< Previous30 Vol. 22/15, October 2021 C OVER S T O RY / UA E-UK DEAL u The UK Pavilion is inspired by a project from the late scientist Stephen Hawking $60.5m The UK’s total economic spend on the pavilion at the Expo 2020 Dubai fter months of fren- zied preparations, the much antici- pated Expo 2020 Dubai opened its doors on October 1 with an extrava- gant star-studded ceremony which included perfor- mances by world-famous tenor Andrea Bocelli. While speaking to Arabian Business about the UAE-UK Sovereign Investment Partner- ship a few weeks ago, Simon Penney, Her Majesty’s trade commissioner for the Middle East, and Her Majesty’s Consul General for Dubai, takes a few moments to reveal key insights on UK’s participation in the the traditional heritage view of the UK and all about look- ing forward and innovating for a shared future as we call it,” he continues. The UK’s programme is aligned with the Expo’s key themes of sustainability, opportunity and mobility, explains Penney but also includes within it “eight break- through moments”. “Those are ones where we challenge ourselves and the public with key questions about how we will eat or travel in the future. Under each of those themes, we’re going to be showcasing the best of UK innovation around the World’s Greatest Show. “We are really excited about Expo. It’s been a long journey to get to this stage – it must be nearly eight years now since the bids, and we’ve had an extension by the year as well - so it’s great to be almost at the opening,” says Penney. “I’m delighted to say the UK Pavilion is ready to open. But I think our focus is less on future of mobility, the future of autonomous vehicles,” explains Penney. “It will focus on things like agritech and food security. With a world population grow- ing to 9 billion, the stress on food is going to be acute, so we’re going to be focussing on to that breakthrough moment, on the best of UK knowledge, intelligence and technology around solving challenges that the world faces – we want UK to be at the centre of that debate,” he continues. When visitors arrive to the pavilion, they will be asked to provide one word which will be then edited, through arti- ficial intelligence, to create a living poem beamed across the whole façade of the pavilion, shares Penney. “I’d encourage all your readers to come over and experience our pavilion. The tagline I’m sort of personally adopting is that the whole UK experience will be ‘Davos by day and Glastonbury by night’ because we will be focussing on UK heritage on which we have a very proud and rich history, which we really want to put on the world stage,” he says in describing the pavilion. The comparison to Davos serves to remind visitors that beyond the exhibitions and the festivities, Expo 2020 is a powerhouse of trade and negotiations. “We have an excess of over 500 events over the 192 days in our pavilion and as such what’s going to be going on inside our pavilion is a conver- sation,” Penney says. “We will be showcasing the best of the UK today but we are also bringing thought leaders, creators and inno- vators together to have that conversation both physically in the pavilion and also, in this hybrid world, remotely,” he continues. A Simon Penney reveals the pavilion’s theme and what the UK aims to achieve through its participation INSIDE THE ‘FUTURE-FOCUSSED’ UK PAVILION IN DUBAI’S EXPO 2020 BY SCOTT ARMSTRONG Q AND A 32 Vol. 22/15, October 2021 From starting your career as a university lecturer to holding opera- tional roles at the UN, how did you end up in the telecoms space? I must admit that the start of my career took a turn as I joined Asiacell, but I have always been passionate about technology and providing useful services. I kept searching for a place that provides both, and I found Asiacell. We must always seek a career that makes us passionate about going to work every morning. Were there any useful lessons you picked up in your previous roles that have helped you at Asiacell? From my previous jobs at NGOs, I learned that caring is the key to a successful business – caring about people, work quality, hidden details and work environment. When I came to Asiacell, I made sure to bring that with me. We are working with customers, and caring matters in such fields. I learned to be confi dent in myself and my work – confi dent enough to seek help if needed and ask the tough ques- tions. I learned a trick from my days as a lecturer. At the beginning of each month, I set a list of goals, then picked one at random and asked myself: What can I do today to achieve it? I write down the steps, organise them and dedicate myself to that goal. By the end of the month I