“Mentoring is like holding up a mirror to someone- but it’s a magic mirror that shows them things they didn’t know about themselves. Mentoring is not about judging, it’s about support. [...] Listen with every square inch of your body and you will be a better leader.”

Michael Payton spoke at the event in support of Mowgli’s mission: “I believe very strongly that entrepreneurial spirit is alive in most people and many would love to run a business and need encouragement and – above all – they need to be mentored. In my view the opportunities today for would-be entrepreneurs are as great as ever they have been and certainly the need for them is greater now than ever before. With some exceptions, how to be an entrepreneur – how to undertake or control a business or enterprise – is not something that appears in the curricula of universities or schools. There’s a gap and – vitally – Mowgli seeks to fill it. I’d like to wish them all very the best in their enterprises in this country”.

Mr Payton’s full speech can be seen in the video below.

Our thanks to EcoMedia Collective for their support in filming and photography at this event.

L to R: Andrew Fischer (Mowgli trustee) Michael Payton, Kirsten Hemingway, Tony Bury, Jane Andrewartha

View the Slide Show of the event:

Keynote speaker and inspirational UK businesswoman, Kirsten Hemingway of the Hemingway Corporation spoke passionately of the need for mentoring. Kirsten’s personal story about her route into the world of business (Kirsten stopped full time education aged 11) was funny, touching, entertaining and very engaging.

Lubna Latif speaking in London

The audience were similarly moved by the story of Mowgli Foundation Entrepreneur Lubna Latif, whose business is based in Manchester. Lubna told the audience how her mentor had helped her increase her self-confidence as an entrepreneur. In a moving speech, Lubna detailed how the Mowgli Foundation project had encouraged her to be less afraid to fail; in  the last year, since participating in  the Mowgli Foundation programme in Manchester, Lubna’s mentor had helped her personally come to terms  emotionally with  the many issues that entrepreneurs face and expand her business sustainably.

Michael Payton, Senior Partner at Clyde & Co, said:

“I believe very strongly that entrepreneurial spirit is alive in most people and many would love to run a business and need encouragement and – above all – they need to be mentored. In my view the opportunities today for would-be entrepreneurs are as great as ever they have been and certainly the need for them is greater now than ever before. With some exceptions, how to be an entrepreneur – how to undertake or control a business or enterprise – is not something that appears in the curricula of universities or schools. There’s a gap and – vitally – Mowgli seeks to fill it. I’d like to wish them all very the best in their enterprises in this country”.

The Mowgli Foundation programme fits with, and is complementary to, organisations who currently offer business support or advice to young business start–ups. The difference is that the Mowgli Foundation works with individuals well beyond start-up and mentors can come from any sector. The objective is that both mentor and entrepreneur build a relationship that is beneficial, and sustains both the entrepreneur and their business, as well as impacting on their communities through job creation. The fit with company CSR is acknowledged and companies like IBM have recently come on board to support Mowgli.

Tony Bury, the Mowgli Foundation founder said.

“We are living in very challenging times, through a banking, economic and societal crisis. There is an undoubted requirement for entrepreneurship and the development of more successful entrepreneurs to create wealth, economic regeneration, employment, societal democracy and philanthropic initiatives to meet these challenges. The Mowgli Foundation supports entrepreneurs through a unique mentoring programme. We are delighted that Clyde & Co is hosting this reception in London where there is such huge entrepreneurial flair and to be able to form a collaborative environment with businesses and the community to deliver meaningful results.”

Notes for Editors:

About the Mowgli Foundation:

Established by Tony Bury in 2008 the Mowgli Foundation is now a major power in social change within the Middle East, encouraging and developing entrepreneurs to build successful businesses, from food distribution to ecotourism. Tony Bury is a serial entrepreneur with successful businesses in the Middle East, Africa and Europe. His passion for helping people succeed in business is contagious. The UK base is established in the City of Bristol and the Mowgli Foundation are already working with agencies and companies like IBM to further the programmes and training.

