More than 3 years ago, a hardworking treasury accountant, Ahmed Shaker, was searching the term “organic“ and associated places in Egypt. He came across SEKEM and not only learned about its sustainability activities but also about a vacant position in the treasury department.
The 33-year-old employee was hired and got promoted to head of the finance department after just five months. He plays a vital role in SEKEM and is a highly trusted person. Also by SEKEM CEO Helmy Abouleish with whom he collaborated very closely in regards to finances.
Ahmed grew up with 3 brothers and 2 sisters and his parents focused on raising them to become independent personalities. “I remember even applying to grade 1 in school by myself”, he recalls. “I am sure that this shaped my character.” Now, Ahmed has 2 kids himself: Farida (5 years old) and the newborn, Omar (8 months old). “I hope that my wife and I can be such a good mother and father to them as my parents have been to me.” Ahmed is married to Reham and they try to be good role models for their children. Reham enjoys cooking very much and she shares her passion through an online cooking channel on Youtube and Facebook. Ahmed Shaker also has a lot of hobbies. He loves playing soccer, listening to music and audios. He also took part in a running contest and came out first. However, he adores traveling more than anything. “I enjoy learning about new cultures and I have a lot of foreign friends that I exchange cultures and languages with.”
The SEKEM co-worker cherishes the SEKEM community, its vision and sustainability goals and the fact that it is an integral organization which is not owned by a single person. He expresses: “I love Helmy; he’s a great, inspiring person who is flexible and fun to work with.”
Ahmed has learnt a lot of things in SEKEM; patience and overcoming uncertainties for instance when facing problems with transactions and financing. He believes that meeting good people as the SEKEM employees is like finding a valuable treasure. In addition, he likes the core program which allows workers to take a creative break from work. The music activities are his favorite.
For the future, Ahmed wishes to have his own business and to travel all across the world. For Egypt, his wish is to have one of the 5 strongest economies in the world. He adds: “I would like to advise everyone to work hard and not give up or think about anything that might hold them back. We have to learn from our mistakes.” Regarding SEKEM, Ahmed is eager to contribute to sharing the vision in the whole country. “I hope that SEKEM will become even bigger and inspire many more people.”