Mohamed Amer
The CEO of Egypt’s innovative Red Sea resort El Gouna talks to Lysanne Currie about developing an Olympian-style mindset, the challenges of making decisions for 25,000 residents from over 120 countries and the four letter word that he believes is the key to success
Mohamed Amer is CEO of El Gouna, an ‘integrated town’ on Egypt’s Red Sea coast, near the resort of Hurghada. Born in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, Amer spent 22 years working at printing giant Xerox managing global teams from the UK and Miami. Since taking over the reins at El Gouna in 2022, he’s been responsible for managing the huge settlement with its 25,000 residents, 18 hotels, four marinas, two golf courses, international hospital and over 100 restaurants. The town recently announced the launch of Tuban El Gouna, a new waterfront community boasting a new wellness hotel and high-end facilities for senior living.
My hometown of Alexandria is a truly cosmopolitan city. I also went to a French school and a British university. I’ve been lucky as this has given me an international outlook which has undoubtedly helped me in my career where I’ve often had to oversee teams in multiple parts of the world: at one point I was managing across 36 countries.
The best investment you can always make isn’t financial: it’s in yourself. Companies may always try to support you with mentoring and development plans, but you also need to be committed to your own long-term objectives too.
We can all learn from US record-winning swimmer Michael Phelps. The reason why he’s the most decorated Olympian of all time (Phelps has 23 gold medals) is because he spent most of his youth training every single day for years, which meant missing birthdays and Christmases. It’s a completely different mindset to most of us. It illustrates why you should work with the same level of urgency on your long-term objective as you do on short-term goals.
I’m always seeking opportunities for learning and leaving my comfort zone. It was part of the reason why I left Xerox after two decades for a new job in a new industry. Leaving Xerox also meant returning to Egypt after 17 years living abroad. It was a true 180-degree shift, but the El Gouna opportunity really intrigued me.
I’m often staggered by the scale of El Gouna. The numbers are breathtaking: 18 hotels, 1m annual visitors, 25,000 residents. We’ve got four marinas, a business park and a co-working space, too. It’s an extraordinary development and hopefully a blueprint for smart, sustainable destinations across the world.
We have residents from over 50 nationalities living in El Gouna but some of our most passionate citizens are British. In fact, the second largest nationality group at El Gouna is from the UK. British people mainly buy homes for holidays or retirement and often make money by renting them out while they’re away. They also appreciate the year-round good weather: the average temperature is 27C.
There is no manual for running a large town like El Gouna. Nothing can prepare you for managing somewhere like this: it’s an almost mystical place blending multiple industries, from education to hospitality, through to leisure and healthcare. Dealing with the balance sheets and the profit and loss account is the easy part!
I’m proud of what El Gouna has achieved on sustainability. Three-quarters (75%) of the town’s waste is recycled while a solar project has resulted in El Gouna using 16% less energy. If you walk around the town today, many of the marinas are made from recycled plastics. We also have the El Gouna Conservation Society which supports the community through activities such as planting mangroves.
When you manage many disparate teams, having a shared vision and purpose can be your lodestar. At El Gouna, everybody knows the goals we’re all working towards, whether it’s the person managing the marinas, the sales guy selling residential properties or the reception staff in one of our hotels.
Every decision I take as leader at El Gouna needs to be a multi-dimensional one. I’m not just thinking about what is best for the company (El Gouna was developed and is owned by Orascom development), but also how this decision could affect our 25,000-strong community and our team of 3,000-4,000 workers.
El Gouna is about to expand into luxury senior living. We’re also developing clinics at our hospital for dental care, radiology and longevity. Because wellness is the fastest-growing sector in hospitality, we’re also offering spas and special treatments.
The biggest quality needed for success? Grit. In my view, having a combination of persistence, perseverance, discipline and commitment to a long-term objective is definitely the key to doing well.
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