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'Jobs Save Them From Hunger And Death': Syrian MBA To Rebuild Homeland With Entrepreneurship

With his home, Syria, ravaged by a civil war, Amin Kattan studied an MBA at EMLYON in France. He wants to help rebuild his homeland after the conflict and thinks entrepreneurship will save Syria.

Tue Oct 22 2013

BusinessBecause
Amin Kattan is from the worn-torn Arab state of Syria. Ten years have passed since he left the country as an eighteen-year-old in search of freedom, away from the dictatorship of President Bashar al-Assad.

Like many Syrian youths who are now in the midst of one of the worst civil wars the world has seen, Amin felt he had no future. He had no political freedom, employment was sparse and his prospects were grim. 

Now 28, he has escaped the worst of it. The crisis in Syria has been growing in scope for more than two years. The conflict has left more than 100,000 dead and millions displaced. The country’s main cities have been reduced to rubble and United Nations weapons inspectors have been combing through the wreckage.

Last week, for the second time, Amin lost a cousin to the conflict. Before that, he lost his uncle.

“It’s nothing compared to other people,” Amin tells me from his new home, France. “I had no freedom in Syria. At that point and until recently the main dream of Syrian youth was to leave because the situation was so tough. On the political side you have no freedom. Employment was difficult. I felt as a young person that there was no future for me in Syria.”

In Syria’s biggest city, Aleppo, rebels still fight with government forces. Last week, the Observatory for Human Rights reported dozens of deaths in the city’s Northern Province, as a lack of supplies delpetes citizens caught in the conflict.

But it was there that Amin’s passion for business was ignited. His entrepreneurial flair was set off by the famous Aleppo soap – made from the oil of Bay Laurel berries in the country for over 2,000 years.

Before that, Amin had a distinguished career in the IT industry. He had worked for French energy giants EDF, Solutec and Thales Services in a career spanning eight years. But approached by a business partner, the pair developed an idea to market Syria’s famous soap in Switzerland.

They wanted to mix the country’s tradition with a modern marketing campaign and although the startup didn’t flourish, Amin was inspired to switch career paths.

He takes many lessons from that business strategy. “We had nothing but an idea,” he says. “Our strategy was not clear. When I look back after my MBA, it was a strong trigger for me. I like the idea of building something from scratch.

“I worked with people in Syria to make our website, packages and visual identity, and it was a great international business experience. I had a feeling of emergency after that and felt I had to do an MBA as soon as possible. I needed an evolution that would satisfy my ambition.”

Amin is a dual-nationality Syrian and French citizen. When he left Syria, and his father and family, he moved to France, where his mother lives. He feels that if he hadn’t made the transition, his career now would have been unthinkable.

Al-Fanar Media, an independent Arab news website dedicated to higher education in the region, reported last month that direct damage caused to the buildings and equipment that belong to the Ministry of Higher Education in Syria has been cost up to $2.4 million.

Public spending is expected to shrink by half the amount seen before the conflict in 2010, and many countries have banned transactions with Syrian public banks, effectively blocking transfers to overseas Syrian students.

As many as 30 per cent of Syrian academics have fled the country since the civil war began and there have been 53 reported deaths of professors and lecturers. In short, an MBA in Syria is near impossible. “I just hated the education system in Syria,” Amin says. “You had to learn everything by heart and I was never a good student in Syria.

“When you are eighteen, you have a final exam and depending on the grades that you get you can enter different universities. It was very difficult. I wanted to choose something that I really wanted to do. If I stayed in Syria I would have been very unhappy. I didn’t want to do it like this.

“At the time I never thought I would go to business school.”

But go to business school he has – and a distinguished one, too. After dropping his IT career, Amin was accepted into EMLYON Business School in France, a top-five institution in this year’s French MBA Rankings.

After the Syrian revolution, Amin wants to use his business skills to help rebuild his homeland. He thinks entrepreneurship is the key to prosperity in Syria. “I would like to help Syria rebuild after the war ends and I believe the MBA changed my vision towards Syria and the solution,” he said.

“I believe in entrepreneurship as a way to rebuild the country and society; giving jobs to people prevents them from taking weapons and becoming thugs. We have hundreds of thousands of injured people, and if you give them jobs you save them from despair, hunger and death. As soon as the situation becomes stable I think entrepreneurship will do this.”

Amin loved his experience at EMLYON. After studying an MBA, he has a clear vision of where he wants to be. “We had great teachers and great discussions,” he continued. “The in-depth discussions about strategy helped me a lot. I have a feeling this will help me understand politics in Syria better; it raised my interests in human science in general.

