CHANNEL CHIEF
Today, InfoFort is no longer a firm that
merely focuses on document storage; it
is now a provider of contemporary data
and information management solutions,
tailored for the entire information life cycle.
“Now that I am with InfoFort, I get to
use technology to completely transform
not just the enterprise itself, but all of
its clients as well. Thus, in a way, this
is the pinnacle of my career, as I get to
integrate my passion for technological
developments and digital transformation
in a wide variety of businesses across
numerous regions,” feels Shaheen.
Shaheen was exposed to technology at
a very early stage, around 1994, when he
was in high school. “I believe that this was
around the time when we started learning
coding languages. I remember our teacher
trying to explain the concept of the World
Wide Web and its possibilities to us. I
was in awe and immediately decided to
take up coding, which turned into a great
passion of mine.” He then went on to study
computer science. Curiosity, education,
timing and luck all played a considerable
role in Shaheen’s journey of becoming a
technology enthusiast. Not only was he
exposed to technology at a very early stage
in his life, but he also remained passionate
about the field throughout his career. With
every new technological development, his
passion grew.
His management and leadership
philosophy and practices all revolve
around a few relatively simple concepts.
He believes we spend a considerable part
of our time awake at work, due to which
the work environment matters at least as
much as the home environment does.
It can be a challenge to optimise the
8–10 hours that we spend at the office
in such a way that it is not only efficient
and effective, but also comfortable and
enjoyable. Fostering a healthy environment,
culture and purpose is just as important as
delivering value to stakeholders.
On technology forecasting, Shaheen
feels the digital transformation has only
just begun. But it is on an exponential path
rather than a linear one. Digitisation is a
perpetual process, one that all businesses
must not only stay fully conscious of but
be an active part of.
“There are lots of crucial and world-
changing topics such as artificial
intelligence and blockchain technology.
If businesses do not look into the impacts
of these matters, impacts that will be felt
sooner than we think, they are very likely
to lag behind. It is much better to be a part
of the change than to be ousted by it.”
In his spare time, Shaheen likes to read
about technology, strategy, innovation,
social economics and sometimes
philosophy. He is addicted to reading and
learning, and reads two to three books
a month, constantly trying to learn new
things. “I also like to apply my knowledge
by tinkering with electronics and try and
build simple things around IoT.”
He also tries to exercise every day after
work, and maintains an active social life.
“Staying connected to my friends, the city
I live in and to what is happening is very
important to me. I enjoy cooking as well,
although I do not adhere to recipes. I like
creating my own recipes and then enjoying
the outcome when it works out.”
Curiosity,
education,
timing and luck
all played a
considerable
role in Shaheen’s
journey of
becoming a
technology
enthusiast.
Notwithstanding Shaheen’s natural
leaning towards technology and
innovation, he also places significant
emphasis on managing work related stress
and burn-outs. His conviction is that
controlling and managing stress is more
important than coping with it.
“You cannot let stressful situations take
over your life. I think that it is crucial to be
aware of what is causing the stress, and to
deal with it in a logical manner. The way I
see it, stress is a physiological fact that one
has to learn to deal with. One has to learn
to control it, rather than to be controlled
by it. It is vital to determine what causes it,
to minimise the probability of it happening
again, and to logically think about the
practical options that lie ahead,” is how
Shaheen rationlises the challenges of
stress management.
Yet another activity that Shaheen
is passionate about is reducing youth
unemployment. This has led him to launch
Skillpowerment.com, a platform that
aims to battle youth unemployment by
connecting the youth to companies for
real-market based skill sharing. While
there are global initiatives addressing
the issue of unemployment and poverty
through entrepreneurship, there remains
a social group unintentionally left behind:
the marginalised youth, especially in
the Middle East and Africa, who are
unemployed due to a lack of skills
demanded by the job market.
“I am passionate about strategy,
leadership, innovation ecosystems,
startups, technology and empowering
information driven sustainability
initiatives. This led me to launch
Skillpowerment.com,” he explains.
Skillpowerment.com complements
other initiatives by matching youths with
companies that will make them ready to
seize better employment opportunities.
“I am a strong believer in nurturing and
investing in our youth and, together with
my team, I am proud of what we have been
able to achieve through this initiative.”
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