CAIRO - 26 September 2025: The third edition of the Egyptian Entrepreneurship Annual Report Summit 2025 hosted a panel discussion titled “How Does Culture Eat Strategy in Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner?” featuring Hadir Shalaby, CEO of Talabat Egypt, and Medhat Yassin, Executive Vice President of Mori International.
The speakers emphasized that recruitment goes far beyond filling vacancies; it is about alignment with corporate culture. A clear and well-defined culture, they argued, protects organizations from disorder and determines whether they thrive or stumble.
Both stressed that an entrepreneurial mindset and passion for work matter far more than a CV, and that retaining underperforming employees sends damaging signals that can erode organizational culture.
Shalaby underscored that selecting talent should not be tied to age or academic qualifications but rather to mindset: “What I look for is passion, entrepreneurial spirit, and problem-solving ability, qualities that outweigh any written résumé.”
She warned that keeping weak performers not only tolerates low standards but also communicates to teams that mediocrity is acceptable, something she described as the fastest way to weaken an organization’s culture.
She further highlighted that corporate values are not cosmetic or secondary: “You can secure funding and impress investors with great pitches, but without shared values, a company will quickly collapse under internal conflicts.”
Yassin echoed these views, stressing that recruitment must be rooted in cultural compatibility. “Someone who struggles in one company might excel in another, because corporate culture is the decisive factor in an employee’s success or failure,” he said.
He warned that without leadership clarity on what defines company culture, every manager ends up creating their own version, leading to inevitable chaos.
He added that the goal is not just to hire employees to perform tasks, but to attract transformational thinkers capable of seeing objectives clearly, closing gaps, and challenging existing systems to drive progress. Building corporate culture, Yassin noted, is a long and painful strategic process akin to changing societal habits, but one that shapes the future of organizations. Without establishing it properly from day one, he cautioned, companies risk eventual collapse.
The summit, held in El Gouna on September 25–26, is organized by Entlaq and marks its third edition. It is anchored in the annual Entrepreneurship Sector Diagnostic Report, which provides an evidence-based overview of Egypt’s entrepreneurial economy.
The report delivers a multidimensional analysis of startups across sectors and regions, linking economic indicators with legal frameworks, institutional structures, and public policy.
It stresses that entrepreneurship in Egypt is not merely a contributor to gross domestic product (GDP), but a key driver of economic resilience, inclusivity, and innovation.
This year’s summit gathered senior government officials, policymakers, leading entrepreneurs, investors, and representatives from local and international financial institutions.
It also welcomed major startups, accelerators, incubators, and experts in technology, innovation, and sustainable development, making it a comprehensive platform for sharing experiences, showcasing success stories, and exploring opportunities in Egypt’s and the region’s entrepreneurial markets.
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