Made in Dubai with Spencer Lodge

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  #414: Jon Marchant: "The enemy isn't AI, it's mediocrity" | Ogilvy Middle East President 14.09.2026 1ч 12мин

  Jon Marchant is Group President at Memac Ogilvy, part of WPP, leading 450 people across one of the region's biggest advertising networks after 27 years in the industry. Jon explains why he believes the real threat to the advertising industry isn't AI, it's mediocrity, and what that means for agencies trying to stay relevant. He also opens up about why he believes vulnerability builds more trust in leadership than authority ever will, and how his own definition of success has changed over nearly three decades at the top. Timestamps  0:00 Introduction and imposter syndrome about the guest list 1:04 Moving to Dubai and running an international agency for the first time 1:57 "Dubai is not a city, it's an attitude" 3:23 Temping as a secretary and falling in love with advertising 4:17 Fighting for a job on the Manchester United account 5:16 The 1999 treble shoot and sneaking in with the European Cup 9:00 What mental availability actually means 9:38 Why billboards still work in a digital world 14:30 Getting inspiration and using AI as a spark, not a replacement 15:26 "The enemy is not AI, the enemy is mediocrity" 21:03 Why being an introvert is an advantage in leadership 22:41 The call to the hospital and the hole in one that changed everything 24:39 His father was 45 28:55 The car accident that reminded him who he does it for 30:28 Redefining success: is the ladder leaning against the right wall 39:00 The misconceptions Brits have about working in the Middle East 41:07 Dubai as the shop window, Abu Dhabi as the strategic engine 44:31 Never been fired, but he has had to fire people 46:11 Three things that make a good leader 47:48 From British fell running champion at 11 to endurance sport as de-stressing 54:08 Running the Lebanon office during the conflict 56:01 The night his wife packed a suitcase 1:05:00 What roles AI will actually replace 1:08:56 Chinese EVs, Jaguar's collapse, and the German car dilemma 1:16:31 The Go Compare opera singer story 1:17:24 End Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076 https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV  https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/   Follow Jon Marchant on Social Media:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-marchant-70998324/ https://www.ogilvy.com/ae/team https://www.linkedin.com/company/memacogilvy/ https://www.instagram.com/memacogilvy/?hl=en  
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  #413: Nick Watson built a special running chair and bike so his disabled son could race triathlons by his side. 07.09.2026 1ч 13мин

  Nick Watson is a former Royal Marine who moved to Dubai in the late 1990s and later founded Team Angel Wolf, a nonprofit built around his son Rio, who is 23 and lives with a rare chromosome condition. The wider mission behind Team Angel Wolf, teaching communities and schools across the UAE what real inclusion looks like. Timestamps 0:57 Nick and Spencer meet after 21 years of near misses 2:12 Why Nick says the timing wasn't right before now 2:56 Growing up in Cornwall and his parents' cafe in Falmouth 4:06 Leaving school at 16 and the family's move to central France 5:38 Discovering art and the dream of designing cars 6:31 Finding triathlon and building a community in Toulouse 9:56 Choosing the Royal Marines over art school 10:35 Joining the Marines at 21 13:19 The hardest decision of his career, stay or leave 14:50 Meeting his wife Delphine on a personal training course 16:15 The conversation that led them to Dubai 16:56 Arriving in Dubai in 1996 with £850 to his name 18:41 What Dubai looked like before the Marina and the Burj Khalifa 22:06 Rio is born in 2003 23:44 "Something's not right" 24:18 The first time Rio stopped breathing in the bath 26:05 It happens again, and the hospital sends them home a second time 27:16 The four and a half year search for a diagnosis 29:41 The call from Paris confirming Rio's chromosome deletion 30:08 What Rio lives with today at 23 38:02 Holidays, and the last one they took 10 years ago 39:19 Delphine, the backbone of the family 40:30 Tia, and her bond with her brother 41:43 A day in the life of the family 44:37 Why Team Angel Wolf was founded in 2016 46:24 What inclusion actually means to him 47:56 Whether organisations are genuinely inclusive or just ticking boxes 48:44 The four step plan behind Team Angel Wolf 53:01 What it would take to fund the mission properly 55:56 Three practical tips to become more inclusive 58:29 Whether he sees himself as successful 1:00:22 How hard it is to ask for help 1:01:41 A brush with clinical depression 1:05:44 The conversations he has with Tia about the future 1:07:00 What he'd ask of Spencer's audience 1:09:37 How to follow and support Team Angel Wolf 1:11:38 The advice he'd give himself, looking back 1:12:58 End Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076 https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV  https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/   Follow Nick Watson on Social Media:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickwatsontribewatson/ https://www.facebook.com/TeamAngelWolf/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-hasan-alogaily-mbbs-mrcgp-dipcd-iblm-icflm-6318a2171/
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  #412: Why getting a health check once a year could save you a lot of money, and it might just even save your life | Dr. Hasan Alogaily 27.08.2026 51мин

