Hesham Hafez, who was born in Egypt and grew up in Austria, launched the Paper Distribution International Group in Dubai while in his 30s, and within a decade he had grown the company into a multinational enterprise. In 2006, with revenues at $20 million per year, a friend encouraged him to apply to HBS’s Owner/President Management (OPM) program. “I didn’t even know where Harvard Business School was,” says Hesham with a laugh. The experience changed his life. “Simply put, OPM taught me how to think,” notes Hesham, who has expanded his business almost tenfold since attending the program.

Hesham was so enthusiastic about OPM that he convinced his wife, Adlina, that she should attend. Adlina was at a key juncture with her business—a consumer electronics concern in Dubai that she launched after working as an investment banker in her native Malaysia. “OPM helped me understand that vision, mission, and strategy are three different things. It made me a much better leader,” she says, noting that the program gave her the confidence to expand and fill a niche that her competition was not meeting.

The couple, who divide their time between the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, and the United States, both stress that attending OPM improved their businesses as well as their personal lives. “HBS enriched us tremendously,” says Hesham. “It has made us tackle our problems, not sweep them under the carpet.”

Hesham and Adlina were able to translate their OPM learnings into increased success for their businesses. Their desire to thank the School for cultivating future leaders inspired them to fund two fellowships at Harvard, one for undergraduates and the other for HBS students. “We wanted to give back in a way that would help others develop,” explains Hesham. “If you help someone become a better leader, that person can help 1,000 others.” That, the couple agree, is a worthwhile investment.

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