On February 9, the 3-day Business Forum by the American University in Cairo’s (AUC) School of Business is set to officially launch. The event will bring together distinguished scholars and practitioners, policy makers and business leaders for an extended conversation in the form of a number of round-table discussions pertaining to topics that mirror the school’s themes; business and management education; entrepreneurship; responsible business; and inclusive development.
The forum will also mark the 10 year anniversary of the official rebranding of the school as the School of Business, and follows in the footsteps of AUC’s centennial celebrations by contributing to the communities the School serves in a practical and hands-on manner.
Additionally, the round-table discussions, which will be moderated by prolific academics from the school and other global institutions, will feature 25 to 30 key figures each, with participants having the chance to contribute to the discussion through 3-minute remarks as managed by the moderators. Attendance of the roundtable discussions will be through personal invitations only.
Stay tuned to Business Forward for exclusive coverage of the content of the discussions and one-on-ones with key speakers and participants.
Roundtables
The Future of Business and Management Education – First roundtable discussion // February 9
Moderated by Dr. Howard Thomas, senior adviser, European Foundation for Management Development, and Ahmad Fakahany, distinguished professor of Global Leadership, Questrom School of Business, Boston University.
The first roundtable will be aiming to pose and answer a number of critical questions highlighting how business schools and higher-education institutions can adapt to the highly dynamic and evolving nature of modern-day businesses, and what needs immediate attention in order to for them to stay relevant and competitive in such a market.
The discussion will be attended by a plethora of notable business figures with the likes of Ahmed Abdel Wahab, chairman at FAW Industrial Group; Ehab Abouaiash, dean of the School of Commerce, Cairo University; and Wessam El-Beh, Egypt country director at Drosos Foundation – just to name a few
Entrepreneurship Ecosystems in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) – Second roundtable discussion // February 10
Moderated by Ayman Ismail, Associate Professor and Abdul Latif Jameel Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship and Founding Director of the Venture Lab, School of Business, The American University in Cairo.
Featuring distinguished speakers Ossama Hassanein, chairman at Rising Tide; Khaled Ismail, founder and chairman of Klangel; Ajay Kela, president and CEO of Wadhwani Foundation; and Christopher Schroeder, venture investor and entrepreneur. The second roundtable discussion examines how startups function in the existing business environment in MENA countries, and how its progress can be assessed and further empowered to provide creative solutions to the region’s populations.
This discussion will see the participation of Wessam El-Beh, Egypt country director at Drosos Foundation; Moataz Darwish, Shell Egypt; and Alaa Hashim, founder and executive partner, Transcendium LLC among many others.
Inclusive Development and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) in MENA – third roundtable discussion // February 10
Moderated by Nagla Rizk, Professor of Economics and Founding Director of the Access to Knowledge for Development Center, School of Business, the American University in Cairo
Discussing how MENA economies can work towards more inclusivity of the underprivileged in a rapidly developing world, the third roundtable discussion is set to feature opening remarks by established figures including Utkarsh Amitabh, founder of Network Capital; Leslie Chan, associate director, Center for Critical Development Studies, University of Toronto; Golestan (Sally) Radwan, special advisor to the Minister of Communication and Information Technology for artificial intelligence (AI); and Ruhiya Seward, senior program officer, International Development Research Center (IDRC).
The discussion will go in-depth into areas like AI, the 4IR and inclusive development, highlighting how this new age of technology could greatly contribute to increased economic equality across the region.
Business Reconfigured – fourth roundtable discussion // February 11
Moderated by Ghada Howaidy, Associate Dean for Executive Education and External Relations, School of Business, The American University in Cairo.
What are the on-ground ramifications of adopting new technologies on a global scale when it comes to local businesses? This question, and many more, will be tackled by a number of business experts and academics. This discussion will see notable local and international personalities give its opening remarks including Mervat Sultan, chair at the Export Development Bank; Marco Serato, associate provost at Chicago University; Amany Arafa, CEO of RMG Egypt; Amr Osman, CEO of Logic Consulting; and Ayman Abdelatif, VP for Digital Transformation at AUC.
Responsible Business – fifth roundtable discussion // February 12
Moderated by Ali Awni, Professor of Practice and Director of the John D. Gerhart Center for Philanthropy, Civic Engagement and Responsible Business, School of Business, The American University in Cairo.
A now-fundamental aspect of any business is how responsible it is when it comes to the customers and communities they serve. This topic will take center stage at the fifth roundtable discussion, seeking to provide an insight into how to effectively integrate responsible business practises with current ecosystems, and the different approaches to promote such practices.
The opening remarks of this discussion will bring together Dante Campioni, managing director of Alex Bank; Hashem El-Dandarawy, chairman at Team4Security; Noha El Mekawy, MENA representative of the Ford Foundation; and Morgan Simon, founding partner of Candide Group.
Stay tuned to the AUC‘s official website on Facebook for a live-stream of the event, and subscribe to Business Forward for an exclusive series of articles following the event.
