Talk today with Four Arab Entrepreneurs- 4 pm- HKS-Taubman 301

[Abdelhamid, Souad]

Dear Members,

The HKS Arab Caucus invites you to attend a talk with four Arab Social entrepreneurs on the challenges and opportunities of social entrepreneurship in the Middle East. The Talk is co-moderated by Redha Alhaidar and  Johny Hazboun

Four entrepreneurs (including 3 women) from Palestine, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq  will share their experiences in starting, managing and scaling their social enterprises. Each of the entrepreneur will discuss the challenges he/she had to face to start and manage his/her venture and the opportunities they see in the Middle East.  Furthermore, the panel will discuss the  building blocks required to foster a more conducive social entrepreneurial ecosystem and  share their vision for the future of social entrepreneurship in the Arab World.

Venue: Taubman third floor room 301

Time: 4 pm 

Date: March 31, 2014- Today!

Please find below the profile of the speakers;

Rama Chakaki: is the founder of  Baraka Ventures in 2006 to invest in social and tech businesses and to engage the business community in serving the escalating causes in the MENA region.   In 2012, Rama established Baraka Advisors and Baraka Bits.  Baraka Advisors is a digital communications agency rooted in the region's culture and values. The agency supports NGOs, engages donors and volunteers, and supports mainstream private sector companies to become social enterprises rooted in community service.  BarakaBits is the only media venture delivering EXCLUSIVELY good news. Rama serves on the board of The PCRF, PACES, The HUB, and Nakhweh and advises other charities and social businesses. She’s a founding member of Arab Women in Computing and the first regional Women Angel investment Network.

Rabee Zureikat  is the founder of the Zikra Initiative (www.zikrainitiative.org) in Jordan. Rabee has introduced the "We Exchange to Change" concept through the "Exchange-Tourism" program which challenges existing social systems and progresses toward more egalitarian, inclusive societies. Rabee’ s exchange concept leads to equity by helping marginalized communities rediscover their strengths and by exposing economically powerful communities to new cultural and regional perspectives. . The tourism revenue generated from the trips is invested in the marginalized community thus narrowing prevailing socioeconomic gaps. Rabee has received many awards for his innovative approach such as: Ashoka fellowship, Arab World Social Innovator (Synergos), World Travel Market Global award in London, King Abdullah ll Award for Youth Innovation and Achievement, and was named by the Arabian Business/CEO Middle East Magazine as one of the Top 30 under 30 Next Generation of Arab Leaders.

Layla Shaikley:  is the  co-founder of TEDxBaghdad and crowdSOS. CrowdSOS is a services, analytics and advisory firm that utilizes mobile to help  individuals in high risk developing countries make better decisions about their safety.   Layla started her design career at NASA before fusing her interests in design, conflict, and tech at the MIT Media Lab, where she currently collaborates to find innovative solutions that stabilize conflict environments. In her spare time, Layla is the curator of cool for Mipsterz -- Muslim hipsters -- where she has catalyzed national conversations on the representation of Muslims in America. She holds a Masters degree in architecture from MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning.

Shahd Al Shuhail: is the CEO and co- founder of JUST, an ethical tech start-up born from the belief that true change happens through the accumulation of all small choices we make in our every day life.  JUST  enables brans and consumers create positive change by bringing transparency, accountability and engagement to the fashion supply chain. Through its online database, JUST connects suppliers and designers to create unique ethical supply chains.  Then JUST enables consumers to engage with the story behind their garment through its JUST code, tracking their piece of Clothing and learning about the people and conditions behind it.   Beyond her enterprise, Shahd has consulted and worked for social enterprises in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and India focusing on scale and product development efforts.  In 2012,  shahs was selected to be Acumen Global Fellow working in India with Hippocampus Learning Centres.  She is the first Arab Woman to be selected for the program.

Shahd is from Saudi Arabia and holds an MBA in entrepreneurship from John Hopkins University.

Profile of the Moderators:

Redha Alhaidar

MPA 2014, Harvard Kennedy School, BS in Multi-Media design and communication from the American University in Washington and an MA in communication from Georgetown University. Redha was the founder and General Manager of Attariq Communications.  Prior to this, he worked with the Saudi capital market Authority,  the Saudi Investment Authority  and with Simmons & Company International in the US.

Johny Hazboun

MPA 2014, Harvard Kennedy School, BS San Francisco State University, Johnny is co-founder of a software company in Boston and a technical consultant for election systems development in North Africa and the Middle East. He has served as a management consultant to the UNDP and the EU Commission in Jerusalem, and directed various healthcare & IT sector economic development projects in Abu Dhabi, San Francisco and Ramallah. Johnny is currently working on human capital development projects in the Middle East

Don't miss this opportunity to learn more about social entrepreneurship in the MENA region.

Food will be served

See you this afternoon!

All the best,

HKS Arab Caucus