Business News
2020, The Year That Was: Pallavi Dean, Founder And Creative Director, Roar
"People are always going to look for quality work, and that's what has been front of our minds this whole time."
Aby Sam Thomas is the former Editor in Chief of Entrepreneur Middle East. Having started working on the brand in November 2014, Aby was responsible for leading the publication on its editorial front until September 2024.
In his nearly-decade-long tenure at Entrepreneur Middle East, Aby played a key role in its growth and development across the MENA region, with him developing and executing events, programs, and other initiatives under the brand's banner, while also personally representing it through his appearances in conferences, media, etc.
Aby has been working in journalism since 2011, prior to which he was an analyst programmer with Accenture, where he worked with J. P. Morgan Chase's investment banking arm at offices in Mumbai, London, and New York. He holds a Master's Degree in Journalism from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York.
More From Aby Thomas
Business News
2020, The Year That Was: Tamim Khalfa, Co-Founder And CEO, Toters
"We represent the hope for Lebanese and Iraqis that a competitive and sustainable business can be born out of our markets, and compete with the best in class."
Business News
2020, The Year That Was: Rejani Cicily Joseph, Co-Founder And Director Of Analytics, Anavizio
"With businesses going through their worst months, it was vital for us to refocus and recuperate."
Business News
2020, The Year That Was: Charlie Weaving, Managing Partner, LIVIT Hospitality Management
"Out of this pandemic, there have been many success stories and new opportunities created."
Business News
2020, The Year That Was: Amelia Gundersen-Herman, Co-Founder And CMO, Assuage Travel
"By accepting my new circumstances and looking for creative alternatives, I was able to find a new path during uncertain times."
Business News
2020, The Year That Was: Ghizlan Gunez, Founder, The Modist
"It was not easy to shift overnight from discussing a three-year business plan, to looking at unwinding a business, but like all adversities in life, they bring about learnings."
Business News
2020, The Year That Was: Alaa Fadan, Co-Founder and CEO, Telfaz11
Fadan says he and his team at Telfaz11 are grateful for the silver linings that have come out for the enterprise in 2020, all of which have only served to reinforce their goals for the company in the long term.
Business News
2020, The Year That Was: Halima Jumani, Director, Kibsons
Kibsons managed to rise to the occasion and serve its customers in the best way it could, the brand also put its best foot forward in supporting not just its own employees through this crisis, but also local SMEs by offering them a place on its online platform.
Business News
2020, The Year That Was: Abdulla Almoayed, Founder And CEO, Tarabut Gateway
Given his enterprise's focus, Almoayed likens the accelerated digital adoption the region saw in 2020 as having been a wake-up call for businesses and industries that had ignored this shift in the past.
Business News
2020, The Year That Was: Mudassir Sheikha, Co-Founder And CEO, Careem
"Careem's purpose is to make everyday life simple. Through the COVID-19 crisis, everyday life changed, and we changed with it."
Business News
2020, The Year That Was: Haleema Al Owais, CEO, Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Real Estate
As businesses felt the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, Al Owais and her enterprise made a move that earned her several plaudits at the time, with her actions being heralded as an example for other business leaders in the UAE to follow.
Business News
We Made It: Thoughts On Completing A Year (And Gearing Up For Another One)
Let's go into 2021 with the knowledge that we've made the best out of the cards we were dealt with- and that if we need to do, we'll do so again.
Business News
No One Has A Crystal Ball: You Aren’t Expected To Have All The Answers
"I think we need to start getting a lot more comfortable with saying 'I don't know,' and not seeing it as a personal failure, and instead looking at it as being true to who we are, and what we know, in our current circumstances."
Business News
The Road To Recovery: Accor MEA CEO Mark Willis On Taking A People-Focused Approach, Immediate Wins, And Bouncing Back
If we go by the principle that one's actions today are a signifier of things to come, then Accor seems to be on the right track for a world after the coronavirus pandemic, given what Willis says the company has been doing through the course of this crisis.
