Goodbye London, Hello Egypt

"Egyptians have a reputation of preferring their own soil. Few ever leave except to study or travel; and they always return... Egyptians do not emigrate."

-Quote from "A Study of Population Trends and Conditions in Modern Egypt" (1936)

My time has come to return. As always, it is a bittersweet feeling leaving a place one has come to consider home to return to one's actual home. London has given me so much. It has opened my mind to what the world has to offer. It has challenged my biases, prepared me with skills and knowledge, and given me the confidence that I need to play a role in shaping Egypt's future.

Enrolling at London Business School was one of the best decisions I've made in my life. Studying with colleagues from over 30 other nationalities, I have learned the importance of respect for other cultures, of intellectual exchange within academia, and of the need to have a global outlook. This past year has verified my conviction that "impossible is nothing" when one puts in the hard work, time, and effort to accomplish any goal. Now that I am a graduate of one of the world's top business schools, I have faith that I could put my newly acquired knowledge to good use.

Half-way through my stay in London, my country's history radically changed in my absence. Watching the dramatic events of the Egyptian Revolution unfold from afar, my love for my motherland grew. More than ever, I was adamant to return to make an impact. I know I don't have much to offer at this point, but I am a strong believer that this is a time in which every Egyptian's presence in Egypt is essential to give birth to our nation's bright new dawn. Join me in lending a hand to revive our country's glory.

Of Istanbul, New York, Beijing, New Delhi, and Cairo, London is by far the most unique city I have lived in. It has brought the world to its soil. I have seen every ethnicity and heard every language imaginable in its bustling streets. I have witnessed historical, artistic, and scientific masterpieces in its magnificent museums from every corner of the world. The city's bookshops and libraries have enlightened me with texts from every major literary civilisation; I have traveled the world by simply flipping through the pages of books in Daunt Books, Skoob Books, and other shrines of knowledge. Moreover, London has given so much to the world. Its writers, architects, theatres, films, and music have pioneered creativity throughout history.

But most important are the friends I have made in this wonderful city. I am convinced that it is the people who make a place special. I only started taking a liking to London when I met the right people. Fortunately, I can say that almost everyone I have stumbled upon in this urban jungle has been a friend I could keep for life. I sincerely hope that my departure from this city doesn't imply an end to these friendships.

Now a final word on my return to Egypt. Yesterday I woke up, and I impulsively decided that my time in London has come to an end. I have accomplished my mission here. I always kept in mind that I am here on a mission to learn as much as possible to put Egypt on the forefront of the world stage. With my graduation behind my back, I believe it is time to return and serve my country and its people. It is this mission that I have worked up to all along. I don't mean to sound overly ambitious by writing this in public, but I once read that if one publicises his goals, he is more likely to achieve them. By writing my mission in public, I hope that history will hold me accountable.

I have long dreamt of this day. Finally, it is just around the corner. July 12 will be the day I bid London farewell and reunite with Egypt.

مشاركتي في برنامج ساعة حساب على البي بي سي

ليوم كان عندي فرصة نادرة أن أظهر على قناة التلفزيون المشهورة، البي بي سي، علي برنامج ساعة حساب في حضور خبراء من الساحة المصرية السياسية، وأهمهم الدكتور عمرو حمزاوي. كانت حلقة اليوم عن العلاقة الجدلية بين الإطار الإسلامي والحركة اللبرالية\علمانية في مصر. أعرف أن يلعب التلفزيون دور كبير في تشكيل الأفكار السياسي في مجتمعنا، فأشعرت بأهمية هذه الفرصة لكي أعبر عن رأي. عندما تكلم حمزاوي عن الفصل بين السياسة والدين، طرحت السؤال عن النموذج التركي و إصلاحات مصطفى كمال أتاتورك و هل يرغب حمزاوي أن يرى مثل هذه الإصلاحات في مصر

في وجهة نظري، الحوار ركز على نظريات سياسية ودور الدين في السياسي وليس على مواضيع تفيد مصير مصر، مثل الرؤية الإقتصادية. علاوة على ذلك، معظم الخطاب كان له علاقة بمشاعر المتكلمين و ليس عن خطوات عملية إلى الدموقراطية

بصورة شاملة، كانت تجروبة تثقيفية لي عن الوضع في بلدي وآمل أن دأمن يكون عندي مثل هذه الفرصة أن أتعلم عن و أشارك في الحوار عن تأسيس دولة مصر الحديثة

The Choir Project in London

For memory's sake, I thought it would be worthwhile sharing the video of our Choir Project performance at the United Egyptians' Voices from Tahrir Square event:

Voices from Tahrir & The Choir Project

I'm super busy preparing for exams, but I wanted to jot down a few words to remember an event I participated in yesterday. It was quite empowering to have been chosen as one of the organizers of the event and a participant in the Choir Project. I can honestly attest that working with the Choir Project has been one of the most blissful experiences I've had in a very long time.

Anyways, I'm a bit tight on time so I can't write more about the event, but the following flyer is a good summary of what took place yesterday night:

Middle East Conference 2011

Just for the record, and so this opportunity doesn't fade away into history forgotten, I just wanted to mention that the M.E. Conference we put on at LBS was quite successful. Below is the article I wrote to promote the conference.

As the Middle East undergoes radical transformation, London Business School's Middle East Club will be holding what promises to be a timely and insightful conference on the economic future of one of the world’s fastest growing regions.

Middle East Conference 2011 will bring together some of the most prominent business leaders from the region on 2 June for an intellectual exchange on some of the hottest topics, namely growth and human capital.

