Episodios
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Hashem catches up with the renowned art collector and CEO of Vivium Holding, his newly established family office.
Elie, a self-made man who grew up during Beirut's civil war has had a fascinating career journey, pivoting to advertising early in his career and then building & leading Omnicom Media Group MENA for 18 years. In 2017, he established Vivium Holding, a family office focused on all things Elie, a portfolio that includes real estate, tech and hospitality.
This wide-ranging conversation covers the evolution of advertising in the region, the current state of the Dubai art and design scene as well as his patronage and interest in art. Elie is also a "Shark" on the Dubai edition of the hit reality series Shark Tank and shares key advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.
As someone with a keen eye for detail, Elie also picks up on Hashem's unwavering commitment to wearing black! -
Hashem catches up with Hamad Al Awar, the founder of the home-grown burger brand, High Joint, a police officer and a creative artist. Having met at a shawarma place in a very interesting coincidence, Hashem decided to bring their conversation to The Lighthouse Podcast room and explore the man with multiple hats. Hamad walks us through how he is able to balance between all of his roles while being a father of four.
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Catch our brand new episode this Thursday with Hamad Al Awar, the founder of the beloved home-grown burger brand 'High Joint'.
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Hashem catches up with Mohamed Maktabi, the CEO of Iwan Maktabi, the go-to address for rare carpets and textile art in the MENA region. They go back in time as Mohamed reveals the captivating tale of his family's heritage: from his grandfather's migration from Iran to Lebanon, fueled by a passion for collecting the most exquisite carpets, to the present-day business in Beirut and Dubai. Mohamed shares his passion for storytelling through the intricate artistry of carpets and how the business came to be named ‘Iwan Maktabi’ (spoiler alert: it’s not a family member!).
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We're back this week with a brand new episode with Mohamed Maktabi, the man behind the carpet dynasty, Iwan Maktabi. Find it in your podcast player this Thursday.
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In our 2023 review episode, our producer Chirag Desai catches up with Hashem to discuss the milestones from this past year such as coping with fear of failure, the allure of leaving a legacy behind and the loneliness of being an entrepreneur. Plus, Hashem talks about his soft spot for the late Queen Elizabeth – and we finally find out why!
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In this throwback episode from 2023: Our conversation with Ayman Fakkousa, co-founder of The Qode. Hashem and Ayman chat about his experience growing up in Saudi Arabia before eventually moving to Dubai and embarking on a multi-faceted career that culminated in launching his own communications firm at the young age of 30 (with partner Dipesh Depala).
Hashem and Ayman also discuss the entrepreneurial energy of Dubai, navigating the pandemic, why The Qode decided to enter the Saudi market, Ayman’s dedication to philanthropy, and…the ubiquity of proverbial buses!
We’ll be back with new episodes in a couple of weeks.
Links:
Cordoba Advisory’s Rami Sarafa on demystifying the art of investing and the importance of psychology in wealth management -
Hashem catches up with Mariana Wehbe, the creative force behind MWPR. Renowned for crafting extraordinary events and transformative projects, Mariana shares her journey from surviving the Beirut blast in 2020 to embracing Abu Dhabi as her newfound haven. Stumbling into PR 'by accident', and ending up becoming the PR Queen in the Middle East, Mariana attributes it all to her talent for being an excellent waitress!
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Coming this week, Mariana Wehbe, founder of MWPR, on The Lighthouse Conversations with Hashem Montasser
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Hashem catches up with Tom Arnel, founder of EatX and the man behind some of the most successful dining concepts in Dubai, including The Sum of Us, Common Grounds, Harvest & Co, Byron Bather’s Club, HawkerBoi, and The Guild at DIFC. Known for constantly trying to push the envelope in the F&B industry, Tom candidly discusses his journey as an entrepreneur and how he now manages its day-to-day operations whilst balancing being present for his family. Tom provides a glimpse of the early, pioneering days when he set out to build his first concept, Tom&Serg, what it’s like to add ten restaurant venues in a single year, and the fun of raising "Dubai'' kids with their Australian-British-American twang!
We also have a bonus episode with Tom talking about pivoting the concept behind The Guild, his new 20,000 sq. ft space in DIFC while facing a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic.
Links:
Natasha Sederis
Ayman Baki
Tom Arnel on Tales of the Trade -
Coming this Thursday, Hashem catches up with Tom Arnel, founder of EatX and the man behind some of the most successful dining concepts in Dubai, including The Sum of Us, Common Grounds, Harvest & Co, Byron Bather’s Club, HawkerBoi, and The Guild at DIFC.
