Confessions Of A Successful Leader
Ep. 120 Mohamed Samir: From P&G to Halwani Brothers CEO: A Leadership Journey Across Four Decades
In this episode of Confessions of a Successful Leader, Andrew Tallents sits down with Mohamed Samir, CEO of Halwani Brothers, a leading Saudi food business, and a thirty year veteran of Procter & Gamble. Mohamed reflects on a childhood spent travelling the world from just forty days old, the handwritten vision he wrote for himself in 1991 and still keeps today, and the principles that carried him from his first country manager role at twenty nine through to the top of a multinational career. He talks candidly about the tension between financial freedom and career progression, the moment a boss chose to protect him over a wrong number in a room full of senior leaders, and why he believes the real test of leadership is what people say about you when you are not in the room. This is a conversation about vision, principle and the quiet decisions that shape a career across four decades, from a leader who still asks himself one simple question every morning: do I look forward to going to work? Guest bio Mohamed Samir spent almost three decades with Procter & Gamble across multiple international markets before moving into regional FMCG leadership and a period of board and advisory work. He is now CEO of Halwani Company, a food business based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He is married with three sons. What we cover Growing up across Libya, the United States, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, and what a childhood of travel teaches about leadership His father's advice to become a manager, not an engineer, and how it shaped his path into marketing and FMCG Writing a handwritten personal vision in 1991, covering family, giving back and financial freedom, and revisiting it ever since The Corporate Athlete training moment that changed how he thinks about self reflection Learning to compete fairly and never criticise decisions made before his time Balancing family and an accelerating career in his thirties, and the regret of late night emails The two things he focused on as a leader in his forties: long term decision making and looking after his people The dilemma of staying inside a multinational versus building his own business, and how he defines financial freedom Why reputation, in his words, "what people say about you when you are not in the room", matters more than position What is exciting him now as CEO of Halwani Company, and why he believes the world is better than it was thirty years ago Notable quotes "People will say good things about you when you're in a big position. But the test is when you're not around, what are they going to say?" "Everyone wants to talk to you. Then you discover after you leave that everyone wanted to talk to the position. Only a few wanted to talk to the person." Connect with Mohamed Samir: available on LinkedIn. Chapters 00:39 Introduction to Leadership Journey 02:07 Early Influences and Family Background 04:59 The Impact of Travel on Leadership 07:36 Formulating a Vision for Success 11:47 Navigating Challenges in Early Career 14:30 Balancing Family and Career 18:08 Transitioning from Learning to Giving Back 20:05 Financial Freedom vs. Career Advancement 22:45 Leadership Evolution in the 40s 28:40 The Dilemma of Entrepreneurship 32:23 Reflections on Current Leadership Role
