Advertise on podcast: What I Did Next

I’m re-connecting again with one of my first guests, Jalal Abu-Gazaleh & Dalia Sultan, co-founders of Gourmet Egypt. The headline news since we first spoke in 2021 is that the company went public earlier this year! Tune in for the inside story of their expansion and IPO. This episode is part of Encore, where I check-in with some of your favourite WIDN alumni. We’ll continue this segment with more of the show’s alumni, so stay tuned. Chapters: 0:00 Coming up.. 13:27 The IPO Journey 31:53 Balancing marriage and business 37:45 The lightning round Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're continuing my conversation with journalist & best-selling author of Prisoners of Geography, Tim Marshall. On this episode, Tim tells me how the journalism landscape has changed, and the importance of geographical context in understanding current affairs and geopolitics. I’ll be back again next week with a special Encore episode with two of my earliest guests—Jalal Abu Ghazaleh and Dalia Sultan, co-founders of Gourmet Egypt—and the amazing story that led to their incredible IPO earlier this year. This episode is brought to you by EFG Hermes One, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets worldwide. Start investing today: https://app.efghermesone.com/ Chapters: 0:00 Coming up... 10:40 The importance of geography in current affairs 15:24 The new world order Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tim Marshall joins me on the show this week to talk about his journey from starting out with the British Royal Air Force to his three-decade career in journalism and now best-selling author of ‘Prisoners of Geography’. We also talk about the importance of understanding geography and how that intersects with current affairs and geopolitics. This is particularly relevant considering the ongoing war in the Middle East. More on that in Part 2 which comes out next week. This episode is brought to you by EFG Hermes One, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets worldwide. Start investing today: https://app.efghermesone.com/ Chapters 0:00 Coming up... 4:12 All the world‘s a stage 11:54 From the Royal Air Force to Sky News correspondnt 28:10 Reassessing after danger 32:42 Tim‘s writing process 37:46 The Lightning Round Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m continuing my conversation with Thuraya Ismail, CEO of Mentor Arabia, an organisation dedicated to improving the well-being of the Arab youth. On this episode, Thuraya shares her insights on drug prevention, overcoming stigma and how this work intersects with her other passion for arts & film. This episode is brought to you by:⁠ EFG Hermes One⁠, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets worldwide⁠. Start investing today! Azza Fahmy Jewellery⁠ Chapters: 0:00 Coming up 3:27 Tackling drug prevention 12:12 Impact of Saudi Vision 2030 14:14 Supporting youth through arts 16:13 Expanding Mentor Arabia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m delighted to welcome Thuraya Ismail. She's the CEO of Mentor Arabia, an organisation dedicated to improving the well-being of young Arabs in general, and towards drug prevention in particular. Since its launch in 2006, the organisation has reached more than 1.5 million beneficiaries and now operates across 12 countries. Stay tuned for more on that in Part 2 of our conversation next week. I’m really impressed with Thuraya’s work, and I was happy to sit down and get a real in-depth look at her personal journey, including losing her father last year, and her work to mentor the youth of our region. This episode is brought to you by: ⁠EFG Hermes One⁠, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets worldwide⁠. Start Investing today: https://app.efghermesone.com/ Azza Fahmy Jewellery⁠: https://azzafahmy.com/ Chapters 0:00 Coming up... 7:36 Career Beginnings at UNDP 13:53 Love for youth development 18:40 Transition to Mentor Arabia 21:52 Personal loss 29:00 Lightning Round Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I‘m joined today by a legend of from the world of architecture, Abdel Wahed El Wakil. I sat down with him a couple of weeks ago in Doha, where he now lives, to document his incredible journey, his vision for architecture as an industry, and Islamic architecture in particular. Abdel Wahed has designed buildings around the world, including in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Paris and London. He also studied and worked under his mentor, Hassan Fathy, an architecture legend in his own right. We’ll be continuing our conversation next week, where Abdel Wahed tells me about the evolution of architecture and materials, so stay tuned! This episode is brought to you by: ⁠EFG Hermes One⁠, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets worldwide⁠. Star Investing today! Azza Fahmy Jewellery⁠ Chapters: 0:00 Coming up 10:42 Architecture's Purpose 19:10 Materialism vs Spirituality 23:21 Cultural Revolution 26:34 Designing for the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies 37:58 Reviving Community Spaces 41:40 Lightning Round Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, you'll hear about the incredible message through art with designer Nada Debs and entrepreneur Sarah Beydoun, and the importance of preservation from Omniya Abdel Barr and artist Louis Barthelemy. This episode is part of our new segment, Double-Take, where I take a deep-dive into a single topic and connect the dots between some of our best conversations. This episode is brought to you by Azza Fahmy Jewellery⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm re-connecting today with award-winning film producer Mo Hefzy. Since I first spoke to him in 2022, Mo has had a series of successful releases, including 'Flight 404', 'Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo', 'Darwish', and many more. You can listen to that first conversation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH9tNi21eZo This episode is part of Encore, where I check-in with some of your favourite WIDN alumni. We’ll