Speakers will include members of key organisations that are playing an important role in shaping the outlook of the new Middle East, including Fathy Saud (President, Qatar Foundation), Joe Saddi (Chairman, Booz & Company), and Motassim A. Al-Ma'ashouq (VP, Saudi Aramco).

The conference, which is sponsored by Booz & Company, will shed light on the future drivers of growth in the Middle East. Issues such as how companies and countries can capitalise on the region's rapid change will be addressed. As the Middle East is at an inflection point, discovering new pillars of growth will be crucial if the region seeks to carve out a niche for itself in the global economy.

London Business School's Dean, Sir Andrew Likierman, will deliver the closing speech of the conference.

Created on 25 May 2011

Dinner at the Dean's

Tonight offered another one of those honorable experiences. I work hard in life to serve others because my moral compass directs me in that direction, but its always gratifying when one's recognized for his effort. Some may think I'm too serious or ambitious, but I honestly believe that I have a purpose to fulfill in life and I won't let anything get in my way, God willing.

Ever since setting foot on London Business School's campus, I felt blessed with an opportunity of a lifetime. Attending LBS had been a dream I fought gallantly to bring to fruition. Every time I see the LBS logo when I walk to school, I thank God for answering my prayers and bringing me here. On my end of the bargain, I feel like I need to give it my best shot in whatever I do while I'm here. My UVa experience taught me one key lesson, 'what you put into it is what you'll get out of it.' And that philosophy has guided my efforts here at LBS.

Several weeks ago I received an enigmatic email in my inbox inviting me to dinner at the residence of Sir Andrew Likierman, Dean of LBS. Now you must understand that the LBS Dean is a superstar here on campus. He currently serves as a Director of Barclays Bank and has served in various leadership positions at several prestigious organizations, such as the Bank of England, the Cabinet Office, and the United Nations. Nevertheless, he is extremely modest, courteous, and cordial. I was absolutely honored to receive this invitation.

According to the invitation, "Every year the Student Association holds a Recognition Dinner in order to reward students who have made a significant contribution to deepen and strengthen the LBS community." Now this may be too much to credit me with, but I must admit that I've done all that I can to make LBS a more enriching experience for my fellow colleagues as well as for myself. I've served as the Academic Representative for my class and volunteered my time on the Middle East and Africa clubs. On the side, I've done what I can to help Egypt by volunteering my time in the Association of Graduate Egyptian Students. Now I'm not listing all of this experience to brag, but I want to record it for my memories. When I serve others, when I have an impact in the communities in which I offer a helping hand, that's truly feel like I'm fulfilling my purpose in life.

When I arrived at the Dean's House, which occupies the magnificent building built by renowned architect John Nash in the 1800s, I was received by a hostess who welcomed me into a elegant lobby. The floor was furnished with exquisite, maroon oriental carpets, a art-nouveau chandelier hung from the ceiling, and, in general, the house had a very aristocratic feel to it. I made my way up the semi-circular staircase to the wonderful sound of live piano. When I entered an even more splendorous room, I was met with by a group of finely dressed guests chatting over cocktails. This reception reminded my of the many diplomatic functions I had accompanied my mother to in Istanbul. Upon my entry, they all turned their attention to me and I introduced myself. The Dean paused his conversation with the President of the Student Association to come and personally welcome me to his home. His grace and humility put me at ease all of the sudden.

I soon realized that this dinner was for a selected few, only one student from each of the school's masters programs was chosen to attend. I was honored to be selected from my class. This recognition ceremony was reminiscent of the time the Z Society had recognized me at UVa. Words can't explain how blessed and honored I felt to be recognized once again. I mingled and chatted among the privileged few who also had the honor to attend. Each of them came from such diverse backgrounds. I talked to an Indian, a Canadian, an Australian, an American, and the list goes on. Whenever I mentioned that I was Egyptian, people were awed. The inquired about our Revolution and about my future. Without trying to be too pompous, I tried to portray that my future was dedicated to serve this revolution in bringing peace, liberty, and prosperity to my beloved country.

Once the guest of honor arrived, we were directed to the dining room by the butler. Mr. Antonio Horta-Osório, member of LBS Governing Body and Chief Executive of Lloyds Banking Group, was by far the highlight of tonight. This gentleman leads the largest commercial bank in the United Kingdom and manages about 41% of the country's wealth, yet he managed to make time in his schedule to join us at this dinner. His presence made the night another one of those rare opportunities to reap the gems of wisdom from someone who's steered a successful career. Mr. Antonia informed us of the banking situation in the United Kingdom after the crisis and his career as a manager, but there was a common theme throughout his talk that interested me even more.

Mr. Antonio, who held executive positions at the top banks worldwide, summed his formula to success in three key points:

1. Put your values before your profession.
2. Be good at coordinating and building teams.
3. Have character.

In every decision he made, he always stuck to his principles. A couple of minutes through his talk over the dinner table and I even forgot there was food in front of me. I was amazed by how candid and altruistic Mr. Antonio was. Here was a top CEO dedicating his time to give us sincere advice. My account of my experience of listening to him does not do justice to how benevolent this gentleman was. At the end of the discussion, he left us with the advice that we truly are a selected few who must be willing to serve the world and others regardless of their culture, religion, or race. This idealism reminded me that one must always dream big. If someone like Mr. Antonio could make it to the top of the corporate world's ladder with this idealism, ambition, and perseverance, then anyone can if they have the right values and dreams.

This discussion gave me so much hope. Although some might perceive my hard work as being "nerdy" or "too ambitious," I'll never let that get in the way of allowing me to live out my purpose here in life. As always, I am grateful to God for all he's bestowed upon me. This dinner was the perfect dose of confidence I needed to go out and make it big in the real world!

