Yasmin Helal | Senior Business and Operations Strategist | National Basketball Association
Yasmin Helal, currently serving as the Senior Business and Operations Strategist at the National Basketball Association (NBA) office in Egypt, has spent over a decade creating a meaningful impact through a combination of sports, education, and business. Her role at the NBA involves overseeing a wide range of business functions and aligning the NBA’s vision in Egypt with regional goals. With a background that spans professional basketball and entrepreneurship, Helal’s journey is a testament to her passion for driving change and her ability to navigate different sectors with resilience and empathy. Helal’s journey to leadership began with her love for sports, particularly basketball. She spent over 20 years playing professional basketball in Egypt’s first division and the national team, an experience that taught her valuable lessons in discipline, teamwork, and resilience. These attributes, developed on the court, laid the foundation for her leadership approach in the professional world. At EliteX, we are proud to have Yasmin Helal as part of the edition: Corporate Queens: Trailblazing Women Driving Business Success in 2024.
In addition to her basketball career, Helal’s passion for community service led her to establish Educate Me, a nonprofit organization focused on transforming education in Egypt. Over a decade, she led the organization to serve over 100,000 beneficiaries, combining the rigor of sports with the mission-driven nature of social work. This dual experience—managing both a nonprofit and a sports career—shaped her leadership style, which is characterized by a balance of high performance and empathy. Her transition into the NBA was driven by a desire to create an even greater impact, this time through a combination of business, sports, and education. Helal’s leadership journey highlights her ability to merge her passion for sports and community work with her strategic mindset, driving initiatives that empower individuals and communities alike. Though her career is now rooted in business, Helal’s background is in engineering, a field that shaped her problem-solving skills and strategic thinking. As an engineer by training, she was drawn to creating efficient systems and optimizing processes. Her work at Educate Me showed her the potential for systemic change in education, inspiring her to leverage business as a platform to scale impactful solutions.
“Believe in your capabilities and be unapologetically ambitious. The world needs more diverse voices, and women bring empathy, innovation, and collaboration to the table.”
Helal believes that her engineering mindset has translated well into business strategy. In her role at the NBA, she applies her technical skills to ensure that operations run smoothly and strategically, while also exploring ways to innovate and grow the organization. Her ability to merge technical expertise with a passion for social impact has been a key factor in her success. As a woman in traditionally male-dominated industries—engineering, sports, and corporate leadership—Helal has faced numerous challenges. Early in her career as a telecommunications engineer, she often had to prove her competence in environments where women were underrepresented. These challenges continued as she moved into leadership roles, but her technical expertise and problem-solving abilities allowed her to stand out. Helal acknowledges that navigating spaces where women’s voices are sometimes undervalued can be frustrating. However, she has learned to assert herself confidently, relying on both her technical and leadership skills to overcome these barriers. Her resilience in the face of such challenges serves as an inspiration to other women aspiring to break through in male-dominated fields.
For Helal, balancing the demands of a high-profile career with personal life is an ongoing challenge. However, her background in engineering has equipped her with a systematic approach to managing time and resources efficiently. She ensures that she allocates time for her family, physical activity, and self-care, which helps her maintain a sense of balance. Helal believes that having a structured approach and setting clear boundaries have been essential in allowing her to lead effectively, both in her professional and personal life. This disciplined approach enables her to navigate the complexities of leadership without compromising her well-being. Mentorship has played a crucial role in Helal’s career development. Throughout her journey, she has been fortunate to receive guidance from exceptional mentors who have helped her navigate complex challenges. Now, as a leader, Helal is committed to giving back by mentoring young women in business and sports. She finds fulfillment in seeing her mentees grow and succeed, knowing that she has contributed to their development. Helal’s belief in the power of mentorship underscores her commitment to empowering others, particularly women, to pursue leadership roles and excel in their chosen fields.
“The key to resilience is adaptability. Success comes from being open to change and willing to pivot when necessary.”
When asked about the qualities that have helped her succeed, Helal emphasizes resilience and adaptability. As someone who has moved across different industries, these traits have been essential in helping her navigate new challenges. Her engineering background has also been pivotal, as it has equipped her with strong analytical and problem-solving skills. In addition to technical skills, Helal places great importance on fostering collaboration and building strong teams. She believes that leadership is ultimately about empowering others to drive success, and her ability to inspire and lead by example has been key to her achievements. As a business leader, Helal understands that stress is inevitable. However, her experience as a professional athlete has taught her how to manage high-pressure situations. She approaches stress in business the same way she approached pressure on the basketball court—by assessing the situation, strategizing, and executing calmly. In addition to her strategic mindset, Helal incorporates mindfulness practices and physical exercise into her routine to help manage stress and maintain focus.
One of the most important lessons Helal has learned is that leadership is about influence, not control. Great leaders, she believes, inspire others to take ownership and drive the vision forward. Authenticity is another key lesson—people are more likely to follow leaders who are real and vulnerable, rather than those who pretend to have all the answers. Adaptability has also been a crucial lesson in her leadership journey. In today’s fast-evolving business landscape, being open to change and willing to pivot is essential for success. Helal fosters innovation within her organization by creating an environment where people feel empowered to share their ideas and experiment without fear of failure. She encourages a balance between creativity and data-driven decision-making, believing that the combination of both often leads to the most effective solutions. Her engineering background influences her approach to innovation, as she emphasizes the importance of using data to fuel creativity while also encouraging out-of-the-box thinking. Looking to the future, Helal hopes to continue expanding the NBA’s presence in Egypt and the region. She envisions a future where NBA and WNBA players born and raised in Egypt become catalysts for social change. Her legacy, she hopes, will be one of empowerment and impact, inspiring others to pursue their passions and create opportunities for those around them. Through her work in sports, education, and business, Yasmin Helal is a trailblazing leader who continues to break barriers and pave the way for future generations.
“Leadership isn’t about control—it’s about influence. True leaders inspire others to take ownership and drive the vision forward.”