Dean's End of Semester Message - Fall 2024

Dear Friends and Colleagues,?As the Fall 2024 semester concludes, I am proud to reflect on the exceptional work of our school team. This semester marked a transformative chapter in our school’s history, from announcing our new name to achievements in academic programs, research, community engagement, and internationalization.These efforts continue to position us as a leader in business education.

The naming of our school as the Onsi Sawiris School of Business marks the most significant milestone in our history. Made possible by the single largest philanthropic gift in AUC’s history from the Sawiris family. This support will fund scholarships, research, an endowed professorship in AI and data science, and exchange programs with top U.S. universities. With over 1,500 students and 12,000 alumni in 82 countries, this legacy of excellence in business and philanthropy inspires us to shape future leaders and advance global business education.

The Summer 2024 semester was brimming with opportunities to advance research, innovation, and international collaboration. We participated in the first Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) Africa Conference in South Africa, exploring how business schools can drive leadership development, innovation, and sustainable economic growth in Africa, and participated in the Digital Universities Arab World 2024 held in collaboration with Times Higher Education, which engaged over 250 university leaders, industry partners, and innovators from across the region to explore digital innovation in higher education.

Our centers remain equally active. Access to Knowledge for Development (A2K4D) hosted the OpenAir Conference on African Innovation Research, while The ?Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab Middle East and North Africa (J-Pal MENA) organized the 7th edition of the Jobs for Development Conference, presenting over 50 research papers on improving employment outcomes. El-Khazindar Business Research and Case Center (KCC) launched the Middle East and Africa (MEA) Conference on Sustainability and Impact, which provided a collaborative platform for 40 private and public universities to address the unique needs of educators and students in the region while strengthening connections between academia and industry.

The John D. Gerhart Center for Philanthropy, Civic Engagement and Responsible Business (Gerhart Center)? continued its impactful work this semester. The Social Entrepreneurship Ambassadors (SEA) Program concluded with 72 hours of training, empowering young leaders in Ras Ghareb to implement four social initiatives, supported by a panel discussion with local entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, the Social Entrepreneurship Mobilization in Egypt program, funded by Dana Gas, completed its third phase, delivering marketing and business training and providing 17 sewing machines to help participants grow their ventures. A review meeting with Dana Gas highlighted the program’s success in fostering economic independence and sustainable development.

One of the?semester’s highlights was the Hack’24 Competition, a month-long innovation challenge organized by the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI) in collaboration with e& Egypt, where participants developed cutting-edge solutions to improve lives. Complementing this, Pitchathon 2024 celebrated its fifth anniversary with students from the ENTR 3102 course presenting business ideas aligned with the UN SDGs, competing for a share of the EGP 30,000 prize.?

Meanwhile, our Executive Education team hosted the RICS Egypt Community Networking Event 2024, along with an interactive session at CityScape Egypt, bridging academia and the real estate industry.Capping off this vibrant semester, we hosted the FEMISE Annual Conference, which brought together leading policymakers, academics, and practitioners to explore the role of the Euro-Mediterranean (EUROMED) partnership in advancing sustainable development.

The Happy School Initiative hosted workshops promoting mental health and well-being among faculty and staff, promoting a positive and inclusive environment. The CEI launched the USAID Scholars Journey with four cohorts focused on entrepreneurship. It also launched the Advanced Banking: SME Inclusion and Portfolio Diversity program, which empowered bank staff and SME clients to support youth-led and women-led SMEs, enhancing diversity and inclusion in the banking sector.

Additionally, the CEI organized the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) Conference, providing 155 participants with the tools and resources needed for sustainable business growth. The CEI also ran a Hackathon for Women Entrepreneurs, which brought together 40 female entrepreneurs to compete for EGP 150,000 in pre-seed funding. The competition featured four key tracks: Handicrafts, Tech, Education, and General - helping to advance innovation and inclusion in these sectors.?

