Data & AI Advisory | EY Middle East | AI Hub Lead

I help leaders and consultants understand AI and use it well.

The best transformations happen when we focus on people first, and let tech follow.

When you:
↳ Make the complex, simple
↳ Lead with empathy and understanding
↳ Build bridges between tech and business
Teams align. Progress feels possible. Work gets done.

Behind every successful AI project, there's always a human story worth telling.

Throughout my career, I've seen the same issue: 
Strong tech, but no connection to the people it’s meant to serve.
That’s where things stall.

I believe that people, not algorithms,
are the heart of any meaningful change.

The role of AI is simple: make work easier, faster, smarter.

But it only works when people feel confident using it.

That’s what I focus on:
↳ Helping leaders cut through the noise
↳ Supporting consultants as they grow
↳ Making sure tech and business speak the same language

After all, isn't AI just a tool to help us humans achieve more? 

If any of this matters to you, I’d love to connect.

Best way to connect: Comment on my posts or DM

As I prepare for another Ramadan,
my daughter watches me curiously.

She doesn't understand fasting yet.
But she sees me getting ready 
for busy days and late nights.

And somehow, she knows something special is coming.

This year feels different.
It’s my first Ramadan living in Dubai.

Let me take you behind the scenes:

For the next 30 days, I’ll wake up around 4am for breakfast.
No, I haven’t suddenly become a morning person.
It’s Ramadan - and with no food or water until sunset,
that pre-dawn meal is everything!

But here’s what most don’t see:
I’ll still lead meetings, hit deadlines, and yes,
somehow function without my morning coffee 😅

The difference this year is what happens around the work.

Living in Dubai during Ramadan, 
the whole city shifts.

Mornings are calmer.
Roads are quieter.
Even people feel a bit more patient.

And at work, that understanding shows up too.

Here’s what actually helps:

1. That First Week? It’s Wild.
Picture your toughest jet lag.
Now add caffeine withdrawal.
That’s week one of Ramadan.

The difference here?
Workplaces expect that adjustment.

Shorter hours.
Flexible schedules.
No raised eyebrows.

My best manager once said:
“Take the first week to find your rhythm.”

That advice still holds.

2. Morning Meetings Hit Different
True story: I once dozed off in an 8am call.
Not my finest moment.

Now I know my rhythm well:
↳ Late morning: sharp
↳ Early afternoon: steady
↳ After that: best avoided

In Dubai, during Ramadan, 
meetings move more easily.
Less forcing.
More common sense.

And at EY, that flexibility makes a real difference.
You don’t feel like you’re managing Ramadan on your own.

3. The Awkward Questions
My favourite: “Not even water?”
A close second: “Why aren’t you fasting?”

The reality is:
Some people can’t fast.
Some choose not to.
Some prefer not to explain.

All deserve respect.

The best approach?
“How can I support you this month?”

4. The Small Gestures Matter
A quiet “Ramadan Mubarak”.
Meetings planned earlier.
People being mindful around food.

And outside work, you feel it everywhere.

The decorations.
The lights.
The Ramadan tents filling up every evening.

Families. Friends. Colleagues.
Some fasting. Some not.
All sitting together waiting for iftar.

5. The Part People Miss
Ramadan isn't just about not eating.
It's about feeding the soul.

While we fast, we:
↳ Double down on charity
↳ Strengthen family bonds
↳ Practice gratitude

My daughter doesn't understand fasting yet,
but she understands belonging.

And isn't that what great teams build?
Not just spaces where differences fit in,
but where they make us better.

That's the future she deserves.
That's the change we lead.

Ramadan Mubarak! 🌙

Yousif Hussain

Gen AI Accelerator | People Leader | Talent Enthusiast

Data & AI Advisory | EY MENA | AI Hub Lead

We only see 1% of what our people deal with 

on a day-to-day basis. Be kind.

That colleague who missed a deadline? 
↳ They might be caring for a sick parent.

That barista who got your order wrong? 
↳ Maybe they've had only 2 hrs of sleep.

That employee who seems quiet in meetings? 
↳ They could be battling with something you can't see.

We’re all carrying things that aren’t always visible. 
→ Family stress
→ Money worries
→ Health problems

Your first reaction matters.
You can assume the worst.
Or you can choose kindness.

5 ways to lead with kindness:

1️⃣ Listen beyond words.
↳ Pay attention to tone, body language, and what’s not being said.

2️⃣ Ask better questions.
↳ "How's work?" gets you nothing. Try "What's taking up most of your energy right now?"

3️⃣ Normalize check-ins.
↳ A quick "You seem a bit off today, everything OK?" shows people you notice and you care.

4️⃣ Create phycological safety.
↳ Make it safe to say "I'm not OK" without worrying what you'll think of them.

5️⃣ Show them what kindness looks like.
↳ Be patient when someone makes a mistake. Offer help before being asked. Give people the benefit of the doubt.

It starts with you, especially as a leader.
A little kindness can go a long way. 
And sometimes...

it’s exactly,
what someone needs,
to make it through the day.

♻️ Repost to spread a bit of kindness today.
➕ Follow (Yousif Hussain) for more.

I’ll be honest.

Before spending time in Saudi, I didn’t fully appreciate the level of talent coming through.

Now I see it every week.

The work ethic.
The hunger to learn.
The confidence at a young age.

Zaid Alkhathlan is a great example of this.

When he joined, what stood out to me was his mindset.

He asks questions.
He takes ownership.
He delivers without needing to be chased.

I’ve watched him take a rough idea, shape it, 
improve it, and bring it back sharper.

