Ayman Kandeel looks back on his time as a lecturer and shifts focus to his business ventures.

Ayman Kandeel is a renowned Global Economist and Entrepreneur. Also a retired academic, Dr. Kandeel has previously taught at prestigious universities both in the U.S. and abroad. Looking back, he reflects on his time as a professor as he moves forward with various new endeavors.

Ayman Kandeel has enjoyed a decades-long career in various industries, from advertising and publishing to investing in the entertainment sector. During this time, renowned economist, entrepreneur, and academics have also taught at numerous top universities worldwide.

“I’m immensely proud to have forged a distinguished academic career in addition to my work as a businessman and entrepreneur,” explains Ayman Kandeel, speaking from his home in Southern California. Following a highly successful spell in publishing and advertising in the late 1990s and early 2000s, he turned his attention to teaching.

He would first serve as a professor at Cairo University, Egypt’s premier public academic institution. Dr. Kandeel himself studied in the city as a young man, earning a degree in economics from the American University in Cairo.

Today, the economist, entrepreneur, and retired academic maintains a number of interests both in Egypt and across the broader Middle East. “I’m currently in the process of acquiring a major sports and entertainment sector business in Cairo,” reveals Dr. Kandeel, “with the intent of investing heavily in this sector in the next few years.”

He’s also in the early stages of setting up a new charity in Egypt, intended to sponsor promising athletes in individual sports.

Meanwhile, and back in the U.S., Ayman Kandeel has lectured at the University of Southern California, from where he, too, holds both an M.A. and a Ph.D. in emerging financial markets. He’s also taught at nearby Cal State Long Beach.

“It’s wonderful to have been able to lecture as a professor at a leading institution where I myself have previously studied,” says Dr. Kandeel.

Dr. Ayman Kandeel featured on Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show.

As both a former professor and entrepreneur, Dr. Ayman Kandeel has focused on everything from the global economic impact of technology to emerging markets, stock markets, and investment opportunities. Businesses established by Dr. Kandeel during his career include a leading advertising agency and his own comic book publishing company.

Dr. Kandeel’s advertising business was subsequently acquired by one of Egypt’s top agencies. He maintains an interest in the field, and today he is a major shareholder in one of the country’s most renowned below-the-line advertising firms.

His publishing company, meanwhile, was the result of a lifelong love of comic books. AK Comics ultimately produced over forty publications in English, Arabic, Greek, and Chinese. Dr. Kandeel’s work with AK Comics featured on multiple media outlets, including the BBC, NPR, CNN, Al Jazeera, NBC, and Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show.

Outside of his work as an entrepreneur and economist, Ayman Kandeel remains passionate about comic books. In addition to maintaining a focus on advertising and the entertainment industry, he’s also an avid photographer with further interests in diving, soccer, and world politics.