“If you tell me we're not going to build, then probably replace me. There is no need for having me.”
Karim Awad walked into EFG Hermes at one of the most turbulent moments in Egypt's recent history — a company caught mid-revolution, a bruised brand, and a region that wasn't sure it wanted to stabilise.
What he did next is what this conversation is about.
Karim and Hashem talked about the two years of firefighting that most people never saw — before the decade of expansion that everyone did. About the quiet conviction that drove him to turn a pure-play investment bank into a full-fledged financial services group. And about the question we found most interesting: How does Karim measure success?
His answer surprised Hashem.