The 10 Most Inspiring CEOs in Middle East 2022

Cover Story
Rabih Fahreddine
7 Management | CEO & Founder
Fuelling the Global F&B
Revolution
Article
Michael Askew
Tips on starting a technology
business in 2022
10
54

Contents
Mohammad A. Baker
Discovering New Ways to Serve
the Community
Gabriel Meza Madrid
Revolutionizing the Aviation Sector
Dr. Abdulrahman Al Shikhy
Revolutionizing The Ride-Sharing
Experience/ Creating Memorable Travel Experiences
Mouna Abbassy
Bringing Moroccan Beauty Secrets
to the World
Abdulla Najem
Redefining Water Deliveries
18
24
30
36
42
48
Shefiq Abdulla
Helping Clients with Award-Winning
ICT Solutions and Services

T
Leading the Charge!
Editorial Desk
he primary reason for a business's success is good and effective leadership. The
primary purpose of a business leader is to lead others, making self-awareness an
essential trait for inspiring leaders. Anyone can become an inspirational leader, but
it is not something that comes naturally to everyone. Self-awareness and the awareness of
those around are essential parts of inspirational leadership, where one has to find several
ways to inspire those who are following to bring a change.
In the past, leadership was all about pushing a business towards its goals, irrespective of the
impact it leaves on the workforce. At that point of time, being hard-hearted and indomitable
were considered essential traits of leadership. Today the concept of leadership has changed
entirely. Nowadays, the real heroes of a business's success are its employees. So, business
leaders now have to engage with employees to drive organizational success.
Having an inspirational leader/CEO is of utmost importance from an organization's point of
view. However, developing the needed skills to become an inspirational leader is a
never-ending process while one experiences several aspects of leadership and creates the
ability to empower others. Tycoon Success Magazine, in its latest edition, "The 10 Most
Inspiring CEOs in the Middle East 2022," is bringing forward some incredible success
stories of the most inspiring leaders in the Middle East.
The Cover Story Features 7 Management's visionary founder and CEO Rabih
Fakhreddine. Since the first day of his organization, Rabih has aspired to broaden the target
audience of 7 Management, which has led to a diversified portfolio that includes bars,
restaurants, beach clubs, nightclubs, and cafes. Currently, 7 Management owns and operates
various entertainment concepts like Feb30 and Antika Bar, Seven Sisters, culinary offerings,
Kahwet Beirut, and Super Snack El Kbeer in Lebanon and Dubai. The organization also
exposes its audience to brands with tremendous potential in Beirut by bringing them to
Dubai, where it operates seven different brands.
Let's read!

The
INSPIRING

in Middle East 2022
most
Rabih Fakhreddine
7 Management | CEO Founder
Fuelling
The
Global FB Revolution
The 10 Most Inspiring CEOs in Middle East 2022

7 Management | CEO Founder
The 10 Most Inspiring CEOs in Middle East 2022.
Rabih Fakhreddine
12 August 22

Fuelling the Global FB Revolution
L

“
“
ed by the visionary CEO and founder,
Rabih Fakhreddine, Dubai-based 7
Management’s regional recognition has
been established due to its uniqueness and
creativity in connecting with a diverse range of
audiences through providing memorable
entertainment and dining experiences.
Born in Lebanon, Rabih pursued his graduation
from the American University of Beirut in 2006,
where he learned the intricacies of Business
Marketing. After completing his studies, he joined
the FMCG sector, starting with a sales position at
Transmed, where he handled the account of PG.
Later, Rabih joined British American Tobacco and
served in various managerial positions for the
Levant region.
With entrepreneurship in mind, Rabih soon
stepped out of the corporate world to pursue his
dream of the food and entertainment industry. A
few years after graduation, he established his first
bar named Faces in 2012 and a couple of others by
2015. Later, he founded Seven Sisters, a luxurious
combination of music and cuisine in the heart of
Beirut, and shortly afterward, he formed 7
Management to handle the operations.
Rabih says, “I have been cooking with passion
since I was a young child. During my university
days, I was active in several social clubs. I started
saving money that I later used to invest in several
bars and restaurants.”
Currently, 7 Management owns and operates
various entertainment concepts like Feb30 and
Antika Bar, Seven Sisters, culinary offerings,
Kahwet Beirut, and Super Snack El Kbeer in
Lebanon and Dubai.
Since the first day of his organization, Rabih has
aspired to broaden the target audience of 7
Management, which has led to a diversified
portfolio that includes bars, restaurants, beach
clubs, nightclubs, and cafes. The organization also
exposes its audience to brands with tremendous
potential in Beirut by bringing them to Dubai,
where it operates 7 different brands.
The Greatest Accomplishments
Rabih believes 7 Management achieved its most
outstanding achievement in 2021 when the
organization emerged from the pandemic in a solid
position. With all the challenges the food and
beverages industry faced, 7 Management
successfully came out the other side carrying a big
success story.
13 August 22

