Vishal Sharma, SVP, Ecolab

Vishal Sharma, senior vice president of Ecolab’s Middle East and Africa region, sat down with us to talk about the challenges they have faced and initiatives they are using to grow their business in the Middle East.

Vishal Sharma, senior vice president of Ecolab’s Middle East and Africa region, sat down with us to talk about the challenges they have faced and initiatives they are using to grow their business in the Middle East and Africa.

Ecolab is the global leader in water, hygiene and energy technologies and services. Around the world businesses in food service, food processing, hospitality, healthcare, industrial, and oil and gas markets choose Ecolab products and services to help keep their environment clean and safe, operate efficiently and achieve sustainability goals.

How was your company’s 2016 performance?

Ecolab is a global Fortune 500 company. We have a broad geographic footprint spanning more than 170 countries and 1 million customer locations, where we deliver comprehensive solutions and on-site service to promote safe food, maintain clean environments, optimize water and energy use, and improve operational efficiencies. The depth and breadth of our business makes for a strong and balanced portfolio. Despite energy and foreign exchange market headwinds last year, we delivered $13B in sales and have continued our strong stock performance over the years.

In the Middle East and Africa region, we delivered both top-line and bottom-line growth. Our region has experienced geopolitical volatility and faced continued low oil prices, but that didn’t stop us from serving our customers with excellence, introducing value-driven innovation and growing our market share in key industries.

Our goal is to be our customers’ most valued partner and we do that by continually investing in innovation, enhancing our on-site personalized service to solve increasingly complex customer challenges and last but not least, by investing in and attracting top talent.

What is your outlook for the economy in the GCC during 2017?

The GCC has seen a sustained low oil price environment along with regional geopolitical challenges, so reduced government spending is a fact of the economic environment leading to overall fiscal rightsizing in several key economies. However, GCC’s largely futuristic outlook and relentless focus on excellence keeps the region attractive for most industries and multi-national companies.

What strategic initiatives do you have planned in your business for 2017?

Given the geopolitical conditions, oil price and overall macro-economic situation in the region, we have been quite clear that business will have to be driven by share gain. Markets are not propelling businesses forward as they used to earlier in the decade. In 2016, our major focus was to strengthen our capabilities and position ourselves for growth, and we are seeing the results and a good momentum this year.

Our long-term purpose remains unchanged. Everyday, we make the world cleaner, safer and healthier, protecting people and vital resources. We continue to deliver on our purpose by:

  1. Developing water reduction, reuse and recycling capabilities to optimize water management for customers in every segment.
  2. Strengthening our food safety and public health capabilities.
  3. Expanding our enterprise digital capabilities to drive customer connections and digital innovation in our offerings and business model.
  4. Focusing on attracting and developing the world’s best talent.
  5. Strengthening our internal infrastructure to ensure we have the internal capabilities to continue to grow and meet global customer demand.

What are your company’s plans for growth in 2017?

In the Middle East and Africa region, we remain focused on delivering customer excellence, and ensuring we are creating value everyday. More than ever, we are focusing on attracting, developing and retaining talent across our organization. We know our people are our greatest asset. We recognize the needs of the current millennial generation, and realize these employees may have different career aspirations and needs than previous generations. We are working to remain an attractive and a long-term career destination for all generations.

We believe the region provides huge growth opportunities and we continue to build our capabilities to win here. Our recipe for success is to deliver the best product and service portfolio to our customers, while focusing on taking care of our employees. There are few companies in the world that can offer the diversity of long-term opportunities and the stability of a consistently high performing business. We are in a unique position to help address the global trends shaping the future of business – including population growth, the increasing demand for food and energy, and water scarcity – and are focused on delivering expertise and solutions to help our customers navigate these challenges.

 

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Haitham Akl, VP HR, Jawwy

Haitham Akl, VP Human Resources of Jawwy sat down with us to talk about what challenges and initiatives they used and how the business is performing today.

Image of Haitham Akl and phone and jawwy

Haitham Akl, VP Human Resources of Jawwy sat down with us to talk about what challenges and initiatives they used and how the business is performing today.

