Making It

Six days a week, we help top executives make sense of the Arab world’s companies and economies — and every Thursday, our editor-in-chief, Patrick, talks shop with the people who run them. Making It …

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36 clip(s) in playlist

The road to an IPO with BdC’s Hussein Abaza
Banque du Caire is going public in a landmark IPO. On this episode of Making It, Hussein Abaza, the CEO of Banque du Caire, joins Patrick to take us through the strategy behind the sale. Hussein is a legend in the banking community; he’s the former CEO of CIB and has long been a spokesperson for…
56:36
A different kind of stamina: AI and law with Lamyaa Gadelhak
Will AI eventually replace lawyers? On this episode of Making It — the third installment in our AI series — Lamyaa Gadelhak joins Patrick to refute that claim. It will transform the industry, she explains, but it will not replace it. Lamyaa is Partner at Baker McKenzie and Chair of its Global Pro…
55:15
On IPOs and the “Egypt discount”, with MNT-Halan’s Mounir Nakhla
MNT-Halan’s IPO has been the talk of the market for a few weeks. So on this episode of Making It, Mounir Nakhla, the founder and CEO of MNT-Halan, joins Patrick to talk about why his company is going public, and why now is the right time. Mounir built MNT-Halan in about 17 years, and soon 20% of…
49:08
The future of engineering in the age of AI with Youssef Rizk
What do you risk when you build your business on top of the world’s frontier AI models? Youssef Rizk says, “Look at Google’s graveyard.” Youssef is the CEO of Windfall and co-founder and CTO of Wondercraft, which is the company we rely on to produce our other show Morning Drive, using the AI voic…
1:04:18
Inside the NBFI firestorm with Hazem Moussa
For a few months, alarms have sounded across the board cautioning of an impending credit bubble. Are they warranted? On this episode of Making It, Hazem Moussa joins Patrick to break down how a bubble in the credit industry actually forms, what regulators should watch out for, the risks on both s…
46:53
Cairo Food Week’s Hoda El-Sherif on stories, flavors, and community
Is Egyptian food having a moment? And more importantly, is our cuisine finally claiming its seat at the global table? Hoda El-Sherif says, “It’s coming.” Hoda is the co-founder and CEO of Flavor Republic, and the force behind Cairo Food Week. On this episode of Making It, Hoda argues that Egypt…
53:12
The mechanics of retail with Baraka’s Ahmed Ragab
After almost 50 years of competition, why would two companies choose to merge? Is it as simple as the big entity buying the smaller one, or is there more to the story? On this episode of Making It, Ahmed Ragab joins Patrick to share how things actually played out for him. Ragab is the CEO and …
48:10
Why Rep. Neveen El Tahri is optimistic
Foreign investors see a lot of potential in Egypt. Their optimism, however, is not necessarily shared by many inside Egypt. So where does the gap lie? On this episode of Making It, Neveen El Tahri joins Patrick to make the case for optimism. Neveen is a legend in banking and finance. She is a ser…
1:08:52
The Chinese takeover with Ankush Arora
When Chinese cars first appeared in Egypt around a decade ago, they were met with backlash. Now, they’re everywhere. Why? And how? On this episode of Making It, Ankush Arora joins Patrick to break down how this happened, and why the pace of adoption is accelerating. Ankush is the CEO of Al Mansou…
49:06
Decoding AI with Tarek Assaad
Past the doom and gloom, what the heck is actually going on with AI at the moment? On this episode of Making It, Tarek Assaad joins Patrick to decode the latest in AI. From one of the smartest people in business and tech, this is an episode for both the novice and the pro, about what we should ma…
49:31