Soon, within eight months, Rabih and his
colleagues launched six homegrown brands,
putting 7 Management on both international and
regional maps. Its star brands that stand out in the
crowded FB market are Lucia’s, The Theater,
February 30, and Café Beirut, with each brand
now leading its segment.
Also, thanks to Rabih’s lifelong quest to provide
memorable entertainment and dining experiences,
he has recently won the Caterer After Dark
Awards for Nightlife Entrepreneur of the year.
Tackling Challenges
Being a regional leader also presents more
challenges in creating moments and developing
lifestyle brands that can put smiles on people’s
faces and create memories for many people. Rabih
believes this puts extra pressure on the leadership
team to keep leading, creating, and upgrading
experiences that can successfully cater to the
needs and tastes of consumers in a competitive
market like Dubai. This also makes him go the
extra mile to consistently stay ahead of the
competition and retain 7 Management’s lead over
its rivals.
Rabih explains that as the CEO and founder of 7
Management, creating and innovating are two
never-ending processes, and the entire team feels
proud to be regional and international trendsetters.
He says, “People may tell me, this concept is a
copy-paste venue,’but I feel rewarded when I hear
this as I don’t see it as a negative thing. 7M is a
trendsetter and a lifestyle brand that many people
and organizations aspire to, and as CEO, one of
the most important things is to have a healthy
culture within the organization for other people to
keep on creating and innovating.”
Key Learnings
All the obstacles that Rabih and his team faced are
vital learnings and pivotal to 7 Management’s
journey. Now, after spending a decent amount of
time in the industry and going through a lot of wild
experiences, Rabih looks at things from various
perspectives, which has helped him learn many
key strategic lessons for 7 Management’s success.
He also believes this accumulation of experiences
has made the organization what it is today and
made 2021 a great year with numerous launches
across the region.
“We are certainly going to continue facing
obstacles, and we will keep learning and evolving.
This is all part of our journey, and hopefully, all of
this is for the better and contribute to the
continued growth of this organization.”- he
asserts.
14 August 22

Putting Smiles on People’s Faces
For Rabih, success is going to 7 Management’s
venues and seeing people happy, enjoying their
time, and creating memories. He feels all the hard
work is worth for these moments. After such a
tough year, putting smiles back on people’s faces
is something that he deeply cherishes. Rabih feels
proud of his team and their actions, especially
when he comes across random people talking
about 7 Management and its brands across the
region. Such pride encourages him to keep
moving, creating, building, and expanding.
Picture of the Future
Founded in 2015, 7 Management is present in
markets like Beirut, Doha, Dubai, and Riyadh. To
make the company a major international player,
Rabih and his team have plans for several new
markets where they would like to expand their
portfolio, including Athens, London, and entire
Europe.
As a company, 7 Management is always one step
ahead of everyone else. Rabih and his team are
pretty excited by the growing tech industry. They
have firmly tapped into the explosive power of
this sector, resulting in a new payment option,
where clients can pay with cryptocurrencies at all
of the 7 Management’s Food and Beverages
outlets.
Suggestions for Young Leaders
Rabih believes each leader needs to be humble and
keep their feet on the ground because no matter
what position they reach, they are still human
beings. Everything that happened over the last two
years is a grim reminder that nothing is more
valuable than loving and respecting each other.
15 August 22

GMG| Deputy Chairman CEO
Mohammad A. Baker
18 August 22

Discovering New Ways to
Serve the Community
M
eet Mohammad A. Baker, the
Deputy Chairman and CEO of
GMG, a global well-being company
retailing, distributing, and
manufacturing an extensive portfolio of leading
homegrown and international brands across the
health, sports and food sectors.
Having started as a single butcher's shop in 1977,
GMG is now considered one of the leading
family-owned conglomerates in the Middle East.
With its rapidly growing global presence, GMG
now has more than 7,000 employees in 12
countries across the Middle East, North Africa,
and Asia.
In many ways, GMG's success mirrors that of
Dubai. Just as Dubai has transformed from a
humble trading outpost to a global commercial and
tourism hub over the last four decades, GMG has
also undergone sweeping changes since its
inception.
When Baker became the CEO, he had a vision of
transforming the company and make it
future-ready. Under his helm, GMG achieved
significant milestones, such as expanding into Asia
through the acquisition of popular Asian retailer
Royal Sporting House and Géant, a chain of
supermarkets and hypermarkets in the UAE, part
of Groupe Casino, a French retailing giant.
Although born into a family that owns a successful
and growing business like GMG, Baker explored
multiple careers before joining his family
business. After completing his education, Baker
served the banking industry for a brief period of
time and later built his own business, which was
one of the free-standing gyms in Dubai. However,
in 2010, Baker joined GMG and spent his first six
years immersing himself in every aspect of the
business. In 2016, Baker took over as the CEO of
GMG.
Diversifying Offerings
Since its inception in 1977, GMG has worked
round the clock to become the most trusted partner
for growth and innovation across its target markets.
From our modest beginnings in Dubai, our
ambition and vision were to become global,
asserts Baker.
In line with the ambition, the management team
redesigned GMG's business to reiterate the mission
of promoting a healthier and active lifestyle
through four primary business verticals; GMG
Sports, GMG Food, GMG Health, and GMG
Consumer Goods.
At GMG Sports, the firm inspires and empowers
the entire community through high-quality and
authentic sports gear from the world's leading
brands. It also manufactures food products through
its food division, which helps the organization add
value to the UAE's economy by producing locally
and supplying consumers with fresh and nutritious
foods. GMG distributes various popular
homegrown food brands through its Consumer
Goods division and oversees its Géant operations
in the UAE. Additionally, the acquisition of Géant
from Urban Foods has expanded the firm's
capabilities across the food value chain, covering
food manufacturing, distribution, and retail.
19 August 22