STC, the state owned telecoms company in Saudi Arabia, made a bold and innovative decision in 2015 to begin the process for launching a new digital operation within the Kingdom. With the official launch of Jawwy in 2016, MENA Solutions have been fortunate to work with numerous business leaders through the growth phase of the launch.

How was your company’s 2016 performance?

Jawwy official launch was in august 2016 and it was very successful launch among the Tech savvy customers and the Saudi Social media influencers.

What is your outlook for the economy in the GCC during 2017?

Being highly oil dependent economies, GCC countries have been deeply affected by the recent oil price drop (~60% since 2013), causing macro-economic instability that hinders job creation and slows growth. KSA is financially strong, but over dependent on oil and affected by demographic pressures. It has recently announced an ambitious National Transformation Plan, which aims to introduce structural measures, such as improvements in public sector efficiency, privatization, further subsidy reforms and revenue diversification initiatives.

I believe the Job market for Saudi national will raise the bar for talent development and will be very selective attracting expatriates market with more focus on attracting Bilingual Arab Talents.

What strategic initiatives do you have planned in your business for 2017?

  1. Digitizing Jawwy employees Human Resources experience from attraction & on-boarding till Promotion & Development.
  2. Introduce Long Term Incentives to retain Key Talents.
  3. Increase our Employment Brand by tabbing to Social Media Tools.
  4. Enable Self Service Environment for All Employees to self-administrate their HR transactions.

What do you see to be the most dominant risks in today’s GCC market?

  1. Retaining HiPo Talents.
  2. Find the right balance the organizational Demographics (Ethnicity & Gender Diversity),
  3. Enhance Employee Productivity

What new technologies do you see having the most impact on the telecoms sector over the next 3 years?

5G – The race for 5G is on and will continue apace in 2017, with many Telcos around the world having already developed 5G architecture and initiating their field tests this year, 2017 will potentially see the very first wave of commercial offerings being launched amongst widespread trials of the technology. Across the industry, expect to see 1GB access move to 10GB and 10GB aggregation to 100GB in order to cope with 4G growth and to lay the groundwork for new 5G-bearing core networks.

OTT and value-added services – AIL exclusive, in 2017 is set to be another pivotal year for over-the-top (OTT) service growth, fueled by streaming video and public demand for more non-linear media consumption. However, with any boost in OTT adoption and consumption, further financial and infrastructure pressure will be placed on network operators.

What are you companies plans for growth in 2017?

We are focusing for the Saudi Youth Market, we are aiming to create value proposition to them to control all their bundle creation and real-time consumption Meter.

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Hospitality Boom – is Expo to soon?

Will the UAE make the rush needed for Expo 2020.

Birds Eye View of Dubai

Hospitality Boom – is Expo to soon?

With crude oil becoming more and more an unreliable gross domestic product for the Middle East, Gulf States such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are focused on creating one of the grandest hospitality venues on the globe.

The UAE (180 projects) and Saudi Arabia (134 projects) remain the most active hotel construction hotspots in the region. The busiest year for hotel openings leading up to 2020 is forecast to be 2017 with 189 projects and 58,527 rooms.

“That is a lot of bedrooms, bathrooms, windows, doors, terraces, restaurants, pools, spas, gyms, and much more to be fit out and equipped over the next five years,” said Gary Williams, Event Director of The Hotel Show Dubai, which took place between the 17-19 September 2016 at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).

According to a forecast by Alpen Capital, hotel-room supply in the UAE will increase by 5.3% annually during the period 2012-2016, boosting volume from 96,992 hotel rooms to 125,383 by 2016. This level of growth will be necessary if the country is to deal with the anticipated influx of tourists.”

Creg Oats of Skift.com, said there are five primary reasons for the Middle East’s hospitality boom and subsequent drive for their Expo 2020:

Population effect – The steady rise in expats living and working in the region. “By 2030, China’s middle class will comprise 70% of its total population, while the comparable figure for India will be 50%,” quotes the report. “The impact on the GCC travel and tourism industry will be huge.”