The Royal Wedding

Being in London, I thought it would be wise to go out and check out Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding. In my candid opinion, the celebrations are a bit over the top. I've heard some people exclaim, "This is the biggest event of the decade!" or "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity; the last time we've had a royal wedding was in 1981!" Now let's be realistic, a wedding shouldn't be that big of a deal...but it was.

Having heard that people have been camping out in Trafalgar Square for the past 48 hours and that people have been flying in from every corner of the world to join in these celebrations, I thought it would be wise to leave the dorm early. I thought 7am would be early enough, but apparently it wasn't. I had friends out since 5am.

When I got to Trafalgar Square, it was packed! It almost reminded me of my visit to Tahrir Square earlier this month, but I have to admit that the Brits were much more orderly. It was quite delightful seeing people from all over the world take part in these celebrations. I didn't quite understand what all the hype was about, but apparently this is a national celebration and a tradition that has been taking place since the founding of the British monarchy.

From what I gathered, about 2 billion people would be watching this wedding from all over the world, i.e. one in every three people alive would be tuned in. That must be quite a humbling experience for the bride and groom. The other significant fact about this wedding was that this was the first time a member of the British royal family would marry someone who wasn't of royal lineage since the 1600s. In my personal opinion, I don't buy into this whole royalty/nobility idea, but on a more humane level I wish the couple all the best in the future.

The real take away from the whole experience was that the Brits really cherish their traditions. Today, one could see the remanents of the British Empire in all its glory. Not only was the imperial guard and members of the royal family impecably dressed, but tourists from all the former British colonies flew in to celebrate. Its this grandeur of nations like Great Britain that really gives it its flavour, reputation, and soft power.

London's Metropolitan Police

Tourists in front of Westminister Abbey

Westminister Abbey & Big Ben

The Mall with ambassadors' vehicles driving by

The Mall

Orchestra Procession

Orchestra Procession

Westminister Abbey

"Thanks for the day off"

The Mall

Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square

Wedding commerce

Trafalgar Square

Screen in Trafalgar broadcasting the wedding

Meeting the Managing Director of the Guardian

I just left my Strategy seminar awed by an inspirational talk by the Managing Director of the Guardian, Tim Brooks. Recently, with the unfolding of the Arab Revolutions, I have held independent media in high esteem for its ability to shape world events. The Guardian always offered an insightful perspective on what takes place behind the scenes. As a professional news agency, its journalists seemed committed to the truth.

Although the class discussion was about the Guardian's business model and how the news agency is coping with the inevitable shift from print to digital media, I was fortunate enough to approach Brooks at the end of the talk to ask him a question that boggled my mind for sometime, " How did the Guardian get a hold of a true estimate of Mubarak's fortune?"

The reason meeting Brooks meant a lot to me was because of how the Guardian's article about Mubarak's $70 bn fortune tipped the scale in favor of the Egyptian revolution's success. At a time when my nation was at an inflection point, and Egypt's destiny stood on a thin line between revolution and counter-revolution, it was this news about the abhorent corruption that had plagued our governing system that drove the final nail in the Mubarak regime's coffin.

I was curious to find out how the Guardian had obtained exclusive access to this piece of information. According to Brooks, Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, got hold of 200,000 diplomatic cable leaks. Instead of releasing them all, he collaborated with news agencies, such as the Guardian and the New York Times, to filter through them and release ones that would have a strategic impact. It was during the climax of the Egyptian revolution that the Guardian decided to release the news of Mubarak's fortune and expose the a secret that the U.S. and Egyptian governments had withheld thus far.

It was amazing how a single piece of information could shape a nation's history. I personally thanked Brooks as an Egyptian for his agency's decision to commit itself the truth. Athough a lecture by the head of a news agency that has been around since 1821 was a treat in and of itself, a conversation up close and in person with Mr. Brooks about how his agency contributed to my nation's history was more than I could ever ask for!

London in the Summertime

Georges Seurat's impressionist painting in London's National Art Gallery

Before I step outside of Lain House, cross Cresent Road, and enter the paradise of Regent's park, I wanted to record on this blog a notion that's been going on in my mind for sometime since returning to London from Cairo a week ago.

My father asked me, as we sat in Egypt's unparalled sun, "Do you miss London?" I instinctively blurted out, "No!" London, up to that point, had been a dull city... grey, gloomy, and cold. At times, I felt like it had taken my away from the comforting warmth of my mother Egypt.

Never could I thought that a city so frigid become so gorgeous. This time, my return to London was quite surreal. The notion of a "sunny London" almost seemed oxymoronic to me, and yet...here it was before my eyes. London was blossoming in Spring with all its beauty.

Since the sun used to set around 3:30pm in the winter, it had become a habit for me to wake up before sunrise to make the most of the city's daylight. Now the days feel twice as long with the sun setting at 8:30pm, and what excites me even more is that everyday the sunset keeps getting later and later.

I've never appreciated sunlight and nature so much until I experienced winter in London. Despite its plethora of parks, the bitter cold made any outdoor activity uncomfortably unpleasant. But now, all of the city's treasures have unvieled their magnificence.

I had planned on visiting Tate Britain last Friday, but after walking through several Southbank parks, I couldn't help but continue strolling outdoors. Musuems are only sufficient on rainy days...

London's Royal Parks are superior to all! Sprinkled with the most exotic botany from around the world, these parks offer some of the most eclectic wildlife a city can offer. Swans, ducks, storks, geese swim over the most peculiar fish in the ponds enveloped plants that must have been sent down from the Garden of Eden.