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Hashem catches up with Pakistani couturier Hassan Sheheryar Yassin, or HSY. In one of our rawest episodes yet, HSY gets candid about his past as the child of a single mother and the effects of poverty and living in a women’s shelter. HSY and Hashem then delve deeper into his experience as a medical guinea pig when a bout of blindness led to a series of experimental surgeries. Shaped by early traumatic life events, HSY also shares how his journey led him to move to the US and temporarily conform to Western ideals before finding his footing in his native Pakistan. HSY and Hashem also debate the metrics of success, releasing mortal coils, and a tête-à-tête with William and Kate!
Links:
Ayman Fakoussa on launching The Qode, balancing friendship with business, and why he can’t let go of Microsoft Excel -
Hashem catches up with the Nakkash family: patriarch Wajih Nakkash, his daughter Aya, and son Omar. To celebrate their 40th business anniversary, Wajih recounts how the Nakkash journey started with a showroom in Sharjah in 1983 and an avant-garde Emirati couple that approached him to design the interiors of their home. Wajih also shares how the Nakkash name evolved from a single showroom to a family-run business that includes interiors, has an online presence, and collaborations with his son Omar on new designs while Aya focuses on marketing (and mediating!) They also discuss the role of design fairs in establishing a collectible design market and the challenges of catering to the needs of Dubai’s diverse population without being all things to all people. Wajih and Omar also share the importance of storytelling in their business, the challenges of shifting from professional to personal in their daily interactions with each other, and what role Matriarch Mrs. Nakkash’s vinyls played!
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Diving into the joy of Guatemalan retreats and the love of Microsoft Excel, Hashem sits with Ayman Fakoussa this week to have a wide-ranging conversation. Hashem and Ayman chat about his experience growing up in Saudi Arabia before eventually moving to Dubai and embarking on a multi-faceted career that culminated in launching his own communications firm, The Qode, at the young age of 30 (with partner Dipesh Depala). Hashem and Ayman also discuss the entrepreneurial energy of Dubai, navigating the pandemic, why The Qode decided to enter the Saudi market, Ayman’s dedication to philanthropy, and…the ubiquity of proverbial buses!
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In this throwback episode to our live episode at The Lighthouse: HE Minister of State Zaki Nusseibeh shares personal anecdotes from his childhood in Jerusalem, the early days of the UAE when he worked as a translator for HH Sheikh Zayed and the development of its arts and culture scene. While sharing snapshots from his various life experiences with the arts, Zaki weaves a thread between his passion for the arts, storytelling and their impact on not just our imagination but also our identity. We’d love to hear what you think of the live episode.
We’ll be back with new episodes in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, you can connect with us on on Instagram and find all of our episodes on our website. -
In this throwback episode from 2022: Hashem invited Ahmad Al Marri, Founder of Dubai-based ice cream brand Canvas Gelato to the hot seat. Launched in 2017, Canvas Gelato’s raison d'être is to produce ice cream that is made exclusively with “real” ingredients and delivered at negative 70 degrees celsius. Ahmad’s ice cream delivery concept proved successful and was soon supplied to major outlets including local chocolate maker darling Mirzam and featured by international media such as Monocle magazine.
This was a deeply candid conversation where Ahmad talked about his entrepreneurial journey including imposter syndrome and, well, we ate lots of gelato! You can leave us a review in your podcast app, and find us on Instagram. -
In this throwback to our first episode from 2019: Hashem talks to Mryna Ayad, the former Editor-in-Chief of art magazine Canvas and now an independent art consultant who continues to shape the way art & artists from the Middle East are represented internationally. In addition to her professional journey that took her from Canvas to Director of Art Dubai, Mryna shares her perspective as a working mother and her mission to shape the perspective of external audiences when it comes to Middle East art.
Myrna has since then, among many other writing and art related activities, released the book Sheikh Zayed: An Eternal Legacy which she talked about on the episode. She was also the conveyer for the new book release Cairo Eternal by Mai ElDib, whom we’ve had on the show this past June.
We would love to hear back from you on what you thought about this episode. You can leave us a review in your podcast app, and find us on Instagram. -
Our guest is up-and-coming designer Meshary AlNassar. Hailing from Kuwait, Meshary’s journey into interior design started during childhood with American TV pop culture influences The Oprah Winfrey Show and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Hashem and Meshary discuss his “design education” surrounded by an all-female cohort and how he managed to navigate societal disapproval as a Khaleeji designer. Meshary shares how he balances aesthetics vs. technical know-how, maximalism vs. minimalism, clients’ expectations vs. personal input, and how his Kuwaiti dentist became an unlikely pivotal client. Hashem and Meshary also chat about all things Kuwait and why Kim K’s house went viral!
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