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Tell us a little bit about your journey and how did you get here?
My journey started in Egypt, where I built my basic skills working across industries like manufacturing, construction, and logistics. I began as an accountant and gradually moved into senior roles. I’ve always been curious, not just about the numbers, but how businesses operate from the inside. In 2013, I had a major turning point. I moved to Saudi Arabia and started leading finance teams, setting up ERP systems, and working on long-term financial planning. I got the opportunity to work across sectors including trade, and now healthcare, so I’ve experienced both traditional finance and fast-growing business environments.
Along the way, I earned my CMA and CSCA certifications, and recently completed an MBA from an online university in the U.S. These helped me sharpen both my technical skills and strategic thinking. Most recently, I started a company called Bright Talent Acquisition. It's a sports tech startup based in Saudi Arabia. We built an online platform called Here’s My Talent, which connects football players, amateur and professional, with clubs looking for new talent. That’s the journey that brought me to where I am today.
Today you're both a CFO at TrustMed and founder of a sports tech startup. How do you personally balance the structure of finance with the uncertainty of building a startup from scratch?
It’s not easy, it really is a daily juggling act. At TrustMed, as CFO, I work in a structured environment with clear deadlines, rules, and data-driven decisions. My focus is on running the company smoothly, keeping it financially healthy, and ensuring growth. With the startup, Bright Talent Acquisition, it’s a completely different world. Things change quickly, and there’s a lot of uncertainty. You’re constantly learning, even from a user comment or an MVP test. You often don’t have clear answers. In the CFO role, you have solid data. In a startup, you have to move fast and be okay with imperfection. What helps is mentally separating the two roles. I apply structure and discipline from my finance background where it helps, but also give myself room to be flexible and creative in the startup space. Interestingly, my CFO skills, budgeting, risk planning, have been very useful in the startup. It’s not about choosing between structure and chaos; it’s about using the right approach at the right time.
Despite having such a vast background in finance and planning, what’s one thing about launching your own startup that was very unexpected?
What caught me off guard the most was how emotionally intense entrepreneurship is. In finance, we often operate within a rational framework, there are profit margins, forecasts, KPIs. But when you launch something of your own, it becomes incredibly personal. No spreadsheet can prepare you for how it feels when an investor says no, or when your first version of the product doesn’t land as expected. You deal with bugs, unexpected feedback, and a lot of uncertainty. It’s a completely different experience from working in a structured CFO role. I also underestimated how much soft influence is needed early on, you’re not just convincing customers, you’re convincing your team to believe in your vision, often before there’s any revenue or traction. While my finance background helped keep me grounded, nothing prepared me for the emotional rollercoaster. I had to learn how to ride it, with resilience and a strong sense of purpose.
You’ve implemented multiple ERP systems. What’s something you had to unlearn when it came to building financial systems for your own startup?
It’s something a lot of finance people struggle with when moving into startups. In a corporate setting, we’re trained to build systems that last, with defined hierarchies, audit trails, and detailed documentation. That’s valuable, of course. But in a startup, that mindset can slow you down. I had to unlearn my obsession with building the perfect system. I focused instead on building what’s useful today. For example, in Here’s My Talent, I started with Google Sheets and a basic analytics dashboard. What mattered most was visibility, not perfection. Later, once we validated parts of the business model, we began layering in automation and integration. Just a few days ago, we published our MVP product and it landed successfully.
The lesson: don’t build for scale before you’ve earned the right to scale. First, validate.
When you're hiring for finance roles, what’s something you always look for beyond just what’s on their resume?
Beyond technical skills, I look for intellectual curiosity and adaptability. In a dynamic setting, you need people who don’t just follow processes, they question them. I value candidates who ask: Why are we doing it this way? How can we do it better? That shows they’re using their mind. Adaptability is critical. Growth and transformation require people who can learn, unlearn, and adjust quickly. I also place high value on emotional intelligence. Finance doesn’t operate in isolation, you need people who can communicate across teams, handle ambiguity, and stay focused under pressure. These are the qualities that drive real impact beyond the numbers.
