We recently interviewed Wissam Mehyou, CEO of Mehyou Group. He was born a natural leader and is well-acquainted with the fast-paced, growth-driven, and dynamic environments in the business world. He has been honing his considerable skills while associating with various sectors, including aviation, consultation, technology, and many others. Apart from his massive business success, Wissam is passionate about contributing to a better future and is a member of many honorable boards. He has bagged several awards and honors for his contribution towards the same. Recently, Wissam Mehyou was also nominated for the Business Elite’s 40 Under 40 award for the MENA region. He won the award on 14th June. Let’s learn more about Wissam and his journey through this interview below.
Early Life And Education
We started the interview by asking, “Tell us something about you, your early life, and your education.”
Wissam Mehyou shared, “I am an entrepreneur, aviator, and an investor. I started my business career in my early 20s as I strived to be a great businessman, and eventually found success while starting multiple businesses over the past decade.
Having honed my skills across many industries, including aviation, consultation, marketing, hospitality management, technology, and the like, I am always enthusiastic and driven when leaping into a new sector or project.
Some of my business expertise comprises experience and growth in international business management, leadership, business development, innovation, marketing, sales, strategic planning, and more.
I got the privilege to experience firsthand how it felt like to lead a business as my family had been very dedicated to our company, Mehyou Group. Even though the Group delved into construction, trade, and manufacturing, I remained passionate about aviation and pursued education in aviation at Airways Aviation along with acquiring a Bachelor’s Degree in International Business Leadership and Entrepreneurship.“
Presence In The Industry
We wanted to learn more about Mehyou Group and its presence in the GCC region. So we asked, “Tell us about the business and its presence in the GCC.”
Wissam Mehyou shared, “Mehyou Group was established in 1980. It has always had a presence in the GCC. Originally, it delved into trade and manufacturing, and construction. However, today, it has developed into the aviation, technology, hospitality, real estate, and international business sectors. Today Mehyou Group is located in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Lebanon, Turkey, Cyprus, and France.”
Visions For the Company’s Growth
Every business owner has some plans for taking their company forward. We asked, “What are some of the growth and expansion plans you have in your pipeline?”
Wissam Mehyou shared, “We are looking to open in new markets, especially in the aviation, technology, real estate, hospitality, and manufacturing sectors. We seek to develop these sectors and strengthen our presence and position in the GCC. As we have entered the second half of 2023, we are focused on reinforcing our presence and new GCC locations. In 2024, we aim to expand into Saudi Arabia as well. We want to become leaders in aviation through IAO and Airways Aviation and promote technology services through TIN – The Intelligent Network. In addition, we want to strengthen the real estate market through Open Door and provide excellent hospitality services, whether in restaurants, lounges, resorts, or venues through Squadra Hospitality Management. In the future, we also want to expand into Africa and in the Far East.”
Present Year For The Company
The pandemic brought quite a significant change in the industry. We were interested to learn about the current year’s obstacles and opportunities the company has gone through. We asked, “How has the year been for your company?”
Wissam Mehyou replied, “This year has been significant to us, especially after the pandemic. We have seen a restructuring in our businesses as we implemented a recovery plan. We have recovered, reinforced our businesses, expanded our team of highly qualified experts and recruited individuals that are key to our services, and positioned our services in all our targeted markets. We continue to invest in new businesses and markets as we see potential in them. In the second half of 2023, we are determined to strengthen all our efforts and assert our position and services in the GCC.”
Available Services
To understand what Mehyou Group is offering its clients, we asked, “What does your business offer as per the current competitive market?”
Wissam Mehyou shared, “Our business offers trust, loyalty, security, and high values to ensure growth and development for any business found in today’s markets, in addition to innovation and counseling to fully optimize your business and the market it serves.”
Aiming For Effective Teamwork
Strong bonds and trust among the entire team are paramount for the success of any business. We asked, “What measures do you think employees and organizations can take to build effective teamwork and unity?”
Wissam Mehyou shared, “Strong leadership is crucial in fostering teamwork and unity. Leaders should lead by example and provide encouragement and support, delegate tasks effectively, encourage collaboration, and provide constructive feedback to allow the team to grow and succeed. Building effective teamwork and unity in the workplace and the organization is crucial to its progress in achieving success and having a positive work environment. There must be synergy within the team. We must lead a team with loyalty, prosperity, encouragement, and transparency.
Communication is key. Without it, we cannot encourage communication and foster healthy relationships within one team. Allowing them to discuss their ideas, concerns, and needs is essential. Through this, they can act as one entity. A team must understand the organization’s goals, values, mission, and vision to be able to progress through their work. They are the ones that push the organization forward.
Within our organization, our team works and communicates as a family. This has been critical to our success. There is always harmony and laughter within our offices. We always have team activities and outings. This is essential to creating a stronger bond between the team, management, and organization. The management and administration are crucial to these acts.
Wissam Mehyou continued, “I always ensure that they don’t act superiorly but as leaders, mentors, and friends. An organization must also clearly define all the roles and responsibilities assigned to each individual. This allows each person to have a clear vision of their tasks and duties, and no one should interfere in each person’s tasks. As a leader, I always take any idea, whether positive or negative, or criticism, and try to view it differently or implement it into new projects that can be developed further. A leader should not be biased or stubborn. It is important to be open to new ideas and changes. Through new perspectives, we can learn more and develop more.”
Innovative Ideas For The Business
Focusing on the innovative and creative aspect of the business is equally essential to reaching the heights of success. We asked, “Tell us about the company’s focus and investment in research and innovation.”
Wissam Mehyou shared, “One of Mehyou Group’sGroup’s subsidiaries is TIN – The Intelligent Network. It is a highly valued part of our organization. TIN was one of the first organizations to start working in artificial intelligence in the area. Over the past few years, TIN has been recognized as one of the pillars, leaders, and innovators in technology development.
We have heavily invested in research and technology. Its growth in the GCC is accelerating. It offers services for every need and market, whether intelligent cities development, digital development, artificial intelligence development, platform and portals development, cyber defense and security, brand management, social media services, marketing services, website design, etc.”
Tips For Beginners
“Any tips for startups looking to get onto a similar pathway?”
Wissam Mehyou shared, “We continue looking for startups we can fund. We also create and design our tups as we see a need for specific services in the markets. We already have some startups in mind that will be revealed in 2024.
Our primary focus is strengthening, developing, and expanding our established businesses through Mehyou Group, including Airways Aviation, Intercontinental Airways Organization, TIN The Intelligent Network, Squadra Hospitality Management, The Counselor, and Open Door Real Estate.”
Connect with Wissam Mehyou on LinkedIn.
Find Mehyou Group on LinkedIn or visit https://mehyougroup.com/.