Inspiring Business Mentors:

In January 2012 the Mowgli Foundation ran its first South West programme, well known entrepreneur Tristan Hogg of Pieminister (Bristol and London) has signed up to be a Mowgli Foundation mentor. See Bristol Evening Post coverage.

The Mowgli Foundation in the Middle East:

Since March 2009 the Mowgli Foundation has delivered programs to support over 170 Jordanian, Palestinian, Lebanese, and Syrian entrepreneurs. They have done this by forming productive alliances with local partners and the benefits to the local economy include employment, wealth generation and the creation of infrastructure.

Post reception interviews:

The Mowgli Foundation founder Tony Bury and keynote speakers such as Kirsten Hemingway of the Hemingway Corporation (www.hemingwaycorp.com) will be available for pre-launch live interviews.  There will also be an opportunity to speak with a current mentor and mentee who have done the Mowgli Foundation programme.

Keynote Speaker interviews can be arranged.

Post Launch Press photographs: Photographs will be supplied from the 1^st February. Media Management: Christina Robino, Bud UK Ltd, 07974 093 091   

E: christina@bud.uk.com Mowgli: www.mowgli.org.uk

Our thanks to EcoMedia Collective for their support in filming and photography at this event.

The MME involves 3 days of intensive learning and relationship building, laying the foundations for the year-long relationships between entrepreneurs and their mentors. It was the fourth MME programme in Jordan to be funded by the Arab Partnership Fund; a UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office initiative to strengthen support in the Middle East and North Africa.

His Excellency, Mr Peter Millet, the British Ambassador was in attendance for part of the mentoring experience. Mr Millet joined the MME participants for lunch, to hear discussions of the challenges faced by entrepreneurs in the region, and how mentors can provide much needed support and guidance. Mr. Millett also facilitated the final sharing session of the MME, where he was able to gain first-hand familiarity with the incredible and inspiring experiences that the participants had  on the MME. The Ambassador was extremely impressed with the mentors and mentees, and with the whole event.

The Ambassador said:

“Supporting Mowgli’s work in mentoring Jordanian entrepreneurs has been a priority for the British Embassy this year and for the new Arab Partnership Programme. The focus on the private sector is crucial for Jordan’s economic reform. So I was very happy to discover that all the participants had found that their mentoring was a real inspiration which will help them grow their businesses and employ more staff in future.”

Watheq Saffarini is one of the entrepreneurs taking part in the programme and said: “What is so special about the Mowgli workshop, that it is sustainable,[the work] actually starts after it finishes!”

Dr. Amin Amin, one of our mentors on the programme, also spoke very highly of the experience, saying: “It’s beyond special, the bond we succeeded in creating together as mentors, Mowgli facilitators and mentees. If it shows something, it shows that the (Mowgli) model is effective and can add huge value for Jordan and the whole region.”

Mowgli MENA director, Lynn Brucker said: “This MME was so special, for it was the realisation of Mowgli’s vision. It was our very first ‘all-Jordanian’ MME: coordinated by our new Jordan Country Manager, Thana’a Khasawneh, facilitated by our wonderful Jordanian mentor Mohammed Masadeh, with eleven amazingly  talented and successful Jordanian mentors, who came with an intention to give something of themselves to help to support an entrepreneur in the Kingdom. They also received so much inspiration, hope and joy from the 11 mentees, who represented the very best of the Jordanian private sector. This was truly a magical experience for everyone.  Thanks to the support of Ambassador Millett and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and also all mentors, entrepreneurs and facilitators for their participation in support of Mowgli’s mission.Following the success of our recent programmes, the Mowgli Foundation is currently planning further programmes for 2012. Check the Mowgli website for details.

We at Mowgli have put together a research briefing summarising some relevant research into mentoring for entrepreneurs and we wanted to share it with you. We hope you find it useful.

