Loulou Khazen Baz, an entrepreneur, investor and mother based in Dubai draws on her professional and personal experiences over her two-decade career to discuss business, leadership, startups and technology from a Middle Eastern lens. To learn more, visit the show's website: www.conversationswithloulou.com and you can follow Loulou on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram @louloukhazen
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12 / 03 / 2023
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How to raise resilient girls with Carine el Khazen Hadati
Happy International women-s day! I wanted to address the topic from a mental health perspective and I wanted to hold a conversation that would be beneficial to both men and women. I chat to Carine el Khazen Hadati, a leading clinical psychologist in Dubai about raising girls that become resilient, content and independent women. We discuss the behaviors that we parents should be modeling at home, dealing with eating disorders in kids and adults, and catching ourselves as we repeatedly judge and shame women. The messages in this conversation are simple, yet very powerful. A must listen to episode for a genders, particularly those who are raising children. |
00:55:55 |
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27 / 02 / 2023
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Hossam Allam on food security and safeguarding our future
Hossam is a marine oceanographer turned climate fund manager. We discuss the nature economy, regenerative farming, insect protein, food security and why the Middle East and Africa region is particularly vulnerable vis-a-vis the Global North. A truly educational conversation and a wake up call for all of us to safeguard our planet which is -teetering on bankruptcy-. |
00:53:49 |
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13 / 02 / 2023
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How to become a better communicator with Nima Abu Wardeh
Nima Abu Wardeh, an award winning journalist and the former BBC World reporter, uncovers some of the tools that she teaches in her media trainings to politicians and business leaders. Nima is on a path to democratize the art of communicating effectively to all. This podcast is a communications masterclass and is a must listen if you are looking to become a better communicator and ultimately get what you want. |
00:48:19 |
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29 / 01 / 2023
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Emerging Venture Markets Trends and Predictions
Philip Bahoshy - the Founder - CEO of Magnitt.com - and I unpack the latest Emerging Venture Markets 2022 report recently published by Magnitt. Magnitt tracks startup and investment data across MENA, Africa, Turkey and Pakistan. We discuss venture capital investment trends, winning industries, 2023 predictions and advice for founders. A great way to set the scene for 2023. |
01:01:18 |
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16 / 12 / 2022
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IFC's Sufyan Al Issa on responsible and inclusive investing
Sufyan Al Issa, Ph.D, is the Head of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in the UAE. We discuss the need for more investment in the MENA region particularly to meet Sustainable Development Goals (SGD) such as climate, education, financial inclusion and more. Sufyan highlights some of the programs and channels that the IFC is creating to support local entrepreneurs and SMEs particularly in cross-border growth. We also discuss the gender gap and why we must act now. |
00:37:11 |
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01 / 12 / 2022
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Dr. Stephen Druggan on the role of schools, raising kids that are whole, and mental health
Dr. Stephen Druggan is an experienced educator and leader, he is currently the Superintendent at the American School of Dubai. We discuss the role that schools play in the development of our children and the responsibilities that schools have in raising children that are whole, both emotionally, academically and socially. We discuss the need for diversity of thought, how can schools teach resilience and confidence, how are schools dealing with mental health and we wrap with some heartfelt advice to parents. |
00:50:55 |
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10 / 11 / 2022
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Amazon Alexa's Dr. Raf Fatani on why technology must cater for Arabic speakers
Dr. Raf Fatani is spearheading Amazon Alexa in Arabic globally.-While most firms tend to revert to the Modern Standard Arabic (or Fusha - فصحة) when they speak to over half a billion Arabic speakers globally, Raf decided that Alexa cannot go down the same path and that an investment has to be made once and for all to bring colloquial Arabic to technology. We discuss the challenges of building Alexa in Arabic from the ground up, what is the utility of a virtual assistant today and what does the future look like. |
00:49:12 |
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28 / 10 / 2022
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Dr. Noah Raford on the future of gaming, identity, culture and governance
Dr. Noah Raford is a globally respected futurist and the Director of the Oxford Program on Peace, Policy and the Metaverse. He was previously a founding executive and Futurist-in-Chief at the Dubai Future Foundation and a senior advisor in the UAE Prime Minister-s Office. We discuss the evolution of gaming and why we should be paying attention as our lives become increasingly intertwined in these sophisticated spaces where we spend time, socialise, create economic value and culture. |
01:15:25 |
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14 / 10 / 2022
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NoBueno's Chris Eid on Careem's secret sauce, recruitment and a beginner's mindset
Christian Eid is one of the few who played a critical role in Careem-s early days launching new markets and then heading marketing for the group. The efforts made in the early days led to its eventual $3.1Bn sale to Uber in 2019. We talk about Careem-s secret sauce and how he has taken this knowledge to launch two new ventures, DuckLife and NoBueno.-With NoBueno, Christian is taking a non-traditional approach to talent matching, we discuss the biases in the current recruitment process and how he-s addressing them. |
00:44:39 |
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29 / 09 / 2022
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META's Fares Akkad on the metaverse and the creator economy
I speak to Meta-s Regional Director for MENA, Fares Akkad about Meta-s $10Bn push into the metaverse and what it would mean for us to have both physical and virtual lives. What is the metaverse exactly and how can we experience it? We also discuss the creator economy from a MENA perspective and the opportunities for creators and for businesses. A very insightful discussion that provides a glimpse of what-s coming! |