continue this segment with more of the show’s alumni, so stay tuned. Chapters 0:00 Welcome to a new Encore 0:44 Growth of Saudi cinema 2:50 Challenges in Egyptian cinema 8:00 The impact of streaming 23:34 The Lightning Round Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re continuing my conversation with legendary architecture Abdel Wahed El Wakil. Today, we’re diving deep into the world of architecture and materials. This episode is a crash-course whether you're in the field, an enthusiast like me, or just want a better understanding of the world around us. Abdel Wahed also tells me about the spiritual connection that traditional architecture fosters with nature and our experience as humans. You can watch the first part of our conversation here: This episode is brought to you by: ⁠EFG Hermes One⁠, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets worldwide⁠. Start Investing today: https://app.efghermesone.com/ Azza Fahmy Jewellery⁠: https://azzafahmy.com/ Chapters 0:00 Coming up 0:35 The masters of modern architecture 10:43 The essence of traditional art 13:02 The shift to individualism 19:20 The significance of courtyards 20:31 The importance of brick 27:16 Timeless Truths Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm re-connecting today with celebrity chef & author Bobby Chinn. I first spoke to Bobby during the summer of 2021 in preparation for Season 2. That feels like such a long time ago, we were just 8 episodes in at the time, and we're now in our 6th year with more than a 100 episodes! You can listen to that episode in your podcast app or our website: https://www.at-media-group.com/what-i-did-next/bobby-chinn/ This episode is part of Encore, where I check-in with some of your favourite WIDN alumni. We’ll continue this segment with more of the show’s alumni next month, so stay tuned. Chapters 0:00 Coming up... 2:03 Bobby's dream project 4:00 Sustainable seafood 10:11 Crying on TV 15:21 Climate Change and Food Systems 24:43 Lightning Round Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re continuing my conversation with luxury travel journalist and editor Maria Shollenbarger. Today, we’re delving into the travel industry—how and why certain destinations trend over others, how preferences have changed since COVID, and the future of travel in the age of AI. In case you missed Part 1 of our conversation, you can watch it here: I’ll be back next week with a new Encore episode with all-round rockstar Bobby Chinn. This episode is brought to you by:⁠ EFG Hermes One⁠, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets worldwide⁠. Start Investing today: https://app.efghermesone.com/ Azza Fahmy Jewellery⁠: https://azzafahmy.com/ Chapters 0:00 Coming up... 2:30 Travel in a post-COVID world 5:56 The Impact of Social Media 7:22 The role of Airbnb 9:03 Life as a Travel Journalist 11:47 The evolution of luxury travel 16:37 Travel in the age of AI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m excited to be kicking off the year with Maria Shollenbarger, travel editor at the Financial Times’ HTSI magazine. I got to know Maria last year at The Narrative Summit, where she was on a panel that I moderated. Maria has been with the FT now for 17 years and had always dreamed about working as a travel journalist. On Part 1 of our conversation, we unpack her journey traveling and living around the world. Maria has a sophisticated eye, an instinct for what travellers need and want, and we’ll her industry in a lot of depth on Part 2 next week, so stay tuned. This episode is brought to you by: EFG Hermes One, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets worldwide Azza Fahmy Jewellery Chapters: 0:00 Coming up 3:53 Early Career in Magazines 14:56 Moving to Europe 21:37 Life in Singapore 25:22 Reflections on an itinerant life Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all know the value of looking back to understand our path. But as the world becomes increasingly uncertain, I wanted to open a new chapter on the show.In 2026, in addition to reflecting on the past, we’re also tackling the big questions about our future. I’ll be asking my guests how they're navigating the same anxieties and opportunities we all face, from AI to climate change to the changing world around us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re closing out the year with a special episode with EFG Holding, and I’m joined today by the Group’s Chief Finance & Operations Officer, Mohamed Abdel Khabir. Mohamed joined the investment bank in 2008 and took on the CFO role in 2016. Earlier this year, he took on the additional responsibility of Operations, which includes Marketing, Technology & Administration. Mohamed has been actively involved in EFG Holding’s transformation from a MENA-based investment bank to its current avatar—a leading financial institution with a universal bank in Egypt and a leading investment bank in MENA. We’ll be back in the New Year with a bit of a refresh, new episodes with some amazing guests from across the region. In the meantime, you can catch up on episodes you might have missed here: Chapters 0:00 Coming up... 2:54 EFG Holding’s transformation 3:53 Regional strategy and global footprint 10:00 Lessons learnt from acquisitions 17:34 Leadership and fostering talent 23:04 Investor relations 25:51 ‘Resilience is not a choice’ 29:21 The Lightning Round Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, Mounir Nakhla told me about his entrepreneurial journey with MNT Halan, and how the company has risen to become of the Africa’s fastest growing start-ups. On this bonus episode, Mounir talks to me about the strategy behind their recent expansion into 3 new territories — Turkey, the UAE & Pakistan. Watch my full conversation with Mounir here: This episode is brought to you by EFG Hermes One, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets worldwide. ⁠Start Investing Today⁠: https://app.efghermesone.com/ Chapters: 0:00 On this episode... 5:12 Consolidation vs. Expansion 8:36 The impact of geopolitical factors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices