A DAY IN THE LIFE
GET TO KNOW...
On the lighter side of things, we ask the industry-
experts what makes them tick…
Kamal Mokrani, Global Vice
President, Infinet Wireless
What would you describe as your most memorable achievement?
This is a hard one to answer.
On the work front, I have been involved in start-Ups, turnarounds, mergers & acquisitions as well as national and international business operations,
playing an integral role in delivering millions of USD’s in new business revenue throughout my career. I was directly responsible for the establishment of
new business operations (both wholly-owned subsidiaries and joint ventures) in many countries such as Russia, Turkey, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Spain,
France, Poland, Algeria and the UAE. These are memorable achievements for me as they helped create jobs, wealth and economic progress in each of the
countries I was involved with.
Of course, my biggest achievement ever is starting a family and bringing up three lovely children.
What first made you think of a career in technology?
My father was a medical doctor and he wanted me to follow in his footsteps. I never really told him that the direction he had in mind for me was not
really one I cherished as I had a profound unease being in a hospital or a clinic. But I was always fascinated by all the equipment I saw around the
hospital he worked at. I always wanted to find out how things really worked and how they can be improved to make people feel better. This ultimately led
me to study for an engineering degree in digital electronics and computer hardware.
What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position?
I tend to challenge almost everything that is put my way, if anything to make people think more about their approach to business issues and the
ultimate outcome. I am a people’s person and as such always try to encourage my colleagues to think for themselves, not to be afraid about taking
decisions and most importantly learn from each experience and situation they encounter, whether good or bad at the time. How else can they get better
at what they do and make my life at work a little bit easier?
What do you think will be the hot technology talking point of 2016?
Some of the trends like the Internet of Things and cloud computing have now become household words. They will still merit a lot of attention for the
foreseeable future, since both are poised to achieve new levels of prominence for many years to come.
I do also believe that other technologies that would be the talking points in 2016 and beyond are related to drones and their applications, closely
followed by 3D printing and its huge potential contribution to so many sectors of our industry. Both are worth watching because I am certain they will
skyrocket in importance very quickly and become much more affordable for the benefit of the wider community.
How do you deal with stress and unwind outside of the office?
Every day is different, but in general the way I unwind after work - assuming I do eventually shut down for the day – is by watching international TV and
media channels, especially debates and discussion panels. Nothing fascinates me more than listening to different opinions from around the world on the
exact same subject matter.
My active sport days are over, but I do follow football and athletics very closely.
If you could go back and change one career decision, what would it be?
Another tricky question.
I spent many years in my early working life focusing on pure engineering activities and designing actual devices and electronic equipment. If I had to
do it all over again, I would have most probably taken a dive into the business management world at an earlier stage of my career and allowed myself
more exposure to different styles of management through working in different countries, become involved earlier in some of the key decisions that
shaped the future of the companies I worked for and learn even more languages.
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