  Dr. Hasan Alogaily is a global expert in longevity, and he's here to cut through the noise. Peptides, supplement stacks and expensive therapies dominate the conversation online, but he says none of it matters if the basics aren't in place first. In this conversation, Hasan explains why lifestyle is the real foundation of a longer life, how often you should actually be getting your bloods checked, and why skipping your annual health check is a bigger risk than most people realise. Timestamps:  00:00 Introduction 00:09 Longevity vs health span: what is the actual difference? 04:00 The longevity pyramid and why Dubai has it upside down 06:41 The patient on 37 supplements who was still smoking 07:29 Peptides, RCT evidence, and what the science actually supports 09:30 Blue zones: movement and food as a cultural norm 11:06 "Lifestyle doesn't sell. It's not sexy enough till you're 80." 11:28 Why the blue zones data may not be what we think it is 14:06 Mental well-being and why no supplement addresses it 15:25 What health span medicine actually challenges about standard practice 16:01 "In my medical school, I was never taught to write an exercise prescription." 18:00 Ozempic, BPC157, and what the peptide space actually looks like 19:17 1 in 3 people in this region have fatty liver 22:10 Why even 10 minutes in the gym changes your mortality risk 23:13 Why muscle mass is a bank account you draw from later 24:29 Zone 2 cardio and the Maffetone formula 25:51 Why walking uphill on a treadmill might be all you need 29:29 "If you have an Emirates ID card, I guarantee you've got vitamin D deficiency." 33:13 Spencer's Harley Street story: two surgeons, one MRI, opposite advice 35:10 Spencer reveals his own lifestyle and Dr Hasan says it's really good, then asks the one question that reframes everything. 38:19 Sleep in Dubai and what the Arabic language reveals about why it matters 39:27 Wearables: the only two metrics that actually tell you anything 44:40 Spencer's 4:30am wake-up and whether he is getting enough sleep 47:08 Spencer books his health check at the clinic 48:49 "Do not pass go unless you've done a health check once a year." 50:03 End   Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076 https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV  https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/   Follow Dr. Hasan Alogaily on Social Media:  https://www.instagram.com/dubaifamilydoc/ https://kingscollegehospitaldubai.com/dr/hasan-alogaily/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-hasan-alogaily-mbbs-mrcgp-dipcd-iblm-icflm-6318a2171/
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  #411: She Rescued 682 Children | Hannah Badi, CEO of Himalayan Entrepreneur Resources 17.08.2026 1ч 2мин

  She grew up in a community that Nepal doesn't count. Below all 126 castes. Girls in her village had no access to education, healthcare, or transport. From the age of 11, they were sold. Hannah Badi was nearly trafficked at 9 years old. She escaped at midnight with 32 girls and a stone in her hand. She went on to rescue 682 children. Her sister is now a minister of Nepal. This is one of the most powerful conversations Spencer has ever had.   Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:13 Hannah's childhood in far west Nepal 02:52 No food, no water, no school: what survival looked like 05:00 How the Badi community made money: selling daughters 08:03 What the Badi community is not allowed to do 10:18 There is no age: when girls are sold 14:15 A baby bought before she was born 16:36 Price tags on girls: Hannah's personal story 22:50 She collapsed. Her father took her to hospital for the first time. 25:25 What the doctor did 27:51 Her father's instruction: say nothing 28:14 The moment she realised it was wrong 28:31 Uncle Raju arrives in the village 29:48 Nobody believed him 31:20 The midnight gathering in the jungle 32:37 32 girls, one bus, a stone in her hand 33:41 Arriving in Kathmandu for the first time 38:50 Seeing a toilet for the first time 43:17 How long it took to change their mindset 44:41 At 13: her first rescue 46:11 682 children rescued 46:50 From that first group: doctors, bankers, a minister 47:18 Hannah's sister is now a minister of Nepal 51:06 Spencer's visit to Nepal and the documentary 52:00 Meeting the president of Nepal 53:54 The caste system: where the Badi sit within it 56:36 Below all 126 castes: not even counted 58:43 Hannah's message to the world   Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076 https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV  https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/   Follow Hannah Badi on Social Media:  https://www.instagram.com/hannah_badi_/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/hannah.badi.487845 linkedin.com/in/devisara-badi-168720250
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  #410: She Survived a Liver Transplant. Then Questioned If She Deserved It. | Nadia Musiuk Liver transplant survivor 10.08.2026 1ч 14мин

  Her son was 12. While she was on the waiting list for a donor liver, he went home and Googled everything she was too scared to search. She came through the surgery. And then sat with a question that stopped everyone in that room. Dr. Kaiser Raja, her surgeon at King's College Hospital Dubai, is also in this conversation. And Spencer does something in this episode that Nadia did not know was coming.   Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:17 Why Nadia chose to share her story 02:12 When the diagnosis changed everything 07:21 Waiting for a donor: the school run she will never forget 11:30 The operating theatre and what her son said before she went in 17:16 Did I really deserve this second chance? 28:06 Her first steps back: 30 seconds at a time 34:26 Living with someone else's liver: the fear of rejection 42:23 What Dr Kaiser means to her 43:22 The moment Spencer brought Dr Kaiser into the room 55:38 Dr Kaiser on the reality of liver transplant surgery 1:08:00 Quick fire with Dr Kaiser Raja Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076 https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV  https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/   Follow King's College Hospital on Social Media:  https://www.facebook.com/kingscollegehospitallondon/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/king's-college-hospital-london-uae https://www.instagram.com/kingscollegehospitaldubai/
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  #409: The Truth About Medical Insurance in Dubai That Nobody Tells You Until It Is Too Late | Sam Douglas, Insurance Broker of Beneple 03.08.2026 1ч 22мин

  Most people in the UAE assume their company medical plan is there to look after them. Sam Douglas has spent 13 years on the other side of that assumption. This is one of those conversations that changes the way you think about something you assumed was straightforward. Sam is honest, specific, and genuinely good at explaining a world most employees never get to see inside. Time stamps 0:00 Introduction 3:03 Corporate wellness: why it almost never moves the needle on claims 9:12 What an insurance broker actually does (and why everyone gets this wrong) 13:03 He works in insurance. He still couldn't claim. 23:30 The real reason he stayed in the industry for 13 years 36:03 Your company sees every medical claim you have ever made. You don't. 43:00 The single expensive claim that changes your entire team's renewal 52:43 Why insurance companies need brokers more than brokers need them 1:05:48 Mental health claims: the number companies aren't looking at 1:14:35 The questions you should ask before you hire an insurance broker 1:16:00 Quick Fire with Sam Douglas Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076 https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV  https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/   Follow Sam Douglas on Social Media:  https://www.instagram.com/samdougydouglas/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuellewisdouglas/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneple https://www.instagram.com/beneple.ae/ beneple.com  
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  #408: Your Employer is Gambling with Your Gratuity | Safa Bouzidi, Managing Director of Daman Investments 27.07.2026 58мин