My first exposure to the English garden was during a visit to the British Consulate's palace in Istanbul. I was highly impressed by the orderly, well-groomed, meticulous nature of the palace's garden. Never would I thought that the Kingdom's capital would offer more of this beauty than one could possible fathom.

What's absolutely brilliant is that these man-made parks each have their own charm. St-James' is perfect for sitting on a recliner and reading, Regent's is sitting on a bench and watching rowboats go by followed by ducks, and Green Park is great for a quick stroll.

Enough said. Time to shun technology for the rest of the day and enjoy nature's beauty.

My “Return of Sinuhe” to Egypt

The original text of the Tale of Sinuhe

at London's Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archeology

From the age of 16, I have packed my bags and set sail to travel the world, not to return home until I have gathered the seeds of knowledge that allow me to cultivate Egypt’s fertile land. On my journey, I have gained wisdom in many realms of life. Simultaneously, the longer I’ve distanced myself from home, the more I began to yearn for my return. I find my inspiration and consolation in the Tale of Sinuhe, the ancient Egyptian whom I follow his footsteps today.

Like Sinuhe, who departed Egypt in approximately 1800 BC for Syria, following the death of Pharoah Amenemhat, I also sought to leave home to gain a global perspective. My journey has since taken me to the U.S., China, Turkey, and now the U.K. And like Sinuhe, my quest throughout all of my journeys has been to explore the universal nature of humanity and discover what it means to be Egyptian.

The Tale of Sinuhe has become more of a legendary fiction in which the protagonist goes through various struggles likened to those in the Odyssey. But at the same time, the story has various parallels with allegories in Biblical texts. The juxtapositions between freewill and divine foreordainment, good and evil, mysticism and the mundane are all themes of Sinuhe’s tale and to which I have tried to tap into during my travels.

But the one notion that really resonates within me is the thought of returning to Egypt. In the Tale, Sinuhe exclaims, “May God pity me…may he hearken to the prayer of one far away! May God have mercy on me. May I be conducted to the city of eternity!” It is this divine longing for Egypt that I have always felt, but have never been able to explain as well as the Tale of Sinuhe does. I remember reading somewhere that an Egyptian may travel the world, but nowhere will be home for him except Egypt. I guess this is part of the divine destiny Sinuhe alludes to in his tale and is part of the ancient wisdom one can take away from this story.

As I look forward to returning to Egypt this summer after completing my graduate education abroad, the sense of elation within me is similar to that of someone who has been in exile for a lifetime and has finally been granted to return home. This elation is splendidly articulated in Sinuhe’s Tale. With Egypt entering a new era, I am hopeful that I will be returning to an Egypt distinguished from what I left five years ago by freedom, justice, and egalitarianism.

I hope this account of how I can connect to Sinuhe does justice to paying a humble tribute to the magnificent work of literature and history housed in London’s Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archeology. And I hope, like myself, many Egyptians can be inspired by the Sinuhe’s love and devotion to his motherland.

Egypt’s Gifts to the World

Despite not being as acquainted with my nation’s ancient history as I should, I have always made it a point to connect with it whenever I have the chance to. There’s something special about being an Egyptian; wherever you go, there’s always a piece of your identity, heritage, and history that seems to be waiting for you. In New York’s Metropolitan Museum, it’s the Temple of Dendur; in London’s British Museum, it’s the Rossetta Stone; in Istanbul’s Archaeology Museum, it’s the Treaty of Kadesh. I’ve been fortunate to pay a visit to all of these famous Egyptian ambassadors, who always seem to be the highlight of their respective museum.

Although the world always seemed to pay tribute to my ancient ancestors, I always felt disconnected from their great achievements. I think that is beginning to change nowadays though. Since Egypt’s 2011 Revolution, I have begun to believe that we Egyptians can revive the magnificence of our ancient civilization. For one thing, this revolution proved that one of the many aspects that unite Egyptians is their history. During the battle for Tahrir Square, Egyptians joined hands to form a human ring around the Egyptian Museum to prevent any looters from robbing them of their history. Even in Egypt, the ancient artefacts that beautify the Egyptian Museum stand as a testimony for all visitors to Egypt of the grandeur of the nation’s identity.

Despite the controversy of our history being dispersed all over the world, I don’t seem to mind having an Egyptian wing in every major city’s museum. First, the treasures that occupy these wings represent a snapshot of what a journey to Egypt has to offer. Second, they are a means of sharing Egypt’s gift of civilization with the all people. Third, these artefacts make my history accessible to Egyptologists and Egypt-aficionados all over the world.

I have come to consider Egyptian museums as “a home away from home.” It was in the Egyptian wing of the British Museum that we Egyptian students in London held our national association’s inaugural meeting. Moreover, my recent discovery of the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology has thrilled me to see a whole museum dedicated to Egypt. The curators and staff at the Petrie have made me realise that museums should be much more than a display of one’s history. These should be an interactive platform where Egyptians and non-Egyptians meet for an intellectual exchange about history and culture.

During my stay in London, I hope to bring my history to life once more. With the Petrie’s effort to digitalize many of their displays and exhibitions, I believe this is a great way to expose Egypt’s treasures to the world. With the advent of online social media and networking tools, I hope to see ancient Egyptian history play a greater role in connecting Egypt with the world.

Egyptians in London

The UK is a very different place than Egypt. Cold, rainy, gloomy are contrasted to warmth, humid, and sunny when comparing the two countries. Considering how drastically divergent these two climates are from one another, its natural for an Egyptian to get nostalgic about home every now and then. Especially since Egypt's been in the news headlines for the past month or so, one can really feel home sick nowadays. An occasional walk down Edgware Road with the various Arab cafes and restaurants can alleviate this longing for Egypt every now and then, but its not just the same as being back home.

