Abdulsalam Haykal

Abdulsalam Haykal is a prominent entrepreneur, investor, and media executive, best known for his role as the founder and executive chairman of Majarra (formerly Haykal Media).

Background and Education

• Haykal was born in Damascus, Syria, on July 14, 1978.
• He holds a BA in Political Science from the American University of Beirut and an MA in International Relations from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London. He has also completed executive education programs at Harvard Kennedy School and Yale University.135

Career and Ventures

• Majarra: Haykal founded Majarra, which is the region’s leading provider of premium digital knowledge and information platforms in Arabic. Majarra publishes Arabic editions of renowned publications such as Harvard Business Review, MIT Technology Review, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Popular Science, Fortune, and Psychologies. The company also operates Manhom, the largest directory of individuals and companies in the Arabic language.146
• Transtek Systems: He is a co-founder and board member of Transtek Systems, an enterprise software company specializing in fixed assets, inventory, maintenance, and anti-money laundering (AML) solutions.134
• Lableb: Haykal is the founder and chairman of Lableb, a company focused on Arabic natural language processing (NLP) products, including enterprise and in-site search, consumer search, and other AI-based tools.124

Other Roles and Recognitions

• Board Memberships: Haykal serves on the Board of Trustees of the American University of Beirut and the University of Qalamoun in Syria. He is also a member of the UAE’s Arabic Language Advisory Council and the Advisory Board of the Institute on AI and Humanities at New York University Abu Dhabi.134
• Awards and Honors: He was recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and received the Media Innovation Award from the Arab Thought Foundation.145

Family Legacy

• Haykal continues a family business legacy that dates back to 1939, reflecting his commitment to media, publishing, and enterprise software in the region.126

Overall, Abdulsalam Haykal is a key figure in transforming the Arabic digital landscape by providing high-quality, reliable content and innovative technology solutions.