About
Digital marketing and AI expert, and the founder of Talentdu
I help companies grow with digital marketing and AI, and I run Talentdu, the professional education partner for MENA.
Omar Kandil is a digital marketing and AI expert based in Beirut. He is Founder and CEO of Talentdu, the professional education partner for the MENA region, which runs live cohort-based programs for professionals, customized training for organizations, and growth partnerships for universities.
He advises companies on marketing strategy and AI integration, working directly with marketing leaders rather than through a team. Before Talentdu he co-founded a New York creative agency, ran its operations, and led it as CEO from 2022, scaling the team and the marketing operation and working with clients across the US, Europe and the Gulf.
He spoke at TEDxLAU Byblos on whether jobs survive the AI revolution, where he introduced the Skill-Replaceability Matrix, a framework for working out which parts of a role automation reaches first. He is the author of Winning the Slow Race, a book of fifty lessons on building a business that lasts, and he is writing a second.
I was born in Syria and raised in Lebanon. I started working young, in hospitality, which is still the best training in paying attention to people that I have had. Beirut is home and it is where I work from.
TEDxLAU Byblos, April 2025. The slide is the Skill-Replaceability Matrix.
Career
Where I have worked
2017 to 2018
Social media manager, Step Feed, Dubai
Ran digital engagement across Step Group's English and Arabic platforms, Step Feed and Yalla Feed. My first marketing job.
2018 to 2020
Area sales manager, Lancaster Plaza, Beirut
Led sales for four Lancaster properties in Beirut, selling into FMCG, tech startups, telecom and energy.
2020 to 2021
Head of operations, DapraLab, remote
International business development. Travelled for events and networking, and learned to sell across borders.
2021 to 2026
Co-founder, then COO, then CEO, OBCIDO Inc., New York
I co-founded a New York creative agency in January 2021, ran operations alongside our first CEO, and took over as CEO in April 2022. I scaled the team and the marketing operation, and travelled to meet clients across the US, Europe and the Gulf. I stepped down to focus on Talentdu.
2024 to now
Founder and CEO, Talentdu
Professional education for MENA: live programs for professionals, corporate training for organizations, and growth partnerships for universities.
Moments
The work, in pictures
Education
Studied
Master of Business AdministrationIn progress
Lebanese American University, 2024 to present
BBA, Business Administration and Management
Beirut Arab University, 2013 to 2016
Credentials
Certified
AI Essentials
Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, February 2026
Questions
What people ask
- Who is Omar Kandil?
- Omar Kandil is a digital marketing and AI expert based in Beirut, Lebanon. He is the Founder and CEO of Talentdu, a professional education partner for the MENA region, and the author of Winning the Slow Race. He spoke at TEDxLAU Byblos on whether jobs survive the AI revolution.
- What does Talentdu do?
- Talentdu is a professional education partner built for the MENA region. It runs live, expert-led programs for professionals, customized training for organizations, and growth partnerships for universities. Its partners include the LAU Academy of Continuing Education, Google, Meta, Adobe, Pearson, Certiport and the Project Management Institute.
- What does Omar Kandil advise on?
- Digital marketing strategy and AI integration. He works directly with marketing leaders rather than through a team, either in booked advisory hours or in a scoped engagement that combines advisory with training.
- What is the Skill-Replaceability Matrix?
- A framework Omar introduced in his TEDxLAU Byblos talk for working out which parts of a job automation reaches first. It plots roles on two axes, skill level and replaceability, producing four quadrants: safe for now, first to go, the danger zone, and the future of work.
- What is Winning the Slow Race about?
- It is a book of fifty lessons, in seven parts, on building a business that lasts, published in September 2024. It argues for thoughtful action and long-term growth over shortcuts and speed, drawing on Omar's own years running an agency and then founding Talentdu.
- Where is Omar Kandil based?
- Beirut, Lebanon. He speaks and works across the MENA region and has spoken at events in New York, Dubai, Manama, Istanbul and Beirut.
- What is Half a Funnel?
- Half a Funnel is Omar Kandil's second book, currently in progress. It is about marketing funnels and marketing for small businesses: what a small company actually needs from a funnel, and what it can safely ignore. His first book, Winning the Slow Race, was published in September 2024.
- How do you book Omar Kandil to speak?
- Through the speaking page on kandilomar.com. Requests should come at least a month before the event date so the details can be coordinated properly.