Board & executive adviser · Speaker · Venture builder
Talal Abdulkarim: Leadership in the
age of AI.
I help organisations turn strategy, partnerships and emerging technology into measurable growth — drawing on four decades across technology, media, consulting and entrepreneurship in the United States and the Gulf.
Leading since
1985
Growth in year one
300%
Subscribers in a year
1M+
Intel sales goals
3×
Leadership workshops
100+
Ventures founded
12+
About
An operator’s view of growth.
I am a board and executive adviser who helps organisations turn strategy, partnerships and emerging technology into measurable growth.
My career has combined corporate discipline with an entrepreneur’s drive. At Intel in the United States I led product and negotiation work that tripled sales goals and saved millions. At Al Jazeera Media Network I advised the Board, built new business units from scratch and delivered more than a million new subscribers in under a year. I founded and ran a leadership firm in Dubai, and as a Senior Consulting Partner at FranklinCovey delivered more than 100 leadership programmes across the Gulf.
Entrepreneurship runs in my family, which ran a long-established business in Damascus. I have since founded businesses in the United States and the UAE — so I know first-hand what founders and growing companies face: building a product and a team, finding customers, and scaling across borders.
Today I lead business development, partnerships and sponsorship for Al Jazeera’s Digital Division, and advise leaders on adopting AI to create real business value.
How I work
No one-size-fits-all. Understand the opportunity, face the real challenges, and design the solution to fit.
What I offer
Four ways to work together
01
Board & executive advisory
Strategy, governance and transformation advice for boards and leadership teams driving growth.
02
AI adoption for leaders
Practical AI and digital transformation that turns emerging technology into measurable business value.
03
Partnerships & growth
Partnerships, sponsorship, new revenue models and market entry across the Middle East and beyond.
04
Leadership programmes & keynotes
Workshops, mentoring and talks that build capable leaders and teams — in Arabic or English.
Expertise
What I bring to the table
Strategic leadership & governance
Board and executive advisory, corporate strategy and transformation, programme and portfolio management (PMP), government and private-sector stakeholder engagement.
Enterprise & SME development
Advising founders and growing companies, building management and leadership capability at scale, scaling organisations from start-up to maturity.
Entrepreneurship & innovation
Venture building, incubation and planning of new initiatives, mentoring founders, connecting companies with experienced experts.
AI & digital transformation
Turning AI and emerging technology into business value, with practical adoption for leaders and teams.
Partnerships & ecosystem building
Strategic partnerships and sponsorship, commercial models and monetisation, business development and market entry across MENA.
Cross-cultural leadership
Fluent in Arabic and English; bridging regional and international business cultures from the US to the Gulf.
Impact
Selected results
Al Jazeera Media Institute
300%
Growth in the first year against a 12% annual target set with BCG — by rebuilding the offer around what the market needed.
Al Jazeera Sports
1M+
Subscribers in under a year — over three times the target — after founding the Encryption Department and building the first call centre.
Intel Corporation
3×
Sales goals reached by Intel’s first Wi-Fi home networking product, which I brought in and led.
Intel Corporation
$M
Saved on multiple occasions as lead negotiator on high-stakes purchasing and partnership deals.
Intel Corporation
75%
Less test-preparation time after chairing the process-improvement team and redesigning lab testing.
Intel Web Outfitter Services
25+
Software and hardware vendors worldwide brought together by the team I created and led.
Intersolv, USA
Y2K
Created the Year 2000 software test plan adopted across the US as the reference standard for Y2K testing.
FranklinCovey Middle East
100+
Leadership workshops facilitated for corporate and government clients across the Gulf.
Trusted by
Organisations I have worked with
Saudi Aramco
SABIC
Abu Dhabi Investment Authority
Al Rajhi Bank
Microsoft
IBM
Intel
Nokia Siemens Networks
Nestlé
PepsiCo
Etisalat
du
Zain
Mobily
Saudi Airlines
Oman LNG
Dolphin Energy
Qatar Foundation
Qatar Financial Centre
Capital Market Authority
DIFC
DEWA
Aldar
Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council
King Faisal Specialist Hospital
UAE Ministry of Presidential Affairs
Ministry of Labour
Qatar Leaders
Programmes facilitated
Thought leaders supported
Supported Stephen R. Covey, Stephen M. R. Covey, Ram Charan and Chester Elton in delivering their regional events.