  Most people in the UAE have spent years building a career and assuming their gratuity is sitting somewhere safe, waiting for them when they leave. Safa Bouzidi is one of the few people who will actually tell you what is happening to it. If you work in this country and you have never asked your company where your end-of-service money is, this is the conversation that will make you start. Timestamps 0:00 Introduction  1:11 Why gratuity was never designed to be your pension  3:31 The DIFC DEWS scheme and what changed  7:21 How your company has been using your gratuity as cash flow  9:20 The mistake most people make when they change jobs  17:31 Why companies are pushing back against the new scheme  21:51 The five approved providers and who is holding your money  28:23 The truth: your gratuity might not actually exist  31:58 Is Dubai actually built for you to retire in?  40:42 The freelancer and SME gap nobody is filling  44:19 Where financial habits really come from  48:18 Why fresh graduates spend before they save  51:36 Quick Fire with Safa Bouzidi   Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076 https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/ Follow Safa Bouzidi on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/safa_bouzidileterme/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/safa-bouzidi-leterme-5a515416/ https://www.instagram.com/daman.investments/ 
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  #407: THE CEO OF LEO BURNETT JUST CALLED OUT HIS OWN INDUSTRY | Nadim Ghrayeb, CEO of Leo Burnett 20.07.2026 1ч 17мин

  We talked about what the advertising industry actually gets wrong, and why most agencies won't tell you. We got into Jaguar, Ferrari, data, creativity, and the uncomfortable truth about what really makes a campaign work. And then halfway through, he said something that had nothing to do with any of that. Sixteen years. That's how long he's been sitting with something most men in this part of the world would never say out loud. This is one of those episodes you don't skip to the end.   Timestamps:  00:00 Introduction 00:44 The Audi Campaign Flop — His Biggest Career Mistake 03:42 What Agencies Actually Do Now 08:51 The Scale of Leo Burnett and Publicis 10:55 B2B vs. B2C Marketing 15:34 Sales and Marketing: Stop Working in Silos 19:06 Calling Out Digital Agencies 23:08 Billboards Are Not Dead 30:44 Data vs. Creative Ideas 36:16 The Cadillac Win — A Facebook Road Trip That Changed GM 39:45 Clients Who Refuse to Evolve 43:11 Jaguar and Ferrari: Where Did It Go Wrong? 51:02 AI in the Creative Industry 56:56 The CEO's Hidden Battle — 17 Years of Anxiety 1:02:06 Disconnecting to Lead 1:03:34 Corporate Culture and Career Fulfilment 1:05:15 Legacy and What Really Matters 1:09:25 Quick Fire — Two Decades of Advertising in 60 Seconds   Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076 https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/   Follow Nadim Ghrayeb on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/ghrayebnadim/tagged/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadim-ghrayeb-848b2515/ https://www.instagram.com/leoburnettuae/ vero.co/babaghanouj  
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  #406: Success Has Nothing to Do with What You Build | Paul Evans, CEO of Solutions Leisure 13.07.2026 1ч 29мин

  Paul Evans is the CEO of Solutions Leisure, one of the most recognised hospitality brands in the UAE with 23 venues across the region. But that is not the reason we brought him in. He grew up dyslexic and spent years being told he wasn't enough, and the decisions he made in his early twenties landed him in a UK prison cell at 21. What followed was years of searching for something he couldn't name, until his body made the decision for him. While building a business in Egypt, acute pancreatitis brought on by years of serious alcohol abuse put Paul in a coma for 77 days. He woke up with a different set of priorities and the kind of clarity that only comes when you have had to earn the right to still be here. This conversation goes places most successful people never go publicly. He talks about what accountability really looks like when you stop blaming everything else, about the real price of starting over from nothing, and about why a man who has built all of this still believes that success has nothing to do with what you build. Some conversations change how you think about things. Timestamps: 00:00 — Introduction Spencer introduces Paul Evans and Solutions Leisure. 19:30 — Growing Up: Dyslexic, Bullied and Written Off Paul on his childhood in Cheshire, being diagnosed with dyslexia, the bullying, a distant father, and the moment at 14 when he decided to prove everyone wrong. 25:36 — Going to Prison at 21 An altercation. A 12-month sentence. Six months served across Walton and Kirkham prisons in the UK. Paul on what he took from it. 31:07 — From General Electric to a Bar in Egypt After prison, Paul builds a successful career in sales at General Electric. Then makes an accidental £30,000 investment in a bar in Hurghada, Egypt and never looks back. 35:43 — The Spiral: When It All Started to Fall Apart The Egypt years. Running his father's diving business, managing his own bar, and the heavy drinking and long hours that quietly took everything to the edge. 38:20 — 77 Days in a Coma Acute pancreatitis. An emergency flight to England. Seventy-seven days in a coma while his family lived in Singapore. The most intense part of the conversation. 56:19 — Building Solutions Leisure: 20 Venues in Dubai Paul on arriving in Dubai, founding Solutions Leisure from scratch, and building one of the most recognised hospitality portfolios in the UAE. 1:10:12 — Finding Purpose and Getting a Life Coach What do you do when you have everything and still feel lost? Paul on finding direction, working with a life coach, and the advice he gives people who feel stuck. 1:13:38 — The Daily Practice That Changed Everything Three things. Every morning. The gratitude habit Paul picked up through coaching that he says shifted everything. 1:14:04 — Selling 50% of the Business Paul on the decision to sell half of Solutions Leisure to Sunset Hospitality, the timing, and why he has no regrets. 1:14:58 — How He Saved 400 Jobs During COVID The pandemic. The decisions nobody talks about. Paul on how he kept 400 people employed when most of the industry was collapsing around him. 1:20:57 — Quick Fire Round No alcohol. Daily gym. Surround yourself with the right people. Fast, unfiltered, and completely honest. Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076 https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/   Follow Paul Evans on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/pauljohnevs/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/solutionsleisure/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/SolutionsLeisure https://www.linkedin.com/company/solutions-leisure-group/ https://solutions-leisure.com/  
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  #405: Sami Kayyali: Most CEOs Are Terrible Communicators and Nobody Tells Them 04.07.2026 1ч 11мин