“It was management focused but widely applicable. I loved it. You cannot learn this by reading a book, we had to experience it. I’m really happy about this MBA and I’m really satisfied and feel grateful for the opportunity I had to attend EMLYON.”

Amin’s long-term goal is to help rebuild his home, a country ravaged by civil war. Three months after completing his MBA, and Amin is banking on a business development job with a Middle Eastern focus. He wants to work in Europe, but feels attached to both sides of the Mediterranean Sea. When the conflict settles down, he will look to entrepreneurship in Syria.

But for now, he is confident his MBA will help him get a job in the meantime. “I’m very confident by nature, but at the same time the situation is tough,” he said. “Even though I have a long-term vision, translating that into the short-term is not so easy. But I believe I will find something, and have had some good interviews so far.”

Amin left what would have been a world of despair and conflict behind; a world where everyday life for the people of Syria is unimaginable to the Western world. The civil war has touched him and his family personally, but he is on a mission to rebuild the nation.

Inspired by the traditions of Aleppo, Amin has discovered his passion for entrepreneurship. Like many MBAs, he wants to use his business education for a higher purpose.

The crisis in Syria may show no signs of abating, but when it does, this EMLYON MBA wants to do his part. Through business, Amin hopes to make the country a better place.

His intent is nothing but inspiring.

Student Reviews

emlyon business school

Student

Verified

4/12/2023

On Campus

Intense courses, helpful professors

I am an international student in my 3rd year and I love going to this school and do not regret chosing it for my BBA. The classes are helpful, professors are always there to help as well and we have a very understanding administration.

Student

Verified

18/03/2023

On Campus

Leadership in an amazing city

I decided to do my exchange in Emlyon because I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, and I found a space with very capable People.. participatory, empathetic and full of leadership. I will never forget Lyon, apart from giving me an unforgettable experience, he gave me great friends

Student

Verified

23/11/2021

On Campus

A lot of opportunities professionally and socially. A unique program in France.

You can choose your courses and do your internship, exchange whenever you want. It's flexible and adapted to the needs of each student. A great program and a great city! Professionally, it opens a lot of doors for you to find internships or jobs in France or abroad thanks to the network and career events.

Fabian

Verified

7/06/2020

MSc in Digital Marketing

Combining both worlds into one, this course gave me all the on-demand technical skills in data science while maintaining a business-oriented approach. Thanks to the strong academic profile of this university I was able to secure an internship and full-time job at Amazon.

Student

Verified

14/10/2018

Top Business School fostering innovative entrepreneurs

EMLyon is one of the best business schools. The campuses, associations and courses offered provide the students with the best options to build the future they have chosen. The various opportunities to study and work abroad also offer a deeper understanding of the world, not only economy-wise but social, which helps the student become as well a better individual and not only a pre-formated business school student.

Student

Verified

9/06/2020

Emlyon campus in Paris

It has a great international community and you have access to many international tools, courses and professors. I had many networking events and workshops for students. Campus and some details of the program could have been improved or need to be bigger in order to have a better student life.

Student

Verified

21/11/2022

On Campus

Entrepreneurship

Overall good content and good activities. Lack of administration but still ok. Good flexibility and liberty offered to the students. Finally, the amount of internship is also a good way to improve qualifications.

Student

Verified

25/05/2020

Good Reputation and International Business School

The course was not well adapted but it was up to the mark. The professors are very well experienced and their experience comes in handy while working on assignments. The facilities on the campus are top class. Truly professional. I really like spending time in the learning hub and using all the available resources. Lyon is an amazing city. You will never get bored.

Edel

Verified

11/07/2024

On Campus

MSc International Hospitality Management

The best educational experience of my life so far! It’s been full of exposure and great connections. From Lyon to London, Paris, Los Angeles and Las Vegas! Truly an exceptional way to discover the world of hospitality.

Student

Verified

11/07/2024

On Campus

Real networking opportunities

- meeting new people, specially professionals during seminars or evening meeting at school. - going abroad to study luxury - being involved as an ambassador to promote the school and the program I was into (MSc LMM) - having such a great professional core

Daphné

Verified

14/07/2024

On Campus

white baccalaureate in the world of work

I really appreciated the MS SDAI as a whole. The teaching staff, the different subjects, the university exchange, TEM... I started my internship in a consulting firm having acquired a solid foundation. Downside for CentraleSupélec, which I found far too academic for a program such as this.

Student

Verified

11/09/2024

On Campus

Great

Pretty great ! Emlyon business school is a top educational institution known for its outstanding academic programs, nurturing environment, and state-of-the-art facilities. It fosters creativity, critical thinking, and leadership in students.

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