Middle East & North Africa

Cairo, Dubai, Istanbul, Tel Aviv

HBS continues its efforts to build a deep understanding of and expertise in global business practice and innovation around the world, including throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The School opened the MENA Research Center in Istanbul in 2013, followed by offices in Dubai and Cairo. Separately an office was opened in Tel Aviv in 2016 reporting to the Europe Research Center. All play an important role in helping HBS develop and strengthen relationships with business and academic leaders in the Middle East, Turkey, North Africa, and Central Asia. Support for faculty research, student programming, Executive Education, and Harvard Business Publishing are enabled by these HBS locations.

Locations

Middle East and North Africa Research Center: Dubai
Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Middle East and North Africa Research Center: Cairo
Cairo, Egypt

Middle East and North Africa Research Center: Istanbul
Istanbul, Turkey

Israel Research Office
Tel Aviv, Israel

News & Highlights

JUNE 2025
MBA Admissions

HBS MBA Admissions Events in Istanbul, Türkiye

On June 26th, the MENA Research Center and MBA Admissions co-hosted an information session in Istanbul. The event opened with welcome remarks from Yasemin Çağlar, followed by a keynote speech by Alper Gökgöz (MBA 2010), CEO of ING Türkiye, who shared inspiring insights from his personal and professional journey and the role HBS has played in shaping his path and leadership. The session continued with a panel led by Mary Downs, Assistant Director of Digital Marketing at MBA Admissions. The panel featured three alumni and a current MBA student, who shared their personal experiences at HBS and beyond. Their stories offered prospective applicants a well-rounded and authentic perspective on the academic journey, community life, and career opportunities that come with an HBS MBA.

May 2025
CREATING EMERGING MARKETS INTERVIEWS

Creating Emerging Markets Interviews: Hani Berzi (Egypt) and Khalid Al Rumaihi (Bahrain)

The Creating Emerging Markets project provides a unique research and teaching resource on business leadership in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East over recent decades. At its core are over 180 interviews by Harvard faculty with high impact leaders in business and social enterprise. Read the interviews with Hani Berzi, Group Chairman and CEO, Edita Food Industries and Khalid Al Rumaihi, Executive Chairman, Amriya Group W.L.L.

MAY 2025
MBA Admissions

HBS MBA Admissions Events in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

On May 20th, the MENA Research Center held an event in Riyadh titled The HBS MBA Experience: Insights from Alumni, bringing together prospective applicants and HBS alumni for an evening of meaningful conversations. The event began with welcome remarks by Alpana Thapar and continued with a panel discussion featuring five MBA alumni, moderated by Yasemin Çağlar. Alumni shared reflections on the five key aspects of the HBS MBA—Academics, Student Life, Community, Careers, and Life After HBS—providing attendees with first-hand insights into the MBA journey and its lasting impact. One of the newly admitted students attended the event to interact with the prospective applicants to share their application journey.

APRIL 2025
EVENT

Reskilling in the Age of an AI with Prof. Raffaella Sadun

On April 17th, the MENA Research Center held a virtual event for alumni and friends of the Center titled Reskilling in the Age of AI, featuring Professor Raffaella Sadun, Charles E. Wilson Professor of Business Administration from the Strategy Unit. Professor Sadun presented key findings from a joint research effort between the Digital Data Design Institute at Harvard’s Digital Reskilling Lab and the Boston Consulting Group’s Henderson Institute. Based on interviews with leaders from 40 global organizations, the research sheds light on how companies are navigating large-scale reskilling efforts and redefining traditional approaches to workforce development in the face of rapid technological change. The event concluded with a dynamic Q&A session that reflected the audience’s diverse interests and practical concerns.

APRIL 2025
ALUMNI

Navigating Tough Conversations in Family Enterprises with Senior Lecturer Christina Wing

On April 8th, the MENA Research Center and the HBS Egypt Club co-organized an intimate alumni dinner in Cairo featuring Christina R. Wing, Senior Lecturer in the Technology and Operations Management Unit at Harvard Business School. The evening brought together alumni for a candid conversation on the dynamics of family enterprises. Christina R. Wing shared insights from her many courses and work with family businesses around the world. The discussion resonated with attendees, many of whom manage or advise family-owned businesses.

New Research on the Region

June 2025
Case

Redefining the Edge: Jahez’s Strategic Pivot in Saudi Arabia’s Food Delivery Battle

By: Krishna G. Palepu and Ahmed Dahawy

Jahez made its mark in Saudi Arabia’s food delivery market by serving customers willing to pay more for reliable, high-quality service—a segment largely overlooked by other platforms. As the company grew, it expanded into the mass market and developed a network of subsidiaries to support its core focus on food delivery. The most prominent of these was Logi, its in-house logistics arm, which gave Jahez greater control over delivery speed and service quality compared to competitors that relied on third-party drivers. By late 2024, however, the competitive landscape was shifting. Rivals were closing the quality gap, and deep-pocketed international player Meituan had entered the Saudi market. In response, Jahez leaned more heavily on Logi to stay ahead. But at the same time, Logi had begun providing deliveries for external courier companies—creating new opportunities for the logistics arm, but also raising difficult questions about Jahez’s priorities and long-term direction. Should Logi remain focused on supporting the company’s core food delivery operations, or be allowed to grow by serving external clients? And more broadly, should Jahez continue to define itself around food delivery—or was it time to evolve into a multi-vertical platform, leveraging the broader ecosystem it had built?

May 2025
Case

Boutiqaat: Influencing Retail in MENA

By: Juan Alcacer and Noor Al Qadhi

Boutiqaat, a Kuwait-based e-commerce platform, scaled an influencer-driven beauty retail model across MENA and now faces critical strategic choices about offline expansion and globalization. Founded in 2015, Boutiqaat combined social commerce, localized logistics, and private label products to build a differentiated digital platform. Students must evaluate whether Boutiqaat should establish flagship stores to deepen its omnichannel retail footprint or focus on expanding internationally beyond the Gulf and Jordan. The case explores platform strategy, influencer ecosystems, customer experience differentiation, and internationalization challenges in emerging markets. It is ideal for teaching courses in digital strategy, global entrepreneurship, scaling tech ventures, , and platform-based business models.