Strengthening leadership at AZADEA with the Management Leadership Programme
Through its flagship Management Leadership Programme, premier lifestyle retailer AZADEA Group is taking a structured approach to developing its next generation of leaders. To find out more about its setup and impact, we sat down with Elias Hayek from Phi Management – the firm that behind the scenes designed and delivered the programme.
Since its inception in 1978, AZADEA has grown into a major retail group, operating a substantial network of stores representing leading international brands across fashion and accessories, food and beverage, home furnishings, sporting goods, lifestyle, beauty, and cosmetics. Today, the group operates more than 840 stores across 15 countries in the Middle East and Africa.
The Management Leadership Programme (MLP) is specifically designed for managers, with a core focus on strengthening their behavioural leadership skills that directly influence engagement and performance. A further objective is to equip participating managers with the capabilities needed to grow within the organization and contribute to its long-term success.
Building on a long-standing partnership spanning capability development, academies, assessments, and development journeys, AZADEA partnered with Phi Management to design the programme and deliver it to several groups across the Middle East.
Hi Elias, to start with, how does the MLP journey look like?
The MLP is a behavioural leadership academy, delivered through eight cohorts and structured around four learning blocks, each separated by approximately one month, followed by a capstone experience at the end of the journey.
Each learning block consists of three full days of facilitated, in-person sessions focusing on core behavioural leadership areas, including self-awareness, communication and feedback, emotional regulation, influencing others, stakeholder engagement, and effective team leadership. Sessions are highly interactive, enabling managers to deepen their understanding of how their behaviours, decisions, and leadership presence impact others.
Between blocks, participants are stimulated to apply the tools and concepts in their day-to-day roles, reflect on their experiences, and return with insights and learning challenges.
The journey culminates in a capstone experience, where participants work in groups to integrate their learning and present key insights and applications drawn from real workplace situations. This structure allows learning to build progressively over time, reinforcing sustained behavioural change rather than one-off training.
What are key design principles of the programme?
An important part of the programme is that the learning journey is grounded in AZADEA’s values and operational realities, enabling managers to translate behavioural concepts into everyday practice. Learning is grounded in real managerial situations rather than abstract theory, using simulations, group discussions, role practice, and peer feedback.
Another is that the learning process is embedded within AZADEA’s broader commitment to continuous development and leadership accountability. Participants are encouraged to experiment with new behaviours, share experiences within their cohorts, and learn from both successes and setbacks. This fosters a psychologically safe learning environment where reflection, feedback, and growth are central to the experience.
And third, digital tools are used to enrich the full experience and reinforce learning behaviour. For example, digital learning elements complement the in-room experience, while digital tools help measure progress which in turn guide the learning cycle.
What do participants gain when they successfully complete the programme?
Throughout the MLP journey, participants strengthen their self-awareness and leadership effectiveness, gaining clearer insight into how their behaviours and communication style influence others. They build greater confidence in leading teams, giving and receiving feedback, and navigating change with intention and consistency.
By the end of the academy and capstone experience, participants demonstrate stronger ownership of their leadership role and a more consistent ability to create trust, alignment, and sustained performance within their teams.
Finally, how does Phi Management look back at the collaboration with AZADEA on this programme?
Drawing on our extensive experience in leadership and behavioural skills development, we partnered closely with AZADEA to design and deliver several programmes. The MLP programme reflects Phi Management’s leadership philosophy, carefully tailored to align with AZADEA’s organisational context, strategic priorities, and people culture.
We have now co-delivered the programme for 8 groups, and participant feedback consistently highlights its impact in strengthening managerial effectiveness and delivering tangible results. Most recently, the programme was delivered across Kuwait, Lebanon, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates and we look forward to launching further learning initiatives with Azadea later this year.