On the other hand, GMG's Health Division
delivers a holistic approach to supporting
consumer well-being through nutrition, pharma
care, vitamins, supplements, etc.
Across all of these businesses, we are daring
ourselves and others to develop better products
and experiences that change lives, says Baker.
Handling Challenges
Baker has always believed that failures act as a
stepping stone to success. He says, One of our
values at GMG is to keep evolving. We must
constantly challenge ourselves to meet
ever-changing consumer demands and beyond. To
do so, we must be the change we wish to see and
inspire our partners and communities to do the
same.
The Greatest Accomplishment
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Baker and the
team decided to launch a purpose-centric vision
that could drive them to win globally, not just in
GMG's home market and GCC. This decision
eventually led to GMG's acquisition of Royal
Sporting House, Asia's leading multi-brand sports
retailer, which opened the Asian market for the
organization.
Entering the Asian market during the pandemic
was a bold move as the business sentiments were
low and markets were down. Still, the
organization got an opportunity and went after it.
Baker adds, This coupled with the extraordinary
resilience shown by our people, our partners, and
the community overall in rebounding from this
challenge is an achievement I am extremely proud
of.
20 August 22

Implementing New Ideas
Under Baker leadership,GMG has introduced a
new, revitalized corporate vision and values to set
a clear direction for the company next chapter of
sustainable growth. They are focused on
improving people's lives through active living,
nutritious food, and good health. Baker hopes to
continue acquiring new international brands,
developing homegrown concepts, entering new
markets, and growing GMG's existing partnerships
in 2022.
As a business, GMG will also reap the benefits of
the recent internal restructuring, including the
newly established vertical divisions and reporting
lines that optimize performance and explores new
synergies.
Future Roadmap
As a growth company, GMG's ambition is
reflected by its ongoing journey to expand its
portfolio and double its global workforce by 2025.
Baker says, We see potential in delivering health
and well-being across every market we operate in.
A renewed focus on personal well-being is a trend
we are witnessing across all geographies globally.
In line with this trend and our wider ambitions, we
have made some strategic partnerships and
acquisitions. Baker says, We see potential in
delivering health and well-being across every
market we operate in. A renewed focus on
personal well-being is a trend we are witnessing
across all geographies globally. In line with this
trend and our wider ambitions, we have made
some strategic partnerships and acquisitions.
Last year Baker and his team expanded GMG's
Nike partnership to Iraq and Egypt, increased the
investment in KSA, and scaled up some of the
verticals.
In March 2022, GMG announced its partnership
with an international lifestyle brand named New
Era and became its official distributor across the
GCC, Iraq, and Egypt. Later in April, it acquired
Nike-only stores from SUTL Corporation's sports
retailing arm in Singapore and Malaysia. In the
same month, GMG entered the food retail industry
by acquiring Géant operations in the UAE. The
organization also holds exclusive rights to expand
these operations further in the Middle East. In July
2022, GMG introduced the French retail brand
Monoprix for the first time in the UAE to offer
high-quality food products and an exclusive range
of home and beauty products.
Our major retail partners have been with us for
decades because they realize that we are never
complacent despite our success. We will continue
to focus on expansion, acquiring new international
brands, developing homegrown concepts, entering
new markets, and growing existing partnerships,
asserts Baker.
21 August 22

Jet Luxe| CEO
Gabriel Meza
Madrid
24 August 22

Revolutionizing the Aviation Sector
A

“
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passionate aviation professional, luxury
travel entrepreneur, and global citizen
with more than 15 years of international
experience, in strategic groundbreaking
innovation, Gabriel Meza Madrid serves as the
CEO of Dubai-based aircraft management and
charter company Jet Luxe.
Hailing from a family of pilots, Gabriel and his
brother Sam Madrid spent most of their careers in
the aviation industry. Over the years, both became
obsessed with efficiency and improving the
customer experience. They soon realized that
although aviation is incredibly innovative, many
elements of the industry need improvements. For
example, a charter's booking and payment process
is much more cumbersome and problematic than it
should be. Issues like banking procedures, time
differences, public holidays, and currency issues
slow down the process of booking a flight, which
is very frustrating when an individual wants to fly
immediately. So, Gabriel and Sam decided to
develop a fintech product to streamline the
payment processes of private jets.
Making Processes Better
Soon, Gabriel and Sam left their full-time roles
and went all out for their start-up journey, growing
the team to twelve. Gabriel states, Our obsession
with efficiency had us working day and night on a
solution. In parallel, we were offering aircraft
management and charter services, which is our
area of expertise. Through this process, aircraft
owners approached Jet Luxe, and frustrated with
jet management's status quo, they requested the
firm to take over their aircraft. Eventually, their
approach was very well received, and they started
multiplying. Jet Luxe's customers would say, We
are tired of the lack of transparency in business
aviation, and you're doing a great job, let's do
more together.
Since its inception, Jet Luxe's primary
differentiator is its transparency, efficiency,
honesty, and the ability to offer exceptional
experiences. The market wanted Jet Luxe to
continue developing its charter and management
business, to which the company obliged. So, the
organization was developed to streamline
processes, making aircraft ownership and charter
flights much more effective without compromising
on experience and quality.
Fixing Broken Processes
With its core business in private jets, Jet Luxe
manages and operates private jets. However, the
organization's primary business is its customer
service; it helps solve various travel issues, create
investment opportunities, and fix broken pieces of
private jet travel.
25 August 22

Gabriel states, We differentiate because we know
our clients' concerns, frustrations, and
aspirations. From here, we can diversify our
service profile and offer more agile solutions than
bigger operators in this space. As a start-up, if we
see an issue in the market, we can respond to it
extremely quickly. We have the investment and
manpower to make change happen quickly.
Jet Luxe provides focused attention and 24/7
global personalized services for its clients. The
organization also offers an investment option
named INVICTUS Patron for its mature business
aviation users, where they can sponsor an aircraft
and enjoy a proven return on investment and
reduced fleet rate.
Handling Failures and Success
Over the years, Gabriel has seen and faced a lot of
failures. However, these failures have taught him
to give maximum effort and try everything in his
capacity to make things happen.
He says, When the outcome isn't as we had
hoped - that's okay. When we fail, we learn. Yes,
the stakes are extremely high, and we will always
try our very best to deliver exceptional outcomes,
but if failures occur, we learn and move forward.
90% of factors are within our control, and the
remaining % we need to learn from. There is
always an opportunity to grow.
Gabriel believes that success can't be defined
through a single channel- one needs a
well-rounded life. He states, We need
professional fulfillment and business success but
also a peaceful, well-rounded life. Success is being
clear about and achieving your objectives. For
me, these are wealth, health, and peace.
The Driving Force
Gabriel is a problem solver and finds change very
exciting. His vision is to keep seeing problems,
finding solutions, and driving disruption.
26 August 22

He always wants to keep bringing new
perspectives and fresh outlooks to the table. He
states, What drives me for a successful journey is
finding ways to disrupt and adapt processes. This
might not sound exciting, but when you discover a
process that creates massive savings and value - it
motivates you to continue.
Preparing for the Future
As the CEO of Jet Luxe, Gabriel plans to expand
the fleet to meet the massive demand. The
organization is also increasing its concierge
services, account management, and travel
management options. Its future perspective will
always be agile, as it can't predict market
conditions or client preferences perfectly. Jet Luxe
can lead with a commitment to taking a disruptive
approach to the business model.
At the topmost level, Gabriel also wants to support
and encourage the respective authorities to enable
better access and movement for the sector. He
says, Business aviation provides jobs and massive
economic contributions, and it enables the world
Jet Luxe is also committed to thoughtful and
powerful strategic alliances with new
organizations. It partners with new disruptive
companies starting from fintech to fuel and interior
designers to catering service providers.
Jet Luxe expects to balance growth and scale with
continued consistent services with its continued
growth. Gabriel states, We will grow, expand, and
diversify, but we will never weaken our services.
For example, we won't dilute the concierge or
account managers ratio per aircraft or partner.
This will remain extremely important for our
long-term quality control and experience
management.
to keep moving. So, we're here to help governments
appreciate and understand the value of business
aviation. From becoming more sustainable and
greener to creating more financial contributions -
business aviation should be better understood and
supported.
27 August 22

Rehlacar | CEO
Dr. Abdulrahman
Al Shikhy
30 August 22

Revolutionizing The Ride-Sharing
Experience/ Creating Memorable Travel Experiences
B

“
“
orn and raised in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia,
Dr. Al Shiky started working in
Dammam; shortly after completing his
graduation. During his brief time in
Dammam, Dr. Al Shiky noticed that he and his
colleagues were facing issues finding a flight or
ride to go back to their hometowns to visit their
families during Hajj, Ramadan vacations. As
Saudi Arabia is a big country, the distance between
cities like Dammam and Jeddah is 846 miles.
Keeping these issues in his mind year after year,
he thought to find the best possible ways to return
home on his holidays by searching for a different
options. Every time he sought a ride or a flight; it
was a struggle. Besides this, most of the trip's
drivers were solo. He recognized the issues like
exorbitant fuel prices, constant car maintenance,
and staying up all night to cover distances between
cities, making it strenuous for passengers who opt
to travel often. During this period of his life, he
got a chance to complete his study for a Ph.D. that
time he met many tourists and discovered their
excitement about traveling everywhere by sharing
the ride and cost.
This is when I had an epiphany about how our
country lacks a plethora of resources when you are
trying to find ways to move from city to city in
Saudi Arabia.- says Dr. Al Shikhy.
These experiences acted as a catalyst for Dr. Al
Shikhy and during his journey, he seized the
opportunity to explore and discover a myriad of
activities, distinct concepts, different cultures, and
more. Later he decided to travel to Europe.
Keeping all these shortcomings in mind, Dr. Al
Shikhy was intrigued by the concept of ridesharing
in Europe's BlaBlaCar app. This is where he
found the solution to the problems faced by the
common people in his country. Soon, this notion
inspired him to finally introduce his idea in Saudi
Arabia, which eventually marked the launch of
Rehla in the country.
Rehla is a ridesharing mobile app that links drivers
and passengers heading to the same destination
between cities, which results in a great travel
experience at the best price possible.
31 August 22

