Connections, Innovation and Cultural Discovery at the IE Middle East & Africa Alumni Summit 2026

IE Global Alumni Relations hosted the IE Middle East & Africa Alumni Summit 2026, bringing the regional IE community together in Cairo from October 23 to 25, providing an opportunity for attendees to connect and exchange ideas.

Alumni and industry leaders gathered to examine some of the forces transforming the Middle East, Africa, and the wider world. The event included panels where speakers shared insights on artificial intelligence and innovation, real estate, entrepreneurship, and more, as well as a space for speed networking where participants could have meaningful conversations. 

Moderated by David Goodman, the summit’s real estate panel explored how innovation and stepping beyond one’s comfort zone can turn bold ideas into extraordinary results. 

Khaled El Zeki Magdy, an IE alumni with a Master in Architecture Management and Design and founder and CEO of ZDS Architects, emphasized the importance of collaboration and avoiding isolated approaches.

"We cannot work on isolated islands, because each and every decision or design decision will have a great impact at the end," he said. "So in order to avoid any uh consequences, I believe all the three or four or whoever the stakeholders uh integrated in this project should work as a one team in the beginning."

An IE Fireside Chat examined how rapidly AI is transforming the workplace. The conversation opened with the question, "Are we ready to work differently?"

Hazem Shatila, Group Chief AI & Data Officer at Elsewedy Group, discussed how companies increasingly rely on AI to support a variety of tasks. At the same time, he stressed that artificial intelligence will not eliminate entire professions.

"I will always say AI is not going to replace jobs. I mean of course definitely some jobs will be replaced by AI and that's normal but most of the jobs the complete job will not be replaced by AI we're going to replace tasks not jobs" he mentioned.

The "Who Killed Marketing?" panel by Ahmed El-Gamal introduced further thought-provoking ideas. Raising questions about how marketing has lost its power over time.

"Marketing is everywhere, but somehow it's lost its power. And the irony is a lot of marketers today are not just doing pure marketing," he said. "They've they've they're doing everything but marketing sometimes."

Spanish Ambassador Sergio R. Carranza Förster highlighted the significance of IE choosing Egypt to host this year’s summit. He described the decision as an opportunity to continue strengthening alliances and building connections with countries and communities across the region.

Reflecting on the qualities required to navigate an increasingly unpredictable world, he shared an idea he considers especially important:

"We need men and women with strong value-based education who are able to understand and feel other cultures who operate across borders to achieve results for all those involved and to think out of the box," he said. 

During the keynote session, Minister of Industry Khaled Hashem, a graduate of the Master’s in Research Methodology and Quantitative Methods and a PhD in Business Administration and Management, shared a key lesson from his time at IE with the audience. 

"A lesson from IE and I often share with my team is that leadership is not about having all the answers but about asking the right questions, listening to different perspectives, challenging the status quo and remaining open to learning," he said.