  Sami Kayyali is the founder and managing director of Rekarda, one of the most specialist communications businesses in the UAE. But the work he does is not what most people think. He is not building slides. He is sitting behind the scenes of the rooms where the most consequential decisions in the region get made, shaping how CEOs, government entities and multinational boards communicate before they walk into the moments that define their careers. With over 20 years of experience, Sami has watched brilliant leaders with brilliant ideas lose the room, not because the idea was wrong, but because nobody had ever told them the truth about how they were coming across. This conversation covers building a specialist consultancy from the ground up in Dubai, the hidden work behind high-stakes presentations, what AI is doing to leadership communication, and the one pattern he sees in every single boardroom that almost nobody is willing to talk about.   Timestamps: 0:00 Who Sami Kayyali is and the work that happens before leaders walk into high-stakes rooms 3:30 What brought him to Dubai and the gap in the market he spotted that nobody else was filling 10:00 How a presentation design business became a full strategic communications company 16:00 The moment he realised the problem was never the slides, it was always the thinking behind them 22:00 The biggest communication mistakes CEOs make and why nobody ever tells them 30:00 What actually happens behind the scenes before a major board meeting or investor presentation 38:00 Can you tell within minutes whether a leader is a strong communicator and what gives it away 45:00 How AI is changing executive communication and why most leaders are getting worse, not better 53:00 The Kernel, cybersecurity and why it is a leadership problem, not an IT problem 60:00 Failure, what success means to him now versus ten years ago and the advice that changed everything 66:00 Quickfire: favourite books, the worst phrase in any business deck, the most underrated communication skill, PowerPoint loved or hated, AI as a creative shortcut or a creative risk, and one thing every CEO should fix tomorrow   Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076 https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/   Follow Sam Kayyali on Social Media: linkedin.com/in/samikayyali https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearerekarda/ https://www.instagram.com/wearerekarda https://www.facebook.com/hello.rekarda 
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  #404: Dennis McGettigan, From a House of Ten in Dublin to Dubai's Biggest Pub Empire 29.06.2026 1ч 21мин

  Dennis McGettigan is the founder and CEO of McGettigan's, one of the most recognisable hospitality brands in the UAE. But the story behind it starts in Dublin, in a house with ten children run "like a business", where the kitchen was locked at 7pm and every kid got jobs and five pounds a week. His father started as a dishwasher on the QE1 at nineteen, bought his first pub for eight thousand pounds in 1964, and built a hotel empire across Ireland, the UK and eventually Dubai.  This conversation is about grit. The 2008 crash that left him with zero revenue and hundreds of millions in exposure. The international expansion he opened in three weeks and closed during Covid. And the personal side too: his wife Nicola's cancer and recovery, told through a racehorse and a moment at Royal Ascot that still moves him.  This is one of the most grounded, human conversations about what it actually takes to build something that lasts.    Timestamps:  0:00 Growing up one of ten in Dublin, a house run like a business, the kitchen locked at 7pm  6:30 His father: from dishwasher on the QE1 to a pub empire across Ireland and the UK  12:15 Why he would hire work ethic over a university degree every single time  14:00 The Burlington Hotel, the 2008 crash, and becoming a fireman putting out fires  18:30 How McGettigan's was born from one simple idea: a bar he wanted to go to himself  36:45 Where he got it wrong: New York, Singapore, Jakarta and the cost of moving too fast  44:00 The £70 million monster in JBR and the deal he signed right as the conflict began  52:18 Why he believes Dubai will bounce back bigger than ever  1:14:00 Nicola's cancer, a racehorse at Royal Ascot, and the moment that still moves him  1:04:00 Quickfire: one word for Dubai 2026 and the hardest phone call he ever makes    Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076 https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/    Follow Dennis McGettigan on Social Media:  https://www.instagram.com/dennismcgettigan/?hl=en  https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennismcgettigan/  https://www.linkedin.com/company/mcgettigan's-irish-pubs/  https://www.instagram.com/mcgettigansjlt/?hl=en  https://www.instagram.com/mcgettiganspubs/?hl=en   
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  #403 From Top of Her Class in America to Vice Chancellor | Dr. Amina Al Marzouqi, a Life Built on Discipline and Service 22.06.2026 1ч 10мин

  In 1981, a young Emirati woman convinced her father to let her travel to America to study. On her very first exam in a class of 75 Americans, she came first. That woman is now Vice Chancellor of the University of Sharjah.  Dr. Amina Al Marzouqi's story is one of the most inspiring journeys Spencer has covered on this show. After graduating in the US, she came home and was made deputy director of the UAE's entire primary healthcare system. She did her master's degree and went on to help build 106 primary healthcare centres that earned WHO recognition. Twenty four years in education later, she leads one of the UAE's most respected universities.  This conversation is full of wisdom. Dr. Amina talks about what university is really for, why a great teacher matters more than a famous institution, and why she believes students need less lecturing and more genuine interaction. She shares what it was like chairing her university's Covid response committee and supporting thousands of students through lockdown. She reflects on running a campus during the missile attacks, why students felt safer on university grounds than anywhere else, and the quiet strength the UAE revealed when it mattered most.    Timestamps:  0:00 How hard is it to be a student today with AI, mental health pressure and a region in conflict  1:30 Chairing the Covid response committee and what students needed most during lockdown  8:02 What university is really for: independence, critical thinking and self discipline  12:22 The teacher makes the subject: why a great lecturer matters more than a great university  18:13 Arriving in America in 1981, defying her father, and her first mixed classroom  22:24 The professor who saw her potential and the exam that changed everything  27:40 No management training, one year to get a master's, and building the UAE's healthcare system from scratch  31:48 AI as a tool not a threat and the careers students are not talking about yet  37:47 How the missile crisis made students more thoughtful and more mature  48:58 From mandatory cousin marriages to confronting a queue jumper: how UAE culture has shifted  51:31 The UAE's defence strength that nobody knew existed until it mattered  58:52 Defining success as impact and why she hates exams and textbooks  1:04:26 Quickfire Questions    Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media  https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076  https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en  https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge  https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/  https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV  https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/    Follow Dr. Amina Al Marzouqi on Social Media  https://www.linkedin.com/in/amina-al-marzouqi-7b286b151/  https://www.linkedin.com/school/university-of-sharjah/ 
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  #402: Stop Feeling Guilty. It Is a Wasted Emotion. | Dame Heather McGregor on Reinvention, Breaking Barriers and Why It Is Never Too Late 15.06.2026 1ч 12мин

  Known to millions as Mrs. Moneypenny from her 16 year Financial Times column, Heather has been an investment banker, executive search entrepreneur, Edinburgh Fringe performer, off Broadway actress, PhD holder, chartered accountant and now Provost of Heriot-Watt University Dubai, overseeing 5,500 students and 600 staff. She qualified as a chartered accountant three weeks before her 60th birthday. She borrowed £1.8 million personally to buy a business, then gifted it to her staff. She co-founded the 30% Club when women held just 12% of FTSE board seats. It is now 45%.  This conversation covers all of it. Why she rejects guilt and regret as wasted emotions. What structural barriers actually stop women from getting ahead and how to dismantle them. Why Dubai's greatest advantage is not the skyline but the connectivity and free movement of capital and labour that Europe has quietly forgotten. And what she really thinks about the value of a university degree.  Heather also shares the story behind the Taylor Bennett Foundation, built to help Black and minority ethnic graduates break into professional services, funded from her own dividends, and the moment she knew it was working.    Timestamps:  0:00 Four failed engagements, a baby to feel anchored, and the unvarnished truth about having children  5:30 The queen of reinvention: why preparation meets opportunity and how Heather built her career in layers  7:11 Her one regret: not qualifying as an accountant sooner and why she finally did it at 59  11:19 Dubai versus Singapore versus Hong Kong: what makes this city different from every other global hub  15:46 Living through the missile attacks, what inflation and food security really look like from the inside, and who has barely noticed  21:18 Structural barriers, the 30% Club, and why three women in a room of ten changes everything  27:01 Borrowing £1.8 million, building Taylor Bennett, and then giving it all away  33:49 Mrs. Moneypenny: 16 years, 800 columns, and the barometer story that almost ended her career  39:25 The Taylor Bennett Foundation and why she measures success by impact not money  43:44 Selling out Edinburgh Fringe and performing off Broadway: the chapter nobody expected  52:22 Heriot-Watt Dubai: why they only teach subjects that lead to jobs and what universities are actually for  59:06 Entrepreneurship, incubators and why she finds young people today far more ambitious than her generation  1:01:24 Why she hates the word networking and what building social capital actually means  1:04:09 Quickfire: the best way into investment banking, what every future leader needs, and what Dubai understands that Europe has forgotten    Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media  https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076  https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en  https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge  https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/  https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV  https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/ 
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  #401 "Dubai Is Not as Easy as You Think" | Jason Grundy, MD of Robert Walters on Hiring, Talent and the Truth About the UAE Job Market 08.06.2026 1ч 11мин

  Most people arrive in Dubai thinking the opportunities will find them. Jason Grundy has spent 25 years watching that assumption play out badly.  As Managing Director for the Middle East and Africa at Robert Walters, Jason has seen every side of the hiring market. The candidates who oversell themselves. The companies that leave great people waiting a month for feedback and wonder why they lost them. The businesses generating AI written job descriptions that have nothing to do with the actual role. And the expats who land in Dubai assuming opportunities will fall into their lap, only to find one of the most competitive job markets on earth.  This episode covers what is really happening in the UAE job market right now, which industries are hiring, which have gone quiet, and when the bounce back comes. Plus the honest truth about Emiratisation, why culture retains talent more than salary, and why the best candidates are never on a job board.  If you are hiring, being hired, or just trying to understand where Dubai is heading, this one is worth your time.    Timestamps:  1:30 How Jason fell into recruitment and why one snap decision defined his entire career   6:40 How to choose the right recruiter, why trust matters, and what makes Robert Walters different   13:15 The Middle East versus Africa and the miracle of what this region has built in 50 years  17:30 Emiratisation: the honest answer, the real challenge, and the only playbook that works   23:50 What is hiring and what has gone quiet after the regional conflict   27:00 Jason's honest forecast: when Dubai will bounce back and what it will look like   31:54 Why badly trained interviewers are losing great candidates and how to fix it   36:32 AI in recruitment: what is actually happening, the quiet tap no bot can replace, and the one line that says it all   45:34 Why a third of candidates are hesitating and why two thirds are still saying yes to Dubai   53:40 Culture is the only real difference between companies that keep people and those that always hire   57:00 How to stand out as a candidate, what your LinkedIn is doing wrong, and why the CV is just the door   1:02:30 Degrees: do they still matter and what Jason told his own kids   1:07:00 Quickfire: red flags, overpaid professions, secretly dying careers, and Dubai versus Abu Dhabi    Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076  https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en  https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge  https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/  https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV  https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/    Follow Jason Grundy on Social Media:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasongrundy/  https://www.linkedin.com/company/robert-walters/posts/?feedView=all  https://www.instagram.com/robertwalterslife/?hl=en   
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  #400: 8 Years. 400 Episodes. The Guests Spencer Never Forgot | Ashley Cain, Paul Griffiths, Rachel Conlan & Daniel Priestley 01.06.2026 1ч 19мин

