Entrepreneurs
Beyond Excellence: Kuwait Airways CEO Maen Razouqi
Meet the man on a mission to bolster the future of Kuwait's national airline.
Aby Sam Thomas Archives - Page 3 of 10 - MENA Edition - Page 3 of 10 - MENA Edition
Former Editor in Chief of Entrepreneur Middle East
at Entrepreneur
Entrepreneur Staff
Aby Sam Thomas is the former Editor in Chief of Entrepreneur Middle East. Having started working on the brand in November 2014, Aby was responsible for leading the publication on its editorial front until September 2024.
In his nearly-decade-long tenure at Entrepreneur Middle East, Aby played a key role in its growth and development across the MENA region, with him developing and executing events, programs, and other initiatives under the brand's banner, while also personally representing it through his appearances in conferences, media, etc.
Aby has been working in journalism since 2011, prior to which he was an analyst programmer with Accenture, where he worked with J. P. Morgan Chase's investment banking arm at offices in Mumbai, London, and New York. He holds a Master's Degree in Journalism from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York.
More From Aby Sam Thomas
Entrepreneurs
Design-Led: Homegrown UAE Brand Kameh Wants Its Work (And Not Its Founder) To Be Centerstage
Launched in 2022, Dubai-based collective design brand Kameh combines craftsmanship and complexity into original interior home pieces where function and art are synonymous.
Growth Strategies
Call A Spade A Spade: Meting Out A Valid Criticism Does Not Make You Disloyal To The Spirit Of Entrepreneurship
Just because you are sharing an "unpopular opinion" doesn't mean you are in the wrong. Often, it may put you in the position of being the only right one.
Entrepreneurs
Follow The Leader: Seafood Souq Co-Founder Fahim Al Qasimi Is Building “A UAE-Born Business That Will Change The World”
Here's how Seafood Souq is capitalizing on the growing trend of supply chain awareness in the global seafood industry.
Growth Strategies
Thales Chairman And CEO Patrice Caine On His Company Acting As “Cyber Doorkeepers” For Its Clients Around The World
It's probably nothing new to hear that organizations that don't safeguard themselves from digital risks stand to lose a lot- but what might be more pertinent to note in our current circumstances is the sheer rise in cybercrime of late.
Entrepreneurs
The Nays Have It: Passing On An “Opportunity” Isn’t Always A Bad Idea
More often than not, we say yes to things purely out of fear that missing out on them will cost us, without bothering to consider the cost we are going to pay by taking on these endeavors in the first place.
News and Trends
“A Solid Value Proposition”: Khaled Bin Alwaleed Takes Stake In Eclipse Foods’ US$40 Million Series B Round
Co-founded by James Beard-nominated chef Thomas Bowman and alternative protein expert Aylon Steinhart, Eclipse Foods was launched in 2019, and it has since grown to become a global leader in creating sustainable, plant-based products that are "indistinguishable from conventional dairy."
Lifestyle
Cheerleaders > Doomsayers: It May Not Sound Realistic To You, But That Doesn’t Mean It’s Wrong
Changes in life and career trajectories can sometimes sound alarming, but you don't need to be the one to ring the bell.
Entrepreneurs
Meet Abdallah Of Arabia: Abdallah Abu-Sheikh, The Serial Entrepreneur Behind UAE-Based Barq And Rizek
Abdallah Abu-Sheikh is the co-founder and CEO of Barq, the first-of-its-kind tech-driven network of electric vehicles built to serve the MENA region's last mile delivery sector.
Entrepreneurs
Making A Splash: Karen Wazen And Elias Bakhazi Launch Their MEA-Focused Investment Firm, KE Partners
The duo are launching KE Partners with a sizeable portfolio of startups- in fact, they've already invested in 12 different companies, and that's a figure that's only set to rise in the future.
Growth Strategies
Being Fair Is (Perhaps) The Most Underappreciated Strategy In Today’s Workforce
Being fair may require you to make difficult choices, but its value lies in the fact that you will never be short-changed for doing so.
Entrepreneurs
JP Anglo’s Kooya Aims To Bring Elevated Filipino Food To The UAE
"Our main idea is really to bring good Filipino food to countries outside of the Philippines."
Entrepreneurs
Based Out Of The UAE, Bianca Obrique’s The Woven House Supports Artisans From The Philippines
Obrique was driven to launch The Woven House after she herself found it hard to source such handcrafted home décor products -which are quite characteristic of the Philippines.
