The CEO Magazine EMEA – April 2018

144 | theceomagazine.com

industry that has the potential to disrupt our
business. We should see this not as a threat,
but as a tremendous opportunity. It drives
us to be open-minded and to change the
industry for the better.
New concepts are sprouting every day,
such as artificial intelligence and robotics,
with high potential to impact our businesses.
Therefore, it is imperative to promote
a culture of change and create an atmosphere
that nurtures cross-disciplinary dialogues.
Even if we don’t have all the answers, it’s
important that every question is put on the
table. Our business is becoming more and
more complex and by asking the right
questions, we can find the right answers.
Since we are moving from unshared
certainties to shared uncertainties, the recipe
for embracing a culture of change is a spirit
of openness, transparency and collaboration.

How have you created a sustainable
business with du?
We are an integral part of the business
landscape in the UAE, which has strong
ambitions to transform the way companies
do business and the way people live. We
are reminded of our mission by the Prime
Minister His Highness Sheikh Mohammed
bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who says everyone’s
purpose is happiness.
To fulfil this ambition, we need to be
sustainable. Therefore, one of the main
factors for success is to establish long-term
relationships built on trust – particularly with
the partners at the heart of our workings,
whether they’re business or government.
I believe we are all part of the same team,
building what’s best for our country, and this
has become an integral part of our culture.

Where do you see du in 10 years’ time?
The way I see it, a telecom company will
operate three different businesses over time.
The first one will be an increasingly
software-based infrastructure provider.
I believe this is part of the larger ensemble
where the government will assume a more
dominant role. The second one will be
a consumer-focused digital entertainment
and lifestyle services business, providing

music, video and digital services. The third

one will be an enterprise solutions business

serving B2B customers.

However, it’s not enough to have a vision

and ambition to achieve it. We need to start

building the right competencies, talent,

leadership skills and processes from day one.

We need an action plan if we want to turn

this ambition into a reality.

Towards the end of 2017, EITC

announced a new organisational structure

that reflects this vision. In addition to

our telco services, we have created an

infrastructure division, an ICT solutions

division, and a digital lifestyle and innovation

division, each with its own leadership team.

We are well into the process of setting all

these divisions up.

We don’t want to play catch-up, we

want to lead. We are moving to position

ourselves for the endgame, knowing that

the endgame is a constantly changing target.

This is a challenge that we are ready to

take on. Every day, EITC is embracing

transformation towards a brave new world.

According to market

experts, the UAE telecom

market, which generated

US$8 BILLION^

in service revenue in 2013,

is on track to achieve a

record revenue of

US$10.1 BILLION

in 2018, with a cumulative

total revenue of

US$46.4 BILLION

during 2014–18.

INNOVATE | Interview