Introduction:

A major factor leading to the failure of start-up businesses is the lack of experience and competency on the part of the business owners- entrepreneurs. Small firms and their survival are a critical strategy for most governments around the world concerned with rising unemployment and economic development in communities. Recent research has shown that an overall increase in an entrepreneur’s skills and knowledge within the first years of a company’s life is a determining factor in the firm’s survival; for example, one study found that nearly half of small firm bankruptcies in Canada could be attributed to internal problems of the enterprise, due to managerial inexperience. For anyone concerned with increasing the probability of survival amongst new businesses, encouraging learning and development in entrepreneurs is therefore a worthy topic of discussion. Mentoring is a learning tool which can be used by individuals and through organised programmes, which a growing body of research shows can increase some types of learning and development in entrepreneurs.

Chief Executive Officer of Noor for Financial Investments, Jordan

Mr. Makhamreh is currently a board member and the chief executive officer of Noor for financial Investments, a financial and brokerage services company based in Amman, Jordan.  Before joining Noor Investments, Mr. Makharemh worked for more than two years at Sanabel International Holding for Islamic Investments.

He was the chief executive officer for the investment banking activities of the group.  Mr. Makhamreh was also a founder and a partner of many investment banking companies in Jordan. Among them was Atlas Investment Group (Now the investment banking arm of Arab Bank Group, one of the leading banks in the region).

Mr. Makahmreh holds an MBA in finance from the University of Jordan and has over 18 years’ experience in investment banking.  Mr. Makahmreh is also a regular member of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA and a member and a founder of the Jordan Chapter of Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA Jordan). Mr. Makhamreh is a certified Islamic financial expert, a certified Islamic banker and a certified takaful professional (CTP).

Omar was born in Amman, Jordan. He studied at Amman Baccalaureate School then finished his high school education in the United States where he studied business. His early independence as well as his family’s business drive sharpened his entrepreneurial skills.

Omar is a serial entrepreneur and has founded/partnered businesses in various sectors including restaurants and real estate. Today he puts his skill where his heart is, or rather, where his eye is; the family business.

He is general manager of Shami Eye Centre, a state of the art day hospital providing all kinds of eye care solutions to all sectors. The centre has a special focus on service, another one of Omar’s sincere interests and natural talents.

Omar is a sports fanatic, both as a player and spectator. He loves books and has a passion for learning. He is 36 years old and a father of four.

Founder & CEO of Business Development Center (BDC), Jordan

Nayef founded BDC in 2004, with a vision to help boost the economic development of Jordan through empowering the Jordanian youth and entrepreneurs. An innovator in organisational development, he brings over 22 years’ experience in creating, implementing and managing diverse and ambitious projects. Under his stewardship, BDC has become a regional and national resource, launching business development service initiatives and facilitating multiple-donor economic development projects. Nayef’s deep expertise and entrepreneurial spirit continue to be the driving force behind BDC.

As part of Nayef’s passion to empower youth and entrepreneurs, as well as his firm belief in their value, potential, and ability to change not only the future, but also the present, he created the Maharat Employment and Training Program. This highly successful initiative has two pillars; one is to provide young people with knowledge and practical skills as they enter the workplace, the other to encourage and support entrepreneurship, transforming youth from job seekers to job creators. The programme provides a unique, unprecedented approach to learning in Jordan, through structured interactive training courses, mentoring and real life experiences. Practical learning even covers behavioural techniques that help to turn graduates into confident, attractive employees. Beyond the programme’s economic relevance, Maharat affects the world view and attitudes of its students and entrepreneurs, turning them into positive, proactive and critical thinkers and helping them to fulfil their personal and professional potential.

Notable roles include: Committee member of the Economic Consultative Council to His Majesty King Abdullah II (May 2000 – Jan 2001), consulting committee member for drafting the Cooperative Agreement of the IESC-USAID Fund (which led to establishing the JUSBP Project), member of the Harvard Arab Alumni Association, on the board of directors for Jordan Investment Board, member of Jordan’s Higher Education Council (Oct 2009 – Jul 2010), member of the Ministry of Public Sector Development’s steering committee for development and initiatives, and a trustee for Jordan Higher Academy for Technical Education, member in the Board of Directors of the European Jordanian Management Development Institute (EJABI), member in the Board of Directors of the  Jordan – Canada Business Association (JOCABA).

