Taymour Abdelal
I'm Taymour Abdelal from Cairo, Egypt. I graduated with honors from the American University in Cairo with a degree in Computer Science and a minor in Entrepreneurship a mix that truly reflects my passion for the intersection of technology and business. After university, I joined Cisco Systems as a Project Manager, leading comprehensive projects for telecom companies throughout the Middle East. I later became a Cybersecurity Program Manager, overseeing Security Operations Centers for some of the largest telecoms in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
"This program was ideal for someone like me, offering courses that covered a wide range of skills and perspectives, which strengthened my abilities and broadened my expertise."
Q&A with Taymour Abdelal
How did your previous jobs or background influence your decision to pursue the Master in Digital Business & Innovation at IE Business School?
My previous experience showed me that I'm deeply passionate about technology and want to continue working in this field. However, I recognized a gap in my understanding of the business side. The Master in Digital Business & Innovation at IE was the perfect fit because it doesn't teach business in isolation. It grounds everything in real-world tech use cases and implementation. This balanced approach allows me to strengthen my business acumen while staying rooted in the technology I love.
In what ways do you think the program has changed your life professionally and personally?
I consider myself a T-shaped learner I have experience across many different areas, though I haven't fully specialized in one. This program was ideal for someone like me, offering courses that covered a wide range of skills and perspectives, which strengthened my abilities and broadened my expertise. Beyond the academics, IE was also a fantastic place to meet people and grow my network.
You recently represented IE at the ETH Zurich InCube Hackathon. Can you tell us about the experience:
• What was the main challenge your team had to solve?
The InCube Hackathon partnered us with one of Europe's largest companies that needed a new approach to predicting future market trends, as strict regulations prevent them from testing and prototyping quickly. We tackled this challenge while living in a glass cube in the center of Geneva for five days... yes a class cube.
• How you approached developing your final solution?
We started by deeply understanding our customer through interviews, research, personas and journey mapping, then used "moonshotting" to envision the ideal future and work backward. After brainstorming, diverging and converging and rapid prototyping, we realized we were overcomplicating things and we weren’t meeting a real need, so we pivoted to focus on the core need resulting in our final solution, "The Sandbox."
• How the skills you learned in the master helped you succeed in the competition?
The masters really added critical tools to my tool box. The innovation techniques I learned finding product-market fit, understanding customer journeys, and structured ideation all came directly from my courses and gave me a practical toolkit to apply under pressure.
• What were your key learnings from participating in such challenge?
It inspired me to take action. Seeing what we accomplished in just five days showed me that we have the skills, what's often missing is simply doing. If that is what I can achieve in 5 days while in a glass cube. Imagine what I can do over months.
What has been your favorite memory of your experience in the master?
All the amazing people I met and the adventures we went on. The people you meet add so much to the experience.
What advice would you give to IE University students and alumni looking to pursue this program and a similar career path?
If you're looking for a life-changing experience or help figuring out your next move, this is the perfect place to begin. With everything you'll learn, the experiences you'll have, and the connections you'll make, I'm certain it will give you exactly what you need.