A2K4D hosted?workshops on workers’ rights in the digital era and a focus group on Women and Work in Egypt’s Informal Digital Economy. At the same time J-PAL MENA ran a three-day workshop that allowed them to deliver the Humanitarian Action Research Incubator, which will?help push poverty action within the region and promote sustainable solutions and livelihoods.Aligned with our sustainability goals, we introduced the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) Barometer, a tool to evaluate ESG readiness among companies, offering actionable insights for businesses in Egypt.

The Climate Entrepreneurship Exchange Program, supported by the Steven's Initiative, is a notable addition to the school’s efforts in fostering global engagement. This 8-week online, non-credit course connected students from Egypt, the USA, Morocco, and Libya. The program concluded with local and international competitions, supported by five mentors who guided student groups through the process. With a goal of recruiting over 100 students per round, the initiative ran for four rounds, promoting entrepreneurship and cross-cultural collaboration.

Our?students excelled in various national and international competitions this past semester. A special highlight was Malak Elleithy, a senior finance student with a theatre minor, who won EGP 1 million at the national GEN Z competition for her app, YOUTH-MENA, Egypt’s first student discount app, which gained 8,000 users and 10,000 downloads in four months.

The third edition of FINOMICS, the stock trading simulation competition,?provided hands-on learning and awarded EGP 80,000 as prizes. Emirates NBD, Beyti, ADIB, Beltone, EFG Holding, and Zilla Capital generously supported the competition.?

In the P&G Summit Winter Internship Competition, our students– Joice Bebawy, Zeina Bahgat, Nour Helal, and Hanya Hatem – secured first place with strategic marketing solutions to increase Pampers Pants in Egypt. In the prestigious Capsim Foundation International Challenge, undergraduate students - Abdalla Hafez, Mohannad Khairy, and Youssef Helmy – secured second place, showcasing exceptional business acumen.Farida Sarhank, a senior in management of information communication technology, was shortlisted for the Business Graduates Association (BGA) Student of the Year Award for her academic achievements and leadership contributions.

In alignment with cross-cultural learning, the School hosted 11 undergraduate students from Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), UK, within the Doing Business in the Middle East Program, featuring branding, tourism, hospitality management, cultural intelligence, and business excellence sessions. Additionally, the?Venture Lab partnered with Columbia Business School for the third edition of its “Global Immersion: Business and Entrepreneurship in Egypt” program, where startups including Palm, Funder, Efika, 2oolameme, Layn, Ultimate Battle Royale, Hanbee3a, and Stakpak offered Columbia students a deep dive into the Egyptian entrepreneurship.

The school also continued its work with Business Schools for Climate Leadership (BS4CL) Africa by completing two episodes of its webinar series. The first, titled "Harnessing Africa's Innovative Potential: Technology Solutions for Climate Resilience," explores how technological innovation can address climate challenges. The second, "Climate Change and Supply Chain Management: Building Resilient Networks", examined strategies for creating climate-resilient supply chains.

The 3rd BS4CL Africa Deans Roundtable Meeting convened in Casablanca, Morocco, featured open discussions on past, current, and future initiatives. Alongside these efforts, the PRME Café, brought together members of the PRME Chapter Africa to advance responsible management education and sustainability, reinforcing the school’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

As?part of the Willard Brown International Business Leadership Series, the school welcomed Karl Moore, associate professor at McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management, for a series of events including a faculty seminar, a leadership roundtable, and a career development workshop. Moore also delivered an on-stage interview with Marwa Abbas, general manager of IBM Egypt, and a talk on blending extroverts and introverts in leadership and generational insights for boomers, millennials, and Gen Z.

Corporate engagement and global partnerships remain central to the school’s focus. The Executive Education team launched the Cooperative Rural Development Bank (CRDB) Exposure Program, bringing together 12 senior managers from Tanzanian banks for a roundtable discussion on Cairo’s financial and economic landscape. Additionally, the team expanded regional?partnerships with BTech in Saudi Arabia and Triangle Power Solutions in the UAE, offering customized training in operations, supply chain, finance, and management. Another key collaboration was with LearnKhana, aimed at improving capacity building and professional development across the MENA region using innovative technology.?

