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probably always been driven by three main
aspects. First, always be supportive. I have
always positioned myself as a helper to the
team I manage and I am here to support
them in all aspects of their jobs so they can
perform better. I also always try to ensure
I hire the right, self-driven individuals and
structure the team with the right seniority
layers in order to remain focused on what
really matters. By doing this, we can improve
regional performance instead of having to
too often dive into micromanagement or
excessive reporting processes.
Second, sustain your expertise. I strongly
believe in specialisation as a stren gth and I
certainly work in an industry which requires
that. By starting from scratch as a single
sales person, I was able to build the initial
customer and partner base across the region
before handing it over to my team members.
With more than 18 years in the industry, 10
of which were in Europe followed by almost
nine in Dubai running the MEA region (META
since January 2017), this experience has
put me in a good position to understand
every market in-depth as opposed to just
managing a team from day one, making me
both a regional and industry specialist the
team can rely on.
goes hand in hand with data protection.
This is now referred to by a lot of IT and
cybersecurity vendors for different types of
technology, but only one of which is truly
data centric: Encryption. Data breaches
and new generation regulations such as
GDPR are all over the news and they all
point to data encryption as the only way to
keep sensitive data secure.
How do you deal with stress and
unwind outside the office?
It is a fast-paced industry and quite a
fragmented region which is quite demanding
with regards to the amount of time required
for the role. In order to remain efficient, it is
important to keep things in perspective.
I always try to keep a balance between
spending time with the family, with friends,
doing some sport and learning something
not directly related to work. For example,
I am currently learning Arabic as a way
to focus on learning outside of my role at
Gemalto. It is always important to maintain
a work-life balance where possible.
I AM CURRENTLY
LEARNING
ARABIC AS A
WAY TO FOCUS
ON LEARNING
OUTSIDE OF MY
ROLE AT GEMALTO.
IT IS ALWAYS
IMPORTANT
TO MAINTAIN
A WORK-LIFE
BALANCE WHERE
POSSIBLE.
If you could go back and change one
career decision what would it be?
While I would change some tactical moves
I have made over the years, I wouldn’t go
back and change a career decision. I feel
very blessed with the market coverage
and growth achieved so far, and it is a
privilege to work in this role at Gemalto. I
am fortunate to work in an industry and
a region with fantastic momentum and
endless potential. n
Lastly, think ahead. Having always had to
manage sales of fast evolving portfolios of
solutions across large geographies, it has
been absolutely critical to make sure we
identify the type of technology, market and
approach early-on that will help get our
business to the next level.
What do you think is the current hot
technology talking point?
Digital Transformation is definitely the
hot talking point of the moment and it
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