Diversifying Offerings
The initial purpose of introducing Rehla was to
allow its potential travelers to travel intercity by
opting for ridesharing services at a very
reasonable rate. Dr. Al Shikhy's main aim was to
reach those customers who cannot afford
expensive rides, don't own a car, students or
pilgrims. Initially, it was a challenge to break the
cultural barrier of sharing a ride with a stranger,
mostly because ridesharing was a completely new
concept in Saudi Arabia.However, the Rehla team
continued to introduce a flurry of additional
services that supports the main concept
(ridesharing), making it easier and more
comfortable for everyone.The Rehla team then
decided to further develop its business model by
successfully implementing the advanced booking
feature, where the rider gets the opportunity to
book their ride before the journey anytime and
anywhere, also allowing the passenger to choose
the best offer as this feature supports the lack of
finding rides to specific places. This indeed
creates more options for passengers.
Dr. Al Shikhy and his team found that there is a
great demand for sending parcels on the same day,
which in turn, could support captains who want to
increase their income while traveling empty seats
daily between cities. And hence, successfully
introduced this service.
Moreover, Saudi Arabia is a country full of
history, heritage, and beautiful cultures that are yet
to be explored. Each year, millions of tourists
visit Saudi Arabia to discover, revel, and
experience what Saudi has to offer them. There is
a lack in the tourism sector which gave me the
impetus for introducing a service where we
provide an expert licensed tour guide who is also
a captain to guide them to learn more about our
country. - says Dr. Al Shikhy.
The Greatest Accomplishment
Dr. Al Shikhy believes introducing Rehla to the
Saudi market was his most significant
accomplishment. Like many other start-ups, Rehla
struggled initially. However, with time everything
slowly fell into the right places. with this unique
concept, Rehla got to take part in various
accelerators like Taqaddam, Misk powered by
Plug Play, Monshaat, Zain Great Idea, Tourism
Accelerator, and Plexus.
Dr. Al Shikhy has established a team that has
remained diligent over the years and has helped
the company achieve its goal. As a result of the
team effort, the start-up now has its set up at Saudi
Arabia's two busiest airports, King Abdulaziz
International Airport in Jeddah and Tibeh Airport
in Madinah, and operating in train stations at
Makkah, Jeddah and Medina which serve as the
primary entry points for pilgrims visiting Makkah
and Medina. Dr. Al Shikhy also says, Our main
strategy is to expand our business by entering the
cities through International Airports train
stations. And soon, we will start operating in
Riyadh and Dammam Airport besides Jeddah and
Medina Airport.
The proudest moment for the organization was
when it was allowed to compete with industry
behemoths like Uber and Careem at the Madina
and Jeddah airports. Out of all 36 firms operating
in transportation services in Saudi Arabia, Rehla
was the only application provided with the
opportunity of opening a booth at the Medina and
Jeddah airports, in order to acquire more travelers
without internet, Saudi number, or a smartphone.
Defining Success
As the founder and CEO of Rehla, Dr. Al Shikhy,
says, We all define success differently. To me,
32 August 22

Apart from that, he has always encouraged his
team members to communicate freely and give
them space, which helps everyone to appreciate
different viewpoints, backgrounds, and ideas,
which eventually contributes to the growth and
success of the firm; Dr. Al Shikhy feels that as a
leader, it is his responsibility to continue to mentor
and support his team with his vast knowledge.
Tackling Challenges
Rehla was launched in 2019 when most of the
Saudi Arabian population wasn't familiar to the
concept of ridesharing. It takes time to inculcate
any new concept in the minds of the citizens. It
also requires a lot of marketing and brand
recognition. Moreover, the application was
launched just 2 months before the deadly
pandemic, which resulted in a prompt lockdown to
curb the spread of the virus. This situation also
brought skepticism amongst the users even when
the lockdown was over. Road travel and social
distancing protocols soon became a major threat
for start-ups like Rehla. Dr. Al Shikhy realized
from this situation focusing or investing time and
money on one service won't take the company
anywhere. Instead, he believed that his team can
do more as Rehla has a flexible business model
which could be utilized by using the same
elements that are the captain, and his car but by
providing different services.
Future Roadmap
Every where around the world, transportation is an
important part of our daily life. Many passengers
Dr. Al Shikhy started Rehla to become a the best
choice for ridesharing apps to provide a good
experience for travelers. The team members intend
to make Rehla a 'super application' in the region
that can provide the most important services of
transportation tourism, all in one application at
very reasonable rates. Additionally, the founder
looks forward to expanding the application services
to various neighbouring countries. Recently, Rehla
has completed trips to and from Bahrain, UAE, and
Kuwait.
success is when you believe in an idea and
make consistent efforts towards it, which
means we never give up trying.. This should
serve as a reminder for the team to constantly
strive to achieve the goals that are set to feel
rewarded and accomplish their efforts.
prefer to travel by road to immerse themselves in
nature. While others often face a tough time
finding a cheap fare at the right time. This is
where Dr. Al Shikhy would like Rehla to bridge
the gap.
33 August 22

