The “Entrepreneurial Leadership in the Style of Mr Fazli” Conference was held on Sunday, January 12, 2025 (23 Dey 1403), at the College of Management, University of Tehran, with the participation of more than 200 managers and entrepreneurs from across the country, as well as 50 university professors and academic figures.
The objectives of the conference included introducing the goals and programs of the Fazli Center for Business Leadership Development, facilitating dialogue and exchange of ideas on entrepreneurial leadership, and establishing the initial core of the Iranian Business Leaders Club.
The event featured a range of speakers, and key highlights from their remarks and other conference sessions are presented below.
Dr. Taher Roshandel Arbatani, President of the College of Management
University of Tehran, was the first speaker at the event. After welcoming the guests, he addressed countries’ approaches to national competitiveness and development.
He stated that countries generally adopt one of three approaches to growth and development: resource-based, efficiency-based, or innovation-based. Dr. Roshandel noted that countries that have achieved significant progress in recent decades have primarily followed an innovation-based approach.
He emphasized that achieving innovation-driven development requires effective leadership, and that the Center for Business Leaders Development, along with its programs and activities, provides the necessary foundation for this objective.
Dr. Roshandel further underlined that the two major and well-recognized institutions—the University of Tehran and Golrang Industrial Group—aim to establish an impactful model of university–industry collaboration.
Dr. Mohammad Abooyee Ardakan, President of the Fazli Center for Business Leadership Development
Dr. Mohammad Abooyee Ardakan stated that in today’s world, the most critical requirement for navigating the VUCA environment is leadership capability and the presence of transformative and entrepreneurial leaders.
He noted that, contrary to the view that leadership is merely about optimizing and managing organizational components more effectively, what is truly needed are individuals who are capable of designing better organizations. He referred to such individuals as “leader-designers.”
Dr. Abooyee emphasized the importance of cultivating a new generation of leaders equipped with the knowledge and skills required to design modern organizations. He illustrated his perspective through the concept of a “hero’s journey,” describing the developmental path of individuals from early career stages after graduation to maturity and executive leadership.
In this framework, the “hero’s journey” represents the different stages of growth individuals experience within organizations, from entry-level positions to the highest levels of executive leadership in business.
He further presented the services and facilities planned for the different floors of the under-construction Fazli Center for Business Leadership Development as part of this “hero’s journey” model.
Dr. Seyed Hossein Hosseini, Acting President of the University of Tehran
Dr. Seyed Hossein Hosseini emphasized the university’s special responsibility and commitment to collaboration with industry. He described the University of Tehran as being fully dedicated to strengthening and expanding university–industry relations.
He stated that both academia and industry are essential pillars for entrepreneurial leadership and the development of business leaders, and highlighted the important role of the Fazli Center for Business Leadership Development in reinforcing these foundations.
Dr. Hosseini stressed that the university’s capacities should be activated to the greatest possible extent in order to strengthen engagement with industry. In this regard, he noted that the University of Tehran should be regarded as a comprehensive university in which all disciplines can be involved in university–industry collaboration.
He further reaffirmed the University of Tehran’s commitment to cooperation with Golrang Industrial Group within the framework of the Fazli Center for Business Leadership Development and expressed his full support for this initiative.
Mr. Mohammad Bagher Fazelian, a member of the Board of Directors of Golrang Industrial Group
Engineer Fazelian drew on his long-standing experience of collaboration with Mr Fazli and shared insightful examples and narratives illustrating various aspects of his leadership style during the establishment and growth of Golrang Industrial Group.
In his account of Mr Fazli’s entrepreneurial leadership style, Mr. Fazelian highlighted the following key characteristics:
1)Patriotism: One of Mr Fazli’s most prominent traits was his strong sense of patriotism. He consistently advised young people and professionals to go abroad only when necessary for education or skill development, and to always return to their home country to work and contribute.
2)Humanism: A strong sense of compassion, attention to human dignity, and deep concern for societal issues were also evident in his leadership style. Throughout difficult working conditions and personal challenges, Mr Fazli consistently demonstrated empathy and solidarity with those who worked alongside him.
