Our guests Ayoub Semaan and Janine Weber-el Meouchy offer a new approach to leading organizational change in today's complex and unpredictable world, moving beyond traditional change management tools to leverage relational skills, systemic thinking, and facilitation techniques.

Janine is the Executive Director of Teach For Lebanon, where she leads efforts to drive educational impact in the region. With degrees in Politics and Sociology and Education for Sustainable Development, Janine has extensive experience in NGO leadership, human rights, and strategic development regionally and internationally. Her passion for development extends to co-founding youth and environmental initiatives and chairing an NGO for children with disabilities.
Ayoub is an Executive Coach and Partner at Cultivating Leadership, where he designs development programs for executives and boards across the GCC, Europe, the US, and South Asia. Ayoub holds an MBA from Stanford, a Master’s in Energy Economics, and an Engineering degree from Ecole Polytechnique. Ayoub is also Chairing the board of Teach For Lebanon and an Executive Director at Shumuly

Join Marilyn Zakhour for the opening keynote of the 2024 #CosmicConference, as she explores how exceptional leaders navigate the complexities of today's landscape by embracing polarities at the individual, team, and organizational levels.

In this episode, we delve into Nokia's incredible rise and dramatic fall. Once a global leader with 40% of the market share, Nokia connected 1.5 billion people and led the mobile industry. But what caused this giant to crumble?

Join Marilyn as she explores the pivotal moments that defined Nokia's journey, from groundbreaking innovations to missed opportunities in the smartphone era. Discover how internal conflicts, poor strategic decisions, and a stifling culture of fear led to Nokia's downfall.

Learn valuable lessons from Nokia's story and gain insights into the deeper organizational issues that can make or break a company. Whether you're a tech enthusiast or a business professional, this episode offers a profound exploration of Nokia's legacy.

Tune in for an engaging narrative on the rise and fall of Nokia. Visit www.CosmicCentaurs.com for more content on leadership and organizational development, and subscribe to our newsletters for the latest updates.

In Episode 7 of Centaur Stage Season 3, "Taking the Film Out of Fujifilm," host Marilyn Zakhour delves into the captivating story of Fujifilm's transformation under the visionary leadership of Shigetaka Komori.

As the digital era threatened to render traditional photographic film obsolete, Komori spearheaded a radical overhaul of Fujifilm's business model, shifting focus from its core film products to new markets in healthcare, cosmetics, and more. This episode explores how strategic foresight, innovation, and a strong corporate culture enabled Fujifilm to not only survive but thrive amidst industry upheaval.

• Explore More Episodes:
  • Episode 3: Innovation Gone Wrong at Kodak
  • Episode 5: The Turnaround of Best Buy
  • Episode 6: Reinventing Nissan
  • Leading Organizations through Restructuring
• Connect with Cosmic Centaurs:
  • Visit cosmiccentaurs.com for articles on leadership and organizational culture.
  • Subscribe to our newsletter here for the latest updates and insights.

Join us for this deep dive into Fujifilm’s inspiring journey from crisis to innovation, and learn how bold leadership can steer a company through turbulent times.

Sandra Salame is the founder of Siira, a mental wellbeing platform that provides emotional support through harnessing the power of communities to overcome day to day struggles. Siira aims to educate and empower individuals, businesses and governments by providing them with the tools and knowledge needed to effectively solve wellbeing challenges and achieve personal and professional goals.

Sandra joined us as part of our Make it Count campaign to discuss nurturing well-being during uncertain times. Along with Marilyn Zakhour, she explored common emotions & behaviors during times of crisis, strategies to cope with uncertainty, and how to create a safe space for employees.

Jose Santos joined us for the 4th year in a row for our closing session to talk about the role that time plays in leading organizations that deliver in our closing session.

Jose is an Affiliated Professor of Practice in Global Management. After spending 20 years in the managerial world, Joe moved from Italy to INSEAD and devoted himself to scholarly work, a dream from his youth. Jo’s research and teaching focuses on the management of multinational enterprise, particularly on the management of global integration, and global innovation.

Tandem’s Rabih Brair and Alexander Damouni spoke at the 2023 #CosmicConference on Wednesday, November 8 to share insights on how leaders can navigate a restructuring holistically.

Rabih Brair is the Managing Partner and co-founder at Tandem, a Dubai-based business advisory firm aimed at startups, SME's and angel investors in the region. Alex Damouni is a partner at Tandem, and he’s highly resilient to managing operational challenges and uncertainty for businesses in transition.

One of our dearest members of the #CosmicCommunity, Dr. Christiane Mueck joined us for the 2023 #CosmicConference to discuss capability building, the skills gaps, and reskilling talent in the region.

Christiane Mueck has 20+ years of experience as a strategy consultant & expert advisor in education, foundations, and start-ups in Europe and the Middle East. She’s also a Co-founder and angel investor in ed tech/fintech start-ups. She thrives in and aims to build imaginative, entrepreneurial organizations on the brink of professionalization where she can apply her unique mix of strategy and business consulting, leadership, mentoring, and coaching skills.