< Previous30 C EO M I D D L E E A S T JA N UA RY 2 0 2 1 MAKING A DIFFERENCE MEANING IS AT THE HEART OF SUSTAINABILITY AND CSR AT ASTER DM HEALTHCARE, SAYS ITS FOUNDER, DR AZAD MOOPEN NATION IS PRIMARILY MEASURED by its healthy citizens and education which ultimately leads to its economic development. As such, healthcare should be considered more than just a business. It is a service dedicated to the welfare of people, restoring wellness and saving lives, which ultimately leads to building the capability of a nation to progress. In the process profit just becomes a by- product. As healthcare providers, we have the opportunity to make a meaningful difference by giving back to the society and fulfil many of the crucial need gaps which exists in accessing healthcare. When Aster DM Healthcare started its journey with a single clinic in Dubai in 1987, healthcare in UAE was still in its nascent stages with limited quality healthcare options being available for the expats in UAE. We started receiving many patients and I started offering free consultations and free medicines every Tuesday for the people who could not afford medical treatments. The concept of giving back to the society became ingrained into the DNA of our organisation and as the organisation grew, so did our efforts to reach out to as many people as we can. In 2016, Aster Volunteers was established as the CSR arm of Aster DM Healthcare with an aim of serving as a catalyst for social impact action and to function as a platform for all those who wish to contribute to our humanitarian efforts. Operating under a two-fold approach, Aster Volunteers encourages members from our internal group entities to personally take up and see through as many initiatives as possible to give back to the society. On the other hand, we are working to build a combined volunteer force consisting of Aster employees and members of the public, who are willing to utilise their time and energy to make a meaningful impact in the society. Gradually, the platform has grown to empower communities to drive the spirit of volunteerism through social impact interventions in healthcare, environment, education and social uplifting through sustainable practices. We aim to make the programme a global movement by seeking to bridge the gap between the thousands of people who need help and many others who are willing to spend their time to help people in need, irrespective of differences in ethnicity, distance, capabilities and cultural background. Today, the programme is operating through eight core pillars – free surgeries and investigations, basic life support awareness, disaster relief and aid programme, free medical and wellness camp, recruitment and support of people with determination, mobile medical services, child health and wellness, and sustainability and community connect. Most of our initiatives under these pillars are being driven by our employees based across the eight countries in which we are present and with pride I can say that we have been able to introduce interventions in many areas. We have made continuous efforts in the past to serve people and provide the less fortunate with the same care, support and opportunities as everyone else and we aim to strive for much more in the future and help the world grow sustainably. A LEADERSHIP | ASTER DM HEALTHCAREJA N UA RY 2 0 2 1 C EO M I D D L E E A S T 31 REWORKING THE FUTURE TECHNOLOGY IS RESHAPING THE WAY WE WORK TODAY AND INTO THE NEXT DECADE, WRITES MOHAMMED AMIN, SR. VICE-PRESIDENT, MERAT, DELL TECHNOLOGIES IGHT NOW, WHEN, WHERE AND HOW people do their jobs is undergo- ing the biggest change in his- tory. The line is blurring between which tools are used at work and at home. Workers are accustomed to rich fea- tures and functionality on their personal devices and expect the same to perform their work no matter where they are. In today’s digital world, it’s no longer a mat- ter of ‘good enough’. In order to achieve business success and more importantly, attract and retain talent, organisations must create a better work experience because today’s workers are savvy and have higher expectations around their experiences than even just three years ago. The fact is, everyone wants to work the way they want, without restrictions, collaborating and communi- cating with colleagues in a natural, seam- less way. Emerging tech today is not only creating new possibilities for how people and jobs find each other more seamlessly, they are also enabling new ways of working together. So, as work becomes less of a place you go, and more of a task you per- form, employees expect to be able to work whenever they want, wherever they want. But are organisations truly ready to evolve the traditional nine-to-five desk job to meet the needs and expectations of both the business and their employees? Businesses will need to strike a balance between empowering employees to work virtual through advanced technology solutions and retaining