More than ever I have a yearning to return. It almost feels as if exile sometimes. Just as I hear snippets from family of friends back home about the vibrant nationalist scene and how everyone is out in the streets to serve Egypt, I feel like I'm missing out on all the action. The least I could do to reconnect with my motherland was to reach out to my compatriots here in London. Sherif, a good friend I met during the demonstrations in front of the Egyptian embassy, suggested that we initiate a University of London Egyptian Student Association.

We wanted to rally the support of students in the city to aid Egypt in whatever way we can. What was the one thing that would bring Egyptians together, we thought. It had to be something related to their national identity. When we thought long and hard about it, we realized that that "thing" that would be our magnificent history. With the British Museum (BM) right around the corner from where I lived and where Sherif does his research, we decided to gather as many Egyptian students from the University of London as we could. I contacted all of my Egyptian acquaintance, those from school, from the demonstrations, from random encounters, etc... I even broadcasted the message on various Egyptian student facebook pages. To my surprise, we had a decent turnout of about eight people on Saturday.

We met on the steps of the BM's main entrance and proceeded to the Egyptian section of the museum, by far the main attraction. Since it was the weekend, the museum was packed with tourists, but we seemed to be the only Egyptians there to relish our own history. As we entered, the Rosetta Stone stood upright with all its splendor. It was a bittersweet feeling seeing my history showcased in all its might in the BM. On the one hand, I despised the notion that these beautiful artifacts were looted, but on the other hand, I was honoured to see them represent my great nation to the many visitors that flooded the BM daily.

Sherif is an encyclopedia of Egyptian history. I have never seen an Egyptian so familiar with every aspect of his history. He gave us an excellent tour of the Egyptian section, explaining every detail on each of the pieces. Unlike most Egyptians, he had travelled extensively around Egypt to connect with his roots. He was also a prolific reader of Egyptology and knew how to decifer and prounounce certain words from the hieroglyphics on many of sculptures we looked at. My favorite part of this tour was the fact that Sherif would always show how relevant everything was to our daily lives in Egypt. We have inherited more heritage and culture from our ancient ancesstors than one could possibly imagine.

After the tour, we all dined at Hare and Tortoise in Brunswick Square. It was great being amongst Egyptians, sharing the latest news from the post-revolution period, and planning how we could play our share in the future of the revolution.

Today, I also had the opportunity to attend a fundraising dinner under the theme: Aid Egypt. The idea behind the event would be to gather as Egyptians in London, pay £25 for dinner (proceeds of which would fund medical supplies for those in need back home), listen to eye witness accounts of British Egyptians who were in Tahrir Square as it happened. It was quite inspirational seeing so many Egyptians show up to the event. I have never seen Egyptians so active and dedicated to make their country a better place. I really pray this optimism, commitment, and passion for Egypt is everlasting.

That's all for now. I agreed with some of my new friends that we'd meet next weekend to brainstorm some ideas of how we could lend a supporting hand to Egypt in the coming few months, so more on that later.

McKinsey & Middle East Consulting

I've always been under the impression that there could be a profession out there with a job description along the lines of: solving the world's problems. Well, I'm glad to say that I've signed up for it by deciding to be a consultant.

Today's talk by McKinsey's Herman De Bode confirmed all that I had in mind about what global management and strategy consulting is all about. De Bode has a stellar track record to say the least. He's a HBS MBA graduate and has been with McKinsey for 30 years or so, opening three global offices with the firm in Luxembourg, Antwerp, and Riyadh.



What does it take to be a consultant?

I'd been looking forward to his talk for a while, considering that it dealt with two things related to my career aspirations: consulting and the Middle East. So what is this consulting I want to get myself into? Well, as De Bode put it: its a profession that lies at the intersection of solving problems and having an impact. There are many ways to solve a problem, and it doesn't matter which solution you pick as long as it has the right impact. From what I gathered, having an impact means altering people's motives for the better. I'm passionate about making a difference in the Egypt and the Middle East. The only way to make that happen will be to create the energy and motivation required for decision makers to take risks. As a consultant, you put your expertise and problem solving skills by advising world leaders to take decisions while being frank about the advantages and disadvantages these decisions entail.


Consulting firms like Booz and McKinsey aren't just interested in growing shareholders' profits, but are really keen on delivering results that have an impact on their clients. Both consulting firms are modelled after the old American legal firms, i.e. they are partnerships owned by their partners. So instead of being assessed on how much money you could bring in, you're assessed on how helpful you are towards to colleagues and clients as a consultant. The other advantage of these global partnerships is that they can leverage their intellectual capital by calling up any consultant worldwide to come and work on a specific project, which allows top tier consultancies to bring the best of the firm to any client.

Another crucial element of successful consulting is to pinpoint the relevant issues of the country in which you are operating and tackling them. There's nothing more important in consulting that becoming a relevant player. Not only does this allow you to have influence on your clients, but it allows your work to have a visible impact.



Consulting in the Middle East

Next, De Bone delved into his consulting experience in the Middle East. He reaffirmed my view that the region is rapidly changing in terms of its politics, economics, and societies. It is a growing and dynamic region, as opposed to the mature societies of the West. For example, the population growth rate of Middle Eastern countries is three times that of the global population growth rate. Countries in the GCC are realizing that to sustain this growth, they need to invest in education. Currently, Saudi Arabia has 100,000 students studying abroad. Although this is excellent for its future generation, in essence the country is just outsourcing its higher education. To continue to cater to the growing demands of its young population, Saudi Arabia will need to create opportunities of employment and education. This is when consultancies come in.