  Eight years. Four hundred episodes. And Spencer still can't quite believe it.  For the 400th episode, Spencer sits down to reflect on the podcast that has shaped him as much as he has shaped it and revisits four conversations that moved him, changed him, and that he hasn't been able to stop thinking about.  None of this happens without the people who have shown up every single week for eight years behind the camera, behind the scenes, behind every idea that made it to air. Four hundred episodes is built on trust and a team that believed in this long before the numbers did.  Spencer says these are the guests that educated him, challenged him, and broke his heart open. The ones that reminded him why this podcast exists in the first place not just to learn, but to feel, to connect, and to find hope in other people's stories.  There is a CMO who told their sales team something they didn't want to hear. A CEO who played the organ for the Pope and then went back to managing a quarter of a million passengers a day. An entrepreneur who built seven companies past a million dollars without a single penny of funding. And a father who counted his daughter's last breaths and then ran 109 miles in her name.  Four hundred episodes in and the conversations are only getting bigger, bolder, and more human. The next hundred starts now.    Timestamps:  0:00 Spencer reflects on 400 episodes and introduces the four guests   3:56 Rachel Conlan on why the agency model is dead and referral is the most powerful tool in marketing   10:30 The five channels that actually work, how Binance grows without paid media, and the affiliate opportunity nobody told you about   29:00 Paul Griffiths on playing the organ for the Pope in front of 180,000 people   34:00 How Dubai Airport went from 30 million to 93 million passengers with fewer employees   40:00 Why airports are a hospitality business, not an infrastructure problem   35:33 Daniel Priestley's five step framework: thesis, outreach, suspects, the magic sentence, and the LAPS dashboard   51:00 Why you should never run ads before your business is already on fire   57:30 Ashley Cain: the moment Azalea Diamond Kane was born and his life felt complete  59:40 The diagnosis, the hospital floor, and the six months he would give the rest of his life to relive  1:05:00 The bell that never got rung and the relapse nobody saw coming  1:12:00 109 miles, the Yukon 1000, the length of Great Britain, and the reason behind all of it  1:13:00 Standing on a bridge and choosing to jump differently  1:17:00 Spencer's closing reflection on 400 episodes and what comes next    Follow Spencer Lodge on social media: https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076 https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/ 
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  #399 "The Doctor Is Not Always Right" | Hein Van Eck, CEO of Mediclinic Middle East on AI, Future of Hospitals, and Why Dubai's Doctors Are World Class 25.05.2026 1ч 16мин

  "The Doctor Is Not Always Right"  Hein Van Eck is a healthcare actuary by training, a breed of thinker who sits at the intersection of data, ethics, and human behavior. He started in insurance in South Africa, was handed his career-defining job after answering a single ethical question correctly, and has spent the last 20 years on the provider side watching an industry transform in real time. He moved to Dubai in 2014 and hasn't stood still since.  As CEO of Mediclinic Middle East, Hein oversees six hospitals, 27 clinics, 4,000 babies born annually, and a workforce of doctors recruited from around the world not by headhunters, but by hospital directors who fly to the UK in winter specifically to sit across a candidate and ask: would I feel comfortable if this person treated my family?  That detail tells you everything about how he leads.  This conversation goes places most healthcare interviews don't. Hein talks honestly about the agency problem at the heart of modern medicine doctor has the knowledge, patient consumes, insurer pays and what happens when that system breaks down. He explains why Ozempic and Mounjaro might genuinely extend lives, not just shrink waistlines. He reveals an AI model that predicts, with 95% accuracy, which patient won't show up to their appointment. And he shares his vision of what a hospital looks like in ten years: a theatre complex, an ICU, and almost everything else happening at home.  If you think Dubai healthcare is second-tier, this conversation will change your mind.    Timestamps:  0:00 -  20 years at one company in Dubai: why Hein never needed to leave   2:00 - From actuary to hospitals: the agency problem at the heart of healthcare   5:00 - Post-Covid consumerism: why visits per person have doubled from four to eight a year   9:00 - Peptides, Ozempic, and the traffic light system: green, amber, and outright quackery  14:00 - Insurance, self-pay, and the moral dilemmas that arise every single day   21:00 - Collaborative management without consensus: how he leads 4 million patient interactions   25:00 - The mentor, the one ethical question, and how Hein got the job   28:00 - Payment cycles: 20 days in South Africa, 100+ days in the UAE and the hidden cash flow crisis   34:00 - How Mediclinic recruits doctors: hospital directors on planes, not recruiters on LinkedIn   40:00 - Spencer's spinal fusion story and the one doctor who made it human   47:00 - Hospitals as healthcare malls and why the big scary hospital is disappearing   52:00 - AI that predicts no-shows with 95% accuracy and ambient AI that frees doctors to look up   56:00 - In ten years, a hospital will be a theatre and an ICU and everything else happens at home   1:02:00 - The blue chair in every boardroom: every decision tested against what's best for the patient   1:07:00 - Quickfire: the biggest lie in healthcare, what scares him about AI, and the hardest truth about technology adoption    Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076  https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en   https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge   https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/   https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV   https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/    Follow Hein Van Eck on Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hein-van-eck-a632881a/  https://www.linkedin.com/company/mediclinic-middle-east/  https://www.instagram.com/mediclinicme/?hl=en 
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  #398 Katy Keenan, CEO of BCCD, on Rebuilding and Why Success in the UAE Takes Longer Than You Think 18.05.2026 1ч 22мин

