Forbes Middle East has concluded its sold-out second annual Under 30 Summit, which was held on January 11-14 in the beautiful community of El Gouna, Egypt. With over 1,500 VIP attendees, expert speakers, young entrepreneurs, policy-makers, celebrities, and business leaders in attendance, the summit explored building the leaders of tomorrow, investing in innovation, the art of design thinking and storytelling, building sustainable startups for a better world, the technologies supercharging product development, and nurturing mental health, diversity, and inclusion.
Khuloud Al Omian, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Middle East, emphasized the values at the heart of the summit. “It has been an incredible couple of days celebrating the young professionals and entrepreneurs developing ideas to change the world for the better. It is so inspiring to see so many people come together and create such impactful bonds,” she added. “El Gouna has been a wonderful host, and I’m so proud of our Under 30 community. I look forward to witnessing their future successes.”
The summit’s packed agenda featured panel discussions, interviews, and presentations. These included insights from: Anas Bukhash, entrepreneur and interviewer; Rascha Ragheb, Executive Director of the National Training Academy of Egypt; Leila Serhan, Senior Vice President & Group Country Manager for North Africa, the Levant, and Pakistan at Visa; Al Walid Hallani, singer; Menna ElKiey, lyricist, writer, and Creative Director; Aladdin ElAfifi, CEO of EFG Finance; Ramy Radwan, TV presenter; Ahmed Tarek, Co-CEO and Partner at the Tarek Nour Group; Kareem Hassan, Executive Director at the UN-ESCWA Technology Center for Development; and Mohamed Shelbaya, CEO of PepsiCo Egypt & North Africa.
Mohamed Amer, CEO of El Gouna, commented: “We are proud of the success that the second edition of the Forbes Middle East Under 30 Summit has achieved. This year saw special workshops and discussions that contributed to creating a collaborative environment and providing inspiring models. Continuing to organize such events is a testament to our commitment to providing the opportunity and platform for innovative young minds in the region to exchange experiences.”
As the summit came to a close, attendees gathered to network and enjoy live entertainment, as well as a stunning recognition ceremony that celebrated the innovators from Forbes Middle East’s 30 Under 30 list 2023.
Forbes Middle East worked with a number of esteemed partners to bring this event to life: host partner El Gouna Red Sea by Orascom Development; support partners EFG Holding and Meta; event partners Vi Markets, She’s Next by Visa, Prypco, and Zouni Beach Mangroovy El Gouna; official transportation partner Abou Ghaly Motors; communication & PR partners Influence Communications and NABD; connectivity partner Orange; gift partner Parkville Pharmaceuticals; and official beverage partner PepsiCo.
