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By Dr. Moustafa Abdelsamad, Vice-President Campus Chapter Operations

This past spring I was in Cairo as a member of a consulting team for West­inghouse Electric Corporation’s lsmailia Productivity Center Project. S.A.M. established a senior chapter in Cairo in October of last year, but no formal pre­sentation of the chapter’s charter had ever been made. I was asked to do the honors.

Bob Dimit, S.A.M.’s executive direc­tor, telexed Dr. Sayed El-Hawary, chair­man of S.A.M. Egypt, to let him know that I was coming. When I arrived in Cairo on May 29th, I was welcomed by Dr. El-Hawary with the usual Egyptian graciousness. I was born in Cairo, and the doctor took me on a sentimental journey around the city, including a visit to the famous El Kalaa Hills over­looking Cairo. Over a delicious shiske­bob dinner later, we reminisced about old times at Cairo University. But S.A.M. in Egypt was our principal topic, and Dr. El-Hawary invited me to the Cairo chapter’s June 6th meeting to formally present the charter and ad­dress the members.

Black and White Image of SAM Egypt Chapter Meeting
Dr. Moustafa Abdelsamad, right, was born in Cairo, Egypt, and is currently a profes­sor of finance and director of graduate studies in business at Virginia Commonwealth University. At his right is Mahmoud Abdel-Kader, the chapter’s executive vice president, and Dr. Sayed EI-Hawary, chairman.

On June 6th, Dr. El-Hawary picked me up at the Sheraton Heliopolis and drove me to Nasr City, where the chap­ter was to meet. Each month a different member hosts the luncheon, so meet­ings may be held in an office, at a club, or even on a private farm.

When I was introduced, the members were surprised-and pleased-to find that the vice• president was a native of Cairo who spoke Arabic-though by now with an American accent. I conveyed the greetings of their fellow members in the United States. After presenting the chapter’s charter, I spoke of S.A.M. in the U.S. and Egypt, venturing an opinion on management in Egypt and offering suggestions for its improvement. The members responded to my comments with a healthy exchange of ideas. This demonstrated to me that though the chapter is still in its development stage, it has started well and is building on a solid foundation. SAM-NI

This SAM News International article is from our historical archive, information provided is for reference and archival research about the activities and developments of the Society.