1 min

This class leads you through the Playbook of Suzan Kanoo, as she explores the heritage of family business and its dynamics. Suzy is the first woman in her family to take on the mantle of CEO of her family business (Khalil bin Ebrahim Kanoo Group), the first Arab and the first woman to be elected to chair the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) for the MENA region. She has traveled with the United Nations to Syria and goes twice a year to refugee camps around the world to serve humanitarian causes. Suzy’s recently released book “Hear Us Speak: Letters from Arab Women” is a best-selling book on Amazon today. In this class, she dives deep into her journey as a leader, mother, author and philanthropist to leave you better informed and more equipped to navigate through maintaining and enhancing your family business.

12:28

Explore the journey of Suzan Kanoo as the first woman in her family to take on the mantle of CEO of her Family Business. Get an insider’s view of her rise through the ranks and how she earned the trust of her father and the team to lead Khalil Ebrahim Kanoo Group to remain a successful business in the automotive industry through the years.

16:14

Being at the helm of a Family Business comes with its own set of expectations including redefining what your role truly is within the well-oiled machine that has existed for generations. Suzan shares her experience leading her Family Business and describes what it takes to lead, scale and shape a Family Business as CEO.

17:34

A family enterprise has been a complex system established by the patriarch of the family, especially in the MENA. Shifting tides have seen some illustrious families have women take on leadership roles. Family businesses can also test relationships and push boundaries. Suzan discusses the importance of compartmentalizing work and personal relationships and demystifies the role of women in family businesses.

21:46

The world is shifting, and innovation is on the rise. Future generations are the guide that will lead you through this shifting course. Suzan emphasizes the importance of investing in the future generation and harnessing their capabilities whilst also planning for succession to keep Family Businesses strong operationally for years to come.

12:09

In her career, Suzan has been exposed to various situations that require negotiation. She shares tips that will help you hone your negotiation skills and find the strategy that works for you when negotiating to get the best results.

4:27

Family Businesses are a tremendous emotional investment. Suzan teaches you how she channels her emotional intelligence and manages emotions in her Family Business.

10:31

Suzan shares her journey as a mother, dealing with unfortunate predicaments of childbirth, building a family, and being truly present for them. She expresses how she has navigated being true to her team and doing right by the business whilst being able to raise the next generation of her family.

10:49

Suzan worked hard to earn her place in the Family Business and emphasizes the importance of merit-based accessioning to any role through a fair process. She also believes in the importance of building a team that is empowered to drive the success of the business.

6:56

Suzan is a strong advocate of investing in start-ups, understanding the shifting landscapes, building your financial strategy for a rainy day, and empowering the business ecosystem to drive economic growth. Learn all about it and more in this discussion.

2:47

Suzan emphasizes the importance of joining communities that will serve your personal and professional growth. She shares her experience joining the YPO community and how it has positively influenced her business and personal life.

2:47

Suzan shares how she built her own identity and legacy outside her family. She discusses the different projects that she has delved into and the value that they have brought into her life and society.

7:35

Being a woman in business means constantly having to prove yourself and more so in a family business with a patriarchal system. Suzan shares her experience with having to prove herself and the things she did to earn the respect and support of others.

2:51

Suzan has learned many things in her journey from experience. There are some things she wishes that she had known sooner that would have made her journey smoother and avoided a lot of conflicts. She shares the key things she learned throughout the years so you can avoid them.