Tarek Saadi – Managing Director and Founder of L Formation
This is the blog of Tarek Saadi, who is the managing director and founder of L Foundation, which helps companies expand their operations into the GCC and KSA markets through advice, guidance, and direct representation. This blog will explore various aspects of Mr. Saadi’s personal interests and professional life, including his consultancy works, some of the books that influence his approach, and his hobbies.
Consultancy Work
Mr. Saadi is a professional consultant and a graduate of North Carolina State University and McGill University. He holds a BSc and Master of Science degree and a Certificate of Accounting and undertook executive training at the Colombia Business School in 2012. The approach he endorses in his consultancy work – which largely aims to build successful teams – is informed by, among other writings, the books of David Eagleman and Thomas Eriksson. The Brain, written by the former, explores how we make decisions and the importance of social connections and discusses individual perceptions of reality and identity. Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain, by the same author, presents the provocative idea that the part of the mind we consider “us” is just the tip of the iceberg, with the real work going on beneath the surface and outside our awareness.
Surrounded by Idiots, by Thomas Eriksson, suggests that there are, broadly, four main personality types, which he categorizes by color. From here, the author argues that we can tailor our interactions and communications with each “type” to best effect. Eriksson’s goal is to help his readers hone their social and communication skills, understand themselves better, more confidently handle conflict, improve team dynamics, and get the best out of those they deal with and manage.
Career History
Mr. Saadi was formerly vice president and head of GCC, headed diversity and inclusion at Ericsson for the Middle East region (a role in which, along with nine others, he represented all of Ericsson’s employees), and was an Ericsson Middle East board member.
Professional Interests and Hobbies
In his free time, Mr. Saadi enjoys skiing, body building, reading, swimming, fixing things around the home, and undertaking light restoration work on his classic car. He has travelled extensively, having visited countries including Canada, the US, the Netherlands, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Morocco, Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Malaysia. Mr. Saadi likes to cook, and he particularly enjoys the cuisines of France, Italy, and Japan.
Mr. Saadi cites his key professional interests as leadership, AI, digital transformation, team building, organizational strategy, and sales and business development
