Abdulsalam Haykal

Abdulsalam Haykal (Arabic: عبد السّلام هيكل) is a Syrian technology and media entrepreneur, and a social entrepreneur, that lives and works in Damascus, Syria. His family descends from Tartus. He was born in Damascus on July 14, 1978.

As an entrepreneur

Backed by a long family heritage in business, Haykal set off to start new economy ventures in media and technology. He is CEO of [http://www.transtek.com Transtek] , a high-end software firm. Haykal is also founder and CEO of [http://www.sac-syria.com Services Automation Company Ltd] (SAC), which launched in November 2007 a service of person-to-person bank-to-cash transactions using GSM-based mobile handsets, arguably a global first.

Haykal is most known for his involvement in the media through Haykal Media, publisher of the business magazine [http://www.aliqtisad.com Aliqtisadi] , and the first Syrian English monthly [http://www.fw-magazine.com Forward Magazine] . "The Report: Emerging Syria 2008" listed Haykal Media with its magazines and online media as one of three main players in the media sector in Syria.

Haykal has started other business ventures in marketing and communications, as well as handmade cuturally-influenced lifestyle items.

As a social entrepreneur

Haykal is an authority on entreprneurship in Syria, with regular appearnaces in the media and at forums and conferences. He shared with me his ediorial for the June '08 edition of Forward Magazine. The opening paragraph said:

I claim to have no effectual bias in life, except one that favors entrepreneurs. It does not apply to business entrepreneurs only, but to everyone that has the unwavering spirit to start anything that can lead to positive change. Good intentions alone never clothed anyone! When asked to define entrepreneurship, I tend to avoid all the business language about market, opportunity, and risk, and the confusion of the many definitions of the originally French word. My answer has always made sense: entrepreneurship is that art of the start, and entrepreneurs are artists that see only a seed but draw a tree. Their vision and belief make them feel safe to commit the act of the start.

Haykal is the cofounding president of the [http://www.syea.org Syrian Young Entrepreneurs Association (SYEA)] , one of the new NGOs in Syria formed as part of the reform process in the country, and supported by the Syrian First Lady Asma al-Assad. Al-Assad attended the organization's launch ceremony on 13 January 2004, and together with her husband President Bashar al-Assad, they visited the SYEA Job Fair on 29 April 2005. Many observers attribute to SYEA the wide-spread usage of the term "entrepreneurship" in Syria, which led many government, private sector, and civil socity entities to create programs to support the majority of young citizens that make over 75% of the Syrian population. Another program is SYEA Ventures, an annual 9-month program that filters applicants in a process to select an awardee of a single $20,000 grant.

Haykal is a cofounding trustee of the [http://www.bidaya.org.sy BIDAYA Foundation] , an NGO to help disadvantaged young people to become entrepreneurs by providing business mentoring and charitable micro-loans. BIDAYA is the Syrian affiliate of The Prince's Youth Business International, a program of the Prince Charles's International Business Leaders Forum.

Haykal is a founder and board member of Tumuhi, a national college scholarship fund; a trustee of the Network of Syrian Scientists, Technologists and Innovators Abroad (NOSSTIA), member of the steering committee of the [http://www.sgp.org.sy UN's Small Grants Program] in Syria, and a co-founder of [http://www.basma-syria.org/ BASMA for Children with Cancer] , the Institute of HR Management (IHRM), and the Syrian Private Press Team (SPPT).

Haykal is the president of the AUB Alumni Association in Damascus, and founder of the Syrian Alumni Endowed Scholarship, and a board member of the Alumni Council of [http://www.waaaub.org WAAAUB] , the global alumni association of the American University of Beirut.

He is member of the board of directors of the Syrian Competitiveness Council, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister Abdallah Dardari.

Background

Haykal has a BA in political science from the American University of Beirut (2001) [http://wwwlb.aub.edu.lb/~weboutl/archive_vault/haykal326.htm] , and an MA in international relations and diplomacy from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London (2002).

In June 2007, he was elected as an alumni trustee of the American University of Beirut [http://www.aub.edu.lb/news/archive/preview.php?id=78280] , becoming the youngest member ever to serve on the board of trustees of the prestigious Middle Eastern institution. [http://www.syria-news.com/edu/readnews.php?sy_seq=23421]

A communications specialist, Haykal writes opinion articles, and is routinely quoted as a commentator on Syrian affairs. [http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/syria.html?c=y&page=3] [http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-syria_slyjun29,0,1891737.story] [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/10/international/middleeast/10syria.html] [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/world/middleeast/29syria.html?em&ex=1217476800&en=0d16353190ad2f7f&ei=5087%0A]

External links

Below are links to selected articles by Abdulsalam Haykal:

* [http://www.fw-magazine.com/content/it-smells-spring-syria It smells like spring in Syria]
* [http://www.fw-magazine.com/content/attracting-best-and-brightest Attracting the best and the brightest]
* [http://www.fw-magazine.com/content/reviving-syrian-elite Reviving the Syrian elite]
* [http://www.fw-magazine.com/content/reading-syria%E2%80%99s-future Reading Syria's future]
* [http://www.fw-magazine.com/content/pushing-more-syrians-commit-act-start Pushing more Syrians to commit the act]

References