cross it from my list and set new goals for the next month. It is important to challenge yourself. What are some of the leadership challenges that are unique to running an organisation that is a market leader in its sector? Doing business in Iraq is incredibly challenging. You might have heard of the instability and constantly changing political situation in Iraq. The infrastruc- ture was completely ruined as well, and we found it exceedingly diffi cult when we started working on our data centres launching 4G LTE. However, Asiacell did not earn the title of the leading Iraqi telecommunications company by whining about how diffi cult and challenging our country is – we earned it by always being prepared and when preparation alone is not enough, that’s when we get creative. Can you explain how you guided your team and the wider organisation through various stages of the pandemic? The pandemic had an impact. It was very disruptive, and we had to make many adjustments to our core services to meet customers’ changing demands. In Asiacell, we care about bringing people together, so the adjustments were necessary to keep them connected by providing fl exible offers and more data for usage. We have made adjustments to our sales channels to make sure our products reach our customers while maintaining network excellence. While that was on the technical side, the humane side was impacted even further; we did not have the usual access to our employees, and had to introduce working from home. It was especially diffi cult for our call centre agents – their work is the most interac- tive, they thrive on meeting and conversing with people. We showed them how to use various tools to help them operate remotely, and actively started using interactive voice responses, among other self-service procedures. Digitalisation became a must, especially inside the company, and we poured most of our efforts towards it, all while ensuring our community was taken care of by endless campaigns that aimed to spread awareness and take action in our war against the virus. We are also doing many CSRs with the government about awareness and social distancing as we are a very important channel to the customers. As a chief commercial offi cer, how do you deal with the challenge of managing expectations of a diverse customer? Asiacell’s goal is to serve our customers. Their requirements are organic, and they are constantly changing. We understand the market and its needs, as well as the constant technological change, and we are confi dent in our services. Our customers don’t live in a bubble – they know what is happen- ing in the world around them. They demand excellence and deserve the best. By staying up to date with the latest innovations, doing continuous research, and being surrounded by a reliable team, we make sure our products and services are fi t to serve a diverse set of needs. What distinguishes Asiacell as a company is that no one goes unheard. We always listen and we always deliver. Asiacell is undeniably the king of telecom in Iraq. u Iraq’s Asiacell makes sure its products and services are fi t to serve a diverse set of needs, according to CCO Chra Hussain ‘NO ONE GOES UNHEARD’ Chra Hussain, chief commercial offi cer at Asiacell, shares leadership lessons from her role at Iraq’s biggest telecom operator “Our clients don’t live in a bubble – they know what is happening in the world around them. They demand excellence and deserve the best”CELEBRATING SUCCESS AND ACHIEVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR WEDNESDAY 8TH DECEMBER 2021 ConstructionWeekOnline.com/awards #CWAwards DUBAI, UAE FINAL CALL FOR NOMINATIONS ENTRY DEADLINE EXTENDED: SUNDAY 10TH OCTOBER 2021 ASSOCIATE SPONSOR Saraswati Agarwal Commercial Director T: +971 4 444 3352 M: +971 52 895 2214 Email: saraswati.agarwal@itp.com FOR SPONSORSHIP ENQUIRIES: Anthony Chandran Marketing and Events Manager T: +971 4 444 3685 Email: anthony.chandran@itp.com FOR EVENT ENQUIRIES: LEGAL PARTNERGOLD SPONSORSILVER SPONSORGOLD SPONSORFEATURE / UNIC ORNS 34 Vol. 22/15, October 2021 NICORNS HAVE ALWAYS captured the imagination of children, but increasingly it’s the business world that’s enraptured with the mythical beast. That’s for two reasons, the first being the creature is now synonymous with success, having become a definition in the dictionary that means a company which has achieved a valuation greater than $1bn. But there is another definition that also fits ‘something that is highly desir- able but difficult to find or obtain’, that certainly speaks to the unusual level of success required to pass said valuation. Kitopi is a company which fits both descriptions, having