamer Group, a third-generation business with a 100-year history in Saudi Arabia.

Ayman tells me how his grandfather opened the first pharmacy in the Arab peninsula in 1922 and its evolution to one of the largest healthcare companies in the region today, with over $2.5 billion in revenue. 

It was clear from our conversation that family is everything for Ayman, and it weaves through the company’s heart and soul.

Chapters

0:24 Going to boarding school

7:17 Family Values in Business

12:43 The Reorganization of Tamer Group

16:11 Taking charge of the business

21:00 Involving the next generation

23:15 Family dynamics

28:57 Future plans

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A few weeks ago, What I Did Next partnered with the 2025 edition of The Narrative Summit which was held at the breathtaking Soma Bay. Today, I’m delighted to share my panel discussion where we explored perceptions of Egypt through a historical and cultural lens, a subject that is close to my heart.

I was joined on the panel by historian Mahmoud Sabit, award-winning historian and broadcaster Bethany Hughes, multidisciplinary artist & deisner Louis Barthelemy, creative director Zach Sherif, and Maria Shollenbarger, travel editor at the Financial Times’ ‘How to Spend it’ magazine.

From reclaiming our narrative beyond the pharaohs, to celebrating craftsmanship, beauty, and global collaborations — this panel was a powerful reminder that culture is not just heritage, it’s our future.

Welcome again to What I Did Next Encore, where I check-in with some of your favourite alumni guests.

Today, I’m re-connecting with one of the guests from our first-ever season, advertising director Ali Ali. He catches me up on what he’s been up to since we last spoke, his short film, Smokey Eyes, and exploring production in Saudi Arabia. 

On this week’s bonus episode, Fatenn Mostafa Kanafani tells me about her work in documenting, codifying, and cataloging her research in art. She’s contributed a chapter in Daughters of the Nile, authored Modern Art in Egypt, and is now working on a third book.

Chapters 
0:00 Introduction 
4:35 The Importance of Modern Egyptian Art 
6:59 Exploring the Egyptian Avant-Garde

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Fatenn Mostafa Kanafani has led a life full of twists and turns. Her career trajectory has seen her go from being a successful marketer with Procter & Gamble to being instrumental in the success of the relaunch of Ahram Beverages, leading to its eventual sale to Heineken in 2002. 

Fatenn then turned her attention to modern Egyptian art and launched Art Talks, a gallery as well as a forum for discussion on all aspects of art. She is now working on a third book in a trilogy looking at Egyptian modern art and artists. She talks to me in great detail about the threads connecting art, politics, and her identity in shaping who she is today. 

On a bonus episode out next week, I talk to Fatenn about her work in documenting, codifying, and cataloging her research in art. She's contributed a chapter in the book Daughters of the Nile, authored Modern Art in Egypt, and is now working on a third book. You can find out all about this on the bonus episode, so stay tuned. 

Chapters: 
0:00 On this episode… 
2:01 Childhood Experiences Abroad 
5:21 Cultural Identity and Challenges 
7:29 Transition to Marketing Career 
10:36 Journey with Procter & Gamble 
13:17 Moving Back to Cairo 
18:11 Ahram Beverages 2
1:56 The Ahram Beverages Success Story 
24:08 Personal Life and Marriage 
28:34 The Role of Art 
29:38 Founding Art Talks 
35:50 Focus on Modern Egyptian Art 
39:01 Lightening Round

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On today’s episode, I’m reconnecting with pioneering Arab designer, Nadine Kanso, founder of jewellery brand BilArabi. Nadine tells me what’s been happening since our last conversation two years ago, including her partnership with Berluti, and staying authentic in an influencer-dominated world online. 

This episode is part of our special series, What I Did Next Encore, where I check-in with some of your favourite alumni guests. We’ll continue this series each month with more of the show’s alumni, so stay tuned. And if you haven’t already done so, you can also listen to my Encore conversations with Omar Samra, Nada Debs and Ahmed Alfi.

We’re continuing my conversation with award-winning ad director and filmmaker Omar Hilal. This week, he tells me about three key projects: the hilarious Aqua Mangos ad, the ground-breaking Royal Jordanian Ad and a sneak-peek into his upcoming film.

You can listen to my full episode with Omar Hilal where he tells me about his life’s pivots, starting out as a photojournalist to award-winning ad director to filmmaker in your podcast app.

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

I’m delighted to be joined by award-winning ad director & filmmaker Omar Hilal as this month’s guest. Omar is one of those people who discovered that he wanted to become a director very early in life. He started out as a photo-journalist and went on to become an accomplished ad director, with stand-out ads such as the Aqua Mangos ad for Nestle and the ground-breaking Royal Jordanian Ad in his portfolio. The ads he’s worked on have won more than 50 awards, including 5 Grand Prix.

In 2023, he switched gears to release his directorial debut, Voy! Voy! Voy!, which went on to win 16 awards globally and was Egypt’s official selection to the Oscars.

Listen in as he tells me about his life’s twists and turns from ad-man to film director and everything in between.

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This week, I’m joined by Rawya Mansour, Chairwoman of RAMSCO Egypt and Oasis Technologies Monaco, for a special episode as part of our collaboration with The Narrative Summit 2025.

Rawya is a pioneer of sustainable development and regenerative agriculture, including shifting away from chemical polymer fertilisers towards green charcoal. We’ll get into the pivotal moments that led her on this journey as well as her involvement with The Narrative Summit. 

The theme for the 2025 edition of The Narrative Summit is Egypt reset – to redefine Egypt’s global standing by showcasing its economic resilience, investment potential and cultural dynamism. The summit will focus on three key pillars—Financial accessibility, Tourism and hospitality, and the sports ecosystem. The Narrative summit will take place from April 7 to 9 against the breathtaking backdrop of Somabay on the Red Sea coast. 

You can follow me on Instagram for coverage from the event, and I’ll also be moderating a panel on the 8th of April.

I’ll be back with a new guest next week, see you then!

I’m excited to share a special episode from the podcast, Gems of Arabia about Arab Representation in Media. The episode, hosted by WIDN alum Hatem Al Akeel, was recorded a few weeks ago at the CNN Academy in Abu Dhabi in front of a live audience of the Academy’s latest cohort of budding journalists.

We were joined by another WIDN alum Becky Anderson, Managed Editor of CNN Abu Dhabi and Arab News’ Editor-in-Chief Faisal Abbas.

This was a great conversation about breaking stereotypes, how Arab voices are represented, and the importance of re-shaping and owning our narrative on the world stage. I hope you find the conversation as insightful as I did.