Beyond Oil – The Gulf States have to start thinking beyond “black gold,” and with no other natural resources of much value beyond oil, they decided to pump over $300 billion and growing into the hospitality business. The UAE has also begun a program of waiving the 10% municipality fee for new hotels opening before 2017.

Infrastructure – UAE is single-handedly affecting global logistics: “‘Dubai is trying to become the node between Asia and South America, which is affecting the future of logistics and mobility on a global scale,’ says Professor Dr. Stefan Walter, managing director of the House of Logistics & Mobility (HOLM) at Frankfurt International Airport.”

Gateway – Abu Dhabi is becoming an international gateway. “The GCC is fast emerging as the new gateway to Africa, the last frontier in terms of natural resources such as oil, gas, uranium, and other resources—all of which will be in high demand across the world. With the added advantage of historic, economic, cultural, and strategic bonds with the African countries, the trade potential between the two continents is immense. Dubai alone witnessed a 700% increase in its trade with Africa over the last decade to USD 25 billion. Direct flights between the two regions have driven rapid growth in passenger traffic as well as cargo volumes, resulting in higher re-exports”

Social media and information – The global super information highway is making it easier for people around the world to research, book, and pay for their vacations and getaways online. “The Amadeus Future of Travel study ends with a look at the power of social media and trends relating to connected, personalized and sustainable travel. Without mentioning the viral #MyDubai account on Instagram, presently with 79,000 followers, the reports states Instagram is popular in the GCC mostly in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. On the photo-sharing platform, #JumeirahGroup and #VisitAbuDhabi are in the 8,000 follower range; #Dubai has 423,000 followers.”

Opportunities exist for boutique hotels and independent operators

Even with all the above benefits, the success comes with problems that the UAE and Saudi Arabia must overcome. Abdul Basit of the Khaleej Times writes:

“Over the past 18 months, the Middle East has experienced a number of geopolitical and economic challenges, creating disruption to feeder markets and adding further pressure to a year which was characterized by terror attacks, currency fluctuations and the lowest oil prices the world has seen in over a decade.” (2016)

A big question on everyone’s mind this year is where staff will come from in the future. As the region continues to struggle in the absence of a local talent pool, hoteliers in particular will be forced to consider options.  Merger and acquisition activity will continue in the wake of high-profile hotelier deals, such as FRHI’s buy-over by AccorHotels at the end of 2015. The big three Gulf airlines, Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways, will continue to explore partnership opportunities with European and Asian airlines.

Looking closely at the forecasts of global financial, business, and tourism analysts, the Middle East is poised to take over the global hospitality market. With the coming Expo 2020 as Dubai’s premier, expect things to get even grander in the years, and especially decades, to come.

Follow MENA Solutions on Linked In and Twitter for more insight into the exciting progress being made in the industries we specialise in.

Article written by David Flemming, Director of MENA Solutions.

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Mabs Khan, CSO, Tawasul Telecoms

Mabs Khan, Chief Sales Officer of Tawasul sat down with us to talk about what the challenges they have faced and initiatives they are using to grow their business in the Middle East.

Image of Mabs Khan from Tawasul Telecom in middle east

Mabs Khan, Chief Sales Officer of Tawasul sat down with us to talk about what the challenges they have faced and initiatives they are using to grow their business in the Middle East.

Tawasul Telecom, established in 2015, is a pioneering Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solution provider offering a wide range of solutions and services designed to cater for the growing needs of today’s modern businesses. Tawasul Telecom is the first regional ICT solution provider to offer easy-to-procure, fast pan-GCC connectivity over a single network.

How was your company’s 2016 performance?

Our company’s performance was positive. We managed to renew and grow business with many existing customers as well as build new partner relationships, in particular with Far Eastern operators.

What is your outlook for the economy in the GCC during 2017?

The GCC economy is quite challenging for 2017. Oil prices are still depressed; however, we are positive in terms of our company’s growth prospects for the year.

What strategic initiatives have you planned in your business for 2017?

We have several strategic initiatives for 2017. Tawasul Telecom is planning to launch a number of new services targeting both the Enterprise and the Carrier markets. We believe that these products and services, focusing more on Connectivity, Cloud and Security, both private and public, will surely address the changing requirements of our customers.