Business News
Challenge Accepted: UNESCO Launches An International Competition To Rebuild A Global Icon In Iraq
Mosul's history and heritage seem to have been relegated to the background on account of the damage and destruction the city has undergone over the past few years, but that looks set to change now thanks to this new initiative.
Business News
The Case Against Quick Wins: Short Sighted Decision-Making Can Lead to Long-Term Strife
Amid the COVID-19 crisis, it can be tempting to think of only the here and now, but remember, your enterprise is something you want to stay for the long haul.
Business News
Driving Results: InstaShop Founder And CEO John Tsioris Wants His Work To Speak For Itself
The story behind Tsioris leading his five-year-old Dubai-headquartered grocery e-commerce platform to be bought by Berlin-based global online food ordering and delivery marketplace Delivery Hero for a whopping US$360 million in August this year.
Business News
Choosing To Participate: We All Need To Make The Effort To Stay Afloat (And Ahead)
"Take the time to find out what could potentially get you out of the rut you find yourselves in, and then, just follow through on it."
Business News
Rising To The Challenge: Tim Cordon, Senior Area Vice President – MEA, Radisson Hotel Group
Radisson Hotel Group's Tim Cordon on balancing flexibility and (meticulous) detail in the hospitality industry.
Business News
M. Nasser Law Firm Managing Partner Mohamed Nasser On How He Forged His Own Path In The MENA Region’s Legal Landscape
Mohamed Nasser is passionate about his responsibility to teach younger lawyers how to help people get their rights.
Business News
Where Vs. When: Keeping Track Of Your Dreams Can Help You Maintain Your Balance In An Upside-Down World
How do we cope when there is no perception of hours, or days, or weeks- or when we come to the realization that half a year has just gone by?
Business News
#UbuntuLoveChallenge In Action: More Than AED700,000 Disbursed by Sheraa and CE-Ventures To 11 Startups In The UAE
The enterprises that have benefited from this collaboration include The Tempest, Point Checkout, Rentsher, Grocart, 3DInova, Bookends, AEBISS, Mr. Draper, ProTenders, The Mawada Project, and Outreal XR.
Business News
Dubai-Headquartered Emaar Eliminates Job Titles For All Personnel, Including Founder Mohamed Alabbar
In an email sent to staff, this move toward holacracy within the organization, while precipitated by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, is being done to reiterate the company's "focus on talent, not titles."
Business News
Proactivity Exemplified: Ethan Xue, President – Middle East And Africa, OPPO
"A good leader should be humble, and have a generous heart to welcome team members with comprehensive backgrounds and believe in them."
Business News
Candor Over Charisma: Strange Circumstances Make For Quality Takeaways
Let's drop the act, let's be real, and let's have everyone feel like they can be themselves- without our judgment, and with our support.
Business News
A Launchpad For Success: How StartAD Has Bolstered Abu Dhabi’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
In three years, startAD has graduated 118 global startups that have raised US$50 million, secured over 50 pilots with corporations, generated $15 million in revenue annually, and created over 250 jobs.
Business News
Amplifying Goodwill: Why You Should Participate In The #UbuntuLoveChallenge
Based on the African philosophy of ubuntu, which means "I am because we are," the #UbuntuLoveChallenge is an effort at bringing together people to combat the hardships we face right now, and thus address these problems in a collective manner, so as to realize a better future for us all.
Business News
Taking The Right Steps Forward (As A Business Ecosystem)
"During these unprecedented times, it's a question of whether organizations will be humanizing and supporting each other, rather than seeing it as an opportunity to capitalize on the misfortune of others."
Business News
This Too Shall Pass: Behaviors Today Will Have Ramifications Tomorrow
At the end of the day, it's good to remember that one's behavior in the worst situations is often the best indicator of how one really is, and that's something to keep in mind for now- and for later.
Business News
Trust The Process: Claudio Leenders, Founder, Leen’s
Leenders is someone who has seen his life play out in Central America, South America, Europe, Australia, and now the Middle East, and as such, he has a plethora of stories, insights, and experiences to share.
