Odeh Shehadeh Zaghmouri is the Chief Executive Officer of the Palestinian Company for Distribution and Logistics Services (Wassel Group), a service company which was established in 2005 as a member of the Paltel Group. Its main goal is to provide distribution and logistics services to the Palestinian market, which includes local distribution, shipping and private post and clearance. Zaghmouri is also the current Palestine Country Office Chairman for Young Arab Leaders.
E What originally brought you to YAL and what do you feel are the important needs of the youth of the Arab world?
I studied abroad for many years and saw that a majority of the mentors, role models and opportunities for advancement came not from the government or public sector institutions, but from individuals within the private sector and civil society. They saw this not as charitable work or a nationalistic or religious duty, but as a good business decision. If they increase the capabilities and competencies of society at large, then they not only decrease poverty and unemployment — and avoid the enormous costs to society — but create future clients, future staff and better neighbors.
E What is your role on the Country Office Executive Board, and what is the overall purpose of the board? And what have you brought from your professional experience to your service with YAL?
I serve as the chairman of the Palestine Country Office; our diverse board brings a variety of experience and training. There is also something very unique to the Palestine board: every one of the members, though very successful currently, came from modest backgrounds. Moreover, many of the country office members are the first generation in their families to attend university, to hold professional designations and to be professional managers. We all remember where we came from and how difficult our journey has been, and we have been working to lend a hand to the next generation of Palestinian leaders for the past several decades. We now look forward to serving the youth of the Arab world through sharing the expertise of an organization of like-minded individuals that represent the best that the world has to offer.
E How have you been working to help YAL have a bigger impact in the region?
The members of the YAL Palestine Chapter have a wealth of experience as a result of the unique and difficult situation that Palestine has been forced to live under for the past 61 years. Any initiative that can be named — and many more that cannot be named — have been tried in Palestine and, as a result, we are particularly knowledgeable about what will work and what will not. The occupation has been the worst form of oppression, but we acknowledge that many of the youth in the Arab region face situations that are every bit as difficult as the one in Palestine. If the young leaders of the region can begin working together to broaden the reach of national initiatives from countrywide to region-wide — education, mentorship, etc. — I feel that we, as an organization, could have a much larger impact.
E What particular programs are you involved in?
For the past 30 years I have been involved in various education initiatives, for instance student loan and scholarship funds, micro-financing, mentorships, agricultural and rural development, youth skills development and empowerment, human rights and advocacy for the underprivileged. With the help of the YAL, we have begun to focus some of the initiatives, such as the student loan fund and internship exchange; we intend to bring them into a ‘regional’ context. We have been working on internship programs, micro-finance and small business incubator programs and various education initiatives and outreach programs, as well as a large number of emergency relief efforts — the most recent being the reconstruction of Gaza.
E What do you see YAL’s role in the future being?
I see the YAL taking a leadership role in focusing efforts to improve education in the region — after all, YAL represents potential employers – acting as a catalyst for increased employment, training and internship opportunities. I feel that the YAL can play a very important role in bringing together leaders from the Arab region and the rest of the world, not only through the various forums, but as counterparts in business and services.
