New book reveals the extraordinary story of a unique CEO
DOHA, QATAR – The biography of a pioneering business leader who commands extraordinary loyalty from his colleagues will be the focus of a public book talk and signing to be held at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, at 12 p.m. on Sunday, April 22. Leading entrepreneur and former CEO of Zain, Dr. Saad al Barrak, will be talking about his revelatory and inspirational memoir A Passion for Adventure, which has been described by the Financial Times as ‘a rare insight into the life of a Gulf chief executive.’ The talk will be followed by a book signing and reception.
"We are delighted to celebrate the launch of Dr. Saad al Barrack’s book, A Passion for Adventure, at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar. Dr Saad’s account of the transformation of Zain offers a compelling guide to building a world-class business in the GCC, or anywhere else," said Robert Monroe, associate dean at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar.
Saad al Barrak is no ordinary businessman, but a pioneer of the Arab renaissance. His approach to business comes from the souks of his native Kuwait, but is also shaped by an American and British education, occupation and war, and his own warm and human leadership style.
In just seven years (2002-2009), Saad al Barrak transformed a moribund, ex-state-owned telecoms operator with a base of 500,000 customers in Kuwait into the international giant Zain, a company with over 72 million customers across 23 countries. Over the same period, revenues leapt from $570 million to a staggering $8 billion.
Saad al Barrak’s life has been a colourful one, and he has seen Zain through challenging times, like the Iraqi invasion and occupation of Kuwait in the early 1990s. His entrepreneurial taste for risk and his understanding of emerging markets led him – in a single breath-taking takeover- to expand into Sub-Saharan Africa, where other CEOs were afraid to invest.
Saad al Barrak’s respect for the human dimension in business dealings shines through this insightful and entertaining book. His call to ‘be bold, be daring, be different,’ has revolutionised the business models of companies like McKinsey – now it can change yours.
A Passion for Adventure is available from Virgin Megastores, Jarir Bookstore and from the BQFP office, which is located in Villa 3, Education City.