On the lighter side of things, we ask the industry experts what makes them tick. Here we speak to Sahem Azzam, Vice President Middle East and Africa, Orange Business Services<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What would you describe\nas your most memorable achievement?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n From a career perspective, being promoted to lead a services\nbusiness unit in the Middle East and being specifically asked to turn it around\nand grow the business was certainly one of the major professional challenges I\nhave faced so far. It took me 18 months to achieve it and I learned a lot – that success is fuelled by many factors: having\nthe right strategy, focus, the right combination of talent, calibre of people\nand the right leadership in place. We had successful sustained growth for four\nyears before I moved to another role. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What first made you\nthink of a career in technology?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Initially, I wanted to go to medical school because of\nmy father\u2019s influence and I followed this path until high school but then opted\nfor communication engineering. I realised the impact of continually evolving\ntechnology and it\u2019s future potential, so I started to do Microsoft and Cisco\ntraining courses to develop my knowledge and understanding and to be ready for\nthe market place with the right skills. I did the training while I was studying\nat university and it gave my career a boost. I focused on emerging technologies\nsuch as VOIP and contact centres, and I enjoyed combining learning and working\nat the same time and this made my job more fun. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What style of management\nphilosophy do you employ with your current position?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I have always combined consultative and directive\nmanagement styles; I use consultative more often to listen to the team and\ngather different opinions to select the best option when considering an\nimportant decision, for example. In addition to creating consensus among the team,\nit\u2019s an effective way to engage the team and to get them actively involved in\nmaking decisions. However, when there is little or no time for consultation or\na clear consensus, I opt for a more directive style because ultimately, someone\nhas to \u2018call the shots\u2019 when we have to act faster. So far, this combination – with an\nemphasis on the consultative approach \u2013 has proven to be very successful and\nhelps develop mutual respect between team members and leaders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What do you think is the\ncurrent hot technology talking point?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the most exciting current hot topics with so many pilot phases underway; we have already started to see different applications such as chatbots, city concierges, government services. The use cases for these technologies are very broad, and it’s evolving so quickly. I believe the demand for AI skills and use cases will increase as applications widen and the impact of AI deepens. Adoption levels will vary from country to country and from sector to sector but all will have some level of AI implemented over the next two to three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How do you deal with\nstress and unwind outside the office?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I am a very social person and enjoy spending time with\nfamily and friends. I usually spend Fridays relaxing with my family and then more\nactive Saturdays – starting the day with biking or other sports then going out for\na family lunch and then the evening with friends. Every year, I do a hiking\ntrip around the world with a group of friends as a kind of disconnect from\ndaily life and to re-connect with nature and simplicity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you could go back and\nchange one career decision what would it be? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking back, I can say that there is nothing I would\nchange in my career journey so far \u2013 I have learned something valuable about the\nworkplace, people or myself from every role and experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What do you currently identify\nas the major areas of investment in your industry?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Smart Cities and smart districts are developing fast\nand we see this as a big trend in the region with many organisations looking to\noffer smart services. The expectations of citizens and governments are rising\nand demand is growing. Today, citizens expect a simpler, easier and more\nconvenient way to request services and to get them via their mobile apps, regardless\nof the location of the service provider. At the same time, governments are\nlooking to provide better services and ensure happy citizens, while managing\ncosts, and so to automate services wherever possible, <\/p>\n\n\n\n What are the\nregion-specific challenges when implementing new technologies in the Middle East?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Adaptation of new technologies and trust are usually\nthe two main challenges to implementation in the region. Most organisations will not roll out new technologies that\nare not tested or in large-scale production; this is especially the case with software\nproducts where customers expect a lot of fixes to follow an initial release\nbased on customer feedback and experience. On the other hand, there is\nrelatively little awareness about the broader impact of adopting new technology\nand the need for change management to get the real benefits of the technology.\nLearning about new technology and the way it changes how people do things is always part of the challenge\nin the region. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What changes to your job\nrole have you seen in the last year and how do you see these developing in the\nnext 12 months? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I have just started my new role with Orange Business\nServices and so ask me again in 12 months and I would be happy to answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What advice would you\noffer somebody aspiring to obtain C-level position in your industry?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I would say there are three areas to look at –\nfirstly, acquiring the right level of knowledge about the industry; building a\ngood executive network to help with quick wins and provide support when needed;\nand finally the right leadership attitude towards people, customers, business\nand culture. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On the lighter side of things, we ask the industry experts what makes them tick. Here we speak to Sahem Azzam, Vice President Middle East and Africa, Orange Business Services What would you describe as your most memorable achievement? 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