What do you see to be the most dominant risks in today’s GCC market?

The major risk that governments and businesses are facing in the region is certainly related to Security challenges, both physical and IT related, and for this reason we have partnered with some of the major players in the IT and Network Security industry to support our customers in mitigating these risks. This builds on our strong brand reputation as a secure network provider to multiple vertical markets.

The market has been subject to economic instability, nevertheless out of this comes opportunity, which a nimble company such as Tawasul Telecom can serve and prosper. We are however very hopeful for an economic upturn.

What new technologies do you see having the most impact on the telecom sector over the next 3 years?

The technologies that have the most impact for Tawasul Telecom are Software Defined Networks. This will have an impact on both the operations, as well as the services that we provide to our customers. There will be a big input in the integration of different technologies that will make networking easier and more cost effective. Security will continue to be a priority focus in any of the offerings that we will take to market.

What are you company’s plans for growth in 2017?

 In 2017, we will continue to grow our customer base for existing and new services. We have an aggressive strategic market plan that we believe is achievable despite all the occurring and forecasted challenges. In addition, we plan to expand to new markets, especially in Africa, where we see significant growth for the future.

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Healthcare Technology – what is being done?

We are living in an era where technology is driving change at a rapid rate.

Image of medical and technology

Healthcare Technology – what is being done?

As the world’s thirst for speed and instant access to information thrives, all industries are playing catch up to revolutionise the way they operate and make changes. Healthcare is one industry that can hugely benefits from the explosion of digital.

Rafiah Ibrahim, Head of Ericsson Middle East and East Africa, said, “Our latest Mobility Report reflects how digital technology is fast becoming part of everyday’ s life in region Middle East and North East Africa.  It highlights the rapid uptake of LTE deployments across the region, paving the way for 5G where we are expecting 20 million subscriptions by 2022.  Today, we are working together with our partners to pave the way for 5G across the region and we are already seeing a great interest amongst operators launching 5G plug-ins on existing 4G networks.”

Innovation

2017 will see a number of innovations in healthcare that will set to improve life for human beings all across the globe. Now more than ever people and companies are implementing innovative ways to meet the growing healthcare gap. New technologies, such as digitisation of patient records, increase productivity in the healthcare industry, but also promote the growth of the tech industry as new companies enter Middle Eastern markets to offer digital solutions. Using healthcare demand to diversify economies of the Middle East in this way has shown great promise.

The global population is experiencing longer life expectancy and therefore demanding better healthcare which is in turn putting a strain on healthcare providers to seek more effective solutions to better address their needs.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates are oil-producing giants experiencing population growth at a predicted rate of about 3.0 percent, with that number expected to compound annually.

A decrease in infant mortality rates and increased life expectancy has led to an ever-growing elderly population that requires adequate medical care. Although these states are experiencing rapid growth, they have been unsuccessful at attracting the specialists needed to treat the increased number of people with diabetes, obesity, and heart diseases.

A recent report done by the Deloitte Centre for Health Solutions offers new insights to current trends in healthcare technology. The information is pertinent to the healthcare industry in general.

The research sample

The research reveals a number of key trends:

  1. Mobile devices are more readily available.
  2. An influx of healthcare apps are offering patients a sense of independence.
  3. Patients are able to not only prevent the formation and spread of diseases themselves, but they also are able to avoid using medical services that might be unnecessary.

Healthcare providers also take advantage of this interconnectivity, sharing their expertise and gathering opinions from their peers in other countries through the web. Further, as long as patient information remains in safe digital systems, these documents can be universally accessed by a network of healthcare providers. This lowers barriers between doctors and their patients, as they both spend less time filling out paperwork and more time discussing health matters in person.

Technology

The evolution of new technology providers specific to the healthcare sector have allowed companies to provide data specific to every patient. Frost & Sullivan’s Visionary Healthcare research has identified several technologies that are most likely to impact healthcare paradigms by 2025. Some of the ways this is being utilised are:

Wearable medical sensors Using wearable technology to monitor patients with great depth is a large piece of the healthcare market at the moment. Medical sensors allow healthcare providers to track diseases in non-invasive ways and pharmaceutical companies are understanding the value of smart pills that help track the effects of medication.