00:52:41 |
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Loulou Khazen Baz, an entrepreneur, investor and mother based in Dubai draws on her professional and personal experiences over her two-decade career to discuss business, leadership, startups and technology from a Middle Eastern lens. To learn more, visit the show's website: www.conversationswithloulou.com and you can follow Loulou on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram @louloukhazen
![]()
12 / 03 / 2023
|
How to raise resilient girls with Carine el Khazen Hadati
Happy International women-s day! I wanted to address the topic from a mental health perspective and I wanted to hold a conversation that would be beneficial to both men and women. I chat to Carine el Khazen Hadati, a leading clinical psychologist in Dubai about raising girls that become resilient, content and independent women. We discuss the behaviors that we parents should be modeling at home, dealing with eating disorders in kids and adults, and catching ourselves as we repeatedly judge and shame women. The messages in this conversation are simple, yet very powerful. A must listen to episode for a genders, particularly those who are raising children. |
00:55:55 |
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![]()
27 / 02 / 2023
|
Hossam Allam on food security and safeguarding our future
Hossam is a marine oceanographer turned climate fund manager. We discuss the nature economy, regenerative farming, insect protein, food security and why the Middle East and Africa region is particularly vulnerable vis-a-vis the Global North. A truly educational conversation and a wake up call for all of us to safeguard our planet which is -teetering on bankruptcy-. |
00:53:49 |
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13 / 02 / 2023
|
How to become a better communicator with Nima Abu Wardeh
Nima Abu Wardeh, an award winning journalist and the former BBC World reporter, uncovers some of the tools that she teaches in her media trainings to politicians and business leaders. Nima is on a path to democratize the art of communicating effectively to all. This podcast is a communications masterclass and is a must listen if you are looking to become a better communicator and ultimately get what you want. |
00:48:19 |
![]() |
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29 / 01 / 2023
|
Emerging Venture Markets Trends and Predictions
Philip Bahoshy - the Founder - CEO of Magnitt.com - and I unpack the latest Emerging Venture Markets 2022 report recently published by Magnitt. Magnitt tracks startup and investment data across MENA, Africa, Turkey and Pakistan. We discuss venture capital investment trends, winning industries, 2023 predictions and advice for founders. A great way to set the scene for 2023. |
01:01:18 |
![]() |
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![]()
16 / 12 / 2022
|
IFC's Sufyan Al Issa on responsible and inclusive investing
Sufyan Al Issa, Ph.D, is the Head of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in the UAE. We discuss the need for more investment in the MENA region particularly to meet Sustainable Development Goals (SGD) such as climate, education, financial inclusion and more. Sufyan highlights some of the programs and channels that the IFC is creating to support local entrepreneurs and SMEs particularly in cross-border growth. We also discuss the gender gap and why we must act now. |
00:37:11 |
![]() |
![]() |
![]()
01 / 12 / 2022
|
Dr. Stephen Druggan on the role of schools, raising kids that are whole, and mental health
Dr. Stephen Druggan is an experienced educator and leader, he is currently the Superintendent at the American School of Dubai. We discuss the role that schools play in the development of our children and the responsibilities that schools have in raising children that are whole, both emotionally, academically and socially. We discuss the need for diversity of thought, how can schools teach resilience and confidence, how are schools dealing with mental health and we wrap with some heartfelt advice to parents. |
00:50:55 |
![]() |
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![]()
10 / 11 / 2022
|
Amazon Alexa's Dr. Raf Fatani on why technology must cater for Arabic speakers
Dr. Raf Fatani is spearheading Amazon Alexa in Arabic globally.-While most firms tend to revert to the Modern Standard Arabic (or Fusha - فصحة) when they speak to over half a billion Arabic speakers globally, Raf decided that Alexa cannot go down the same path and that an investment has to be made once and for all to bring colloquial Arabic to technology. We discuss the challenges of building Alexa in Arabic from the ground up, what is the utility of a virtual assistant today and what does the future look like. |
00:49:12 |
![]() |
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28 / 10 / 2022
|
Dr. Noah Raford on the future of gaming, identity, culture and governance
Dr. Noah Raford is a globally respected futurist and the Director of the Oxford Program on Peace, Policy and the Metaverse. He was previously a founding executive and Futurist-in-Chief at the Dubai Future Foundation and a senior advisor in the UAE Prime Minister-s Office. We discuss the evolution of gaming and why we should be paying attention as our lives become increasingly intertwined in these sophisticated spaces where we spend time, socialise, create economic value and culture. |
01:15:25 |
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14 / 10 / 2022
|
NoBueno's Chris Eid on Careem's secret sauce, recruitment and a beginner's mindset
Christian Eid is one of the few who played a critical role in Careem-s early days launching new markets and then heading marketing for the group. The efforts made in the early days led to its eventual $3.1Bn sale to Uber in 2019. We talk about Careem-s secret sauce and how he has taken this knowledge to launch two new ventures, DuckLife and NoBueno.-With NoBueno, Christian is taking a non-traditional approach to talent matching, we discuss the biases in the current recruitment process and how he-s addressing them. |
00:44:39 |
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29 / 09 / 2022
|
META's Fares Akkad on the metaverse and the creator economy
I speak to Meta-s Regional Director for MENA, Fares Akkad about Meta-s $10Bn push into the metaverse and what it would mean for us to have both physical and virtual lives. What is the metaverse exactly and how can we experience it? We also discuss the creator economy from a MENA perspective and the opportunities for creators and for businesses. A very insightful discussion that provides a glimpse of what-s coming! |
00:52:41 |
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