Driven by a passion to recreate the memorable learning experience he had as a student at LAU, Dr. Zahy Ramadan (BS ’98; MBA ’00), associate professor of marketing and interim assistant dean at the Adnan Kassar School of Business (AKSOB), returned to academia at his alma mater in 2015 after 17 years in the corporate sector.

“One of the things that was ingrained in me as a student was how I was taught marketing and how faculty at that time provided us with real-life examples and shared their own experiences,” he said.

“As I started working in Saudi and China after graduating from LAU, I came across real marketing and realized the value of this creativity and the exposure I received,” he added. “I want to replicate all of that into the young minds of students so that once they graduate, they can do the same—and be even better than me in what I have done.”

In today’s fast-paced world of marketing, giving students the edge entails staying ahead of shifting strategies and emerging tools and bringing real-world market challenges into the classroom, explained Dr. Ramadan. He achieves this by drawing on his ongoing research and creatively translating complex concepts into practical lessons using the latest technology.

His teaching method has not gone unnoticed, placing him on the Most Innovative Teacher of the Year shortlist at the Times Higher Education (THE) Awards Arab World 2024, part of THE Awards series, for his years-long dedication to engaging young minds in contemporary business practices.

A hallmark of Dr. Ramadan’s teaching style is his omni-channel approach, an experiential method that integrates multiple delivery channels to create a cohesive, engaging learning experience.

“Every single session I teach is a blend of discussing the material and incorporating interactive elements, whether it’s a case study, scenario role-play, or implementing something in virtual reality,” he explained, “We always include something interactive in every session.”

Current marketing student Nour Balhawan said that every session in Dr. Ramadan’s courses consisted of “an interesting case study and finding solutions to real-world brand scenarios” on which the class worked as a team.

Lynn El Jamal (BS ’23), who attended Dr. Ramadan’s Marketing Strategy senior course, fondly recalls how engaging his sessions were, especially when he routinely used examples from his past jobs in discussions of case studies. “He pushed us to speak our minds and always welcomed debates,” El Jamal said. “He listened to each and every one of us.”

Dr. Ramadan’s courses go beyond theory for Sara Al-Sharif (BS ’23), who is currently continuing her MBA at LAU. “I remember in my last class with Dr. Zahy how he creatively started comparing students’ cases with AI-generated answers, showing us how human creativity can surpass AI,” she said. “If anyone deserves the most innovative teacher title, it is definitely Dr. Zahy!”

For the past ten years, Dr. Ramadan has continually reinvented his approach with each course he teaches. Beyond that, he has been a mentor to his students, most of whom have become fellow alumni and friends. To this day, they continue to seek his guidance on both professional and personal matters.

“I always ask him for advice whenever I’m applying to a new position or need any professional guidance,” said Sana Malaeb (BA ’24) who is also pursuing her MBA at LAU.

The highlight of Dr. Ramadan’s last academic year, which helped him secure his nomination at THE Arab World 2024, was adopting in his classroom a digital space supermarket app—developed by an LAU student using VR technology—to teach planogramming virtually.

With over 400 entries from 15 countries judged by a panel of sector experts, Dr. Ramadan has joined 95 other finalists across 12 categories for THE Arab Awards. Set to take place on December 3, 2024, at The Arab Universities Summit in Amman, Jordan, the event highlights the inspirational work being done at higher education institutions in the region.

This is not the first time Dr. Ramadan has been recognized for his transformative teaching practices. In 2019, he earned the Excellence in Teaching Award from LAU.

What drives him, he said, “is to make sure that our students, whenever they graduate, become employed and highly placed in several markets and across several industries.” So, he keeps an eye on the latest needs and job trends in the industry and equips students with the necessary tools while being innovative.

Ultimately, he added, he wants “to differentiate LAU in the local market and Middle East.”