De Bode recounted his experience working on a project for the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As a member of the G20 and with an aspiration to become of the top 10 financial hubs worldwide, Saudi Arabia has to make leaps to catch up with the world. By analyzing everything from its embassy's efficiencies to how to foster a more attractive business environment, McKinsey designed Saudi Arabia's strategy to improve its international image, attract foreign investment, and make the country more economically competitive.

So who are the main players in the Middle Eastern consulting scene? De Bone acknowledged that McKinsey and Booz were the two major competitors. Both firms take a very different approach to how they orient their practices. Booz benefits from its first-to-market approach having accessed the region before any other consultancy. As a result, Booz's consulting force is almost twice as large as that of McKinsey. Unlike McKinsey, Booz relies primarily on a consulting force recruited from the region. Based out of Beirut, Booz benefits from a worldly and well-educated recruitment base, spotting and recruiting intelligent, Arabic speaking consultants. To Booz's advantage, its predominant Lebanese corporate culture makes it flexible, pragmatic, and entrepreneurial, all of which have made it hugely successful. Having interviewed with both Booz and McKinsey, I felt the former was a better fit for me due to the aforementioned reasons.



So could consultancies solve all the world's problems?

According to De Bone, the wave of recent revolutions that has swept the Middle East is mainly due to economic reasons. High income inequality levels coupled with high unemployment rates among the youth have driven the future generation to the edge. He cited the Tunisian martyr who set himself on fire as an example of the hopeless amongst the Middle East's youth who have nothing to lose. Moreover, he mentioned that phenomena like Iran's 1979 Revolution and the Arab revolutions of 2011 are primarily due to economic, and not idealogical, culprits.

Countries like Egypt, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia can ensure stability by attracting foreign investment, which will create jobs, which will encourage education to upgrade workers' skills, which will in turn raise these countries' standards of living. Moreover, this FDI will connect these countries to the world, leading to an exchange of ideas, technology, and best practices that could potentially put Middle Eastern countries on par with their Western counterparts.

Hence, the crux of what consulting is all about is tapping into the opportunity to help governments and business to address their people's needs. Its about advising policy makers on how to improve the quality of their nation's education, how to make their business environment more investment-friendly, its about how to ensure an equitable distribution of wealth in society, its about job creation and efficient allocation of resources. A consultant's project aims at tackling each of these economic/societal problems.


Final words of wisdom

De Bone ended his talk with some gems of wisdom:

First, he advised us to change it up every now and then. In one's career, one must have a new horizon with new challenges to feel like he or she is developing. Don't be on a treadmill to nowhere, he advised. One should always seek new challenges to give it his or her best. In a word, he cited a quote, which ran something like this, "Those who are not busy being born, are busy dying." Hence, in order to progress in life, one most continually renew his or herself.

Second, always do what you want to do. Although it sounds cliche, if you're being told what to do and not enjoying it, you'll never be happy or successful doing it. Hence, its essential to choose a profession that motivates you to get out of bed each morning excited to go to work. Although this might seem difficult in today's mundane work environment, a catch to this advice is that you can always learn to love what you do in order to love what you're doing.

Third, at the heart of it all, consultants are serving the core needs of the societies in which they operate. When a student asked de Bode if working in Saudi Arabia was drastically different that in Europe, he replied that there is much more that is similar between the Middle East and the West that what is different. The fundamental underlying drivers, sensitivities, and needs may present themselves in different forms, but are essentially the same. I really appreciated his universal outlook, because when I look at the Arab Revolutions of 2011, it showed that all people value the same things, i.e. freedom, dignity, and justice. And the way I look at it, there is no way of achieving these universal values in the Middle East without addressing and solving the region's various socio-economic problems.

Lastly, the most important characteristics of a consultant are his respect for others and humility. Working with various clients and in different cultures require the consultant to show a genuine sense of concern to his client's problems. Not only must the consultant imbibe the client's problem, but he or she must show a deep sense of commitment to follow through with the client until the project's success.

Overall, it is always humbling and inspiring to sit and listen to someone like de Bode. Attending his talk was one of those God-sent moments that confirmed that what I want to do in life is worthwhile and fulfilling. I just hope and aspire that someday I can have as much of an impact as he had and gain as much wisdom.

London Business School

Having brought my camera to school this morning, I decided to talk a couple of photos of the main LBS campus to share on this blog:

Thomson Reuters & Canary Wharf

Trapped in between Canary Wharf's skyscrapers

London isn't much of a concrete jungle with sky scrappers shooting up right and left like New York, or so I thought! Today's visit to Thomson Reuters took me to me to Canary Wharf, London's business hub, which was more representative of the city's vibrant commercial scene. Hitherto, London didn't quite "wow" me like other big metropolises because most of its architecture was either traditional Victorian buildings or Amsterdam-like townhouses. The only exceptions were probably Piccadilly Circle, Oxford Street, or Leicester Square. Today, London proved me ignorant by revealing its Canary Wharf, which proved that London's hustle and bustle was just as intense as that of New York or Hong Kong.

The clocks in Canary Wharf

The Thomson Reuters visit took us through the history of the company from its 1800s techniques of carrying information to and fro different cities by flying pigeons to today's virtual transfer of information in a matter of nanoseconds. I truly admire the company's global scope of operations. With offices in 180 countries, Reuters has ears and eyes in every corner of the world to report the latest breaking news. One of the firm's senior managers gave us an example of how far Reuters is ahead of its competition. When the Lebanese-Israeli war of 2006 broke out, Reuters had 50 reporters who reported over 200 news stories in the first 2 hours of the war when other news agencies were still getting their reporters on planes to fly over to the Middle East.

