Every entity should incorporate risk management in its strategy to improve its operations and increase the success rate of its growth strategy. If future threats to an organization are known and managed, the risk of failure is no longer a handicap to its growth, but to that of its competitors only. MENA Strategies’ clients are large multinational corporations; mid sized companies; family-owned businesses; startups; nonprofit organizations; educational institutions and public sector entities. A risk management program can be designed to fit the needs of every business size, in every industry, and for any growth strategy.
These case studies are a selection of MENA Strategies client projects in which facts have been modified in respect for the confidential nature of consulting work, and in compliance with, the non-disclosure agreement we sign with all our clients. These are examples of how risk management played a significant role in the successful operation of an entity when integrated in its strategy.
We do good because we believe that doing good and doing well are not mutually exclusive goals and that every business can give back to the community by creating or participating in programs that demonstrate its social responsibility, while positively affecting its brand perception.
MENA Strategies’ consultants participate in, and host, various workshops, trainings, conferences and educational forums relevant to the risk management, banking, and insurance industries in the region and worldwide. For upcoming events details, kindly visit the Facebook events page.
We also offer training in the form of continuing education for working professionals, conference sessions, academic lectures at the masters and doctorate level, as well as research mentoring. For more details, please contact us.
There are many questions you need to have an answer to before initiating work on your business idea. For example: is it creating a need, satisfying an underserved market, or adding value to an already served customer need? How can you monetize the value you are creating? How diversified is your business, will it survive various business risks? What is your differentiation strategy? How do you intend on communicating it? What is your business model? Is the business duplicable? What is your path for growth? What is the life span of your idea? Do you have an exit strategy?
Let's help you get some answers.
• Introduction to Risk Management*
• Fundamentals of insurance as a risk transfer tool*
• Managing Corporate Risk
• Transitioning to Enterprise Risk Management
• Integrating risk into corporate Strategy*
• Managing your Brand’s reputation risk
• Doing business in politically unstable environments
• Managing Risk in Entrepreneurship
Strategy
• Corporate valuation for start ups
• Writing a business plan*
• Monetization: how to create revenue streams for your business online
Marketing and Communication Design
• Corporate Social media
• Reputation Risk Management in Marketing & Social Media
• Social Media for Entrepreneurs
• Communication in crisis management and Emergency Response Planning*
• Industry specific Marketing and sales training
*These are also offered as academic lectures, submit your request by clicking here
Masters and Doctorate students writing their thesis on one of the above topics can contact us
at academic@menastrategies.com for research mentoring opportunities.
The MENA Strategies Associates program is a 4 months long unpaid internship program intended for university juniors, recent graduates, and PHD candidates to learn more about Risk Management and Strategy consulting.
Candidates receive a certificate of appreciation upon the satisfactory completion of the program and some candidates may be selected for a full time position at MENA Strategies based on candidate's performance and company openings or permanent client assignment needs.
The candidate has the option to select between two tracks:
1. Rotational Consulting Program:
Learn what a consultant at MENA strategies does by shadowing one of our consultants every two weeks. You will be exposed to clients in different industries, be given the opportunity to contribute to a current project in your own capacity, conduct research in addition to receiving invaluable mentorship and hands on training.
2. Focused training in one of the following departments:
• Risk Management
• Communication
• Management Consulting
You may apply for this position here by sending us a brief message about your interest in the position (cover letter) and attach your resume (C.V.) in .PDF or .Doc format. Before applying, we encourage you to navigate through our social media and our website to get to know us.
MENA Strategies is an equal opportunity employer and encourages diversity in the workplace: we have no preference to nationality, age, religion, political affiliation, gender, origin, or any physical and/or moral characteristic so long as it does not prohibit the applicant from performing any of the duties required by the position.
The MENA Strategies Associates program is a 4 months long unpaid internship program intended for university juniors, recent graduates, and PHD candidates to learn more about Risk Management and Strategy consulting.
Candidates receive a certificate of appreciation upon the satisfactory completion of the program and some candidates may be selected for a full time position at MENA Strategies based on candidate's performance and company openings or permanent client assignment needs.
The candidate has the option to select between two tracks:
1. Rotational Consulting Program:
Learn what a consultant at MENA strategies does by shadowing one of our consultants every two weeks. You will be exposed to clients in different industries, be given the opportunity to contribute to a current project in your own capacity, conduct research in addition to receiving invaluable mentorship and hands on training.
