AGLN Blog

The Middle East Leadership Initiative (MELI) was launched in 2009 with the mission to foster enlightened leadership, the appreciation of timeless ideas and values, and open-minded dialogue on contemporary issues among the incoming generation of regional leaders. One of these leaders, from MELI’s inaugural class, is Tim Hatem El-Hady, who now serves as the program’s managing director. Tim has served as Vice Principal and COO of The University College of Estate Management; prior to that, he was the director of business planning and operations for Microsoft UK, where he was responsible for the growth strategy of Microsoft's business. His experience with promoting growth will be put to use at MELI as he strives to expand and diversify the growing program.
 
How does the program define the Middle East?
The term “Middle East” does not fully express the multitude of languages, cultures, ethnic groups and religions that the 400 million inhabitants of that region represent. MELI defines the Middle East as the peoples inhabiting the geographical spread from Morocco to the West to Iran in the East, and from Turkey in the North, to Sudan in the South.  Besides the “Arabs and Israelis” there are more distinct groups in this region who are bound together in common geography and affected by common forces.

After successfully enrolling five cohorts in the last eight years, the Middle East Leadership Initiative (MELI), aspires to continue to enlist some of the most successful business leaders of the region, and to help them on their journey from financial success to providing significant service to the peoples of the region. With nearly a hundred Fellows already, MELI is on track to attract Fellows who reflect the diversity of the region.

 Can you explain what “cura personalis” means?
The concept of “cura personalis” permeated every aspect of my experience as a MELI Fellow, and it still does. It helped me enhance the capacity to see what’s praiseworthy in others; to develop an appreciation of the unique talents that each person brings to the Fellowship. It means to develop meaningful insight about the whole person, rather than only seeing a narrow perspective of who they are or to only recognize their secondary identity. It enables one to admire the beautiful diversity represented in each class and across AGLN. I felt that my unique gifts and insights were appreciated during the seminars. I came to recognize more of my strengths through this program, and it catalyzed my growth both professionally and personally.

What was your MELI Venture?
My venture aimed to reduce the high rate of unemployment amongst university graduates in Egypt. In 2010 I established the ASCEND Institute to focus on enhancing supervisory and management skills, which were identified as key skills for those seeking employment. Our initial program focused on values based management for first time managers and supervisors. By 2015, the self-financing program reached more than a thousand managers across different organizations in Egypt.

You have played key roles managing operations and promoting growth in businesses and universities across the globe. How will you use this experience in your role as MD for the Middle East Leadership Initiative Fellowship?
MELI is a proven program with a tangible impact. It is now ready for growth. As a managing director, I will support Fellows in any way I can as they explore new colors in their leadership pallet. My role will be to help them capture and tell their stories in a way that inspires others. In all my 22 years of work experience, I have learned that nothing is more rewarding than being of service to others. When I was involved in growth programs, in business development or operations excellence, this concept of service was at the heart of everything I did. My experience as a MELI Fellow has taught me how to best share the lessons I’ve learned with other Fellows. I am very passionate about what MELI represents. I believe that the region, and indeed the world, will be better place with more MELI Fellows in it who are conscious of the needs of the region, and who are actively ‘doing something about it’.  

What are some of the ventures of current MELI Fellows that inspire you?
It is hard to pick specific ventures because the list of inspiring ventures is so long. We have a wide range of inspiring projects in MELI. Some ventures focus on developing human capacity through education programs in governance or creative art. Others aim to secure the basic rights of health and education for children; others have managed to create social spaces for elevating the depth and breadth of meaningful discourse in society. Some have leveraged technology to advance professional education; others have also used technology to promote cultural and moral values.  What inspires me about the MELI Fellows is that they all share the common desire to serve the peoples of the region, and to tap into its vast reservoir of talent.

What is one fun fact about you that is not in your bio?
I am scared of heights! So, my fear of heights has lead me to challenge myself whenever I had a chance to explore ways to visit “high places.” I have fond memories of visiting landmark skyscrapers all over the world. I also enjoyed tandem sky diving and bungee jumping, which I did on New Zealand’s South Island.