Most of today's presentations focused on Reuters' merger with Thomson and how the two firms integrated their operations to make them the dominant player in the financial information sector. Reuters' platform puts the latest corporate news at the fingertips of investors, banks, and stock brokers. Reuters' main competitor is Bloomberg. These two players compete on such a niche market that requires such high start up capital and vast experience that the market barriers are quite high. Reuters' director revealed that the firm's next generation of technology would be computers that could read, interpret, and act on financial information in a fraction of the time it takes humans to so. In essence, humans could be considered obsolete in the future financial world.

My LBS colleagues in a Reuters meeting room

Although I acknowledge the importance of Reuters' financial services, what really brought me to the firm today was its journalistic excellence. Reuters is a pioneer in the media with its reporters putting their life on the line to reveal the truth. After the Egyptian Revolution, I have taken a particular interest in the power of news in shaping people's perceptions, ideas, and emotions towards certain events. I revere journalists for the ability to be in the right place at the right time to report the right information. For example, it was a Reuters reporter who was the first to report Howard Carter's discovery of King Tut's tomb in Egypt before other reporters could get their hand on the news. Who knows where this recent interest in journalism will lead, but I'm sure my passion for writing will linger on...

The river view in Canary Wharf

After the Reuters visit, I stuck around to discover Canary Wharf a bit. As a consequence, I ended up hitting the rush hour in the underground, which meant being crammed into the tube with a bunch of commuters back home, but it was all part of the London business lifestyle experience.

The Art of Flying with British Airways

Outside BA's Headquarters

Flying has become one of those unavoidable things in life. A couple of generations ago, it used to be perceived as a thrilling adventure into the skies, but today it could seem mundane with the hassle of having to wait in long cues to get security checked, delays to one's flight, and being trapped in a small seat for many hours. Today, during my second day of Business Immersion Week, I had the opportunity to see how a company like British Airways manages everything from its intricate flight and cargo operations to its customer relations and brand image.

Walking down BA's "Street"

At 7:45am, we boarded a coach to British Airways' headquarters near Heathrow Airport. Similar to the BBC's Media City, BA's HQ was another gigantic glass and steel structure that sprawled a huge compound. It amazed me how London's corporations created their own self-sustaining eco-systems that incorporated all of their operations under one roof. As we walked through the building's "Street" (what the employees call what seemed like a mile-long path that runs through their building), we say toys and structures meant to inspire BA's employees.

The wheels of a BA jet and a model of the extinct Concorde airplane

Our sessions for the day covered topics ranging from BA's revenue management operations, marketing and customer experience, to the airline industry's mergers and acquisitions. Although I could ramble on about everything that was presented to us today, I'll focus on one notion that particularly interested me about BA, i.e. the company's mission to position itself as its gateway to "British culture." With the 2012 London Olympics around the corner, BA wanted to make a leap ahead of its competition and capitalise on the world's largest sporting event. BA's Marketing Director admitted that BA had fallen behind competition, such as Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways. To make a come back, BA wanted to leverage its "British" identity to make a come back.

So what is "British"? BA wanted to implant the notions of "cutting-edge design, fashionable style, superior quality, long heritage, etc..." amongst the other positive traits of British that come to the mind of its customers when they think of BA. To associate itself with positive British characteristics, BA would have to partner with big British brand names, such as Burberry, Paul Smith, etc... Also, it could utilise brand ambassadors, such as David Beckham to represent the company. In marketing, when customers associate BA's brand with positive aspects of British culture, they will be more inclined to buy a BA flight ticket because they'll in essence also be buying the "British experience" that goes along with that flight.

If there's one thing to take away from the BA visit its that there's more than meets the eye when considering a brand. Moreover, there's more than one can imagine that goes on behind the scenes when one boards a BA flight from point A to point B.

The Financial Capital of the World's Stock Exchange

The LSE Building in Paternoster Square

The second visit of today was to the London Stock Exchange (LSE). Now, to be frank, the LSE did not have have as much flavour as the BBC visit in the sense that I couldn't relate to it as much as I did with the former, but it was quite fascinating seeing how one single company shape the global economy. Yes, the LSE is a private company, not a government institution as is widely believed. It serves as an intermediary between investors who are seeking a return on investments and corporations who are seeking to raise capital to fund for their projects. As the liaison, the LSE provides a state of the art, cyber, secured, trading platform where stock brokers and jobbers meet to trade securities on behalf of their clients (i.e. the investor).

Another myth about the LSE that today's speaker dispelled that there is no actual trading floor with hundreds of men and women shouting like in the New York Stock Exchange. Instead, the LSE had a virtual trading floor, which meant that thousands of investors and traders could meet virtually from every corner of the world to place their "buy" and "sell" bids. Not only did this allow more efficiency by allowing traders to trade in real time, but was a more secure way of ensuring that no one can "beat the market" by illegally manipulating information.

Although I never took a particular interest in the Financial Services sector, I found this visit to be quite informative in that it revealed how capital markets function, why they are so important, and how they are one of the cornerstones of a robust economy.

In my opinion, the best thing about the visit was its central location in the heart of London, where I managed to take some more photos (unfortunately photography inside the LSE is strictly off limits).

Views of St. Paul's Cathedral from the LSE

The BBC: Great Britain's Source of Soft Power

The BBC's Mission Statement:

"Bringing the UK to the world and the world to the UK."

If there's one thing that I took away from today's company visits during Business Immersion Week is that business forms the backbone of any successful organisation. I used to think that the BBC was merely the news channel and website I'd been addicted to for the past two weeks as I watched events unfold during the Egyptian Revolution, but it turned out to be much more.