Entrepreneurs
Man On A Mission: Vurse Founder Shadman Sakib
Vurse is "an interactive short video platform" that Sakib is aiming to launch in the second half of 2022.
Entrepreneurs
Dubai-Based Online Food Delivery Concept Mama Rita Brings A New Spin To Homecooked Meals
"Our idea for Mama Rita is premium quality food with democratic pricing, and a menu carefully curated by the family."
Entrepreneurs
Jeddah-Based Midwam Offers A Fresh Take On Designing And Curating Unique Immersive Experiences
Founded in 2012, Midwam is a Jeddah-based immersive experience design company that specializes in designing and curating unique immersive experiences for organizations and institutions.
Entrepreneurs
Kyma Co-Founders Farida El Agamy, Dima Samaan, And Samar Sayegh Want To Engineer A “Refillution” To Safeguard The World That We Live In
Kyma's refill and reuse model is an attempt by three women to disrupt the manufacturing processes of an industry that they believe has been quite limited on innovation.
Entrepreneurs
Making Complex Simple: Ahmed Saleh On His Dubai-Based 3Fils Becoming “The Best Restaurant In The MENA”
"The great idea we have at 3Fils is about 'making complex simple,'" Ahmed Saleh says. "It's not just a slogan, it's a way of life. We implement and live this daily, and simplicity always wins."
Entrepreneurs
Sharjah Media City Chairman Dr. Khalid Omar Al Midfa Talks Venture Building, Startups, And Success Rates
"My mantra is: 'Don't expect others to do a task that you would not be prepared to do yourself.' I think this is something that makes a leader stand out."
Lifestyle
Advocating For Equality Isn’t Enough; You Have To Do The Work
It's easy to profess our support for a more equitable world- but what we actually need is less talk, and more action.
Entrepreneurs
In For The Long Haul: Binance Founder And CEO Changpeng Zhao Is Going All In For Crypto
According to Bloomberg's Billionaire Index, Changpeng Zhao (CZ) has joined the ranks of the world's top billionaires, with an estimated net worth of at least $96.5 billion.
Entrepreneurs
Lay Of The Land: Terra Founder Rashed Al Tayer On Embracing His Roots
"Terra is my soul, and a personal heaven. It is an authentic space that welcomes guests to come as they are."
Growth Strategies
Staying Power: Acknowledging Commitment (And Follow-Through) Is Just As Important As Meeting Targets
"At the end of the day, progress is progress, no matter how small."
Growth Strategies
The Year That Was: Reflections 2021
Our hope is that these insights from a variety of voices in the MENA business ecosystem will both inform and inspire you to engage in some active reflection of your own, and then use it to manifest your dreams for 2022.
Growth Strategies
2021, The Year That Was: Alexander Heller, Founder, HyperSpace
HyperSpace claims to be the first in the world to build physical attractions that are blockchain-enabled and extended reality-native, with it making use of cutting-edge emerging technologies, spatial compute layers, real life virtual effects, NFT projects to create these purpose-built parks.
Growth Strategies
2021, The Year That Was: Nadia Rouchdy, Co-Founder, Reel Palestine
"What I loved about 2021 is that even though the world threw us so many challenges, we were still able to bring Palestinian stories to the forefront, and explore an ever-ranging world of characters, narratives, and relationships, in a way that isn't done through traditional media."
Growth Strategies
2021, The Year That Was: Tim Cordon, Area Vice President for the Middle East and Africa (MEA), Radisson Hotel Group
"The hospitality industry is constantly evolving, and it is essential to respond to consumers' changing behaviors, which is necessary for the recovery of the hospitality sector."
Growth Strategies
2021, The Year That Was: Amjad Barakat, Co-Founder, Innovision Holding
"We will have our vision of Brunch & Cake solidified in 2022, with further global expansions into markets like London and India. We have been planning milestone launches in both Saudi Arabia and Egypt in 2021, and 2022 will see them come to life."
Starting a Business
2021, The Year That Was: Salwa Radwi, Founder, Nuqtah
Having recently closed a pre-seed round led by Shorooq Partners, Nuqtah, which was also part of the Sanabil 500 MENA seed accelerator program, aims to be "the ultimate environment" for creatives in Saudi Arabia.
Growth Strategies
The Standard That You Set For Yourself Is The Only One That (Really) Matters
Yes, perfection may well be the enemy of progress, but that isn't an excuse to not strive for excellence in whatever you set out to do.