a workplace en- vironment that allows their employees to work onsite in the office while maintain- ing company culture and productivity. The transformation into a digital workplace that meets worker expecta- tions does not come about easily. Older enterprises are set in their top-down approach to IT services, wherein en- terprise product investment by the IT department has resulted in an environ- ment in which only vetted and approved corporate applications can be used. As you can imagine, this approach falls flat with today’s workforce, who have a strong understanding of what technology can do for them and are at ease using commu- nications and collaboration tools even in their personal lives. In today’s workplace, IT departments can barely keep up with the constant demands for personalisation and easy-to-use solutions, alongside the demands of employees to integrate their work and personal devices and applica- tions. The unrelenting pace of digital and workforce transformation creates new challenges consistently and yet also pre- sents huge opportunities for companies to get things right. DEFINING THE FUTURE OF WORK Ten years out, organisations that suc- cessfully achieve digital workplace transformations will be at an advantage over businesses struggling with legacy systems, massive amounts of data and workforces unprepared for change. Some companies will run the race quicker than others, which could widen the gap between businesses that are future-ready and able to benefit from emerging tech- nologies, and those that are not. But one thing is for certain: the steps organisa- tions take today – including modernising infrastructure, inspiring employees and deploying next-generation technology infrastructure – will lay the groundwork for their digital-future and help to bring to fruition the next wave of technology led, human progress. R LEADERSHIP | DELL TECHNOLOGIES 32 C EO M I D D L E E A S T JA N UA RY 2 0 2 1 FAST MOVER FAISAL AL BANNAI DOESN’T JUST DOMINATE THE INDUSTRIES HIS BUSINESSES ARE IN, HE REDEFINES THEM. AT THE HELM OF EDGE, THE UAE’S LARGEST DEFENCE CONGLOMERATE, HE DRAWS ON A CAREER THAT HAS SEEN HIM CREATE AND LEAD COMPANIES AT A TURBOCHARGED RATE HERE’S A RECURRING THEME that seems to crop up when speaking with – or about – Faisal Al Bannai. A highly awarded and widely respected businessman, who founded the region’s largest home-grown mobile phone retailer before turning his prodigious vision to communications and defence, Al Ban- nai’s leadership style, it is very apparent, belongs firmly in the fast lane. “I continue to be amazed by his abil- ity to quickly ‘ramp up’ in new sectors, as he simplifies complex problems, and inspires and guides experts in their respective domains,” says longtime col- league Reda Nidhakou, Al Bannai’s VP of Strategic Programmes at EDGE. Al Bannai himself tells CEO Middle East that he hires staff based on their ability to look swiftly through and beyond obstacles in a perpetual mission for tan- gible deliverables. It’s how he describes his own leadership style. “Any leader needs a can-do mind- set, you need to find a way to get your team to their goals. It is guaranteed that challenges will come and things will not always go as planned. You need to have the mindset that you will find a way, and crucially you need to have a sense of urgency. Speed is critical in today’s world. The world will not wait,” he says. And, in a period where business buzzwords such as ‘disruption’ and ‘AI’ have been unceremoniously replaced with a global obsession for pivoting, being nimble and swift, agile leadership, it seems that even here, the ambitious businessman got to the finish line ahead of the rest: he’s been espousing those very values for several years. “His approach in guiding EDGE through the Covid-19 crisis is an example of his pragmatic leadership. He has guided us to identify possible levers to preserve the stability of EDGE, while equipping employees to face the crisis through concrete actions,” adds Nidhakou. Today, the company is, along with the rest of the world, adjusting its course in an entirely unexpected landscape. “We have set strict measures to protect employees, accelerated digi- talisation, assessed and mitigated the commercial and financial risks, initiated discussions with clients and partners ac- cordingly, and have also started preparing strategies and action plans for the post- Covid period,” adds Nidhakou. A WINNING TRACK RECORD Al Bannai’s track record in setting up companies and high-performance teams speaks for itself. He founded mobile phone retailer, Axiom, in 1997, almost immediately after completing his master’s degree, and grew it from a team of just four employees into the region’s largest retailer and distributor, valued at over $2bn. He then parlayed his technology and communication savvy into founding DarkMatter in 2014, a cyber security company that he sold to private equity firms in 2019, when before confirming his new role as CEO of EDGE. “My experience at DarkMatter, cyber security and defence brought me closer to this role, while my experience at Axiom of swiftly setting up effective teams, has also been relevant,” notes Al Bannai. T LEADERSHIP | FAISAL BANNAIJA N UA RY 2 0 2 1 C EO M I D D L E E A S T 33 WOMEN POWER PRINCESS LAMIA BINT MAJED AL SAUD, SECRETARY GENERAL OF ALWALEED PHILANTHROPIES, TALKS TO CEO MIDDLE EAST ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF ENSURING AN EQUAL FOOTING FOR WOMEN TRULY BELIEVE THAT FOR PEOPLE who are fortunate to be in lead- ership positions, there is a duty to tackle the barriers that hinder the next generation from reaching their full po- tential. Unfortunately, we have seen the devastating impact of the pandemic on female employment. Surprisingly, women make up 39 percent of global employment but account for 54 percent of overall job losses. However, I believe that women hold a truly vital position in successful post-pandemic recovery plans. In Saudi Arabia, women are expected to play a key role in the country’s devel- opment strategy, Vision 2030. In doing so, it has been widely recognised that female participation in the economy, health, education and government is crucial. We have already made great strides with more women than ever hold- ing leadership and managerial positions, in addition to the policy reforms that granted greater freedom for all women across the country. Throughout the last 40 years, Al- waleed Philanthropies has supported and initiated projects to empower women across Saudi Arabia. We have seen how education-led initiatives and access to resources have provided greater econom- ic and employment opportunities and have greatly supported women reaching their professional goals. For example, through our Waeya Legal Initiative, we trained female lawyers and promoted greater awareness of legal rights for all women across the country. The initiative was able to support women in the legal field, while simultaneously supporting vulnerable women through greater access to legal counsel. This is something we are passionate about, by encouraging and enabling more women into leadership roles, we can empower all women. Therefore, our support must be action-led. As Secretary General of Al- waleed Philanthropies, it has been para- mount for our programmes to empower women through greater access to re- sources, increased training opportunities, and the promotion of entrepreneurship. Additionally, we believe research and col- laboration is vital to develop pathways to elevate women and overcome barriers. To further understand the barriers women face, in 2019 Alwaleed Philanthropies collaborated with UN Women, General Authority of Statistics, and King Saud University, to measure the first Saudi fe- male participation in social and econom- ic development study. This revealed the challenges facing Saudi women through social, economic, health and educa- tional lenses. Continuously working with partners to identify the challenges women face enables us to develop strategies on how to increase female participation, and ultimately improve gender equality across a variety of sectors. The role of women in Saudi society is incredibly important. There has never been a more crucial time for us to ensure that women, and youth, are given the resources and tools they need to contrib- ute to a better and healthier world. We continue to see a wide variety of op- portunities made available for women in the last five years, whether Saudi women being recognised on the global stage in industries from engineering to design, or women holding more positions in govern- ment and creating greater opportunities for the next generation. I LEADERSHIP | PRINCESS LAMIA 34 C EO M I D D L E E A S T JA N UA RY 2 0 2 1 CIARÁN KELLY, MANAGING DIRECTOR AND REGIONAL LEADER OF FCM TRAVEL SOLUTIONS, SAYS CEOS SHOULD BE LOOKING TO IMPLEMENT A COMBINATION OF VIRTUAL TECHNOLOGY, WFH AND FACE TO FACE STRATEGIES TO ENSURE THE SUCCESS OF THEIR BUSINESS VEN NOW, AS POCKETS of the industry trend towards recovery, the business travel landscape continues to shift and evolve. In preparation for a return to some normality, business and suppliers are reframing their priorities, processes and procedures. It is clear that uncertainty will remain for some time, however companies that can adapt more quickly to the new business models post Covid-19 will be well positioned to get back to business sooner. Business models will be made up of a combination of the virtual world, more companies extending working from home policies, WFH, a reduction in spending on office space, coupled with the tradi- tional face to face world we have all been accustomed to pre-pandemic. Virtual meetings have certainly enabled business momentum over the last several months which have also brought various ben- efits; the realisation that companies can function with smaller office spaces, the positive environmental impact on carbon footprint right down to not having to think about finding a free meeting room. Nonetheless, there are various drawbacks also that can impact business engulfed in this virtual world momen- tum. Reliability on network connection can be a challenge in certain markets and personally speaking, engaging with numerous clients and suppliers across the MEA region is not always straightforward experience. Connectivity is slow, lost and intermittent, leading to several meetings having to be cancelled, rescheduled and content repeated. “As for ‘zoom fatigue’, JP Morgan Chase, American Airlines and Microsoft CEOs are all recently quoted highlight- ing the problems with virtual technology, “creative combustion”, “awful”, and “transactional”. There’s no real culture being felt on zoom calls and creativity is lacking, the clock is always being watched so as not to be late for the next call. While reports state that company productivity is not impacted, currently, as people are working longer hours, and ‘have to jump off now and go on another conference call’ many believe there will be a burn out from staff attending too many virtual meetings and glued to their screens having accepted an overload of virtual invites. There seems to be a trend for attend- ees switching their cameras to off mode than at the start of the pandemic. This trend is making the C-Suite and others question just how much attendees are actually concentrating or listening during these calls. Attendees in various forums have admitted to taking a shower, cook- ing lunch or dinner, talking to the delivery guy at the door as their online orders arrive while on a conference call. While there may be valid reasons at times for the above, they can also prevent audiences from really engaging, building relationships, trust, creating motivation and reading the usual body language indicators to asses engagement and un- derstanding key messages from partici- pants. All of which are critical elements to successful partnerships and business success. Without the ability to read body language, a crucial form of com- munication, we miss important elements to conversations that can positively or negatively impact a business. E LEADERSHIP | FCM TRAVEL SOLUTIONS THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLEDJA N UA RY 2 0 2 1 C EO M I D D L E E A S T 35 ADVOCATE FOR HOROLOGY HIND SEDDIQI, CHIEF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER AT SEDDIQI HOLDING AND DIRECTOR GENERAL OF DUBAI WATCH WEEK, BELIEVES THAT INNOVATION, DIVERSITY AND TRUST ARE ESSENTIAL TO CREATE THE LEADERS OF TOMORROW HILE HER DAY-TO-DAY ROLE involves marketing and strategy for the family business, which has its roots as a watch retailer and recently diversified into retail, it is as the woman behind Dubai Watch Week that she has made an industry-transforming impact. Launched only in 2015, the event has succeeded in drawing the leading talents of watchmaking to converge in the Middle East for the unique non-commer- cially driven networking event. Her idea for Dubai Watch Week came about after positive feedback from clients who had the opportunity to visit watch factories in Switzerland. In order to bring the slightly secretive world of fine watch- making alive to those in the region, it was decided to instead invite its watchmakers and leaders to Dubai. Traditionally a male-dominated industry, Seddiqi’s alternative vision for a platform that focusses on sharing stories, connecting a community and exchanging knowledge is nothing short of ground- breaking and has fast become one of the watchmaking world’s most anticipated events. At the most recent event, one of the panel discussions looked at whether women need to express their power dif- ferently to men – a superficially non- horological discussion topic, but one that asked tough questions about male-domi- nated industries. “It is important to involve both gen- ders in talks and seminars around general difficulties both genders face in the work- force,” says Seddiqi. “There’s nothing to say we don’t share the same struggles. We need each other in order to succeed, and it is important to highlight this need rather than encouraging bias against one gender over another. It is important for women to see and learn from what other women have achieved in various fields. However, I am not a great supporter of extreme feminism. Women need to un- derstand that there is a need for gender balance and not female domination. “It frustrates me when I listen to talks that glorify women and denigrate men. We need each other in order to succeed. Some of the biggest supporters in my life are men and without them there are so many things I wouldn’t have been able to achieve or experience. It is a matter of respecting each other.” Seddiqi is committed to championing the professional development of her col- leagues and department heads. “Women are ready to go into leader- ship roles and statistics have proven they are strong performers. What