During my visit to BBC Worldwide's headquarters today in West London, I was awed by the breadth of the corporation's scale of operations and evolution over time. From what was a merely a Radio station started in 1923, the BBC has grown into a 1.1 billion GBP business that covers everything from the latest world politics, business, and sports news headlines to bringing entertainment into every household.

This morning, I tubed my way to White City station to make my way to the BBC's Media City, which reminded me of Cairo's Smart Village, but in this case for just one company!

The BBC's Media City

I was so excited about my visit, they I came ready with my camera only to find out that photography was off limits. Likely, I managed to snap this quick shot of my classmates in the headquarter's building.

Colleagues from the MiM Program

As for our visit itself, it was mostly a series of talks by the corporation's different division heads. I respected the speakers' true conviction in their professions. Not only did they find their work entertaining, educational, and insightful, but they believed they were on a mission to enlighten the public with the truth. They believed that the "BBC brand" had much value in shaping the outlook of its program's viewers. In the same vein, they sought to tailor its various programs to viewers around the world. For example, when having a British, Australian, and American version of its most popular entertainment show, Top Gear, the BBC was capitalizing on the principle of market segmentation. Since we were a business school audience, most of their talk was about the corporate side of the BBC. At the end of the day, the only reason the corporation existed was because of the money it generated.

The BBC's TV Center

As I was more interested in the journalistic side of the business, I asked one of the BBC's editors about the corporation's recent coverage of the events in Egypt's uprising. I was under the opinion that the BBC was more impartial towards the whole event than other news agencies, such as Al Jazeera, which obviously supported the protests and at times even seemed to flare things. The editor's response seem to reaffirm my own views. He informed me that, as opposed to interviewing key governmental or opposition figures during the protests, the BBC focused on interviewing the protesters in Tahrir Square themselves because they were at the heart of the action. He also mentioned that the BBC's mission is always to keep a neutral approach, which is why I personally refer to their news, be it in English or Arabic.

Although the visit focused on the corporation's marketing and strategic operations, I was honestly more interested in the journalistic side of things. All in all, it was a true privilege seeing the inner workings of the UK's media powerhouse.

LBS Business Immersion Week

London's Business Skyline

I know I haven’t been writing much on this blog, but I’ve just been swamped with work ever since matriculating at LBS. Graduate school is a whole new level of academic intensity, but don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying every second of it.

What brings me back to this blog is because I’d like to report this upcoming week’s events. One of the reasons I choose LBS over Imperial was its innovative and synergetic educational approach. A key highlight of my program is coming up next week and I wanted to introduce my readers to it. Over the next couple of days, I’ll be participating in what LBS calls Business Immersion Week in which we get to connect the theory we’ve been studying in the classroom to the real business world. This is my opportunity to get to see how London, one of the top financial capitals of the world, conducts business on a day to day basis.

I have always been fascinated by how the Western World has advanced by leaps and bounds in the past century through the collective efforts of individuals that put Western economies at the forefront of the global arena. It was organizations, corporations, and societies in cities like London that defined the way international economics works. I hope this week will serve as an inspirational lesson for me to emulate such large scale organizations back in Egypt.

The organizations and institutions I’ve signed up to visit are truly at the top of their sector:

Monday

Tomorrow, I’m due to visit the headquarters of BBC Worldwide and the London Stock Exchange. I have always been an ardent follower of the former. Whether it’s the BBC News, Sports, or shows such as Lonely Planet, the BBC has always awed me by its international coverage and educational approach. Also, I’m particularly keen on visiting the BBC this week because I’ve been glued to their news coverage of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution and, in my opinion, the BBC has always served as a professional source of truth.

As for the London Stock Exchange, it truly is a unique opportunity to visit the most international stock exchange in the world, hosting over 3,000 companies from over 70 countries. Finally, I’ll be able to see what I’ve been taking in my Finance and Financial Accounting courses in practice. Additionally, this is supposedly one of the oldest capital markets worldwide.

Tuesday

Next, I’ll be visiting the headquarters of British Airways and Thomson Reuters. Again, my choice of these two organizations is because they represent the unique prowess of Great Britain’s economic stature. I have frequently flown on BA and was always amazed at how such a corporation could manage such an international system of airline networks. Additionally, I’ve always been amazed at the inner workings of the airline industry, which is always in the headlines because of mergers, strikes, etc… Moreover, it will be the airline industry that defines our modern way of transportation.

Reuters on the other hand has truly played a pivotal role in defining our modern information age. The fact that they capture the news every second is truly phenomenal. The organization’s accounts of global events not only determines what the world hears, but how business and political leaders make crucial decisions based on the information Reuters feeds them. According to the firm, “Information is Power.”

Thursday

On Thursday, I’ll be attending a talk by Herman De Bode, the head of McKinsey & Company in Saudi Arabia. There are two reasons I signed up for this event.

1. McKinsey is regarded as the top consulting firm worldwide and is my future firm’s main competitor in the Middle East. I interviewed with McKinsey in London but unfortunately did not make the cut.

2. Saudi Arabia has relied heavily on consulting to advance its economy. Since I will be consulting in the Middle East next year, I think it’s crucial to hear from one of the sector’s leaders.

McKinsey, like Booz, serves as an advisor to the world’s leading businesses, governments, and organizations. Learning from one of the best consultants in the industry will definitely give me an insider’s perspective as to what I’ll be getting myself into next year.

That’s the overview of the week to come. I really hope it lives up to my expectations. Business Immersion Week is truly one of the reasons that bring me to London; i.e. to learn from the world’s leading institutions in my mission to modernise Egypt and situate it as one of the world’s most competitive countries.