“The goal of life is to continuously evolve and develop everything around us as a person will be defeated when he or she stops evolving,” says Hossam Mansour Abdel-Hafez. Hossam joined the SEKEM community over 20 years ago and moved through different positions until he became the import manager for the SEKEM Group of Companies (iSiS Organic – Atos Pharma – Lotus – Al Mizan – SEKEM for Land Reclamation – Eco Energy). He is responsible for taking care of these factories’ needs in regard to raw materials, production requirements, packaging, spare parts and equipment from abroad. He also delivers the samples required for the Research and Development Department at Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development.
The hard-working employee grew up in the governorate Sharkia, which lies in the North of Cairo and includes the city Bilbeis. Hossam learned to take on responsibility early on: he was like a father to his sisters after their parents passed away. While talking to him, it quickly becomes clear that he is very articulated in the Arabic language. The fact that he likes reading, especially reading about Islamic history and politics, plays a role in his eloquence. Hossam worked in Saudi Arabia for three years as a sales representative in a company specialized in marketing food products. This yielding experience led to a lot of know-how which he benefited from at the beginning of his work in SEKEM.
“Ahmed’s strength, will, determination and love made him my role model; difficult situations reflect the beauty inside us.”
Hossam Mansour Abdel-Hafez
The loving father of three takes great pride in his family: Ahmed (grade 3 majoring in literature), Amr (Grade 2 business administration at Heliopolis University), and Yomna who memorized the holy Qur’an (grade 3, middle school in Al-Azhar Al-Sharif). When Ahmed was born, they discovered that he suffers from problems which constrain his motion, but the parents didn’t lose their hope and faith in their son and in God.
Hossam says about his dear son and his wife: “Ahmed’s strength, will, determination and love made him my role model; difficult situations reflect the beauty inside us. I feel grateful and proud of my wife, as a righteous wife is a blessing from God.”
SEKEM’s vision and its distinctive goals made Hossam stay at the initiative for this long. The presence of Ibrahim Aboueleish, the spiritual father of all co-workers, was another crucial factor. Hossam remembers the strong relationships the founder of SEKEM had with everyone: he knew all names, comforted people during sorrowful times and shared their joys. “Ibrahim Aboueleish’s visions and goals, that are still shaping SEKEM’s today and future, were not limited to achieving economic benefits”, he tells. The thing Hossam loves most about SEKEM is that it gives an opportunity to learn and develop to all those who have ambition and to those who believe that opportunities shall be seized boldly and not just be presented in front of them.
Hossam praises the efforts of Helmy Abouleish, who possesses the will and faith to preserve and develop what his father built up – especially in light of the current economic, political and environmental challenges. “This is especially visible in the Wahat SEKEM community which is prospering more every day based on the idea of sustainable development in line with technological development.”
Himself being a tireless worker, Hossam feels proud to be a part of the SEKEM community. It motivates him to strive and participate in several projects, so he expresses:
“I feel proud and happy to contribute together with my colleagues to some of the new ideas and projects that Helmy Abuleish has adopted, such as the vision of 100% Renewable Energies. We can already see how this vision is implemented in Wahat, in all factories and the Heliopolis University. And we are part of this great mission!”