izil Beauty| CEO Founder
Mouna Abbassy
36 August 22

Bringing Moroccan Beauty
Secrets to the World
M

“
“
eet Mouna Abbassy, who grew up in
Morocco, a country where beauty
rituals take the form of social affairs,
where her mother, sisters, and friends
would bring their own natural recipes prepared at
home with the finest ingredients. For female
members, it was a time of joy, sharing, and
celebration, the joy of being with loved ones,
sharing beauty secrets, and the joy of celebrating
femininity.
Once a gathering was over, everyone would look
forward to the next one. Mouna moved to Dubai in
2005, and she immediately fell in love with the
growing, multicultural, dynamic city that is full of
energy and opportunity. Soon she joined one of the
largest beauty corporations in the world, where
she fed her passion for beauty care.
However, Mouna soon found herself longing for
the connection with mother nature that would
reveal her inner beauty. She always wanted the
feeling of being beautiful inside and out; above all,
Mouna missed the boost of energy to shine as the
woman she wanted to be. So, this hunger
eventually marked the beginning of IZIL.
The world 'IZIL' was derived from the ancient
Amazigh language. It means 'Pure,' which is the
brand's foundation.
izil is an all-natural skincare line entirely inspired
by the ancient recipes of Moroccan women. These
recipes are made from purely natural ingredients
that provide pure moments of joy and happiness,
just as they did for Mouna, her mother, her
grandmother, and a countless generation before
them.
Diversifying Products
Thanks to her educational background in marketing
and a successful career behind her, Mouna realized
a gap in the beauty market for a natural,
chemical-free brand that works and merged it with
the secret beauty recipes from her Moroccan
heritage. She feels modern women nowadays want
to feel beautiful inside and out without
compromising their time or exposing their skin to
harmful chemicals. These women are comfortable
in their own skin and want to become the best
version of themselves; that is what izil offers them.
37 August 22

Along with skincare, izil also has its range of
body care, hair care, and man care products, as
the organization believes self-care is not
gender-specific. It also offers premium hammam
and spa services at its bespoke spa facility, where
it only uses izil's premium products to provide the
best experience possible.
The flagship store in The Dubai Mall is all about
the experience. The company has built it in such a
way that as soon as a client steps in, that
individual feels completely immersed in the world
of izil and disconnected from the outside world,
as the person has instantly been teleported to
Morocco. The beauty product brand grabs the best
nature has to offer and mixes it with Moroccan
beauty rituals and secrets in order to offer it to the
world.
Greatest Accomplishments
At the age of 10, Mouna was diagnosed with
a very rare syndrome named Guillain Barre
Syndrom, which affects all the muscles and
leaves people completely paralyzed. It also
affected her breathing, leaving her
hospitalized for several months. She had to
learn how to walk all over again. Surviving
that was like a rebirth for her. This
experience has made Mouna what she is
today, a person who genuinely believes
'Nothing is impossible' and 'miracles do
happen' as long as you put your mind, heart,
and lot of hard work to realize your dreams.
As a female entrepreneur, Mouna feels proud
and humbled to have been the first in so
many awards. In 2015, she was the winner of
Hadafi Women's Entrepreneurship Season 3
and received Cartier Women's Initiative
Award. Later, she was also featured in
several articles and news.
However, my greatest achievement, as a
Founder of izil, is building a beauty brand
from scratch and with limited resources and
making it one of the fastest-growing natural
beauty brands in GCC and making it the 1st
reference for Moroccan beauty, a brand
endorsed by biggest celebrities and
influencers, with customers from all over the
world.- says Mouna.
This has also earned her recognition from
various channels and magazines of the
region, including Forbes Middle East.
38 August 22

Izil's strategy for the future includes
many objectives that will eventually help
the brand drive its business forward and
set the foundation for international
expansion in the coming years. The
brand's primary objective is to streamline
the processes through fully integrated
ERP and IT infrastructure, enabling
accelerated growth in GCC and outside of
the GCC.The brand has further planned
to drive online growth through direct and
consumer in GCC, Europe, and Asia
through e-tailers distribution.
Izil also plans to obtain various brand
certifications and further expand offline
by opening new concept stores and spas
in the GCC market.On the other hand, the
launch of multiple izil products are lined
up, and it plans on investing more in 'hair
care' and 'face care' range to cater to
wider skin and hair concerns, backed by
scientific and clinical research.
39 August 22

