Medhat Khalil, Real Estate Development and Financial Services

Medhat Khalil

Medhat Khalil says he was probably the oldest person on his class, and he is sure he had more work experience than most of his fellow students ther

- I have a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cairo University, and worked for many years in Dubai, UAE before beginning my studies at KTH in August 2010.

He is now working with Campanja, a business intelligence solutions firm in Stockholm, which fits very well with his innovative spirit and language skills (he is fluent in English and Arabic).

- I enjoy working with a young and international team, and we are developing some new solutions for our clients’ Middle East business, but I can’t tell you more now!   

Medhat enjoys the atmosphere in Stockholm

- City life is very important to me. I prefer cities with a lively street life, but that also have sustainable and energy-efficient development solutions. Stockholm has it all: a busy street life without too much stress, but also closeness to nature.

Working on the final part of his thesis

- The topic I’m investigating is how to develop finance models and incentives for green building development and retrofits. Usually, upgrades to the energy systems of old buildings require large capital investment, and owners cannot finance that on their own. So, I’m working on financial and business models that provide incentives for banks to take part in funding these renovations and achieve good investment returns.

Medhat grew up in Cairo’s Old Town, with busy, narrow streets, children playing, hectic traffic and a lot of people everywhere. It was quite a contrast to life in Dubai and Stockholm.

- In Dubai, I worked as a project manager in the real-estate market during the real-estate boom. Everything was on a large scale: construction projects, new hotels, malls – and big, empty highways. European street life is more open – it’s more pedestrian-friendly, and it’s better for cyclists as well.

- I’m very lucky to have had the opportunity to study on this programme. I had experience working as an architect, and had gained professional experience as a real-estate manager in Dubai. KTH is an excellent university to attend after a few years of working life. Once I started studying, some of my past successes and mistakes made much more sense.

- Spending time in the workforce between study programmes causes you to reflect more on the theories and methods in use – and the students’ interaction with professors worked very well during my programme. The financial theories we learned were internationally applicable, but theories of urban development vary between countries. Building a shopping mall in Stockholm is very different from building one in Dubai or London, for example.

The programme included excellent guest lecturers from industry

- They shared their knowledge with us in a very effective way, and were up-to-date with the market. One of the best courses in the programme was led by Hans Lind, Professor of Real Estate Economics, and it focused on business cycles and economics of real estate. It was very inspiring.

Dream job

- My dream is to work entrepreneurially with innovative professionals from a variety of fields. I’d like to continue working with both real-estate management and startup companies, and I’m open to working anywhere, but I hope to work in Egypt one day. Thanks to my studies at KTH, I am more informed and more conscious of the effects of changes in both global and local market environments.

Studying in Stockholm is an excellent choice. The real-estate market is mature, and public awareness of the importance of sustainability and green building concepts is very high. I think people here are very receptive to the idea of investing in renovations that improve energy efficiency.”