You’ve led teams through change. What’s one lesson you’ve learned about getting people to actually adopt change and not just tolerate it?
Change management is where many good ideas fail. The biggest lesson: people are far more likely to embrace change when they feel ownership. Top-down mandates often create resistance. But when you involve the team early, ask for input, address concerns, and give them a role in shaping the outcome, you build real buy-in. How you frame the change matters too. It’s not “we’re implementing new tech to cut costs.” It’s “we’re freeing you from repetitive tasks so you can focus on strategic work”. Celebrate small wins. Break projects like ERP into phases, and celebrate after each one. Recognize early adopters. Keep the dialogue open, ask if you're on the right path. Change management isn’t just about systems. It’s about people. If you give people what they need and involve them from the beginning, the results will follow.
We’re hearing a lot about AI in finance. What’s your honest take? Where can AI really help and where does it fall short?
AI is a powerful enabler, especially in areas like automation, fraud detection, and predictive analytics. It can process vast amounts of data quickly, helping finance teams shift from manual tasks to higher-value decision-making. But AI has limits. It’s great at telling you what happened or what might happen, but it struggles with context and can’t make ethical judgments.
Finance isn’t purely data-driven. It requires strategic thinking, prioritization, and understanding the “why” behind the numbers. I see AI as a co-pilot, not an autopilot. It enhances human capabilities but doesn’t replace experience or critical judgment.
One of my friends once asked if AI would replace him. I told him no, it won’t replace you, but someone who knows how to use AI might. You need to learn how to work with it. If you don’t, it’s not AI that will replace you, it’s someone who does.
Saudi Vision 2030 is really changing how industries are moving. What shifts have you seen on the ground that feel genuinely new?
The change is real. Vision 2030 is creating visible transformation across industries.
One big shift is reducing dependence on oil and investing in new sectors like tourism, entertainment, and technology. These used to be smaller but are growing fast now. The private sector is expanding, and local companies and entrepreneurs are getting more opportunities. There’s a big focus on developing local talent, more Saudi nationals are leading projects, starting businesses, and driving innovation. It’s not just about infrastructure. It’s about building skills, ideas, and global connections, across the whole country, not just Riyadh. For example, when I launched Here’s My Talent, I needed government paperwork. I asked someone where to go, and they said, “Don’t go anywhere. Just apply online”. I got my certificate in seven days, without meeting anyone face-to-face. Everything’s digital now. ATM cards, Iqama, government services, you can get them from your phone. It’s incredibly efficient.
Looking back, what’s one transformation or project that you’re the proudest of?
One project I’m really proud of is leading the end-to-end implementation of the OODA ERP system at TrustMed. It wasn’t just a tech upgrade, it was a full business transformation. We integrated finance, HR, procurement, sales, and inventory into one centralized platform.
Manual processes were reduced by more than 60%, and reporting cycles became much faster. For the first time, leadership had real-time visibility into both operational and financial performance. They could log in and get the data instantly. This visibility helped us make better decisions early, and as a result, our sales in Q1 and Q2 of 2025 increased by over 50% compared to the same period in 2024. But the real success wasn’t the tech, it was the change management approach. From day one, we involved stakeholders across functions, built ownership, and invested in training. We identified internal champions who became advocates. That’s what made adoption stick. It didn’t just make operations smoother, it fundamentally changed how we make decisions and manage growth.
You’ve been a CFO, a founder, and a mentor. How do you define good decision making, especially when there’s no perfect answer?
Effective decision-making, especially under pressure, relies on three things: strategic clarity, judgment, and accountability. Strategic clarity means being aligned on the bigger picture. You don’t just solve the immediate issue, you make sure the decision supports long-term goals. Good judgment combines data with experience. In real life, information is often incomplete or changing. You need structured thinking and business sense to navigate that. And finally, true decision-making means being accountable. You own the outcome, communicate it transparently, and adapt when new information comes in. A good decision isn’t just about the result, it’s about the rigor and integrity behind how it was made.