Alumni AchievementsThe school proudly celebrated the achievements of several alumni this semester. Doaa Gawish(MBA '05), founder and CEO of The Hair Addict, was recognized by Forbes as one of the top 10 women founders in the beauty industry for a third consecutive year. Other alumni featured in Forbes’ "Global Meets Local 2024" list include Khaled Hashem (MBA '10), president of Honeywell - Middle East and Africa, and Ashraf El Afifi '91, regional president at Henkel. Forbes also recognized Manal Hassan ’90, ’08, CSO at Elsewidy Electric, Dalia Khorshid ’93, Group CEO at Beltone Holding, and Hatem Dowidar ’01, Group CEO at e&, for their contributions to sustainability in the MENA region.

Moreover,?two alumni were featured in Forbes’ Middle East 30 Under 30 list for 2024, Abdelrahman Youssef ’19, CEO at Fati’s for his impact on commerce and finance, and Yomna Mohei El-Din ’18, research fellow at Harvard Growth Lab, for her work in social development across the Middle East.?

Five graduates were honored at Egypt’s Entrepreneur Awards:?Omar El Azhary(EMBA '21), Dina El Mosalami '21, and Farah El Mosalami '17, for their swimwear brand Pepla. Ismail Sarhank '13, for his work with Menthum; and Abdelrahman Selim '19, for his achievements with the gaming startup 2oolameme. The school also celebrated the appointment of two distinguished alumni to Egypt's new cabinet. Ahmed Kouchouk '99 was named Minister of Finance while Rania Al-Mashat'95 was appointed Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation.

Faculty Excellence Our faculty continued to make outstanding contributions to research and global engagement.

Randa?El-Bedawy, an associate professor of management, joined the Global Ambassadors of Sustainability in Canada and contributed a chapter on workplace happiness to the Quality of Working Life publication. Sherwat Elwan, an associate professor, also published an article in the Supply Chain Management Review Magazine, exploring the role of B2B aggregators in transforming Africa’s e-commerce supply chains and driving growth. Nellie Elenany, an?assistant professor, was appointed as co-lead for the Entrepreneurship Working Group in The Network for Practice and Process Management Studies, advancing entrepreneurship research in African contexts.

Faculty?members strengthened the school’s global presence through key engagements. Shawki Farag, founding chair of the Youssef Nabih Department of Accounting, presented at the 108th meeting of the American Accounting Association in the United States. Nariman Kandil, an assistant professor of accounting, presented at the 11th International Hybrid Conference on Management Studies in Turkey, and later the 2nd International Conference on Advancing Sustainable Futures in the?UAE.

This semester marked significant milestones for the AUC Onsi Sawiris School of Business, showcasing our global engagement and dedication to impactful initiatives in education, research, and innovation.

A major highlight was our official membership in the prestigious Global Network for Advanced Management (GNAM), a global alliance of 32 top business schools, including Yale, HEC Paris, and Sa?d Business School. This membership provides our students with unparalleled opportunities for global collaboration, virtual courses, and immersive study programs, reinforcing our mission to prepare future leaders for success in an interconnected world. At the same time, the school strengthened its position as a leader in Africa, earning 5 Palmes of Excellence and being ranked first in Africa by Eduniversal.?This recognition reflects our commitment to academic excellence, innovation, and global impact.. We also secured 26 grants this semester, of over $2 million, to support research and innovation. J-PAL MENA led with 14 grants worth over? $1.5 millon, while the Gerhart Center, Center for Entrepreneurship and?Innovation, Executive Education, and the Department of Economics advanced initiatives in civic engagement, entrepreneurship, and economic research.

As we wrap up another semester, I feel deeply grateful for the incredible efforts of our faculty, staff, and students. Your dedication and passion inspire me every day. The holidays are a time for reflection, rest, and connection with loved ones. I hope you take this opportunity to recharge and celebrate your personal and professional achievements. I am confident that together, we will continue to create a meaningful impact in the year ahead. I wish you, your families, and your loved ones a joyful, blessed, and prosperous 2025! Sincerely ?

Sherif Kamel Dean, Onsi Sawiris School of Business The American University in Cairo