Chairman of The Jordan Federation Of Tourism Associations Jordan

Mr. Nazzal holds a degree in Hotel Management from Degree Ecole Hotelier, Lausanne, Switzerland. Some of his career highlights  include head of food and catering at Royal Jordanian, founder of the Jordanian Co for Hotel and Tourism Education , vice chairman of Holiday Hotels Co, chairman of the Dead Sea Spa Hotels Co, member of the board of directors of the Amman World Trade Centre, and vice chairman of the board of directors at Jordan Investment & Tourism Transport.

Business Development Consultant

Mr. Shalabi has an outstanding history of success made during the several leading positions he has held in various banks and financial institutions; a success that he considers to be the ripe fruit of progressive specialised experience in Jordan and in the United states.

During his tenure as GM of AMC, Mr. Shalabi adopted a two-pillar development strategy composed of geographical expansion and product/performance development. Moving forward at a steady pace, development was initiated by creating a new slogan and logo, reflecting the spirit of change. New branches opened and existing branches moved to new locations, achieving better public outreach, and team performance was supported with specialised training courses.

Various developments were introduced to loan products, and an innovated incentive system was created, based on the performance/quality of the portfolio, applying best practices to control risk exposure. Mr. Shalabi also eyed CSR through collaboration with NGO’s working with similar social segments. To this end, the company sponsored community-based activities, like “Souq Jara” – a non-profit marketplace where small businesses promoted their products – and social theatre activities.

Moreover, AMC sponsored the ‘Queen Alia Competition for Social Responsibility 2010’ which focused on the environment, and was honoured by HRH Princess Basma bint Talal for its distinguished support.

In numbers, AMC’s market share leapt from 2.5% to 7% in December 2011 in terms of clients. Portfolio growth rate mounted to 25%. In addition, the company was internationally recognized and nominated for the C5 Microfinance Summit Awards as one of the top three firms for ‘Best Performance’.

CEO Save the Children, Jordan

Manal Wazani had a dream, and has spent most of her career and personal life in working towards making difference to others.

She started her career at the Ministry of Higher Education in different posts for 5 years, and learnt a lot from this experience. Most importantly she learnt to accept and respect all kinds of people and also that things can be done if there is a will to change.

She moved to Saudi Arabia after getting married, and lived there for 13 years. She witnessed the Gulf War in Riyadh. Surviving this she started working at one of the very prominent philanthropic societies in Riyadh, Al Nahda Society, watching unwanted children being taken care of by the society and working as an administrator. It was a humbling experience. Learning how to deal with all nationalities and how to accept others was one of the richest experiences for Manal.  Taking advantage of her social skills and her passion to make a difference with a bunch of Arab ladies, she started working on fundraising for needy families in Palestine, throwing  fundraising functions  and other related  activities .

After that Manal moved back to Amman where she was offered work as an executive director at Operation Smile Jordan (OSJ). Thanks to Manal’s determination OSJ became a centre and a hub for the region, helping more than 1500 children from Jordan, Iraq, and Palestine.

In November 2010, she became the CEO of Save the Children Jordan, a very small organisation, and the only Arab member within the 29 members of Save the Children worldwide. Manal says, “children are our future and I will always invest my time and my efforts towards building a better life for them in any capacity I can.” She holds a BA in English Literature and minor in French Language.

Deputy General Manager, General Deluxe Electronics,  Jordan                 

Iyad Mohammed Abu Haltam is Deputy General Manager at General Deluxe Electronics (M. Abu-Haltalm Group for investments), a manufacturing company, established in 1993, in the field of  household appliances.

The main current production lines are colour television sets, washing machines, refrigerators and split type air conditioners. Those products are sold in the domestic market through a comprehensive distribution network. The group owns five outlets. Also these products are being exported to neighbouring countries: Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Iyad received PHD in Management and MBA in Management from the University of Jordan. His background is in engineering and he holds an MSc in Electrical Engineering from Arizona State University – USA.