Waterwa| CEO Co-Founder
Abdulla Najem
42 August 22

Redefining Water Deliveries
M

“
“
eet Abdulla Najem, the CEO and
Co-founder of Waterwa, which
offers a variety of brands of
beverages and water to be delivered
to customers’ doorstep. Available on both iOS and
Android platforms, the Waterwa app helps its
clients to subscribe for weekly or monthly
deliveries to their homes and offices.
Since his childhood, Abdulla was fascinated by the
whole idea of starting his own company, which
eventually pushed him to start network marketing
at the age of 17. In a world still apprehensive of
the internet’s power, people were surprised to see
a young entrepreneur taking a route that was so
out of the box. Later, Abdulla joined a college of
business, where he fell in love with business once
again and started his first startup with a friend.
Soon, they entered the world of media as a
powerful force, and the humble agency eventually
proliferated. However, Abdulla then transitioned
into a corporate career, where he realized how a
big scale company works. He started working with
RedBull and then with a locally successful
co-working space. Later he moved to start
working for an incubator in order to stay close to
the start-up world, where he learned every detail
about starting a company, which eventually led to
the creation of Waterwa.
Catering to a Demanding Market
Abdulla knows that the current market is very
demanding and constantly changing.
The human aspect of his organization’s strategy
also helps him to understand better what drives the
market and creates a new trend. Abdulla believes
growing and standing out in a competitive market
can be challenging, so following the already
proven trends can be an effective tool.
As the Co-founder of his company, Abdulla now
believes building a formidable team that led the
company in its legacy journey is one of his most
significant accomplishments. He takes pride in
developing a team that can tackle any challenge at
any point in time collectively and successfully.
Also, by being the pioneer of the “drinking water
delivery platform,” many of Waterwa’s suppliers
successfully created their own e-commerce
platform, which is incredibly rewarding for
Waterwa.
43 August 22

Abdulla is a passionate businessman with
leadership skills capable to create competent
teams in different functions. His leadership in
Waterwa proves his problem-solving skills and
agility to create forward-looking enterprises and
potential unicorns. Abdulla’s consistency is what
every company strives for in their leadership.
Tackling Failures
Abdulla feels the most significant failure was
when he first started Waterwa. He realized that
he gave people the benefit of the doubt too
often, which is a red flag for productivity. This
caused him a lot of time and value that he
could have used to grow his company. Now he
follows a strategy of “three strikes, you are
out.”
This new strategy ensures that Abdulla reaches
out to everyone who has reached a second
strike and collaborates with them to mitigate
the challenge further.
When it comes to success, Abdulla says,
“Success is when people recognize the brand
you built even by its deconstructed elements,
like a letter, a color, or even shape. That kind of
potential for legacy pushes me every day to
build it with Waterwa.” He also added, “But on
a more personal note, success for me is to be
able to be a serial entrepreneur that builds up
multiple different brands that truly benefit
consumer needs.”
Abdulla explains that Waterwa is well on its way
to building a legacy. As businesses depend on the
constantly changing market, the team is
razor-focused on making a brand that can stand
the test of time and stay relatable in the market for
a long time. Abdulla and his team at Waterwa are
building a brand that customers can depend on
and feel genuine loyalty.
44 August 22

A Supportive Leader
Waterwa’s employees and clients love Abdulla for
his authoritative and coaching style leadership.
They say, “You motivate us and give us the
direction that helps us develop and utilize our
abilities more to achieve not just our full potential
but also work/company goals.” – Project manager
of Waterwa.
“Every project I worked on with Abdulla,
he made sure to give it his full support and
attention. His teamwork is always
inspiring, and he knows that he only
works without ego and with a
collaborative mindset. Working with
Abdulla is easy because he knows how to
juggle all the tiny details while still being
diligent of the bigger picture.” - Deena
AlSaweer – Founder of Dpro.
“Abdulla Najem has always been great at
developing the needed structure and
direction no matter what his role was. He
creates a culture of mutual trust and care
by always acting with integrity,
accountability, and transparency.”
Robetra Dsouza – Head of Country
Logistics of TExpress – Talabat.
45 August 22

Telephony Group of Companies
48
Shefiq Abdulla
CEO
August 22

49
Helping Clients with Award-Winning
ICT Solutions and Services
M

“
“
eet Shefiq Abdulla, the CEO of
Dubai-based Telephony Group of
Companies, an ICT solutions and
services leader with over two decades
of experience serving the private and public
sectors of UAE and the region. Currently,
Telephony's team has over 600 employees in the
UAE, with over 300 employees spread across
other regions, entirely committed to delivering
state-of-the-art telecom technology.
Shefiq started his career in Sales as an entry-level
junior sales representative selling the company's
ideas, innovations, and excellence to the
customers. However, he gradually succeeded on
the way up and soon became the Chief Executive
Officer of the Group Businesses.
A lot of people consider me lucky for achieving a
lot at a young age and becoming a CEO for the
whole group. If you look at it from my perspective,
you realize that it means that I had to take a lot at
a young age and mature early. Everything I do
now and with every struggle I face, I feel more
determined to continue the path. I hear a lot of
whispers about me being a workaholic and so
committed to this journey that it might consume
me.- Asserts Shefiq. But the truth is I find
pleasure in what I am currently doing, and this is
what gives me power, focus, and a good sense of
direction. When you do things out of pleasure, you
simply immunize yourself against all the criticism
and negativity that you hear now and then.
A Diverse Portfolio
Telephony Group of Company offers a diverse
portfolio for its clients, which is reflected in the
number of projects it undertakes and its expansions
to other countries worldwide. Telephony treats its
clients as partners and offers all the possible
guidance to help them choose the solutions that
best serve their businesses most effectively. Instead
of chasing revenues like many other companies,
Telephony Group of Company wants to ensure
repeat businesses and a lifetime relationship with
its clients.
August 22

