This fall, Karim Elemam will take on the role of president of the McMaster Alumni Association Board of Directors — a role he says is a way for him to give back to the school that gave him so much.

Elemam received his BSc in Computer Science with a minor in business from McMaster in 2006 and completed an MBA in Marketing/Hospitality from Les Roches University in Switzerland in 2008.

Driven by his passion for the digital world, Elemam co-founded AKN Solutions, a company that focuses on creating optimal web experiences for businesses.

As a digital transformation consultant, Elemam utilizes Adobe Experience/Marketing Cloud tools and other enterprise digital marketing tools to assist large and medium-sized enterprises in optimizing and personalizing their web experience. Elemam also has extensive global experience working on analytics implementation for airlines, tour operators, global marketing firms and enterprises in various industries.

Passionate about travel and tourism, he used to own and operate the number-one-ranked tour company in Egypt. As a world traveler, Elemam has visited over 130 countries and hopes to one day see the whole world.

We sat down with Elemam to discuss his time at McMaster and his new role with the McMaster Alumni Association.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity

Why did you initially want to get involved with the McMaster Alumni Association?

I thought it was a good way to give back after five years at McMaster. Even though I did my master’s elsewhere, I always call it my school. And even though it’s not the last school I attended, it’s the school that I can relate to the most. And I feel that if there’s anything that I can contribute, that’s great. If I can add even, like 2 per cent then that’s great — anything that can move the needle.

How was your time at McMaster? 

It was overall a great experience. And it was a very comfortable and welcoming environment. From an academic perspective, I can’t say that I’m using everything I learned, but the way you approach things, solve problems and learn how to think is really what you take away from it to the real world.

If you think back to yourself as a Mac student, do you think you’d be surprised to see where you ended up?

I got a job offer right after I graduated and actually did not take it and decided to pursue other options, but I’d say I didn’t think things would happen that fast. And one thing that you realize is that it’s obviously not linear. I had a few great years, then kind of like four or five years where things were not progressing as I expected, and then I saw hyper progress. So, I think I’m surprised with how fast things went, and how fast things could change. So, it’s not linear and even if there are super slow years, it’s always prepping you for something else.

Why do you think it’s important to have an alumni association and to tell the stories of McMaster graduates? 

The moment you graduate, you kind of feel you’re on your own a bit. So I believe that the association plays an important role to keep that connection to campus alive. It’s always good to have that connection and to have that helping hand for others to say, ‘yeah, it might not always be rosy once you graduate but there is a community and you get to relate to others’ experiences.’ So I definitely find it very valuable in that sense.

Any advice for recent grads that you’d like to share?

I’d say probably the first couple years are the hardest because you’ve just graduated and you might see a lot of the job openings asking for a couple years of experience. Just don’t undersell yourself or go for the first thing that you see out there. You have to know that you’re a valuable resource. Know that you shouldn’t sell yourself short. Try not to stay idle and try to keep yourself sharp. There’s something great for you out there, you just might need a bit of patience.

What are you hoping to accomplish in this role? 

I’m a bit biased because I’m in the digital world. So, I’d love to see McMaster Alumni more active from a digital perspective and provide better reach out to those that are in different parts of the world. Improving our outreach internationally through digital means, that to me would be a bit of a success.

You are passionate about travel. How did the pandemic affect that part of your life? 

I traveled throughout the pandemic, though the style of traveling obviously changed. I have three little kids now so it’s more Airbnb’s and staying in one place for a longer time as opposed to getting on a flight every few days. I can say that the kids love it. They all got used to being on a plane. And we do it without iPads. There’s no screen time, nothing, they just have to figure out a way to entertain themselves.