He is currently the Chairman of Eastern Amman Investors Industrial Association(EAIIA) and Vice Chairman of Jordan Small & Medium Industrial Enterprises Association (Jordan SMEs). He is also a member of the Jordan Engineers Association.

Chief Executive Officer of ASK for Human Capacity Building

ASK (Attitude, Skills and Knowledge) is based in Amman, Jordan. It’s serving the Arab region as a pioneer company that provides human capacity building services focusing on bridging the missing link between education and employment.

Though Dr. Amin pursued his graduate and post graduate studies in Architecture and Urban Planning at Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands), his educational background did not hinder him from realising his dream; establishing a vehicle that aims to develop and reform education within the 21st century context and assist the Arab youth in becoming ready for the labour market.

Today, ASK provides culturally sensitive professional development services for professionals with a special focus on educators that draw on international practices and are customised to local needs. Though ASK is a for-profit company,  Dr. Amin believes that it has a social responsibility towards the youth of the region. ASK’s goal is to continuously innovate and contribute towards all citizens in the Middle East who are in need of formal and informal education reform. In addition they hope to develop policies and processes of education to create 21st century, knowledgeable workers that are proactive citizens.

Dr. Amin is a leader and entrepreneur. His leadership style and insightful vision caught the attention of many international organisations. In 2009, Dr. Amin was selected as a High Impact Social Entrepreneur by the global network “Endeavor”.

Director of Bayan Advisers, Jordan

Diala has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, from the American University in Cairo, Egypt. She is also PMP certified through the Project Management Institute, U.S.A and is a certified PM trainer from TSI.

Diala has more than 19 years of consulting and management experience: targeted consultancies, MSMEs, NGOs, business associations (in technical, marketing and internal management issues), project management, training and intellectual Property. Her experience has been gained through working in both private sector companies like Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property (a member of the Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Group), and with European Union and USAID funded programs. Diala in 2009 was a supporting founder of Bayan Advisers, a management consultancy in Jordan.

Through her own experiences Diala recognises the importance of being enlightened by others around you, and how difficult situations may prepare you for other times. Supporting others allows Diala to  give back to society by opening new pathways to those that need them. By mentoring an entrepreneur, she hopes to transfer some managerial and developmental skills, while motivating and supporting him/her in their path of choice.

Deputy Chief Executive officer of Consultus, Jordan

Arije Al-Amad is an experienced manager in the area of microfinance and the development of gender related issues. She was first to work in the area of microfinance in Jordan, and one of the first to work in this area in the region.

Currently Ms. Al-Amad is the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Consultus, a consulting firm in addition to her duties as a director of the USAID funded “Private Schools Support Project”. Ms. Al-Amad also served as the general manager of Microfund for Women during which she increased MFW’s portfolio from JOD 4 million to JOD 10 million, and the number of clients from 9k to 36k. The number of employees was also increased from 65 to 151. During her management Ms. Al-Amad conducted institution rebranding and the creation of a new image for MFW. Ms. Al-Amad was able to enhance MFW’s rating to A- with a positive trend that was conducted by Planet Rating during 2007.

Prior to that, Ms. Al-Amad was the operations manager at MFW, and at the Jordanian Women’s Development Society (JWDS). Ms. Al-Amd participated and directed the involvement in the formation of new NGO’s. She also developing and standardised credit manuals and operational guidelines. Ms. A-Amad has gained financial experience and knowledge working as a credit manager at Save the Children USA – Jordan Office – Amman, Jordan. Ms. Al-Amad also served as a project manager at Queen Alia Fund for Social Development, Amman, Jordan (Jordan Hashemite Fund).

Ms. Arije Al-Amad has extensive experience in training and developing training materials for micro and small enterprises.  Her experience was acquired from her freelance and counselling activities in this area. She is an accredited trainer for start and improve your business (SYB & IYB) by ILO.

It is worth noting that Ms. Al-Amad was recognised regionally and internationally for her achievements and received a number awards including: MAJ, SANABEL, Vital Voices, Hillary Clinton 2003, Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan 2006.