Manal Hassoun-Most Impactful Women Leaders from Asia 2026

The Human Face of Development in Complex Environments

Manal Hassoun

Executive Director

The LEE Experience

The Human Face of Development in Complex Environments

Manal Hassoun

Executive Director

The LEE Experience

When Manal Hassoun arrived in Yemen in 2013 to support initiatives with the local and international authorities, she believed she understood what it meant to work in difficult environments. She had already contributed to post-conflict reconstruction in Iraq and worked closely with Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Yemen would challenge every assumption she carried.

Here, conflict was not a headline but part of daily life. Economic collapse had left businesses struggling to keep their doors open. Communities faced severe shortages, while institutions operated under immense pressure. Yet amid the hardship, Hassoun found something equally powerful: resilience, determination, and an unwavering desire among people to build a better future.

Today, as Executive Director of THE LEE EXPERIENCE, she carries those lessons into her work. Yemen taught her that leadership is not about authority, certainty, or having all the answers. It is about staying steady in difficult moments, listening before acting, empowering others, and earning trust one conversation at a time.

With experience across Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Yemen, and beyond, Hassoun has focused her career on helping people unlock opportunity and strengthen their capacity for change. Speaking exclusively with TradeFlock, she reflects on how lasting impact begins not with resources but with people.

What qualities do you look for when mentoring future leaders?

Having worked with more than 5,000 trainers and over 20,000 entrepreneurs and professionals across the MENA region, I have learned that technical expertise alone does not define leadership success. I have seen highly skilled individuals struggle as leaders, while others with modest abilities create extraordinary impact.

When mentoring future leaders, I look for four qualities. First is integrity: doing the right thing, keeping commitments, and owning mistakes. Second is resilience—learning, adapting, and moving forward despite setbacks.

I also look for responsibility toward others. True leaders know leadership is not about titles but about leading yourself. Finally, I value a genuine desire to create positive impact through attitude change. Skills can be taught, but the drive to make a difference comes from within.

I pay close attention to how people respond to feedback. The ability to listen, reflect, and grow is essential. My role as a mentor is to help people discover their potential and create impact.

What have you learned about people, purpose, and impact after decades of experience in the field?

After more than 25 years in development, mentorship, and empowerment initiatives, leadership has reshaped how I view people, purpose, and impact.

Early in my career, I thought leadership meant directing people and delivering results. Over time, I realised people are far more capable and resilient than we assume. I have seen women in refugee camps build businesses from nothing and young people in post-conflict communities rebuild their lives despite immense challenges. What people need most is not control, but opportunity, trust, guidance, and belief in their potential.

Leadership has also taught me that purpose sustains us in difficult times. Projects may fail, funding may disappear, and circumstances may become uncertain, but purpose provides direction. My purpose has always been to create the lens of opportunities for others.

Impact is no longer measured only through numbers. The most meaningful impact is reflected in human stories: confidence gained, adaptability, independence achieved, and communities shaped by their own people.

What is your approach to creating impact within large organisations such as the World Bank and UN agencies?

Working with organisations such as the World Bank and UN agencies has taught me that real change rarely comes from fighting the system. These institutions bring resources and influence, but also bureaucracy, multiple stakeholders, and slow decision-making. Rather than seeing this as a barrier, I learned to understand how the system works and navigate it.

A key lesson has been viewing bureaucracy as a map rather than a barrier. Every process exists for a reason, whether it is accountability, compliance, or risk management. By understanding stakeholder priorities and constraints, I find common ground and build workable solutions.

Across Iraq, Yemen, Egypt, and Lebanon, the most effective strategy has been starting with small pilots. Instead of large interventions, I focus on targeted initiatives with clear outcomes. Evidence drives momentum more than projects.

Equally important is balancing patience with persistence. Change takes time in complex systems. By building trust, showing results, and staying focused, even rigid institutions can drive lasting change.

If you had five minutes with policymakers and funders shaping women and youth development, what is the one message they need to hear?

My message is simple: stop investing only in programmes and start investing in people and ecosystems that support them.

Too often, success is measured by numbers: how many are trained or how many workshops are delivered. While useful, these metrics do not always create lasting change. I have seen short-term training initiatives fade away, leaving people without Mindshift mentorship to reach by default, finance access, market access, or support. A project may succeed on paper yet fail in reality.

Real development happens when women and young people are given opportunities to lead, build networks, access resources, and gain confidence to shape their futures. The goal should be entrepreneurs, innovators, and changemakers who sustain progress long after a project ends.

Women and youth are not defined by vulnerability. They are drivers of growth, innovation, and progress. Investing in them is investing in the future.

My message is clear: the future of development depends on a fundamental shift from participation to partnership, from consultation to co-creation, and from short-term interventions to long-term investments in human potential