Dr. Hassan Sachedina

Class / Grad Year: EMBA 2022

Current Employer / Role:  CEO and Founder of Sayari Earth, an impact driven social enterprise with the mission of helping to restore our planet by empowering people. We do this by developing nature-based carbon removal projects which restore ecosystems and community livelihoods in the Global South.

Best Memory at School:

There are so many with my classmates, but my best academic memory was hearing from my capstone jury after being in the waiting room on Teams that I had passed the Capstone. That was the culmination of months of work and a strong validation for what I am doing now. My capstone project was the business plan for the company I started during the EMBA, which I have been running full-time more than two years after graduating!

Biggest Achievement at School:

My biggest achievement was designing, stress-testing and launching a new company while at HEC Paris. I used each module to help inform the business plan and strategy of Sayari Earth.

Your Advice To New EMBA Students:

Work consistently in between the in-person EMBA sessions. In an EMBA, it is easy to fall behind if you try to cram everything in before the in-person sessions start. The hardest part of the EMBA is balancing work, family, life and the EMBA. You don’t have the luxury of being a full-time student like we did when we were undergraduates. Balancing family, work and the EMBA requires thorough and consistent self-care to ensure that nothing lags behind.

Where do you currently live?

In South Africa’s Southern Cape in a Big 5 Game Reserve. There are days when I am lucky enough to see whales and elephants in the same day!

Fun fact about you:

I am a commercially rated airplane and helicopter pilot, and I use flying to support my conservation work.

Why did you choose your school?

HEC Paris was the top ranked EMBA school in the world in the 2021 Financial Times ranking. I wanted strongly to experience such a world-class community and program.

What student organizations did you join?

Being from Kenya and having come to HEC Paris straight from 10 years in Zambia, I joined the Africa Society.

Favorite Trait in Others:

I value respect most in others: their respect for others, respect for the planet, and respect for themselves.

One Thing You Would’ve Changed in the EMBA Experience?

I would have prepared much more between sessions at Jouy-en-Josas to enable me to connect more with my classmates after class on a personal level. I was often studying in my hotel room alone. One of the primary values of the EMBA is building a lifelong community of classmates. Personal connection is central to this.

Favorite Class?

Piers Cumberlege’s class on leadership was thought-provoking and prompted the most self-reflection. Dr. Christelle Bitouzet’s sustainability course was exciting, particularly regarding the changes businesses are making to create value through sustainability initiatives.

One secret to Success:

Being able to network comfortably is a key to success. Networks help open up opportunities, and provide significant learning experiences. I am still not where I would like to be, but I continue to work on becoming more comfortable walking up to someone I don’t know and learning more about them.

What is your biggest regret?

I regret not taking time every day to work on my health, and not exploring more African wildlife conservation areas with my close friends and family. I spent too much time either working or recovering building start-ups. Health is a major priority, as is making time to do what you love with the people you love. As the saying goes, ‘No One On His Deathbed Ever Said,“I Wish I Had Spent More Time on My Business.”’

What is the next thing you’re going to do on your bucket list?

I’m going to train for a marathon.