become the UAE’s latest company to achieve unicorn status after it raised $415m from a group of investors including SoftBank Group Corp’s Vision Fund 2. It’s a milestone which the cloud kitchen company passed in just three years in operation. Mohamad Ballout, CEO and co-founder sits down with Arabian Business at their recently- minted premises in Hessa Street, Dubai, to unpack the success. Kitopi is the UAE’s most recent unicorn, a company which has a valuation of over $1bn. For someone who has just rBallout says Kitopi now have enough capital to fuel the growth of its business in the Middle East and to expand globally U BY SCOTT ARMSTRONG Kitopi CEO and co-founder Mohamad Ballout sits down with Arabian Business to unpack the company’s rise and the rise of the Kitopians More MENA-born unicorns on the horizon “Kitopi has helped redesign the F&B ecosystem by fi nding a middle ground between aggregators, restaurants with the mission of satisfying the customer’s appetite”/ INVE STMENT ArabianBusiness.com 3536 Vol. 22/15, October 2021 FEATURE / UNIC ORNS of the food and customer experience. This allows F&B brands and restaurant owners only need to focus on what they do best i.e. product innovation, recipe development and marketing, and we do the rest. This has helped us attract several globally recognised brands such as Papa Johns, Nathan’s Famous and iHOP as well as local heroes. A large part of our competitive advan- tage is our proprietary Smart Kitchen Operating System (SKOS). SKOS is a suite of applications that optimises the $200m The capital Kitopi plans to deploy in Saudi Arabia as part of the company’s expansion plans u Cloud kitchens such as Kitopi have started to attract more attention from global investors arrived from the moon, can you give us an overview of Kitopi, what you do and what sets you apart from the competition? Kitopi is the world’s leading managed cloud kitchen platform and our mission is to satisfy the world’s appetite. We are a platform of kitchens that partners with F&B brands to help them scale across borders, in as little as 14 days. We do this by taking care of the entire oper- ations – from supply chain, staff train- ing, food preparation as well as delivery ArabianBusiness.com 37 / UNIC ORNS performance of its cloud kitchen opera- tions in real time. The solution focusses on delivering a great customer experi- ence across multiple brands in a single kitchen by maximising operational effi- ciency. Since launch, SKOS has enabled Kitopi to scale to 200-plus brands in 60-plus kitchens over just three years. What does it mean to you and the company to achieve this unicorn status? Was this always the dream starting out? We didn’t dream of achieving this mile- stone, let alone in as little as three and a half years, but this investment recon- firms that what we’re doing is right. More importantly, this investment is [a] commitment to our industry and region and we hope it inspires other startups in our region, to build and find solu- tions to complex problems. We still have a lot of work to do. We want to be the world’s most customer centric organisation, and we want to continue to innovate while solidifying our relationships with new and existing brands. We’ve already celebrated but our heads are down and we’re already back to our mission of satisfying the world’s appetite. If you could go back to the day you started the business, what would you tell yourself, what did you get right, and perhaps more importantly what did you get wrong? At Kitopi, we celebrate mistakes. The logic behind this is that as long as it’s a two-way door decision, mistakes are completely excused – this allows us to learn from them and move super- fast. The goal then is to identify those one-way door decisions that need to be closely analysed before executing. And if you could go back and change the mistakes would you? Mistakes are meant to be learned from. If you don’t make them, there’s a high chance you’re being very safe. And being safe isn’t what got us to being first movers in this space. What has made you the most proud over your journey to this point with Kitopi? The fact that we have built one of the best, high performing teams. We like to think of ourselves as a sports team that’s out to win the playoffs. And just like any other team, we recognise that we’re stronger together. What’s your view of the digital startup scene here in the UAE? Is it a hotbed of opportunity and if so what are the key ingredients for anyone wanting to jump off that cliff? What are your essen- tials for success considering nine out 10 startups are set to fail? I massively believe in and support the tech ecosystem in the MENA region. u