GET TO KNOW...
On the lighter side of things, we ask the
industry experts what makes them tick. . . .
Sahem Azzam,
Vice President Middle East and Africa,
Orange Business Services
W
What would you describe as your
most memorable achievement? learning and working at the same time and
this made my job more fun.
From a career perspective, being promoted
to lead a services business unit in the Middle
East and being specifically asked to turn it
around and grow the business was certainly
one of the major professional challenges I
have faced so far. It took me 18 months to
achieve it and I learned a lot – that success
is fuelled by many factors: having the right
strategy, focus, the right combination
of talent, calibre of people and the right
leadership in place. We had successful
sustained growth for four years before I
moved to another role. What style of management
philosophy do you employ with your
current position?
What first made you think of a
career in technology?
Initially, I wanted to go to medical school
because of my father’s influence and I
followed this path until high school but then
opted for communication engineering. I
realised the impact of continually evolving
technology and it’s future potential, so I
started to do Microsoft and Cisco training
courses to develop my knowledge and
understanding and to be ready for the
market place with the right skills. I did the
training while I was studying at university
and it gave my career a boost. I focused on
emerging technologies such as VOIP and
contact centres, and I enjoyed combining
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However, when there is little or no time for
consultation or a clear consensus, I opt for
a more directive style because ultimately,
someone has to ‘call the shots’ when we
have to act faster. So far, this combination
– with an emphasis on the consultative
approach – has proven to be very successful
I have always combined consultative
and directive management styles; I use
consultative more often to listen to the team
and gather different opinions to select the
best option when considering an important
decision, for example. In addition to creating
consensus among the team, it’s an effective
way to engage the team and to get them
actively involved in making decisions.
“
ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE
(AI) IS ONE
OF THE MOST
EXCITING
CURRENT
HOT TOPICS.
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