empowerME Conversations Podcast

empowerME Conversations is a podcast created by the Atlantic Council’s empowerME, which features conversations with business and government leaders shaping the Middle East. The podcast highlights significant policy issues, economic opportunities, and challenges for organizations and governments through interviews with influential entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and economic policymakers.

Former staff

Amjad Ahmad

Former Chairman

empowerME Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Economy & Business

Focuses on top government officials driving regional economic growth, featuring corporate guest co-hosts. Subscribe to empowerME Conversations on your favorite podcast platform to hear the latest episodes.

empowerME Conversations October 11, 2022

Economies in Transition: Middle East

Host and Atlantic Council empowerME Chairman Amjad Ahmad speaks with International Monetary Fund’s Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department Jihad Azour and guest co-host Atlantic Council’s empowerME Director Racha Helwa to discuss the economy and market opportunities of the MENA region, women and youth empowerment, and the development of differing entrepreneurial ecosystems within the region.

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empowerME Conversations October 4, 2022

Economies in Transition: Jordan

Host and Atlantic Council empowerME Chairman Amjad Ahmad speaks with Jordan’s Minister of Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship H.E. Ahmad Al-Hanandeh and guest co-host BeyondCapital Managing Director Tamer Al-Salah to discuss Jordan’s current economic situation, the pivotal role investors play in growing their entrepreneurial ecosystem, and the increasing involvement of women in the Jordanian economy.

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empowerME Conversations September 27, 2022

Economies in Transition: Egypt

Host and Atlantic Council empowerME Chairman Amjad Ahmad speaks with Egypt’s Minister of International Cooperation H.E. Rania Al-Mashat and guest co-host UPS President of International Public Affairs and Sustainability Penelope Naas to discuss Egypt hosting COP 27, increasing women in leadership positions, promoting inclusivity in the economy, energy transitions, and the continued development of Egypt’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

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empowerME Conversations September 20, 2022

Economies in Transition: Palestine

Host and Atlantic Council empowerME Chairman Amjad Ahmad speaks with Palestine Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and Empowerment H.E. Osama Al Saadawi and guest co-host Ibtikar Fund Managing General Partner Habib Hazzan about the challenges facing Palestine’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, the private sector’s role in promoting economic growth, and strategies to expose local entrepreneurs to global markets.

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Focuses on CEOs leading top corporations in the Middle East and features their insights on promoting regional economic prosperity. Subscribe to empowerME Conversations on your favorite podcast platform to hear the latest episodes.

empowerME Conversations November 2, 2021

The evolution of the food and beverage sector in MENA

Host and Atlantic Council empowerME Director Amjad Ahmad speaks with PepsiCo Vice President and General Manager for GCC and the Levant Tamer Mosalam about innovation and emerging opportunities for the food and beverage sector, the increase in women’s employment in Saudi Arabia, and ways governments and corporates can support entrepreneurs.

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empowerME Conversations October 26, 2021

Building growth: The future of MENA’s construction sector

Host and Atlantic Council empowerME Director Amjad Ahmad speaks with Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) Chairman Samer Khoury about the future of the construction industry, how companies can partner with and support startups, policies needed to boost the region’s economic growth, and ways to improve the talent pipeline and bring more women into the workforce.

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empowerME Conversations October 19, 2021

Rejuvenating retail

Host and Atlantic Council empowerME Director Amjad Ahmad speaks with Majid Al Futtaim CEO Alain Bejjani about the future of retail in the Middle East, consumer desires for more modern and fulfilling experiences, and policies that will promote talent from the inside and economic growth.

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empowerME Conversations October 12, 2021

The path to 25 healthcare breakthroughs by 2025

Host and Atlantic Council empowerME Director Amjad Ahmad speaks with Pfizer Regional President for Africa and Middle East Patrick van der Loo about the COVID vaccine rollout in the region, prospects for machine learning and AI to revolutionize healthcare, policies that will promote innovation, and ways companies can nurture women leaders in the workplace.