50 August 22
Shefiq believes that when a company understands
its partner's business needs and offers advice on
the right solution and guidance through
implementation, it can easily create a win-win
situation and profitable business relationship for
both.
Success and Failure
My greatest accomplishment is getting the
chance to spread what I know to the world.
Knowledge is wasted when not shared. Maybe my
audience is small today, but at least now I have a
voice and people to read, interact and comment
on my thoughts. That is by itself an
accomplishment for me.- says Shefiq.
Shefiq prefers to measure success differently as
he doesn't link it to achievement or growth.
Instead, he links it to the positive influence that he
leaves on people's lives.
Around five years ago, Shefiq decided to take a
different path and start to effect change, so he started
with himself and went on a personal transformational
journey to learn from the wise and the giver, to get
enriched with knowledge. Shefiq immersed himself in
readings and took a vow to spread that knowledge.
One day he plans to write all that journey down for the
benefit of others and to encourage people to be less
selfish and more human.
Although he failed in various situations and times,
every time, Shefiq chose to clear his head, review his
mistakes, and start over again.
Shefiq states, Perhaps the most important one to
mention here is when I happened to expect everyone
around to be of the same drive and understanding of
the importance of transformation to the sustainability
of any business, including my own. Now, I am more
mindful of how I want to achieve my objective and will
hopefully soon share that vision out loud.

51 August 22
Implementing New Ideas
Shefiq believes new ideas require a welcoming
attitude and an open mindset. He says, If we don't
first start with that, we are likely to fail in our
attempts or suffer to reach our goals. I am against
the idea that change requires time, not when you
are in technology, and you are demanded to
innovate consistently.
He wants to convince people regarding the
necessity of new ideas instead of enforcing them.
With everyone onboard, things mostly go
efficiently and smoothly. Shefiq wants to start first
by developing a work culture that helps
support innovation, quality, and
sustainability which are the primary
growth driver for any company.
Future Plans
Telephony Group of Companies has a
strong vision, with high moral values
and dedication, customer-centric
innovations, and business ethics. The
organization is built on three core
pillars- People, Purpose, and Peace.
Under Shefiq's leadership, it further
intends to grow, expand, and innovate
while maintaining and spreading these
values to everyone it works with.
Additionally, the organization plans to
offer digital services to improve
efficiency, transform, and grow
businesses in the future. It also wants to
empower communities to pursue
ultra-digital transformation and use
technology and innovation to change
people's lives, especially youth and
women.
To enable 3000 women entrepreneurs
globally by 2025, the organization is
also planning to guide and help ten
women in 2022 to start their
entrepreneurial journey with it.

Michael Askew
ASKWHO
Tips on starting a technology
business in 2022
There’s no doubt about it, starting a technology
business will be one of the most difficult
challenges that you will ever undertake. The
investment emotionally, financially and the
amount of time it requires means your life is
about to change in a big way. Therefore, before
you launch into this challenge, be sure that you
have answered the following points:
Solve a problem:
You don’t need to write a single line of code to develop screens and discuss your product and its prospects
(with people you don’t know). Who cares if it’s non-functional, you are validating your idea and the
solution.
Sure, until your solution is in the hands of customers, you’ll never truly know how they will interact with
your product. But if your idea isn’t a problem worth solving prototyping is cheap, fast and will help you
through the process of envisaging your solution. You can find thousands of designers on Fiverr.com or if
you know someone to help you out even better.
Make sure you validate the whole business, including how you will make money. I recommend checking
out “the lean canvas” to help you with your checklist of what you need to validate but here are some
headlines: –
· What is the problem?
· Who has this problem?
· Is the problem worth solving?
· How will you make money?
54 August 22

Keep in Lean
Don’t sweat the small stuff, until you have a problem worth solving and the shape of a product customers
will use, the finer details don’t matter. If it solves a problem people will accept bugs and a lack of nice
features. There is no point in polishing something that no one wants to use. Find something that people like
then start refining it.
Data doesn’t lie:
Measuring success is a key part of learning whether your product is well received. You need to gain insight
into how people are using your product. Do they come back a day, week, or month from now? If they do,
well done! Using analytics is fundamental to understanding user behaviour. You should integrate the basics
ready for your launch. We love Mixpanel here at ASKWHO. Vanity metrics like downloads are useless, it’s
the actions users are taking (or not taking) that are the difference between success and failure.
Books to cherish:
The books below are worth their weight in gold and will save you time and resources.
The Four Step to the Epiphany
Crossing the Chasm
The Art of War
The Art of the Pitch
The Lean Start up
How to Build a Billion-Dollar App
Getting Things Done
The 5am Club
Start with Why
Venture Deals
Startup CEO
55 August 22

The 10 Most Inspiring CEOs in Middle East 2022

The 10 Most Inspiring CEOs in Middle East 2022

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