Smartwatches and activity trackers these are increasingly in demand and becoming more sophisticated. With our increasingly busy lives centred around desk jobs, they even remind us how often we should stand up and will alert us of bedtime. There is speculation that we may soon have such devices implanted into our bodies for full integration. For now, such technologies exist in less invasive capacities, in the form of hearing aids and heart monitors for example.

Biosensors and trackers – Technology-enabled activity trackers, monitors, and sensors incorporated into clothing, accessories, and devices that allow consumers and clinicians to easily monitor health.

Convenient care – Retail clinics and urgent care centers that provide more convenient and lower-cost care to patients for a number of health issues.

Research must continue to drive change

There is a large degree of skepticism however as with monitoring devices comes a ton of data that is often hard to sift through or understand for patients as well as healthcare providers. With many apps seeking to profit in the healthcare industry, it is difficult to know which are most effective until industry regulators set protocols. People are still devising what the best way to manage use of new technologies might be.

Above all, research must continue as we try to make better decisions about what solutions will work best for providers and patients. Providers must use sound judgment as the data streams flow to help people decide what kinds of information is useful in different situations. As healthcare networks introduce new technologies, it is imperative that they allow people time to adapt to them.

Finally, healthcare providers must not lose sight of the value of face-to-face conversation for better understanding their patients. Technology ought to enhance patient experience. Therefore, healthcare providers should constantly take patient feedback into consideration when offering them advice on their healthcare concerns.

Follow MENA Solutions on Linked In and Twitter for more insight into the exciting progress being made in the industries we specialise in.

Article written by David Flemming, Director of MENA Solutions.

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Cyber Security – is the Middle East Safe?

The evolution of multiple technologies is having an impact on all industries and countries.

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Cyber Security – is the Middle East Safe?

Marked by cycles of instability followed by sporadic bursts of growth, the Middle East is an interesting case study for discussions on cyber security in the modern era. The Middle East faces unique challenges and the region’s experiences highlight some of what is most perplexing in the realm of cyber security today.

While companies are investing in security technology and protection such as cyber insurance, they are often not supported by the people, processes and governance required to provide real security creating a “false sense of security”, according to Mike Maddison, PwC Middle East partner, cyber services leader and head of risk assurance services.

According to a report by PWC, businesses in the Middle East suffered larger losses than other regions in the world last year due to cyber incidents, with 85% respondents in the region comparing to a global average of 79%. Around 18% of respondents in the region have experienced more than 5,000 attacks, compared to a global average of only 9% ranking the Middle East higher than any other region.

Many organisations in the Middle East approach cyber security solely as a technology problem and that is “simply not enough,” said Wael Fattouh, PwC Middle East Partner, Risk Assurance Services. “Security is an end-to-end issue and ignoring any part of the chain can compromise the effectiveness of the implemented measures,” he explains. “Another common misconception is when organisations think that compliance with security standards is the same thing as being secure, which is not accurate. Compliance helps an organisation implement good practices, but they need to fit into a frame that works for the unique nature of the organisation to be effective at securing it.”

Through increasing digitization, the international community is closer than ever before.

The Internet of Things (IOT) offers more possibilities for cyber criminals to compromise vital systems of information. Without measures in place to protect people’s privacy, cyber security threats can become difficult to manage. Latin America and Asia offer clear examples to the Middle East of the evolution of cyber security threats on the international level.

A window into the global problem and lessons learnt?

Latin America is fighting rising popularity in hacktivism, hacking done in support of political causes like presidential elections. Brazil, which boasts the largest number of Latin American Internet users, suffers from widespread threats due to infectious computer software like malware and ransomware, the latter of which holds a victim’s data hostage in exchange for money.

As places in Asia and elsewhere continue to employ NFC payment solutions, cyber theft, continues to affect more unsuspecting consumers. India, a country with massive populations of Internet citizens, has faced cycles of cyber terrorism and outright cyber warfare in past years. Due to this, cyber-espionage is an increasingly popular method for national governments to gain information about other countries under the banner of protecting their own security.

