Building Systems to Innovate with Wissam Adib

Innovation rarely fails because of a lack of ideas. It fails because the systems around it are built for compliance, not experimentation.

In this episode, Wissam Adib, Executive Coach and former Advisor at the UAE Prime Minister’s Office, joins Marilyn Zakhour to explore what it really takes to build systems that foster innovation at scale. Drawing on two decades of experience shaping national innovation frameworks in the UAE, Wissam shares lessons that apply to both governments and organizations everywhere.

Together, they explore:
🔹 How to build a system that makes innovation repeatable and sustainable
🔹 What it means to balance governance with experimentation
🔹 Why ambidexterity is a core leadership muscle
🔹 How leaders can separate themselves from the systems they shape
🔹 What organizations can learn from the UAE’s journey of embedding innovation

This conversation blends systems thinking, leadership, and strategy with practical insights from one of the region’s most experienced innovation architects.