I‘m joined today by a legend of from the world of architecture, Abdel Wahed El Wakil. I sat down with him a couple of weeks ago in Doha, where he now lives, to document his incredible journey, his vision for architecture as an industry, and Islamic architecture in particular.

Abdel Wahed has designed buildings around the world, including in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Paris and London. He also studied and worked under his mentor, Hassan Fathy, an architecture legend in his own right.

We’ll be continuing our conversation next week, where Abdel Wahed tells me about the evolution of architecture and materials, so stay tuned!

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Chapters:

0:00 Coming up

10:42 Architecture's Purpose

19:10 Materialism vs Spirituality

23:21 Cultural Revolution

26:34 Designing for the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies

37:58 Reviving Community Spaces

41:40 Lightning Round

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I'm re-connecting today with award-winning film producer Mo Hefzy. Since I first spoke to him in 2022, Mo has had a series of successful releases, including 'Flight 404', 'Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo', 'Darwish', and many more.

0:00 Welcome to a new Encore

0:44 Growth of Saudi cinema

2:50 Challenges in Egyptian cinema

8:00 The impact of streaming

23:34 The Lightning Round

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We’re continuing my conversation with legendary architecture Abdel Wahed El Wakil. Today, we’re diving deep into the world of architecture and materials. This episode is a crash-course whether you're in the field, an enthusiast like me, or just want a better understanding of the world around us. Abdel Wahed also tells me about the spiritual connection that traditional architecture fosters with nature and our experience as humans.

You can watch the first part of our conversation here:

This episode is brought to you by:

Chapters

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I'm re-connecting today with celebrity chef & author Bobby Chinn. I first spoke to Bobby during the summer of 2021 in preparation for Season 2. That feels like such a long time ago, we were just 8 episodes in at the time, and we're now in our 6th year with more than a 100 episodes!

You can listen to that episode in your podcast app or our website: https://www.at-media-group.com/what-i-did-next/bobby-chinn/

This episode is part of Encore, where I check-in with some of your favourite WIDN alumni. We’ll continue this segment with more of the show’s alumni next month, so stay tuned.

Chapters

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We’re continuing my conversation with luxury travel journalist and editor Maria Shollenbarger. Today, we’re delving into the travel industry—how and why certain destinations trend over others, how preferences have changed since COVID, and the future of travel in the age of AI.

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Chapters

0:00 Coming up...

2:30 Travel in a post-COVID world

5:56 The Impact of Social Media

7:22 The role of Airbnb

9:03 Life as a Travel Journalist

11:47 The evolution of luxury travel

16:37 Travel in the age of AI

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I’m excited to be kicking off the year with Maria Shollenbarger, travel editor at the Financial Times’ HTSI magazine. I got to know Maria last year at The Narrative Summit, where she was on a panel that I moderated.

Maria has been with the FT now for 17 years and had always dreamed about working as a travel journalist. On Part 1 of our conversation, we unpack her journey traveling and living around the world.

Maria has a sophisticated eye, an instinct for what travellers need and want, and we’ll her industry in a lot of depth on Part 2 next week, so stay tuned.

This episode is brought to you by:

Chapters:

0:00 Coming up

3:53 Early Career in Magazines

14:56 Moving to Europe

21:37 Life in Singapore

25:22 Reflections on an itinerant life

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We all know the value of looking back to understand our path. But as the world becomes increasingly uncertain, I wanted to open a new chapter on the show.
In 2026, in addition to reflecting on the past, we’re also tackling the big questions about our future. I’ll be asking my guests how they're navigating the same anxieties and opportunities we all face, from AI to climate change to the changing world around us.

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We’re closing out the year with a special episode with EFG Holding, and I’m joined today by the Group’s Chief Finance & Operations Officer, Mohamed Abdel Khabir. Mohamed joined the investment bank in 2008 and took on the CFO role in 2016. Earlier this year, he took on the additional responsibility of Operations, which includes Marketing, Technology & Administration.

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Last week, Mounir Nakhla told me about his entrepreneurial journey with MNT Halan, and how the company has risen to become of the Africa’s fastest growing start-ups. On this bonus episode, Mounir talks to me about the strategy behind their recent expansion into 3 new territories — Turkey, the UAE & Pakistan.

This episode is brought to you by EFG Hermes One, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets worldwide. ⁠Start Investing Today⁠: https://app.efghermesone.com/

Chapters:

0:00 On this episode...

5:12 Consolidation vs. Expansion

8:36 The impact of geopolitical factors

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I'm joined today by entrepreneur Mounir Nakhla. Mounir is the co-founder & CEO of MNT-Halan, Egypt's fintech unicorn that has now served more than 8 million customers and recently expanded into the UAE, Turkey & Pakistan.

Mounir launched his first company in 2010, which showed him the true potential of micro-financing to unlock economic potential. This led him to co-found MNT-Halan in 2021 with Ahmed Mohsen.

Mounir is an old friend and I've always known him to be incredible disciplined and routine-based. So I wasn't surprised to see this translate into his role as a founder and CEO. He tells me how he pivoted to technology and fintech, and how he's grown as a leader as well.

This episode is brought to you by EFG Hermes One, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets worldwide. ⁠Start Investing Today⁠: https://app.efghermesone.com/

0:00 Coming up...

1:59 Early Influences and Education

9:46 Mentorship and Guidance

17:00 Embracing Technology

20:12 From micromanager to delegator

29:03 Personal Goals and Values

30:50 Well-being and Self-Care

32:52 The Lightning Round

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