chatGRG
by chatGRG
Why Saudi Arabia Is Winning the Global Fintech Race | George Harrak…
About this podcast
chatGRG explores how careers are built, shaped, and evolved in an AI-driven world.
In a region where opportunity moves fast, careers are rarely linear. Being skilled is not enough. How you position yourself, how you show up, and how your experience translates into opportunity matter.
chatGRG brings together leaders, founders, hiring managers, and regional influencers to share honest perspectives on building careers in the Gulf. We speak openly about getting hired, navigating multiple career moves, and understanding how decisions are made behind closed doors.
Across these conversations, we also explore how personal brand and career visibility influence hiring outcomes, progression, and long-term credibility, especially in a market where reputation travels quickly.
Produced through GRG, the region’s largest independently owned recruitment firm, the discussions are shaped by real access to senior hiring environments and market insight.
This is not theory or motivation. It is experience-led discussion on careers, visibility, hiring dynamics, and what it takes to build long-term momentum.
If you are building yourself or navigating your next move, this is the insight most people only gain after years in the market.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 39 episodes
- Why Saudi Arabia Is Winning the Global Fintech Race | George Harrak, CEO of Jeel · 23 min · Season 1 Episode 39Before George Harrak was helping shape the future of fintech in Saudi Arabia, he was serving customers in his family's corner shop in Australia and watching his parents work from…
- How to Become Financially Free (Even If You’re Starting From Zero) | Jason Graystone, "Always Free" · 42 min · Season 1 Episode 38Jason Graystone grew up on a South London estate, hiding behind the sofa while bailiffs knocked at the door for unpaid electricity bills. Years later, he became financially free…
- Why I’d Leave a Role Empty Instead of Hiring You | Chris Radoszewski, Ex-COO & VP of HungerStation · 40 min · Season 1 Episode 37Some of the best leaders don't start their careers looking like future leaders. Chris Radoszewski certainly didn't. A failed business venture. A stint as a bartender. No clear…
- Why Most Leaders Fail at Execution (Not Strategy) | Adil Paracha, Head of Foods at Almarai · 34 minMost people think leadership is about having the right strategy. Adil Paracha sees it differently. For him, it’s much simpler and much harder than that. If nothing gets…
- Taleen Marie on Real Housewives, Signing to Jamie Foxx, and Building Her Career in Dubai · 40 minTaleen Marie was “big” in LA. Signed to Jamie Foxx’s label, performing, and living the life most people dream about. A professional singer who opened for Christina Aguilera and…
- Forbes 30 Under 30… My First Game Made $2.47 | Houcem Maiza, CEO of T7D Gaming · 1 h 0 minHis first game made $2.47. Not $2,470. Not $247. Just $2.47. Before Forbes 30 Under 30, before scaling across 40+ telecom operators, and before building a gaming company that…
- The Secret to Success Isn’t Money. It’s Helping People | Spencer Lodge, Founder of Beneple · 39 minThe first time Spencer Lodge went live on social media, there was only one person watching. His mum… asking him why he wasn’t wearing a tie. No audience. No traction. No…
- Employees Don’t Hate Change. They Hate How You Lead It | Kat Kearsey - Marriott International · 26 minChange doesn’t fail because of strategy decks. It fails because of people. And more specifically, how leaders handle them. In this week’s episode of Out of Office, Kat Kearsey…
- Your 9-5 Won’t Make You Rich. Only Entrepreneurship Will | Omar Gull, Founder of CLÉDOR · 36 min · Season 1 Episode 33He pitched his idea to 200 people. Most said no, some didn’t even reply, and only a few entertained the meeting and walked away. Despite this, he kept going. Before CLÉDOR, the…
- Gen Z Will Outgrow Your Company Fast | Preeti Bahuguna - Senior HR Director at The First Group · 22 min · Season 1 Episode 31Gen Z aren’t “difficult”. They’re just done accepting what previous generations tolerated. In this week’s episode of Out of Office, Preeti Bahuguna, Senior HR Director at The…
- I Was a 3x Winter Olympian, But I Felt Like I Failed | Sarah Lindsay Founder of ROAR · 28 min · Season 1 Episode 30For most of her life, Sarah Lindsay was known for one thing. Olympian. Three times over. But when her athletic career ended, she did something unexpected. She stopped talking…
- From Kidnapping Survivor to C-Level Leader | Loubna Imenchal, MD at Axis Communication · 59 min · Season 1 Episode 28She was kidnapped as a child. When she returned, everything had changed. The world she came back to no longer felt familiar, and she struggled with a deep sense of not belonging…
- How to Pass a Job Interview in Dubai (What HR Actually Wants) | Jihan ElSaghir - HRBP, Bayer MENA · 26 min · Season 1 Episode 27Hiring for diversity is often misunderstood. It’s not about ticking boxes or lowering standards. It’s about building a fair process that still hires the best person for the job…
- What Childhood Trauma and Two Heart Attacks Taught Dariush Soudi About Success · 44 min · Season 1 Episode 26Some people build success once. Others have to rebuild themselves along the way, shaped by circumstances that force them to grow up early and carry weight long before they are…
- How Leadership Hiring Really Works in 2026 (It’s Not What Your CV Shows) | Fareeseh Chaudhry, Haleon · 27 min · Season 1 Episode 25Being confident isn’t what’s getting leaders hired anymore. In fact, it might be doing the opposite. In this episode of Out of Office, Fareeseh Chaudhry, HR Business Lead at…
- Why Top CEOs Think Like Athletes | James Lafferty – 4x Forbes CEO, Powerlifting Olympian · 50 min · Season 1 Episode 24James Lafferty did not reach the top by blending in. As a 4x Forbes CEO and Powerlifting Olympian, he learned early that the gap between the top 1% and everyone else has very…
- Big Hass on Building Arabic Hip Hop in Saudi + Life as an Autism Dad · 35 min · Season 1 Episode 23Hip hop, basketball, and fatherhood shaped Big Hass in ways he never saw coming. What began as a young love for music eventually led him to become one of the most recognisable…
- Dubai Is Hiring Like Crazy, So Why Is No One Getting Hired? | Iyas Seidan - MP at Ember Enablement · 25 min · Season 1 Episode 22On paper, the GCC looks like a job seeker’s paradise. In reality, some roles attract 1500 applicants or more, turning hiring into a crowded, confusing maze for both companies and…
- Will AI Decide Your Next Job in the Middle East? | Kirsty Koen – Group CHRO at IDS Borjomi Int. · 24 min · Season 1 Episode 21Hiring in the Middle East is changing fast, and as Kirsty points out, the real story sits somewhere between the rise of AI and the power of genuine human connection. In this…
- Stop Public Speaking for Free and Learn How To Get Paid | Saana Azzam - Founder of MENA Speakers · 30 min · Season 1 Episode 20Public speaking is something we all do, but for Saana Azzam, it became a business, a career, and a way to reshape how an entire region finds its voice. She built a platform that…