  Katy Keenan has turned the British Chamber of Commerce Dubai into one of the most respected business communities in the UAE 1,200 members across 29 sectors, a board that's now 50% women, record profits donated to charity, a 98% satisfaction rating, and a LinkedIn following that grew from 6,000 to nearly 33,000 with no marketing budget whatsoever. Just authentic storytelling, genuine relationships, and a woman who remembers every person she's ever met.  Katy was bullied at school. She spent her Saturdays caring for severely disabled children. She's supported women escaping domestic violence, trailing spouses who've lost their professional identity, and menopausal women being quietly pushed out of the workforce. Her hairdresser told her at age seven: "No matter how happy you are, always have your own money." She's never forgotten it, and she tells her daughters the same thing.  This is one of those conversations that moves between the boardroom and kitchen table, between hard business reality and the kind of honest human warmth you rarely get from a leader of her calibre. You get a masterclass on what it actually takes to build something real in Dubai and why the people who dismiss this city from afar are the ones who wouldn't have made it here anyway.    Timestamps:  0:00 – Why Spencer hates networking and what the Chamber is actually for   2:22 – The secret sales team: how the Chamber coaches members who hate selling themselves   5:38 – Her first day: the numbers were dire, the board wasn't diverse, she nearly walked   7:25 – From 13% to 50% female board and why diversity has to be earned, not forced   9:26 – Speed networking with a 3–5 week wait list: what that tells you about Dubai right now   12:18 – The old boys' club conversation: gender events, merit, and the allies that actually helped   17:17 – Lifelong volunteering, the Rashid Centre, and where her empathy really comes from   21:17 – Hyper helping mode, setting boundaries, and why she remembers every single person   27:25 – From deficit to record profit: the turnaround, Covid calls, and 6,000 government surveys   33:09 – Zero marketing budget and the editorial approach that worked   34:22 – Exiting members for bad behaviour and why psychological safety is non-negotiable  37:17 – The biggest mistake UK businesses make when they arrive in the UAE   42:54 – What "Made in Dubai" means to her and why her children were essentially made here   49:11 – The Liberated Woman, trailing spouses, and why mature women are better hires  51:32 – The hairdresser's advice at age seven: "Always have your own money"   58:48 – How the Chamber could support Spencer's school-building charity model   1:02:00 – Bullying, Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria, and how being the outsider became her superpower   1:09:04 – Cranial sacral therapy, personal coaching, and a body "bracing for a car to hit you"   1:13:21 – UK media bashing Dubai and why the critics are the ones who wouldn't have made it anyway     Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media:https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en   https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076  https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en  https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge   https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/  https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV  https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/    Follow Katy Keenan on Social Media:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/katy-keenan-b457794/  https://www.linkedin.com/company/british-chamber-dubai/posts/?feedView=all  https://www.instagram.com/bccdubai?g=5  https://www.instagram.com/katykdxb/ 
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  #397: "It's Not If You'll Be Attacked, It's When" | Ossama, CEO of GBM on AI, Cyber War, and more 11.05.2026 1ч 10мин

  Ossama El Samadoni leads GBM, one of the most respected technology organisations in the region, with over 300 employees, triple-digit million dirham revenue, and clients across the Middle East, Africa, Turkey and Russia. The disappointment that derailed his dream is exactly what built him. But this isn't a story about career pivots. It's a conversation that should make every business leader in this city sit up straight. Ossama has spent decades at the intersection of global technology and human vulnerability working with Dell, Oracle, HP, and IBM before taking the helm at GBM. He's seen cyber attacks quadruple during regional conflict. He's watched AI agents invent their own secret language when they detected they were being supervised. He's tracked state actors who wiped entire company systems without issuing a single delete command. And he's deeply worried that most leaders still don't understand what's already here. This is a rare conversation Ossama's first podcast and he gives everything. No corporate script. No polished PR lines. Just a trench fighter who trusts primary information over secondary noise, believes technology should serve human welfare not just profit, and will tell you plainly: it's not if you'll be attacked, it's when. Whether you're a founder, a CEO, or just someone trying to understand what AI is actually doing to our world this one will stay with you.   Timestamps:  0:00 – "A podcast virgin" Osama's first ever appearance 0:09 – Employees feeding company data into ChatGPT: the risk nobody talks about 2:11 – How generative AI actually works and why bias is already baked in  5:38 – The moment two AI agents invented their own secret language to hide from their supervisor  13:34 – Cyber-attacks quadrupled during regional conflict and why every company is a target 19:21 – How a demo system became a state actor's entry point  22:21 – The KPMG case: an entire system wiped with zero delete commands 25:56 – Password hygiene, the 14-day rule, and why you must never open junk mail in Outlook  28:39 – How to spot AI snake oil salesmen and the two questions that cut through the noise 30:13 – Deepfakes are already here and why trust will return to the room  47:10 – Made in Egypt, polished in UAE and why Dubai is harder than it looks  57:32 – If he started again at 21: invest in human welfare, not hype 59:35 – Leading from the trenches and the multiplier effect of great leadership  1:04:50 – Quickfire: rogue AI, the one question every CEO should ask, and more    Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076 https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/   Follow Ossama El Samadoni on Social Media:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ossamae/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/gbm/ https://www.instagram.com/gbmmiddleeast/
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  #396: From 1 table to 112 Venues Across 26 Countries | Antonio Gonzalez, CEO of Dubai's Biggest Hospitality Group 04.05.2026 1ч 16мин

