Hesham Sewilam, general manager of Red Bull Egypt: For a special Ramadan edition of our weekly My Morning Routine column, which we are running through the holy month, we spoke to Red Bull Egypt General Manager Hesham Sewilam (LinkedIn). We asked Sewilam the usual questions to find out how a successful member of the community starts their day and threw in a few more to find out how he adjusts to Ramadan and what he looks forward to in the holy month. Edited excerpts from our conversation:

My name is Hesham, and I’m currently the general manager of Red Bull Egypt. My career has been largely in consumer goods across Egypt, the Middle East, and in global roles, and I’ve worked exclusively with multinationals. About half of my career has been in general management and CEO roles, and the other half has been mostly sales, with some marketing as well. I’ve also held board positions, including with Azza Fahmy. And outside of work, I’m a father of three — Malak, who is 20, Amina, who is 12, and Hassan, who is 10.

Exercise is a constant in my routine, even if it’s just a one-hour walk. Supplements also play an important role in helping me maintain my energy and stamina. But the key thing I do is channel my energy based on how my mind performs throughout the day. I’m a morning person, so I reserve the morning — typically between 8am and 11am — for high-focus tasks like presentations, answering important emails, and strategic work. This is when I have the most stamina and mental clarity.

After that, I schedule meetings and interactions with people while my energy is still high. Later in the day, when my energy starts to decline, I shift to lower-intensity tasks like networking calls and stakeholder management. I’m very disciplined about this. I don’t schedule high-intensity meetings late in the day, and Sundays are sacred no-meeting days, so I can focus on strategic work.

During Ramadan, I maintain the same working hours, but I adjust my routine. Instead of exercising in the morning, I exercise before iftar. I also minimize meetings, especially later in the day, and focus more on individual work and stakeholder communication. Ramadan is a time when I focus much more on my spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being. I pray after iftar, sleep early, and prioritize family connection. My sleeping patterns actually improve during Ramadan because I maintain a consistent schedule and avoid late nights.

Staying focused and organized comes down to self-awareness. You need to understand when your energy and stamina are at their peak and plan your day accordingly. Exercise plays a big role in helping me stay focused, and protecting my time and energy is essential.

Family connection and spiritual well-being are constants in my life, especially during Ramadan. It’s also one of the few times I’m able to slow down and watch TV series, which I find meditative, along with prayer and spending time with family.

Work-life balance is something I’ve taken seriously for about 10 years now. Earlier in my career, I was operating at an unsustainable sprint. I realized that productivity — not working longer hours — is the key. I focus on being highly productive during my eight-hour workday, so I can dedicate time and energy afterward to my family, my physical well-being, and my spiritual and emotional well-being. Becoming a parent and reaching my 40s were important moments of realization that reinforced the importance of balance. Maintaining strong relationships, networking, and personal well-being has actually made me better at my job, not worse.

My job is really about people development. Developing my team — and developing people who can become stronger than me — occupies a lot of my time and energy. I also support them by bringing the external world into their world, so they’re not just focused on their day-to-day jobs internally. I make sure strategic priorities are aligned with market needs and with the global company, and I focus heavily on stakeholder management, both internally and externally. I try as much as possible not to get into the day-to-day, so I can dedicate my energy to the higher-level strategic part of my job.

At Red Bull, our mission is about giving wings to people. Giving wings internally to employees, and externally to artists, athletes, partners, and distributors. Giving wings could mean helping people focus when they’re studying, working, exercising, or driving — but it also means developing their talents and capabilities, so they can become the best version of themselves. The company started with a physical drink, but it evolved into something broader — including corporate projects like owning two Formula 1 teams, five football teams globally, and multiple partnerships that support talent and performance.

In consumer goods, the biggest trends right now are around healthier lifestyles and healthier consumption. Marketing is increasingly centered around content, and on the commercial side, e-commerce continues to grow in importance. Consumer goods is a very visible industry — you can walk into a supermarket and immediately see how companies position themselves, what their strategies are, and how they execute it.

Personally, I want to continue maintaining this balance and improving how I dedicate time to family, well-being, and personal growth. Professionally, I want to continue learning and developing within my role, while also expanding my investments across different asset classes on the side.

The best piece of advice I’ve been given came from my manager in my current role. He told me that to do my best in my job, I shouldn’t treat it as a job — I should treat it as a passion. That’s something I live by every day.