How Great Companies Scale | IBM's Shukri Eid

What separates companies that scale from those that stay stuck?In this episode of the SEF Backstage Pass Podcast, Shukri Eid, Vice President and General Manager for IBM across the Gulf, Levant and Pakistan, shares decades of leadership experience helping organizations navigate growth, transformation, and technological change.From scaling startups and building resilient organizations to AI, leadership, delegation, and institutionalizing a business, Shukri explains what founders must do to grow beyond themselves—and why the best leaders eventually make themselves unnecessary.Whether you're building a startup or leading an established business, this conversation offers practical insights on scaling with clarity, purpose, and long-term impact.Chapters00:00 Why founders must make themselves redundant01:00 Meet Shukri Eid03:08 Why scaling a startup is harder than it looks05:03 The transition from founder to scale-up leader07:20 What should—and shouldn't—scale08:40 Mentoring founders through growth10:42 Managing complexity as your business grows15:07 Expanding products and serving customers better18:28 What corporates can learn from startups23:28 AI, business models, and competitive advantage26:47 The one piece of advice every founder needs31:27 Final thoughtsThe SEF Backstage Pass Podcast brings you inspiring conversations with entrepreneurs, creators, innovators, and changemakers from the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival.This episode was produced in partnership with Poddster.Follow SEF:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharjahefTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sharjahefLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sharjah-entrepreneurship-festivalWebsite: https://sharjahef.com