2. Focused training in one of the following departments:
• Risk Management
• Communication
• Management Consulting
You may apply for this position here by sending us a brief message about your interest in the position (cover letter) and attach your resume (C.V.) in .PDF or .Doc format. Before applying, we encourage you to navigate through our social media and our website to get to know us.
MENA Strategies is an equal opportunity employer and encourages diversity in the workplace: we have no preference to nationality, age, religion, political affiliation, gender, origin, or any physical and/or moral characteristic so long as it does not prohibit the applicant from performing any of the duties required by the position.
MENA Strategies runs an entrepreneurship outreach program whereby an ambitious, dedicated and hardworking individual or group of individuals with an idea can learn about building a sound business model from which to derive business development strategies.
At every round of the entrepreneurship outreach, we explain the risks involved in pursuing an entrepreneurial dream, mitigate them, and develop opportunities arising from them. Participants can apply to the program for access to workshops and lectures that will help the future entrepreneur(s) avoid common and severe entrepreneurial mistakes in addition to learning how to build his/her/their business. Participation in the program also enters participants into a competition whereby a jury of MENA Strategies consultants and partners grant our client services to the idea (and the team) with the most realistic potential. For a full list of these services please click here.
In addition to providing assistance in conceptualizing the idea and creating the business model, we also provide guidance on drafting the business plan with valuation projections, in preparation for funds sourcing and other inception details. The duration of the program is 3 months, during which the participants will be offered office space to work on their business idea, access to various company resources, including mentorship by one of our consultants.
Apply to discuss with us your idea's eligibility for this program.
BeyBQ was selected as part of the MENA Strategies entrepreneurship outreach program as we believe...
Honest Mark is a small-scale organic farm located in the Caza of Jezzine that is committed t...
Meddy is a startup that is reshaping the medical industry in Doha with an online platform that he...
Blink My Car is a smart solution for washing your car or motorbike, anytime, anywhere. Specialist...
Everything you need to learn arabic lebanese on your smartphone. Keefak is a universal ...
Wizmates. Taking you from clicking to eating in minutes! You can now have fresh, r...
BeyBQ was selected as part of the MENA Strategies entrepreneurship outreach program as we believed in this passionate entrepreneur’s aspiration. A unique BBQ concept was created with strategic business units that included popup food events, private catering and resident cooking at popular eateries created.
Today, BeyBQ has opened a gourmet barbecue restaurant at Bouyouti and a station at Matchbox Park. They have also expanded their catering services to host weddings and corporate events, and have introduced customized smokers and grills for residential and professional use.
Learn more on www.beybq.com
Honest Mark is a small-scale organic farm located in the Caza of Jezzine that is committed to producing clean, flavorful and rare goods without the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. This includes in-season fruits and vegetables as well as dried goods, free-range eggs and grass-fed goat yogurt.
As a young and motivated entrepreneur, Mark needed assistance in creating the name, branding, market strategy and communication that will promote his products and link it to its earthy and personalized roots.
Find out more on Facebook and Instagram @honestmarklb.com
Meddy is a startup that is reshaping the medical industry in Doha with an online platform that helps you choose the right doctor.
You are able to select the specialization or clinic location you want, and use filters to fine tune your choice (by gender, language, education, etc.). The best part is, since doctors receive reviews and ratings from patients, you can base your choice on referrals and experience.
Blink My Car is a smart solution for washing your car or motorbike, anytime, anywhere. Specialists use premium waterless products such as surfactants and carnauba wax to safely lift the dirt off the vehicle and ensure a protective clean. Every car wash saves our planet 250L of water.
How it works: Download the app, provide basic information about your vehicle, book a wash by picking location and time, relax while your vehicle is being cleaned, and then pay seamlessly through the app.
Watch this hilarious video explaining how Lebanese start up Blink My Car works. #waakhiran #blinkmycar
ps: this is a great example of customer pain point targeting in marketing.
https://www.facebook.com/blinkmycar/videos/1730602490539306/
Everything you need to learn arabic lebanese on your smartphone.
Keefak is a universal app that works on the 3 major operating systems: iOS (iPhone, iPod, iPad), Android and Windows Phone.
It tteaches you the Arabic language using the best pedagogical approach.
Wizmates. Taking you from clicking to eating in minutes!
You can now have fresh, ready to eat food with the push of a button! And no, we don’t mean your microwave button. Thanks to the free, easy-to-use Wizmates app, you can have whatever your heart & stomach desire! Don’t know what to eat? Are you new to the area? We got you!