Cyber security is often a key issue from a business standpoint, as in the Sony hack of 2014, when self-proclaimed “Guardians of Peace” revealed the personal information of the company’s employees.

The Middle East – what is going on?

To make matters more urgent for the Middle East, a recent PwC survey reveals that Middle Eastern businesses are disproportionately more likely to suffer from cyber-attacks than their global counterparts. According to the report, Middle Eastern businesses often rely on quick fixes, rather than consistent cyber security awareness programs. Rather than cyber security management being a top down approach, the onus falls to IT departments to protect the company’s assets, instead of the entire digital community of the firm.

With this reliance on IT, businesses are often blind to the fact that cyber security must be woven into the company’s overall approach to information security. Dr. Walid Tohme, a Vice President and Partner at Strategy & revealed a similar national security climateas they warn that the growing risk of cyber-attacks from the recent trend of digitization must be met with a more holistic and proactive approach to national security.

Through legislature aimed to protect consumers and prosecute cyber criminals, as well as placing power into the hands of existing agencies to address cyber threats, Middle Eastern governments have tried to integrate cyber security into their national agendas. These things, in addition to national incident response protocols and public awareness campaigns, have laid a foundation for cyber security in the Middle East.

What can be done?

For impactful change to occur, Middle Eastern governments must have a process that fully covers the below:

1) Dedicates itself to serving the nation’s cyber security agenda.

2) Identifies strengths and weaknesses in their strategies to achieve secure digitization.

3) Ultimately takes ownership in times of widespread digital crisis.

Current reactive solutions to cyber threats will put the area in constant recovery mode. Information sharing and monitoring are key to reversing this vulnerability and creating a comprehensive strategy that will move the area from a state of mere defense to preventing and fighting back against attacks.

The wider and more far reaching question is one of how this effects all companies, people and everyday life within the region. What are you doing to protect your current business against cybercrime?

Follow MENA Solutions on Linked In and Twitter for more insight into the exciting progress being made in the industries we specialise in.

Article written by David Flemming, Director of MENA Solutions.

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Andrew Grenville, CEO, Orixcom

Andrew Grenville, Chief Executive Officer of Orixcom sat down with us to talk about what challenges and initiatives they are using to grow their business in the Middle East.

Image of Orixcom logo and vault

Andrew Grenville, Chief Executive Officer of Orixcom sat down with us to talk about what challenges and initiatives they are using to grow their business in the Middle East.

Welcome to the next generation of managed IT, cloud and international connectivity services across the Middle East and Africa. Orixcom has a wide range of services for Enterprise and Service Providers delivered in the region – we have developed and built the most advanced and powerful cloud platform located here, we offer a wide range of managed services (such as Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery, monitoring, systems management etc), and our suite of connectivity services means we are strategically positioned to connect customers to where the internet lives and is rapidly growing to transform economies.

Orixcom combines the best of international business practices with unique regional insights to delight our customers and make it easy for them to manage and grow their businesses.

How was your company’s 2016 performance?

We are focused on connectivity, cloud and IT Managed services. In 2016 Orixcom saw very strong growth across all segments, with some particularly encouraging trends in the mid to large Enterprise segment with Managed Services. This was against a backdrop where many companies in the sector saw flat or low growth, as they struggle to adapt to changing market behaviors.

What is your outlook for the economy in the GCC during 2017?

The region is still facing economic challenges, but we are all getting used to the new “normal” of oil prices around $50-60 per barrel, and the impact of less money trickling down the whole supply chain and all other businesses both directly and indirectly.

All sounds fine at an intellectual level, but given we’re heading into the third year of this new reality what’s the impact of this on the ground?

  1. Less money is driving a demand for efficient services – value for money and not just price
  2. Businesses are forced to re-evaluate and question all their established business practices, even their cherished traditions – they simply cannot carry on as before
  3. Business must move outside their comfort zone – perhaps this now means not having racks of servers blinking in the corner of the office, but instead looking to cloud for IT delivery?
  4. Great opportunities for new challengers to spring up and grow fast, moving much more nimbly than the established players

What strategic initiatives do you have planned in your business for 2017 and what are you plans for growth

Simple – Orixcom has to be driven by the market. So what real pain points and problems are customers facing? What’s keeping the CFO, CIO and CSO awake at night? What’s holding back growth in their core businesses? Identify all that and offer tailored and cost effective solutions. Now these may be quite different from customer’s previous practices, so we must work especially hard to show we understand and can minimize the risk, whether it’s real or perceived.