I’ve seen him volunteer for stretch work.
I’ve seen him actively look for feedback so he can grow.
And he’s not an exception.

Across Saudi, I’m seeing young engineers and developers who are ambitious, technically strong, and ready to lead far earlier than many expect.

They want responsibility.
They want to build.
They want to move fast.

There’s a perception some people still hold about talent in the region.

My experience on the ground tells a very different story.

The pipeline coming through Saudi is strong.
Disciplined. Driven. Forward-looking.

Zaid represents that new wave of Saudi talent joining our team.

And if this is the next generation, 
the future here is in very good hands!

Eng. Raffaele Tiberio✔| Amr Ali | Anas Althobaiti, PhD

Data & AI at EY | CDMP® | Data Science | AI | ML

Data & AI Assurance leader @ EY MENA | Equity Partner | Delivering AI at Scale | Leading a team of 100+ AI experts

Director Data & AI at EY | MBA | CDMP | AI Governance | AI Strategy | AI Advisor …All opinions expressed are my own…

Committed to building AI-enabled institutions: Digital Transformation Leader leveraging PhD expertise in AI to design scalable AI strategy, governance frameworks, and national-level transformation programmes.

AI COE in Amman, 18 months ago, was 1 person.

Fast forward and this is now a team of 30.

Really proud of our amazing team in Amman.

And even more excited about where this team is heading next.

Eng. Raffaele Tiberio✔ 

P.S. thank you to Bayan Abu Rumman & Jessica B. Abueledam for putting this together.

Senior Graphic Designer at EY | AI Hub

AI & Data Consultant 1 at EY | FAAS | Assurance

Think you're too smart to learn from others? 🤔

I used to think that way.

Until a junior team member spoke up in a meeting.

My ego wanted to:
→ Prove I was right
→ Show off my experience
→ Defend my idea

But instead, I asked:
"Tell me more about your thinking?"

That simple question led to an idea that 
saved our project $70,000 in one year.

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗲...
The smartest people aren't the fastest learners.
The most humble people are.

Why?

Because humble people:
✅ Ask more questions
✅ Try new things
✅ Don't mind looking silly
✅ Learn from everyone (even juniors!)

Your brain has a superpower:
It can either protect your ego OR grow your knowledge.
But it can't do both at once.

Now living in Dubai, I see this even more clearly:

Being humble doesn't just help you learn... 
it opens doors, builds trust, and creates 
opportunities that ego never could.

𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿?
Try these 5 simple habits:

1. Listen more than you speak
2. Admit when you are wrong
3. Learn one new thing daily
4. Ask "what if?" questions
5. Write down new ideas

And remember...
Being humble isn't weakness.
It's the ultimate strength. 💪

What advice would you give on leading with humility?

♻ Repost to encourage learning over ego.
➕ Follow (Yousif Hussain) for more.

“Is Dubai safe right now?”

That’s the message I’ve received many times over the past few days.

I'll be honest with you...

I feel very thankful to be here in the UAE.

The leadership here moves fast when it comes to protecting people. 
You can see the planning, coordination, and the calm approach to making sure life continues safely and normally.

What you see in the news can feel VERY different from life on the ground.

Right now in Dubai, life feels normal.

Yes, there are extra precautions in place.
Yes, people are paying attention to what's happening.

But daily life continues.

Restaurants are open.
Malls are busy, 
Supermarkets are fully stocked.

Yesterday evening I took my wife and daughters out for iftar.

Families were out.
Kids running around.
People enjoying the evening.

It felt like any normal night in Dubai.

I also want to thank everyone who sent 
messages to check in on me and my family.

Those messages meant a lot.

For anyone watching events from outside the region, 
a few simple things make a real difference.

1. Send a short message.
A simple "hope you and your family are safe" goes a long way.

2. Be thoughtful with what you share.
News headlines travel fast. Fear travels faster. 
Not everything online reflects reality on the ground.

If you want reliable updates, follow verified sources:
@UAEMediaOffice
@DXBMediaOffice
@NCEMAUAE
@MoDgovUAE

3. Avoid assumptions.
The Middle East is large and diverse.
What’s happening in one place can be very different somewhere else.

Behind every headline are normal families just living their lives.

Right now in Dubai, people are doing exactly that.

And like everyone else, we’re hoping for peace.

اللهم احفظ بلادنا وأدم علينا نعمة الأمن والأمان

A finance director called me 3 months into their AI pilot.

"It's not working. We have nothing to show for it"

ZERO productivity gains.
Leadership wanted to shut it down.

I asked to see their Slack analytics instead.

The team's question volume had tripled.

Questions to the AI about their data.
Questions to each other about why processes worked a certain way.
Questions about reports they'd been running for years without thinking.

The pilot was working exactly as it should.

Here's what most leaders miss about AI adoption...

Success starts with curiosity, 
AND THEN comes efficiency.

When your team asks more questions, 
they're learning to THINK differently.

This finance team's questions revealed:
↳ Manual work that could be eliminated
↳ Reports no one actually read
↳ Data issues they'd been working around for years

By month 6, productivity gains appeared... finally!

The team had redesigned their workflows around what they learned.

So, if you're running an AI pilot, measure this before ROI:

How many more questions is your team asking?
How many processes are being challenged?
How often do you hear "why do we do it this way?"

Those questions are your early 
warning signs that change is coming.
The productivity gains will follow.

Thoughts? 
How do you measure success of an AI pilot?

♻️ Repost to help leaders measure what actually matters in AI adoption.
➕ Follow (Yousif Hussain) for more.

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