A large part of Kitopi’s competitive advantage is its proprietary Smart Kitchen Operating System (SKOS) “We’ve already celebrated but our heads are down and we’re already back to our mission of satisfying the world’s appetite”38 Vol. 22/15, October 2021 FEATURE / UNIC ORNS There will be 10s or more unicorns in the next few years alone and we’re all excited to see what’s yet to come. You’ve just raised $415m in a funding round, how difficult was that? To some that will seem like an eye-watering figure, but are the fundamentals of rais- ing money the same as you go through the rounds? Again do you have a golden rule, or are there pitfalls to avoid? We believe this round is not only a testa- ment to Kitopi or the industry but to the entire region. Having said that, we’ve been very mindful about finding the right partners to help us further our mission. Every business has different needs but when it comes to investment, my advice is to find investors that are aligned with your vision – it’s not a one way street and we’re very fortunate to have the support of leading interna- tional and regional investors. We were looking for long term capital investors, and what was unique in Soft- Bank is their portfolio of phenomenal u Kitopi will make KSA its Middle East headquarters while Dubai will remain a global head offi ce (above) $71.4bn The estimated value of the global cloud kitchen market by 2027, according to a report by Allied Market ResearchArabianBusiness.com 39 / UNIC ORNS companies that we can build synergies with globally. I also think it’s very important to be genuine and authentic (investors can see right through that), and build relation- ships with partners from early on. It’s highly unlikely a new investor will invest a large sum of money when first meeting you – trust is built over time and busi- nesses should spend time on this. How much did coronavirus accelerate the growth of the business, and how did you pivot or change course to embrace the opportunity? The Covid-19 crisis impacted a lot of industries and the food industry has been no different. In the first few weeks of the pandemic, we saw an initial dip in online orders which came from customer apprehension of food delivery. However, we spent a lot of time work- ing closely with our brands and delivery partners to educate our consumers on our health and safety practices. As a tech-enabled organisation, we’re always trying to optimise our kitchens for efficiency and it’s no different when it comes to health and safety standards. We adopted AI technology to help monitor anomalies in our kitchens. For example, this tech could help ensure our colleagues were washing their hands for 20 seconds, wearing their masks correctly etc. If an anomaly was identified, we’d be able to rectify it immediately. We also introduced thermal cameras to scan temperatures for colleagues and drivers in the waiting areas in addition to regular H&S training and double sealing bags when transporting food. In addition to this, we teamed up with our delivery and brand partners as well as supported the government in distributing free meals to communities impacted by the pandemic. Last but not the least, we also invited small businesses and F&B brands alike to join our platform if they were struggling with keeping their physical outlets open. What the pandemic has done is help the F&B industry leapfrog to the digital age, which otherwise would have taken them years to do. Cloud kitchens are the future as they not only help restaurants scale beyond borders quickly, but provide customers access to their favourite brands, from anywhere in the world. Are you a competition for the hospitality sector or are you complementary? And do you think your model is changing the food industry for the better? Kitopi has helped redesign the F&B ecosystem by finding a middle ground between aggregators, restaurants with the mission of satisfying the customer’s appetite. All our end users are the same: the customer, and we’re all working closely together to deliver fresh food, fast. So I do believe our managed cloud kitchen model is not only complemen- tary to the hospitality sector, but we’re partners that work closely with F&B brands, to help them succeed. Our prob- lem statement was identified, keeping the hardships restaurants face in mind and our business model was created to help them solve this problem. u Kitopi is present in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait markets u Kitopi is still growing even as dining-in at restaurants resumes in many countries where it operates $619m The projected worth of the online F&B sales in the UAE by 2025, according to Dubai ChamberNext >