Ventures & partnerships
Companies I have founded, own, advise and partner with
Each venture was shaped by a specific gap in its market, not by a template.
Owner · United States
To Be Entrepreneur LLC
Holding company for digital media, consulting and platform ventures.
tobeentrepreneur.com →Founder & owner · Domains
MENA Domains
Acquires, holds and markets premium domain names — and helps new companies launch on the right one.
menadomains.com →Owner · Speakers bureau
MENA Speakers
Connecting organisations with the region’s leading voices and experts.
menaspeakers.com →Co-founder & adviser · 2026 –
Built By Icons
An independent network connecting experienced leaders from the region’s most impactful institutions with organisations that need their expertise.
builtbyicons.com →Co-founder & adviser · Sweets
Brown Butter
Personalised, high-quality sweets made with extraordinary ingredients and delivered with care.
Adviser · Perfume & gifts
Mounayi
Perfumes, gifts and gift boxes blending Arab culture, Syrian artistry and the scents of East and West.
Founder · Sweets & chocolate · United States
Nora Sweets
Bringing the taste of Arabic sweets and chocolate from Syria to the United States.
Founder, co-owner & MD · Dubai, 2008–2012
MENA Smart
A leadership training and consultancy firm built around a new model: workshops that are 20% presentation and 80% activity, and the first to combine media skills with management and leadership — with an exclusive partnership with one of the world’s top leadership authorities.
Founder · USA, 1990–2000
International Business Equipment
Built, assembled and customised computers and office equipment in the US, exporting them to clients across the Middle East — each order configured to the client’s own requirements.
Founder · USA, 1995–1998
Pacific Covers
Kept office equipment running — dust covers and maintenance that improved the reliability of copiers and other office machines.
Leadership · Family business, 1982–1988
Abdulkarim Import
Where it began: a long-established family business in Damascus, leading office-equipment projects from maintenance and sales to contracting, delivery, import and export.
Initiative
Shukran Qatar
An independent thank-you to Qatar from the people who call it home.
shukranqatar.com →I have also started several other small businesses in the United States across different sectors, and advised growing companies including Souter Group.
Journey
Four decades, two continents
- 2023 – nowAl Jazeera Media Network, Digital DivisionManager, Business Development, Partnership & SponsorshipLeads partnerships, sponsorship and monetisation across Al Jazeera’s digital platforms, including Al Jazeera 360; owns sponsorship tracks for flagship events and branded programmes, and designs new commercial models.
- 2012 – 2023Al Jazeera Media InstituteManager of Training (2017–2023) · Manager of Marketing, Administration & Business Development (2012–2017)Delivered 300% growth in year one; expanded into leadership, entrepreneurship and young-leaders development; partnered with national programmes such as Qatar Leaders.
- 2008 – 2012MENA Smart, DubaiFounder, Co-Owner & Managing DirectorBuilt the team and the executive workshop curriculum with international experts.
- 2008 – 2011FranklinCovey Middle East, DubaiSenior Consulting Partner & FacilitatorMore than 100 leadership workshops for senior leaders and officials across the Gulf.
- 2003 – 2008Al Jazeera Media NetworkTechnical Adviser to the Board · Founder & Manager, Projects and Encryption DepartmentsBuilt new units from scratch, including the first call centre and the first ID and access-control system.
- 1999 – 2001Intersolv, USAY2K test planningHeadhunted to create the Year 2000 software test plan adopted across the US as the reference standard.
- 1997 – 2003Intel Corporation, USATechnology & Product ManagementLed the first Wi-Fi home networking product, created Intel Web Outfitter Services, and served as lead negotiator.
- 1994 – 2000Portland State University, USABachelor’s (1998) and Master’s (2000) in Technology Management · PMP certified
- 1982 – 1988Abdulkarim Import, DamascusFamily businessLed office-equipment projects across maintenance, sales, contracting, delivery, import and export.
“AI won’t replace leaders. Leaders who use AI will replace those who don’t.”
Contact
Let’s build what’s next.
Board and executive advisory, speaking, partnerships — based in Doha, working across the region and the US.