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empowerME Conversations October 5, 2021

Democratizing commerce

Host and Atlantic Council empowerME Director Amjad Ahmad speaks with Facebook Managing Director for the Middle East and North Africa Ramez Shehadi on digitization, the future of e-commerce, supporting SMEs, and changes needed to improve the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

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empowerME Conversations September 28, 2021

Transforming logistics

Host and Atlantic Council empowerME Director Amjad Ahmad speaks with former UPS President for Indian Subcontinent, Middle East, and Africa Jean-Francois Condamine about the e-commerce boom in the Middle East, promoting sustainability in the logistics industry, and empowering small and medium enterprises to become regional and global exporters.

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Focuses on top regional entrepreneurs and their path to success as well as struggles they faced along the way. Subscribe to empowerME Conversations on your favorite podcast platform to listen to the complete season.

empowerME Conversations March 2, 2021

Must see (Saudi) TV

Host and Atlantic Council empowerME Director Amjad Ahmad speaks with Telfaz 11 and C3 Films CEO Alaa Fadan about his trailblazing efforts to produce TV and media content with Saudi talent, the recent Netflix deal, and the culture change that is boosting entrepreneurship and women’s economic empowerment in Saudi Arabia.

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empowerME Conversations February 9, 2021

Transforming homz

Host Amjad Ahmad interviews Homzmart Co-Founder and CEO Mahmoud Ibrahim about his multiple entrepreneurial ventures, the growth in e-commerce in the Middle East, proactive changes governments are making to laws and regulations (and changes that are still needed), the importance of developing talent through mentoring, women’s economic inclusion in his businesses, and the need for the region to go beyond digitization and create change through innovation.

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empowerME Conversations February 2, 2021

From Fashion to Fintech

Host Amjad Ahmad interviews Tabby Co-Founder and CEO Hosam Arab about why he became an entrepreneur and what it takes to succeed, the customer needs his companies have met, how he scaled his businesses across regional borders, the changes in e-commerce and payment options in recent years in the Middle East, and changes to laws and regulations that would boost business.

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empowerME Conversations January 26, 2021

Double Vision

Host Amjad Ahmad interviews eyewa Co-Founders and Co-CEOs Anass Boumediene and Mehdi Oudghiri about the mindset that will create more entrepreneurs in the Middle East, policy changes that will lead to more unicorns, the acceleration of online payments and e-commerce, and new technologies that will soon replace in-person fitting rooms and eye tests.

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empowerME Conversations January 19, 2021

It’s a mumz world

Host Amjad Ahmad interviews Mumzworld Founder and CEO Mona Ataya about what it takes to be an entrepreneur, how the Middle East’s entrepreneurial ecosystem is radically changing, her company’s biggest policy pain points, and the future of customer personalization to the power of one.

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empowerME Conversations January 12, 2021

Translating Business

Host Amjad Ahmad interviews Tarjama Founder and CEO Nour Al Hassan about what drove her to become an entrepreneur, her company’s prescient flexible work model that has promoted women’s economic inclusion as well as resilience, and her policy wish list to help more endeavors like hers succeed in the Middle East.

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empowerME Conversations December 11, 2020

EmpowerME Conversations Pilot

The empowerME conversations podcast features conversations with business and government leaders shaping the Middle East. The podcast sheds light on key opportunities and challenges for companies and governments, and Season 1 will focus on top regional entrepreneurs and their path to success as well as struggles they faced along the way.

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Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East

The Atlantic Council’s work on social, economic and human development issues in the Middle East honors the legacy of Rafik Hariri and his life’s mission to unlock the human and economic potential of the Arab world.

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The Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative (SMESI) provides policymakers fresh insights into core US national security interests by leveraging its expertise, networks, and on-the-ground programs to develop unique and holistic assessments on the future of the most pressing strategic, political, and security challenges and opportunities in the Middle East. 

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