Experts discuss family business case studies and their impact on economic growth in the MENA region

Family business leaders, experts, and entrepreneurs came together to discuss the founding histories of leading regional family-owned conglomerates and the pivotal impact of family-owned businesses on economic growth and social change in the MENA region.

Speaking at the event were President of Saudi Arabia’s Almajdouie Group Abdullah Ali Almajdouie; Founder and CEO of Koita in the UAE Mustafa Koita; Director of startAD at NYU Abu Dhabi Robyn Brazzil; General Manager of Tharawat Family Business Forum Farida El Agamy; and Vice Provost for Academic Policies and Governance, and Program Head of History at NYU Abu Dhabi Martin Klimke.

The session explored some of the fascinating founder stories of leading enterprises in our region. Experts and family business members highlighted and analyzed the social, economic and business challenges these founders faced whilst starting their journeys decades ago. Creating an understanding around the drive and attributes of founders of long-lasting enterprises allows us to extract learning points for today’s leaders and entrepreneurs. The program included insights into the research project and first outcomes, as well as a panel discussion sheding light on some of the long-lasting enterprises’ unique attributes comparing today’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.