One philosophy at Orixcom is that we like to challenge, and we like to be disruptive. That’s not for the sake of it, but unless you constantly ask questions of yourself and your own offerings and the market needs you can’t grow and develop. We are quite happy to have customers challenge us and make us think hard, usually that results in a far better final solution for all.

In our world of telecoms, IT, cloud, managed services there are some amazing technologies out there – proven in other areas such as US and Europe. However, they can often need adapting to suit the region. So we don’t want to be like the traditional box shifters, simply taking products and services from somewhere else and pushing them out into the market. That approach might work fine for some, but I don’t believe its sustainable long term to build a real value which solves customers’ business issues.

There’s lots of best practice to learn from. I really hope we’re not so arrogant to think we know it all – far from it! Let’s not reinvent the wheel, let’s not try and do it all. Partnership with other companies are critical to our success. Partnerships create a far bigger set of opportunities than we could do on our own. Partnerships inject fresh thinking and good practice. Synergy is an overused word in business, but I believe if we can develop strong and mutually beneficial partnerships with compatible companies, and that’s very important, in the overall value chain, we truly will derive additional benefits – and most importantly so will our customers.

What do you see to be the most dominant risks in today’s GCC market?

Business thinking and practice is difficult to change, that’s not surprising because most people are comfortable with the status quo. Often there is lots of vested interest and job protectionism, or aversion to new things because of perceived risk – this is totally understandable since at the end of the day we’re all humans and our own priorities and self-interest drive a lot of what we do.

This complacency can be fatal, I expect we are going to see some major companies really struggle to adapt and change fast enough.

Another macro risk is the overall level of acceptance in the GCC of entrepreneurial thinking and approach, whether that’s within existing large companies or in new start-ups. As a generalization, it’s simply not encouraged or rewarded, so no surprise that many people keep their heads down and do what they’re told, even if they can see so many ways to improve and contribute. This is in my view a terrible waste of the best resource companies have, which is their own people. There is such knowledge, strength and often good will within companies that is mostly going untapped. On the flip side and to be more positive, those originations which have realized this and actively encourage this type of thinking and practice have a big advantage and will forge ahead.

What new technologies do you see having the most impact on the telecoms sector over the next 3 years?

Let’s look at the big picture in our industry. Don’t try and stand in the way of macro global trends, find way to apply and accelerate those trends and technologies here in region. Cloud adoption is a great example. We were one of the early providers of public cloud in this region a few years ago, in fact probably too early as customers on the whole weren’t ready for it. But now the discussion with Enterprises is no longer “why should I use cloud”, it’s shifted rapidly to “how can I use it”. But hold on, does that mean we should try to compete with global clouds like AWS, Microsoft Azure, 365 and others by offering our own cloud service? Well only if we’re deluded, those trends are unstoppable now and gaining momentum right across the region in a way that would have been unthinkable even 2 years back. So instead of pushing against this, let’s bridge between best practice elsewhere and here in the GCC.

As an example, we now have a suite of smart cloud connectivity services, all fully complaint with the telecoms regulatory rules, that help customers make much more cost effective and technologically efficient use of these clouds. That’s lead Orixcom to a position where Microsoft and AWS are now introducing us to their cloud customers here in the GCC to help them.

Another area of increasing focus for Orixcom is in the data centre space. Compared to a few years ago the region has a number of good data centres coming available. Now whilst we don’t build data centres, running them and offering value added services from them such as connectivity, IT, and clouds is a growth area. Because we understand telecoms as well as IT, we’re in a very strong position to ensure customers can make the best use of these great facilities without getting caught out by expensive connectivity issues, which is still something that affects the whole region. This gives us great opportunities to grow Orixcom in different geographic areas across the GCC and Africa as this market picks up more speed and momentum.

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