3)Risk-taking: Risk-taking, hard work, and continuous reliance on God were among his defining characteristics. In major moments of uncertainty and high risk, he never feared difficulties and placed his trust in God for solving problems. Mr. Fazelian cited an example from wartime conditions, when access to foreign currency was severely limited. During that period, Master Fazli exported fruit directly to Europe, enabling the company to secure the foreign currency needed to import essential goods, thereby ensuring that Iran did not face shortages of cleaning products during a critical time.
4)Meritocracy: Mr Fazli placed strong emphasis on merit-based appointment of managers. He was strictly committed to selecting individuals based on competence and capability, without making exceptions even for those close to him.
5)Succession Planning: The most significant feature of his leadership style was his ability, over years of experience, to prepare Golrang Industrial Group for a structured and intentional transfer of power, responsibility, and resources to the next generation of managers. With foresight and a long-term vision, he ensured that the organization was fully supported during this transition, enabling younger leaders to gradually take over responsibilities with confidence and capability.
Dr. Mahmoud Sariolghalam, Professor of International Political Economy at Shahid Beheshti University
Dr. Mahmoud Sariolghalam, stated that it is necessary to create “social glue” in society through a set of institutional conditions and mechanisms, in order to foster mutual commitment among individuals and strengthen their sense of belonging and attachment to society.
To achieve this, he emphasized the importance of improving the social system through a clear separation between economic and political power, as well as the active participation of the private sector in development. He further argued that political development is not possible without economic development, and therefore considered economic development a prerequisite for political development.
He noted that economic development fundamentally requires a strong and active private sector in order to create wealth for all segments of society. He also pointed out that some people still consider wealth creation to be a negative concept and believe it should not be discussed in society, whereas, in his view, wealth creation is essential for societal progress.
Dr. Sariolghalam identified the most important factor for strengthening social cohesion and citizens’ attachment to the system, governance, future, order, and law as achieving single-digit inflation.
Dr. Mehdi Fazli, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Golrang Industrial Group
Dr. Fazli, delivered a speech titled “Golrang and the Horizons Ahead in the Path of Mr Fazli’s Thought.”
He began by referring to Golrang Industrial Group’s vision of being listed among the world’s top 500 companies and creating employment for 100,000 people. He then addressed the issue of national growth and development.
Dr. Fazli stated that, considering Iran’s 7% share of global natural resources and its access to some of the strongest human capital in the region, a sustained annual growth rate of 11% is achievable with proper planning. He added that if such growth continues for 25 years, the country’s Gross Domestic Product could increase from the current level of approximately 400 billion USD to around 5 trillion USD.
He emphasized that achieving this goal requires extensive cooperation among Iranian companies. He further stated that through the establishment of the Fazli Center for Business Leadership Development, along with comprehensive programs and multi-layered collaboration between academia and industry, it is possible to realize this vision in an environment of solidarity and shared commitment among all those dedicated to the country’s development.
He concluded by expressing hope that in 25 years, Iran will emerge as a leading nation where people are eager to work and invest.
Scientific Panel Discussion
Following the individual presentations, a scientific panel discussion was held with the participation of Dr. Ali N. Mashayekhi, Full Professor at the Department of Management and Economics, Sharif University of Technology; Dr. Mahmoud Sariolghalam, Full Professor of International Political Economy at Shahid Beheshti University; and Dr. Arian Gholipour, Full Professor at the Department of Public Administration and Organizational Sciences, University of Tehran.The topics discussed in the panel focused on the importance of networking, as well as the adoption of appropriate policies and strategies for business growth and development.
Visit to the Center’s Construction Site
At the end of the first part of the ceremony, participants visited the construction site of the Fazli Center for Business Leadership Development and were briefed on the progress of the building’s construction.
Training Workshops
The second part of the conference continued with the organization of four training workshops titled: “Strategy Dance for Strategic Leadership and Business Sustainability,” “Artificial Intelligence for Business Leaders,” “Managerial Skills as a Coach,” and “Modern Corporate Governance.”
These four workshops were designed in alignment with the four research and innovation programs of the Fazli Center for Business Leadership Development.
