Raya Holding: What is the holding really holding?
On 7 October 2020, the employees of Raya, an Egyptian holding company, received an email that sent shockwaves across the entire firm. The board had just announced that Medhat Khalil, Raya’s co-founder, primary shareholder and long-serving CEO, would be stepping down after 21 years, leaving the position to his son Ahmed Khalil, who was just under 40 years old. Every one of Raya Holding’s 13,000 employees was trying to guess how this would impact the company’s operations and shape its future. On that day, Ahmed was in his Cairo office, and there was little time to celebrate. He had joined Raya back in 2013, and this moment was the zenith of his career. Ahmed had watched his father develop the company into a successfully diversified conglomerate and the leadership bar was set very high. Reflecting on the milestones achieved under his father’s leadership, Ahmed wondered whether the company needed to transform itself to sustain the growth it had demonstrated in the past. Specifically, he questioned whether the holding’s current structure was still the best way to sustain growth. If that was not the case, what changes were required? Ahmed was going to spend the next few months finding an answer to this critical question. He was fully aware he had one chance to gain an in-depth understanding of what was really required to future-proof Raya, and – if change proved necessary – to get the transformation right.
• Discuss strategic options and evaluate the importance of aligning strategy and structure
• Evaluate the pros and cons of alternative corporate structures
• Consider the role of people, rewards and processes
• Understand the dynamics of conglomerates in emerging markets
Raya Holding, Finance and Insurance, Financial Services, Information Technology, Food Production, Consumer Goods, Home Appliances
2020-2021
IMD retains all proprietary interests in its case studies and notes. Without prior written permission, IMD cases and notes may not be reproduced, used, translated, included in books or other publications, distributed in any form or by any means, stored in a database or in other retrieval systems. For additional copyright information related to case studies, please contact Case Services.
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
![](https://www.imd.org/ibyimd/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/AdobeStock_466698922-1-720x630.jpeg)
Understanding your organizational capacity for agility and responding to events accordingly is the key to success in the new business environment, ...
![](https://www.imd.org/ibyimd/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/AdobeStock_279581139-720x630.jpeg)
In a post-pandemic era shaped by wars, climate change, and new technologies, Maha Hosain Aziz outlines the main risks and shock events that could d...
On 4 August 2020, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history destroyed the port of Beirut and most of the city, killing 238 and wounding ...
The case study examines recent aviation safety concerns at Boeing, focusing on manufacturing issues, leadership decisions and regulatory oversight....
![](https://www.imd.org/ibyimd/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/CEODialogue-MargheritaDellaValle-IbyIMD-LandingPage-Podcast-1200x680-1-720x630.jpg)
Margherita Della Valle tells IMD President Jean-François Manzoni how she is delivering radical change to reenergize Vodafone and paving the way for...
The case is seen through the eyes of the newly appointed supply chain director at a cosmetics company based in Berlin. The general manager has task...
Few Business to Business (B2B) marketplaces have succeeded. Metalshub has successfully combined a software platform as a service, with a marketplac...
The case focuses on Contabilizei, a Brazilian startup providing online accounting services for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The case ...
Companies need to find a compelling growth strategy and can pursue several options. They can grow internally via organic means, they can grow throu...
Unyarat Pornprakit (Unya) is the youthful chief executive officer of Jubilee Enterprise PLC, a diamond jewelry retailer. Since Unya became CEO in 2...
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
in I by IMD 24 June 2024
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Case reference: IMD-7-2457 ©2024
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Case reference: IMD-7-2546 ©2024
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Case reference: IMD-7-2520 ©2024
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications