< Previous20 C EO M I D D L E E A S T AP R I L 202 1 LEADERSHIP CEO PERSPECTIVES Almost exactly a year to the day since national lockdowns were implemented across the Middle East region as part of measures to contain the spread of coronavirus, the lessons from the global pandemic continue to be learned and applied in order to seize the growth opportunities ahead. The 24th edition of the PwC CEO survey makes for interesting reading and is refreshingly positive, par- ticularly after the economic turmoil FIVE LESSONS LEARNED BY CEOS DURING COVID-19 STEPHEN ANDERSON, MIDDLE EAST STRATEGY AND MARKETS LEADER FOR PWC MIDDLE EAST, PROVIDES HIS THOUGHTS ON THE KEY TAKE-AWAYS FROM THE LAST 12 MONTHSAP R I L 202 1 CEO MIDDLE E A ST 21 “DESPITE EVERYTHING, REMOTE WORK WORKS AND THERE ARE HUGE EFFICIENCY GAINS TO BE HAD FROM THAT” Talking openly around mental health has been a big plus that’s come out of this. IMPORTANCE OF CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS We focus very much on the technology and how we can connect, but it’s very hard to build a new relationship on- line. If you have a very strong relation- ship, then it’s relatively seamless to then do more work or more interaction with that client in all sectors, if you have that relationship. But I think, coming out of Covid, we’re talking about travelling less and doing more online, but I think businesses will still have to reflect on, how are we going to go about building those relationships? ACCESS TO REAL-TIME DATA I’ve never managed my business so tightly as during this pandemic. I thought I really understood my busi- caused by the Covid-19 virus. Here, Stephen Anderson, Middle East Strategy and Markets Leader, for PwC Middle East, shares the five things CEOs have learned from the crisis from his perspective. COMMUNICATION The level of communication that I’ve done with my teams, with my clients, ticked up enormously. I think the level of empathy in those communications also ticked up enormously. We were in our homes, we were finding out more about people’s backgrounds. For some people working from home it’s been really tough. Everybody in their late 40s, with older kids and who have a nice house, that’s quite nice, but our younger staff working from home, in shared accommodation or with young kids, trying to do a day-job in that kind of environment, that’s put a mental toll on them. ness, but when you’re looking on a day-to-day basis, you really understand your business. I think those lessons will be very important. I think the key to that was the ac- cess to real-time data. We’ve spent a lot of money on Cloud and dashboard technology, but that really came into its own when you really wanted to know, what were my costs today? What cash came in today? What are my revenues today? What is it this hour? Being able to real-time manage your business was a big plus. REMOTE WORK Despite everything, remote work works and there are huge efficiency gains to be had from that. DRIVING CHANGE MANAGEMENT AND ADOPTION OF NEW WAYS OF WORKING Typically if you put a new system in, you make it optional and people over time adopt it through training pro- grammes, change management programmes. But in the space of a week I had all of my partners very eas- ily setting up remote working, doing calls, video conferencing, presenting on screen, all of the things they probably wouldn’t have done and then, out of sheer necessity, suddenly they’re able to do it. We went through five years of trans- formation in five weeks. To write the new manual on change management, maybe it doesn’t take two years with stakeholder engagement, maybe it just takes a bit of necessity and get on with it and adapt. I think there’s probably a new way of thinking about implementation and change management that comes off the back of all that. Expert Stephen Anderson, Middle East Strategy and Markets Leader for PwC Middle East22 C EO M I D D L E E A S T AP R I L 202 1 COVER STORY | DR ABDULLATIF AL SHAMSIA MODEL OF SUSTAINABLE LEADERSHIP DR ABDULLATIF AL SHAMSI, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE HIGHER COLLEGES OF TECHNOLOGY, IS GUIDING THE UAE’S LARGEST APPLIED HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION TOWARDS ITS AMBITIOUS SUSTAINABILITY GOALS BY RIAZ NAQVI A P R I L 2 0 2 1 C EO M I D D L E E A S T 2324 C EO M I D D L E E A S T AP R I L 202 1 COVER STORY | DR ABDULLATIF AL SHAMSI cultural aspects in various fields of development. They are provided with an understanding of current industry practices in sustainable manner, and many course learning outcomes have sustainability factors embed in them, USTAINABILITY IS A CONCEPT at the heart of the UAE’s development goals. While the country’s Vision 2021 National Agenda focuses on air quality, water resources, clean energy infrastructure and green growth plans, the National Climate Change Plan of the UAE (2017 — 2050) outlines a framework for achieving these sustainability development goals (SDGs). With a staff and student body of more than 25,000 and over 67,000 alumni, the Higher Colleges of Tech- nology (HCT) is the UAE’s largest applied higher education institu- tion, and uniquely positioned to help the country meet its SDGs, says Dr Abdullatif Al Shamsi, president and CEO of HCT. “It is my role to oversee such projects and ensure that we are at the vanguard of innovation in edu- cational practices, which includes the adoption of sustainability practices and principles. “Our sustainability goals, which are mapped to the National Agenda, are a set of social, economic and environ- mental objectives that the interna- tional community has committed to achieve by 2030. The SDG framework consists of 17 goals, of which HCT has already achieved “Good Health and Well Being” and “Life on Land”. AN ALL-INCLUSIVE APPROACH Under Dr Al Shamsi’s leadership, HCT has adopted a holistic perspective to sustainability — but what does that mean in practice? “We view it as a fully integrated concept embedded into the curriculum. Therefore, we don’t treat it as a standalone course, but we embed elements of it into all our programmes, whether they be in engineering, IT, applied media, business, education or health sciences. “HCT students are provided with the principles of sustainable methods, practices and activities with reference to environmental, socioeconomic and such as sustainable tourism, urban transportation, sustainability in civil engineering, environmental engineer- ing and solid waste management, to name a few.” He’s keen to stress that HCT students aren’t just taught about sustainability in an environmental context. “For something to continue in operation it must be sustainable, such as sustainably running a busi- ness with finances, sales or market- ing,” he says. Sustainability must be addressed in students’ capstone projects, which are 23,000 The number of students who attend 16 HCT men’s and women’s campuses across the UAE SA P R I L 2 0 2 1 C EO M I D D L E E A S T 25 created towards the end of a degree programme. “They convert concepts of sustainability from their classes into a practical project that seeks to solve an issue affecting society. These can be based on design thinking pro- cesses or sustainable enterprises.” Last year, HCT won the Green World Award ‘World Champion of Champions’. This award reflected HCT’s commitment to environmental best practices by The Green Organisa- tion, which was established in 1994 as an international, independent, non-profit, non-political environment group that recognises environmental best practices. LEADERSHIP VALUES To help staff, students and stakeholders appreciate an ethos of sustainability, Dr Al Shamsi says there are three key elements to his leadership — none of which you can learn from a textbook. “First, you have to have a clear vision and mission to believe in. It’s a belief of the leader and the whole organisation to rally everyone around this vision and the organisation. “Number two, I strongly believe that you should hire smarter people than yourself. Get bright people who know how to do things better. When they believe in their initiatives, they will help you come up with creative ideas to move things forward. “Number three is about executing the vision. As a leader, as an indi- vidual, you need to be connected with what’s happening on the ground level.” For Dr Al Shamsi, this third point is achieved through engaging with students and faculty. “I teach courses within HCT because when I teach I hear directly from students; I listen to their comments, their views, under- stand the issues and glitches that need to be corrected moving forward.” As a decision-maker, Dr Al Shamsi believes that leaders should be acces- sible to all staff — not just a very sen- ior team — and that being aware of the views of students and junior staff helps him to keep an ear to the ground. “I think that will make you more dynamic in the decision-making process.” Every leadership story has an inflec- tion point, that seminal moment of per- Knowledge is power Dr Al Shamsi was among the high-profile personalities included in this year’s list of the Most Powerful Arabs by Arabian Business Quality education HCT is a higher education institution that emphasises the ideals of productivity, self-determination and excellence “I STRONGLY BELIEVE TODAY WE HAVE TO TEACH OUR KIDS VERY DIFFERENT TO THE WAY WE WERE TAUGHT”COVER STORY | DR ABDULLATIF AL SHAMSI 26 C EO M I D D L E E A S T AP R I L 202 1 sonal growth that laid the foundation for today’s success. For Dr Al Shamsi, that moment arrived in the Eighties, when the then high school graduate departed for the US to continue his education. “I was 17, spoke very little English and had never been on a plane before.” He contrasts this with the Emi- rati youth of today — “They’ve learned English from grade one and are already connected to the world through social media. It’s a lot less of a culture shock for them when they travel.” His journey since then — bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering New approach Dr Al Shamsi believes that hybrid learning provides an opportunity to improve the delivery of education to the iPad generation for innovation at its heart. “We live in a very different world. In 2014, I wrote a book called Wel- come to the iPad Generation, where I talked about how we should deal with this generation differently — we are dealing with a new breed of digitally connected human. They have many different skill sets — they can multi- task and prefer a more visual method- ology. I strongly believe today we have to teach our kids very different on the way we were taught.” PANDEMIC-DRIVEN INNOVATION For educators of all levels, the coronavirus pandemic presented an unprecedented challenge to old pedagogies with a rapid shift to online teaching and learning. However, it was also an opportune moment for Dr Al Shamsi and HCT to adopt innovative approaches to a new kind of learning. Last February, as the pandemic was escalating worldwide, Dr Al Shamsi received a call from the UAE Minister of Education, who asked how long HCT would need to transition to an online education delivery model. “I told him we’d be ready from tomorrow,” he says with a smile. While he acknowledges there were some technical issues at the begin- ning — due to thousands of students simultaneously coming online — he credits HCT’s robust technological infrastructure for a relatively smooth shift to digital education. While the pandemic has thrown a spanner into the works of many a from Boston University, a doctor in philosophy from Duke, nearly a decade teaching at UAE University followed by seven years leading the Institute of Applied Technology — has shaped a world view that has a healthy respect 63% The percentage of students at HCT who are femaleA P R I L 2 0 2 1 C EO M I D D L E E A S T 27 HCT’S SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES Throughout 2021, HCT is focusing on a number of sustainability- oriented policies and programmes: A. A Green Building Policy mandates that new construction, major renovations, operations and maintenance conform to LEED Silver standards and Estidama Pearl 3 or better. In late 2018, HCT began the process of obtaining Estidama ratings for its new Abu Dhabi men’s and women’s campuses in Baniyas, as well as Estidama Pearl 2 rating for a turbo engine hangar and storage space located at the HCT-Al Ain Women’s campus. B. There is also a plan to participate in the LEED Volume Certification programme. C. A Sustainable Purchasing Policy, which mandates the creation of a cross-campus team tasked with developing sustainable purchasing guidelines for a wide range of products and services, including green, emission-reducing products rated to Energy Star standards. D. A Zero Waste Policy establishes waste reduction and diversion benchmarks. It has a long-term goal of achieving zero waste through the adoption of cutting- edge technologies and smart systems for reducing, segregating and recycling waste. E. The HCT Carbon Neutral Plan, which came about due to HCT signing the pledge to the Global Universities and Colleges’ Climate Commitment (GUCCC), agrees to take action to address climate change. The plan outlines HCT’s path in neutralis- ing its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. “THE NEW NORMAL OF EDUCATION WILL BE DIGITAL, ON-DEMAND, PERSONALISED AND AGILE TO ADAPT TO EMERGING TRENDS” business, Dr Al Shamsi says it hasn’t had a major detrimental impact on HCT’s operations or sustainability plans, thanks to meticulous planning by senior management as well as a thorough study of Covid-19’s impact on HCT’s sustainability initiatives, both during and after the pandemic. “Therefore, student success, teaching and learning capabilities, research and innovation opportuni- ties, human capital requirements, sustainability and well-being aspects were prioritised and enhanced through this period, in order to sustain a continuity of HCT’s core business of educating and graduating students. “The pandemic has caused a seismic shift in the education land- scape. We will see less need for brick-and-mortar campuses as education becomes more oriented towards technology-enabled learning with a reinvigorated focus on online and remote work and study. “The modern workplace has also undergone major upheavals during the pandemic, with a greater emphasis on employees working from home. For HCT, it has seen productivity from both academic and administrative staff being maintained, while providing them with beneficial work-life balances.” The pandemic has sharpened HCT’s focus on a hybrid education model, which provides students a more personalised approach to learning through courses delivered both online and on campus. “The disruptions have led to the genesis of the ‘new normal’ of education, which will be highly digital in format, on-demand in delivery, personalised by design, and agile to adapt to emerging, or unpredicted, trends,” he says. Training HCT’s 2017-2021 strategic plan is anchored in the UAE’s vision of creating technical leaders and entrepreneurs of the futureLEADERSHIP | MASDAR CITY 28 C EO M I D D L E E A S T AP R I L 202 1 LEADERSHIP | MASDAR CITY LIMATE CHANGE CHALLENGES ARE AN ongoing and pressing global issue as leaders work towards a post-coronavirus ‘green recovery’ including the reduction of carbon emissions. Among those advocat- ing for this recovery, and promoting renewable energy sources such as solar and wind energies is Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi. In a wide ranging interview, Al Ramahi addresses the opportunities in renewable energy sources, Masdar’s plans for 2021 and progress towards UAE’s 2050 Energy Strategy. Can you comment on the need to address climate change, and the role companies like Masdar are playing in combating global warming? To meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and keep global warming below 1.5C, and avert a truly global catastrophe, will require huge investment from all nations. The UN says that while trillions are spent annually on meeting the SDGs, a short- fall of around $3 trillion remains. For companies like Masdar, this represents opportunity. In 2019, just before the pandemic, investments in the utility-scale renewables which Mas- dar pursues were already expected to average $250bn per annum for the next decade. As a result of green recovery initiatives globally, this figure is actually likely to rise. Looking to 2050, wind and solar technologies, which are relatively mature and are now cost effective, will capture the highest share in global power generation spend with cumulative investments of $5.3 tril- lion and $4.2 trillion, respectively. This compares to $1.9 trillion in gas and $0.4 trillion in coal investments. So, investor sentiment has clearly shifted towards greener and more sustainable investments. This is good news for Masdar and similar compa- nies that are actively facilitating the energy transition. C A GREENER VISION RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES ARE KEY FOR POST-PANDEMIC GREEN RECOVERY, SAYS MASDAR CEO MOHAMED JAMEEL AL RAMAHI By NABILA RAHALAP R I L 202 1 CEO MIDDLE E A ST 29 visible at last year’s Abu Dhabi Sus- tainability Week, held in January, and meant to culminate with the COP26 UN climate platform. But I believe any shift in attention away from the issue, has been merely delayed by our necessary focus on the Energy goals The UAE set a new target to reduce carbon emissions by 23.5 percent by 2030 “WITH THE GLOBAL GREEN RECOVERY, OUR PURPOSE, MISSION AND OUR MANDATE HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE RELEVANT” What role has the pandemic played, if any, in the perception of climate change challenges and the need for sustainability and clean energy? Before the pandemic news really broke in February and March, climate was al- ready shaping up to be one of the biggest stories of 2020. We started that year with the bushfires in Australia. Then there was a record-breaking hurricane season and deadly heatwaves around the world. The year 2020 was in fact one of the hottest years on record. It was also supposed to be the year the world got its act together on climate change, with a real momentum pandemic and its consequences. In fact, entering 2021, there is renewed energy behind the climate debate, as a result of the green recovery objective. The resulting green dividend has the potential to transform our world. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), which is headquartered in Masdar City, estimates that average annual investments of $2 trillion in renewables and sustainable technologies in the 2021-2023 post-Covid recovery phase could create 5.5 million additional jobs – while an extra 19 million jobs could be created by 2030, if we scale up investment in the energy transition. What are some of the key challenges on the path to sustainability and clean energy? We have seen a global shift of capital towards clean energy, especially with prevailing renewable energy technolo- gies such as solar and wind having a well understood risk profile and proving to be cost competitive. This is obviously an opportunity. The biggest challenge, however, is how do we ensure emerging markets, and especially fast-growing, highly industrial economies, capture their share of that capital, as they are typically seen as higher risk for investment. Following the slowdown due to the pandemic, it’s a big concern that cash- poor nations may not commit to invest- ing in renewables and ‘double down’ on coal, either due to the need for short- term economic jump-starts or lack of access to capital, or both. A long-term challenge, but one that is essential to meeting the SDGs, is how we fix our cities. We are building the equivalent of a new Paris every single week. Given our cities consume 80 percent of the world’s energy and account for more than 70 percent of global carbon dioxide emis- sions, this is simply not sustainable. We’ve been working to address this challenge for more than a decade now, with key breakthroughs showcased in $2 TRILLION The average annual investments in renewables and sustainable technologies in 2021-2023, according to IRENANext >