When a name keeps hitting your daily newsfeed, it is time to sit up and pay attention. Rubbing shoulders with other prominent members of the upper echelon of Egypt’s business community, Amal Enan was recently invited as a guest speaker at the MENA Entrepreneurship & VC Panel: Investor Perspectives from New York to North Africa, hosted by Columbia Entrepreneurs Organization, a sign that she definitely knows her stuff.
Add to that a resume that few could even aspire to, and there is small wonder that her track record is so remarkable. Prior to joining Global Ventures as Managing Director in early 2020, she was an executive director of the Egyptian-American Enterprise Fund, EAEF, where she helped to grow the company to over USD 300 million.
Her prior experience as an economist at the Macro-Fiscal Policy Unit in the Ministry of Finance involved formulating reform policies and negotiating with international organizations in matters that impacted Egyptian society on a broad scale.
Earlier years saw her accumulating experience and honing her considerable skills in investment, finance and research after acquiring an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Master of Environment and Development from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor of Economics from Cairo University.
Impressed, and dare we say, slightly intimidated, we reached out to know more about what makes this exceptional young woman tick.
Amal, in a few words, how would you describe your career journey to date?
An adventure that makes sense “connecting the dots looking backwards”, as Steve Jobs would say.
What or who motivated you to follow this path?
Faith, my mother and my belief in the Egyptian people.
What does your work involve, and how does it fit into such a dynamically evolving landscape?
My work involves investing in people’s potential and expanding their horizon of opportunities. VC involves identifying high-impact calibers pursuing innovations that could alter a population’s access to goods and services, which is a purpose I wholeheartedly believe in.
How do you maintain a life-work balance?
I pick my priorities, stay true to what’s important to me and design an aligned flow accordingly.
What advice would you give a young woman contemplating a career?
Define your values and revisit them often, always asking yourself, “What is important to me and how is any activity I pursue in service to what matters”.
Quickfire Round:
Favorite quote? “People won’t remember what you said, what you did but they will always remember how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou
Cats or dogs? Dogs
Most productive time of the day? The early hours of the day
How do you relax? Reading
Comfort food? Pasta and cheese
Music playing on repeat? Too many playlists
Holiday destination you miss during lockdown? All the unexplored destinations on my wish-list
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