“Today learning from someone who has gone through the process is the best way to grow businesses…”
~Majed Al Suwaidi
Majed Al Suwaidi, Board Member at Young Arab Leaders, is the Managing Director of Dubai Media City, Dubai Studio City, and Dubai Production City as well as Head of in5 – members of TECOM Group.
He provides strategic direction and ensures steady growth of the Media business communities, home to thousands of media companies, and tens of thousands of creative professionals. As the Managing Director of this integrated creative ecosystem which is home to many Fortune 500 companies from around the world, entrepreneurs and startups alike, Majed plays a key role in positioning Dubai as an international media hub.
Prior to this role, Majed was Managing Director of Dubai Internet City and Dubai Outsource City. Under his leadership, the integrated ICT hub became a strategic partner of the Smart Dubai initiative that is driving Dubai’s transformation into one of the smartest cities in the world.
In a previous role as Director of Business Development for Dubai Internet City and Dubai Outsource City, he was part of the team that launched in5, a dedicated platform for emerging talent that supports innovation and entrepreneurship across TECOM’s business parks.
Majed has also served as Director Commercial Operations and Director of Sales at Dubai Internet City and prior to that gained invaluable experience with Dubai International Financial Centre and Emirates Airlines.
Amongst his other responsibilities, Majed is a member of the Dubai Future Council for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Ecosystems and a Board Director of SmartCity Malta. He also leads in5, TECOM Group’s incubator and enabling platform for technology, media, and design startups.
Enjoy the show!
To be posted on September 28th, 2020
Show Notes:
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01:30 – Growing up in Dubai
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03:00 – Pursuing MBA while being out-stationed with Emirates (in Africa).
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04:00 – “Emirates is a school itself”
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06:45 – Dubai’s many cities and what they are? Majed shares the history of His Highness’ grand vision to shift away from oil dependency.
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14:30 – On building government services on the basis of a customer experience program.
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16:00 – How they are supporting businesses within the leading creative zones of Dubai.
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20:30 – The role of In5 in Dubai’s startup ecosystem.
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25:30 – In5 flying talent from across the globe come to offer expert workshops to the community.
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30:00 – Majed’s role on the Dubai Future Council for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
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33:00 – YAL as a platform has shown there are a variety of people to learn from and interact with and the benefits he sees.
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35:00 – On attending YAL events and the network “has provided me with an angle I didn’t see before”
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37:15 – The importance of keeping things interesting.
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39:15 – “There are a lot of opportunities lying ahead, keep your head up and work hard”
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42:30 – Majed’s dream initiative to create a creator’s ecosystem to enable and empower creators of all types.
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45:00 – “Opportunities might be hidden but they are there”