needs to be done is to give more opportunities for women to get into these roles. We are lucky in the UAE to have such oppor- tunities, hence the existence of strong leadership roles in the government as well as private sectors,” she notes, reflecting that the qualities of exceptional leader- ship transcend gender. “A leader needs to build trust, needs to accept diversity of thoughts, needs to be innovative, and most importantly needs to groom other leaders. Leaders must possess courage, otherwise all the above would be difficult to attain.” W LEADERSHIP | SEDDIQI HOLDINGCOVER STORY | TOMASO RODRIGUEZ 36 C EO M I D D L E E A S T JA N UA RY 2 0 2 1 DRIVING GROWTH THE YEAR 2021 IS SET TO BE A DEFINING YEAR FOR THE REGION’S LEADING FOOD AND GROCERY DELIVERY APP TALABAT. WE SIT DOWN WITH CEO TOMASO RODRIGUEZ TO DISCUSS PURPOSE, THE YEAR THAT RESHAPED THE WORLD AND HIS ASPIRATIONS MOVING FORWARD BY JOLA CHUDY COVER STORY | TOMASO RODRIGUEZ JA N UA RY 2 0 2 1 C EO M I D D L E E A S T 37 OR MANY BUSINESSES, THE past year is best consigned to the history books. However, for talabat, 2020 has presented remarkable identity growth through helping the or- ganisation to confirm who they are and what they stand for. “At talabat, we love what we do, and helping others is a key part of this,” talabat CEO Tomaso Rodriguez says, speaking exclusively to CEO Middle East. “Simply put, we are passionate about creating amazing experiences for our ecosystem – our partner restaurants, customers, riders, communities, and our employees alike. “However, creating amazing experi- ences is only half of what we do. The other half is being truly passionate about the communities that we serve. If the pandemic has taught us one thing as people, it is that we need to be able to take stock at important junctions in life and in business, and ask whether we have truly done all that we could to help? That’s where we have refined our purpose this year, our sense of commu- nity; helping and giving back. In previ- ous years, our efforts were scattered, however during the pandemic, we were able to prioritise and focus our efforts on those that needed it the most. “I firmly believe that during the pan- demic our employees’ purpose-driven culture evolved from an understanding F of the fragility of our ecosystem – and how daily decisions they made directly affected its survival and public safety. For us, being a purpose-driven organisa- tion is at the heart of who we are.” Keeping the lights on “At the start of the pandemic, the safety of our entire ecosystem was our number one priority – our customers, riders, partners and our community,” Rodriguez says. One example of the fragility of the ecosystem which Rodriguez allude to was the need to help restaurant partners ‘keep the lights on.’ Typically restau- rants have the least cash reserves, with a JPMorgan Chase Institute study showing they have a median of 16 days or thereabouts, which at the start of an at-least year-long pandemic made for tough reading. “Covid-19 has been a disaster for many industries, with F&B being one of the worst impacted. Overnight, our restaurant partners saw their dine-in revenue evaporate, due to people need- ing to stay safe and at home. Initially, they also saw much of their delivery revenue drop, mainly because people were worried about food being contami- nated. We needed to ensure that we won consumer trust back. It was a challeng- ing time for everyone involved, especially our restaurant partners.” To gain consumer trust back, talabat focussed on short term as well as long term projects to help ensure the viability of the entire ecosystem. This included being first in the region to im- plement solutions such as safety equipment and contactless delivery, which in turn opened up conversations with govern- ment, paving the way for the delivery industry to continue to operate in many of its markets, throughout various lockdowns “GOVERNMENTS PLAYED A CRITICAL ROLE THROUGHOUT THE REGION; THEY SUCCESSFULLY GUIDED THEIR PEOPLE THROUGH THESE DIFFICULT TIMES”38 C EO M I D D L E E A S T JA N UA RY 2 0 2 1 government collaboration, to further support restaurant partners, talabat also offered customers free delivery campaigns and smart choice campaigns to encourage ordering from their local restaurants during the early-stages of the pandemic, as well as investing heavily in marketing, 2.5 times more than average, to attract new as well as returning customers. In terms of long-term initiatives, tala- bat also provided six-month commission deferments to restaurants and made and curfews. This was a critical first step to helping to secure the livelihoods of many of their restaurant partners – their employees, their families, their well-beings. “Governments played a critical role throughout the region; they handled the situation very well and success- fully guided their people through these difficult times. We are deeply grateful for their collaboration with us and their