Wizmates is the best way to discover and order the best cuisine wherever you are. We offer free ordering for pick up and delivery without the hassle of searching the web or wasting time calling around. Simply enter your location and get a select list of the best restaurants in town at your fingertips. Discover all types of food, explore different menus, choose your preferred method of payment and your meal will be cooked just for you. Push notifications will come straight to your smartphone so you’ll always be well informed when it’s ready to pick up or on it’s way.
Taleb shows in a playful way that Black Swan events explain almost everything about our world, and yet we—especially the experts—are blind to them.
The book provides two tools for improving your risk IQ—the Risk Intelligence Audit and the Risk Scorecard to raise your managerial and organizational risk IQ
Great companies become great because they seek out and exploit intelligent risks, not because they avoid all risk.
An investigation of opacity, luck, uncertainty, probability, human error, risk, and decision-making in a world we don’t understand.
This book focuses on all major aspects of the asset management industry including its regulations, strategies, processes, applied technologies and risks.
A complete resource to show you get ahead as a manager faster by gaining a clearer understanding of risk management.
An investigation of opacity, luck, uncertainty, probability, human error, risk, and decision-making in a world we don’t understand
Peter Bernstein argues that the notion of bringing risk under control is one of the central ideas that distinguishes modern times from the distant past.
Takesecurityback.com
Blog that aims to educate Lebanese citizens about various aspects of cyber security and safety
MENA Strategies contributes to enhancing risk management practices in the UAE and the region
Links:
Photos:
https://www.facebook.com/MENAStrategies/photos/?tab=album&album_id=927393454003455
Videos:
http://www.pp365.co/p/1136802454682031598_347196876
The above are infographics created by MENA Strategies for one of the Middle East and North Africa Business Aviation Association shows or conferences, based on data provided by WingX advance, as commissioned by MEBAA.
Business Aviation Insight for the Middle East - MEBAA Show - Dubai
Business Aviation Insight for the Middle East - MEBAA Conference - Riyadh
Business Aviation Insight for the Middle East - MEBAA Conference - Amman
Business Aviation Insight for the Middle East - MEBAA Conference - Marrakech
As part of its efforts to strengthen and support its international network of risk professionals, RIMS, the risk management society™, is collaborating with risk management consultancy firm, MENA Strategies to host the RIMS Risk Forum Middle East on December 7 & 8 at the Conrad Hotel in Dubai.
Supported by the Ministry of Tourism and the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai, the forum will bring together government officials, risk managers of MENA based and international corporations Associated Insurance Consultants, Control Risks, Du, Emirates Insurance Association, Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC), Emirates Transport, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, Middle East Insurance Review, National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD), Nesma & Partners, New Dawn Risk Group, New York University, and Zain.
Attendees will have the opportunity to meet and network with award winning risk managers and learn from their challenges and success stories through various panels and workshops.
“The region has seen a number of insurance related events but there has been limited focus on alternative risk mitigation methods” comments Melissa Aoun, Managing Director at MENA Strategies. “We are thrilled to be working with RIMS on developing risk management practices in the MENA region and are confident that this Risk Forum accentuates our mutual efforts to promote risk as an integrated discipline, essential to every corporation in the region”.
Attendees will gain insight on the Middle East’s insurance market as a mean of transferring risk and will explore practical solutions that affect their overall corporate strategy and help them reduce their organization’s exposure to operational, financial, cyber, reputation, and supply chain risk.
“New and lucrative business opportunities in the Middle East have forced organizations in the region – as well as those entering the region – to bolster their risk management programs,” said RIMS President Rick Roberts. “We’re excited to introduce RIMS to the Middle East and look forward to learning from the region’s already outstanding practitioners.”
About RIMS
As the preeminent organization dedicated to advancing the practice of risk management, RIMS, the risk management society™, is a global not-for-profit organization representing more than 3,500 industrial, service, nonprofit, charitable and government entities throughout the world. Founded in 1950, RIMS brings networking, professional development and education opportunities to its membership of more than 11,000 risk management professionals who operate in more than 60 countries. For more information on RIMS, visit www.RIMS.org.
About MENA Strategies
MENA Strategies® is a risk management and strategic consultancy firm based in Lebanon with operations in the Middle East and North Africa region. The firm focuses on aligning corporate strategy with risk management practices; compliance and corporate governance; crisis communication, as well as setting up an enterprise risk management program for clients in various industries. MENA Strategies recently launched the Entrepreneurship Outreach program, to promote the integration of risk-based decision-making and opportunity-driven corporate strategy in startups and family businesses. For more information on MENA Strategies, visit www.MENAstrategies.com