Tell Us About Your Background.
I am an investor, author, professor, lobbyist, and philanthropist. I dedicated my life to business and I am a proud father of 5 children.
I grew up in a family where the environment revolves around investments and business. My late father was an Executive Director in a bank before setting up his own Real Estate Company.
I've always believed that I could transform the world into a better place by using my economic knowledge. That is why I decided to study Economics and Law.
In April 2021, I was granted by US-based University, California Metropolitan University (CMU), a recognition of Doctor of Business Administration, DBA (Honoris Causa), for my significant contribution to economic diplomacy in the Middle East by stimulating businesses across the region.
I founded The Abrahamic Business Circle in September 2020 right after the signing of the Abraham Accords. The idea was inspired by the Abrahamic Family House, a vision that was signed in February 2019. A document of Human Fraternity which is a beacon of mutual understanding, harmonious coexistence, and peace among people of faith and goodwill.
Even in my busy days, I was able to find time to write and published several books. One of my famous and highly acclaimed books is the Turbocapitalism: the masters of bankcruptcy (Kant Ediciones, Spain-2017). A work in which I propose a change to achieve a system that manages to civilize capitalism from personal ethics. The latest book I have written, Riding the Wild Tiger – Covid 19, Challenges and Opportunities,
Describes a contemporary setting of my views and thoughts on how we all can overcome unknown challenges in time of pandemonium.
What Interesting And Successful Projects Have You Been Involved In?
Real estate bought at the right moment and the right price. In Berlin, I bought the former headquarters of the Luftwaffe (German air force in the Second World War) in 2010 and converted it into a nanotechnology manufacturing plant, and then sold the building to an investor. I wanted to change a negative part of history into something positive for the future.
Why Did You Found The Abrahamic Business Circle?
The name of The Abrahamic Business Circle was inspired by the existence of the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi. The olive branch of the logo is circled with three segments representing the three major Abrahamic religions: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Each of them maintains its own identity while showing that they are united. In each of the aforementioned religious creeds, the olive tree has represented peace for a long time.
At The Abrahamic Business Circle, we believe that if we promote economic diplomacy, business people can positively influence working within the framework of a stable and lasting peace agreement between the region. We have founded the entity to create a global business group since we consider that the collaboration of companies is a crucial strategy for maintaining a solid and permanent peace. Our main idea is to build large business bridges from the Middle East and, of course, globally.
I am on a very ambitious mission, that of bringing the likes of the B2C online experience into the B2B digital world. B2B e-commerce is truly the next biggest thing in e-commerce and we can already see many companies making the shift to conducting their business online. However, the customer experience in B2B e-commerce is lagging behind compared to B2C and that’s because of the complexities and challenges that it comes along with. Every business is different and their needs are different, but what we know for sure is that the people in B2B have already experienced what B2C is like and they expect to receive the same kind of experience when buying for their businesses. At Tradeling, my team and I keep innovating on behalf of the customer to bring a frictionless experience with the peace of mind that you would expect whe n purchasing for yourself. Take for example Logistics. We launched Tradeling Smart Freight, where one can instantly obtain and compare freight rates and book online as easy as buying an airline ticket in 3 simple steps. This offering has removed the need of endless emails and phones calls t multiple freight forwarders and to follow up on the status of the shipments.
I have a very simple approach to how I spend my days at work. I split my time into four main activities. I connect, I teach, I think and I deliver. Depending on the needs of the business, I allocate time accordingly but I make sure that I do all four activities day in day out.
How can readers find out more about you?
They can visit our website. I suggest to watch the space of B2B e-commerce in MENA region. We are continuously launching new products and services and incrementally shaping the way B2B e-commerce takes place in the MENA region and I have the privilege to be in the forefront. We recently launched the region's first authoritative study on the Middle East's B2B- e-commerce landscape. Pivoting to Digital: The Transformation of Middle East’s B2B Commerce, provides insight to trends and perception of the B2B eCommerce sector in the Middle East, focusing on its two largest markets, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. It shows how the challenges and opportunities brought on by the global pandemic and how COVID-19 necessitates the drive to a new model of retail, one that is driven online. It is available free to download: https://www.tradeling.com/ae-en/page/tradeling-white-paper
ENTREPRENEUR SPOTLIGHT
19 | BIZPRENEUR MIDDLE EAST July 2021