community focus during the pandemic. To allow delivery to continue to oper- ate in many markets gave the restau- rant ecosystems a lifeline, which many otherwise would have collapsed entirely. When we were able to show our com- mitment to safety, we were able to work together to ensure that people stayed safe at home.” In addition to safety solutions and payment schedules more flexible, to ac- commodate different cashflow statuses of their partners. “We’re proud to say that with our help, restaurants right across the region were able to keep the lights on through the worst of the pandemic in our eight differ- ent markets, and after that, on average, have seen 25 percent growth across their delivery business. When we talk about a purpose-driven business – to have a sig- nificant impact on the livelihoods – par- ticularly of our small-medium restaurants partners during this period, is something that we are truly thankful for.” Giving back “Giving back directly relates to our re- fined purpose. It is in our DNA. We want to support our communities as much as we can. Where we are today is down to COVER STORY | TOMASO RODRIGUEZ 50,000 The number of hero riders working for talabat regionallyJA N UA RY 2 0 2 1 C EO M I D D L E E A S T 39 their commitment over many years, and we will do what we can to give back,” Rodriguez says. This mantra is supported through talabat’s charitable donations. Dur- ing the pandemic, talabat donated or facilitated the donation and delivery of over 343,000 meals plus 42,000 medi- cine deliveries to chronically ill patients, through collaboration with governments, local entities, or their wider business network. All of these were delivered by talabat’s helmeted heroes, helping the recipients to stay safe and stay home. To facilitate donations through its app, talabat created ‘virtual restaurants,’ where customers were able to safely donate meals and groceries to people in need. Furthermore, through its newly created loyalty programme, talabat has partnered with the UNHCR, enabling customers to support specific charitable endeavours around meal donations. Talabat has also contributed to ef- forts outside of their own markets too, including the floods in Sudan, and the port explosion in Lebanon. These initia- tives were undoubtedly headlined by the #LunchforLebanon campaign where talabat donated their gross profit from a 12-2pm period, as well as an extra €150,000 ($182,754) through the Red Cross in support of the entire Lebanese restaurant community across the region, to aid recovery efforts. Talabat donated $1m during 2020, where $600,000 was given directly from talabat to various NGOs and governments to support in fighting the pandemic and $400,000 by its customers/partners. 2021 – A defining year for talabat? Understandably, Rodriguez is hoping that 2021 proves to be a far more stable and positive year than 2020. Looking ahead to 2021, he says the organisation has some bold ideas for the future, and sees continuing to focus on opportuni- ties in its ecosystem, becoming better partners, hypergrowth in Egypt, and launching Iraq as major priorities. These opportunities, particularly the rapid expansion of talabat’s delivery- only grocery business, talabat mart and development of their delivery-only cloud kitchens, along with its traditional de- livery business, have created a platform where talabat is poised for exponential growth in 2021, a year which could po- tentially be the most defining in its short 17-year history. In late 2019 and 2020, talabat started to lay the foundations for a new concept, investing AED65m ($17.7m) into the MENA region for the launch and subse- quent expansion of its quick-commerce, delivery-only grocery business, tala- bat Mart. The service, which delivers groceries to customers’ homes in 30 minutes or less, has been instrumental in helping people stay home and stay safe throughout the pandemic, and also offers a defining feature that none of talabat’s competitors can compete with, the speed of delivery. In just over a year and a half, talabat now has 40 marts in five markets – Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Jordan and is expected to at least triple that number in 2021. “Quick-commerce is one of our plays for the future of delivery, and the natu- ral evolution from traditional e-commerce. We are redefining what grocery delivery means to customers, in terms of consist- ency, speed and convenience. We’ve now made it easier, more time-efficient and more cost- effective for customers to order online for both a full shop, or just daily essentials,” Rodri- guez says. Another quickly-expanding play for talabat is investment Workforce Talabat is continuing to focus on opportunities in its ecosystem Convenience Talabat Mart delivers groceries to customers’ homes in 30 minutes or less “GIVING BACK RELATES TO OUR PURPOSE. IT IS IN OUR DNA. WE WANT TO SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITIES AS MUCH AS WE CAN”Next >