- May 7, 2021
EPISODE #
Lessons from building LinkedIn’s presence in MENA with Ali Matar
About this episode
Ali Matar, LinkedIn’s Head of EMEA Emerging Markets, Middle East & Africa talks about the disruption that COVID has had on the MENA region and how people are coping with the new work dynamics, job losses and the need to re-think their careers, particularly women. We build on Ali’s experience as the first employee tasked to build the LinkedIn presence in MENA and how a misconception he had ended up being one of his biggest career learning opportunity. A great discussion if you’re currently managing people and looking for practical tips on building a thriving workplace.
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guest profile
Ali Matar
Based in Dubai, LinkedIn MENA’s headquarters, Ali is responsible for managing LinkedIn’s business and boosting its brand and presence across all Middle East and North Africa countries.
Ali has more than sixteen years of leadership experience. Since joining LinkedIn in October 2012 as the first employee of the company in the MENA region, he worked with his team to increase and diversify the members and corporate clients of LinkedIn. In 2015, Ali was recognized as one of the top 100 regional heads of multinational companies in the Middle East by Forbes.
Prior to moving to LinkedIn, Ali held different senior regional roles in international software companies such as SAP and Oracle. A native Arabic speaker and a civil engineer by education, Ali is a certified supply chain consultant and holds the Global Executive MBA from INSEAD. He is passionate about lifelong learning and enjoys learning languages and exploring new cultures.
You can connect with Ali on LinkedIn