Abdel-Rahman Tawfiq (1945-2011)
The passing away, on 28 December, of Abdel-Rahman Tawfiq marks a great loss in the widest range of fields in the Arab world.
The undisputed father of management studies in Egypt, Tawfiq graduated from Cairo University, Faculty of Commerce in 1966. Since childhood he was fascinated with the new, and he grew up to be a firm believer in the value of time and efficiency. "My job is to undermine secrecy," he is known to have said. "To shine a light where knowledge is needed." Inefficiency and waste holds nations up; he dedicated his life to fighting backwardness.
Tawfiq grew up in Cairo, attending schools in Al-Sayeda Zeinab and Lazoughli. By the time he completed his masters at the American University in Cairo in 1972, Tawfiq was already appointed as a teaching assistant at the National Institute for Administrative Development (NIAD). He received his PhD in business administration from Zagazig University in 1985. He occupied a great number of high-profile academic, business and government posts.
Tawfiq wrote numerous books, some of which remain central reference works in the world of management.
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