  He opened his first venue from a counter so small it could barely fit a table. No hotel background. No hospitality degree. Just restlessness, a borrowed chef, and a bet on Dubai. Twenty years later, he runs 112 venues across 26 countries, employs over 7,000 people worldwide, and is navigating one of the most uncertain periods this city has ever seen.  In this episode, Spencer sits down with Antonio, founder and CEO of Sunset Hospitality Group, for one of the most grounded and honest conversations about business, crisis, and the enduring power of human connection. Antonio doesn't deal in corporate lines. He'll tell you that people were walking out of his restaurants mid-lunch on February 28th. That almost every day he asks himself "what the hell am I doing?" That the hardest part of running a business isn't competition or cash, it's the people decisions that feel unfair even when they're necessary.  But he'll also tell you something that very few business leaders are willing to say right now: that Dubai cannot be replaced. That nobody he knows has left. That those who stay, adapt, and plan for every scenario will emerge stronger on the other side.  Whether you're an entrepreneur wondering if now is the right time to invest, a leader trying to hold your team together through uncertainty, or someone who simply loves this city and wants to understand what's really happening on the ground, this conversation will stay with you.    Timestamps:  0:00 – What is Sunset Hospitality and the Dubai origin story  1:34 – February 28th: customers walking out mid-lunch and the moment everything changed  3:00 – Shock, acceptance, and action: leading 7,000 people through the unknown  9:32 – Why Dubai cannot be replaced and an honest forecast for the next 12 months  12:20 – Almost nobody has left — what Antonio is actually seeing on the ground  15:30 – Why he got into hospitality and how it actually started  17:50 – His father's influence, ten years in corporate, and why restlessness drove everything  22:00 – Cash is king, hotels in the wrong countries, and surviving the Arab Spring  24:15 – The Dubai Mall counter, the Westin breakthrough, and riding the 2012 wave  28:00 – Transactional vs. experiential hospitality and why one will never be automated  32:30 – Acquisitions, imposter syndrome, and building without an industry background  37:00 – Quickfire: non-negotiables, advice for corporate escapees, and gut vs. data  40:15 – Would he invest in hospitality right now?  41:15 – Surrender is never an option: planning A, B, and C under uncertainty  42:00 – The hardest part of the crisis: letting good people go    Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076  https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge  https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/  https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV  https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/    Follow Antonio on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/antonio_gonzalez___/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoniogonzalez-shg/  https://www.instagram.com/sunsethospitalitygroup/  https://www.linkedin.com/company/sunsethospitalitygroup/ 
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  #395: 45 Years, 7 Tech Waves & a $1.5 Billion IPO at 71 | Fayez Ibbini on Building Alpha Data, AI & Why Retirement is a Lie 27.04.2026 1ч 13мин

  He arrived in Abu Dhabi in 1981 when roads turned to soft sand and ceilings collapsed because villas were built with saltwater cement. He came for six months. He never left. Forty-five years later, he just took his company public at a $1.5 billion valuation and he's 71 years old with zero plans to stop.  In this episode, Spencer sits down with Fayez Ibbini, founder of Alpha Data, one of the UAE's most enduring technology companies. From coding assembly language for the Kuwait Stock Exchange on 16-hour days, to pivoting from IBM mini-computers to PCs, to riding every wave from networking and the internet to cloud, mobile, big data, IoT and now AI. Fayez has been at the frontier of technology in this region for nearly half a century.  But this isn't just a business story. It's a story about passion over comfort, about the cost of obsession, about what it really means to build something that outlasts you. He'll tell you that if you haven't started a business by 40, don't bother. That retirement was invented to push you out. That AI is not another wave - it's a tsunami. And that the most expensive lessons in business are almost always about people.  Whether you're an entrepreneur at the start of your journey, a leader navigating the AI revolution, or someone who wonders what it looks like to still be curious and hungry at 71. This conversation will challenge everything you think you know about success, technology, and time.   Timestamps:  00:00 – "A golden cage": why Fayez came for six months and stayed 45 years  01:28 – Abu Dhabi vs. Dubai and the mind-boggling speed of UAE transformation  06:34 – From electrical engineering to poultry imports to farming — finding what actually excites him  11:20 – Coding the Kuwait Stock Exchange in assembly language and the moment he realized talent has value  12:29 – His first client in the UAE: a video rental library, a 2,000-dirham cheque, and why he never cashed it  15:54 – Seeing every stand at CeBIT with a PC and making a decision that changed everything  17:17 – The seven waves of technology: mainframes to AI — and why AI is the tsunami, not the wave  21:36 – Why Alpha Data's greatest asset isn't talent — it's 2,200 relationships built on trust  23:00 – Life only makes sense in the rearview mirror: navigating the fog of action  26:00 – The three ingredients for success: passion, innate ability, and demand  28:00 – His controversial take: if you haven't started a business by 40, don't bother  29:24 – Why Fayez took Alpha Data public after 44 years — and the succession problem that forced his hand  34:00 – Deliberately leaving money on the table at IPO and why that was the smartest move  38:00 – The stock market chief's warning: "The sleepless nights start after the birth"  41:40 – Alpha Data's three core values: care for people, no red tape, and speed  45:15 – Overcoming introversion, shaking knees, and the demon in your brain that tries to protect you  50:00 – On giving back: why his model is teaching people to fish, not handing them fish  57:00 – AI compared to electricity: we are at the very start of it invading every aspect of our lives  1:00:25 – What AI can never replace: trust, the handshake, and the look in someone's eyes  1:02:40 – Quickfire: what money really means, the hardest decision he ever made, and a belief he's completely abandoned  1:04:24 – Why most people fail and his single biggest leadership lesson  1:09:11 – Why retirement is an invention of the industrial age — and what he's learning right now at 71    Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media  https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076  https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en  https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge  https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/  https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV  https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/    Follow Fayez Ibbini on Social Media  https://www.linkedin.com/in/fayez-ibbini-28382717/  https://www.linkedin.com/company/alpha-data_2/  https://www.instagram.com/alphadatauae/