Bulls n Bears Entrepreneurship Zone :: Meet the Boss: Mohamed Dabbour, head of Africa, Millicom

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1. What part of your job keeps you awake at night?


There are two parts of my job that keep me awake at night.

The first is staying ahead of the curve. In the telecommunications and
technology industries, staying relevant is a necessity. Our markets are very
competitive and at Millicom we are always striving to lead in innovation,
services and technology. Every decision that we make is centred on building
sustainable businesses which remain relevant for our customers, employees
and shareholders.

The second is we work in complex regulatory and political situations, and
navigating these can often be a worry. I regularly think about the
well-being of my staff and ensuring the protection of our assets.


2. Name three traits required to survive in this role.


The first essential trait is passion. I am a firm believer that no one can
succeed in this role without passion. It is more than just a job; you have
to love what you do, love the markets in which you operate and value the
people with whom you work.

The second trait is determination. You face obstacles on a daily basis and
you need to be ready and willing to find ambitious solutions to these
challenges.

And last, but not least, being realistic and resourceful is fundamental to
succeeding in this role. You need to be able to understand, quickly and
efficiently, what is at stake and what must be done to solve the problem and
move forward.


3. What is the biggest misconception about your job?


A lot of people assume that CEOs have all the answers and that they have
already learned everything that there is to learn about their job and their
industry. This is a huge misconception. We don’t always have the answer at
our fingertips. Nonetheless, our job is to be able to find the answer.
Sometimes we face obstacles we have never approached before, but a good CEO
will always have the motivation and enthusiasm to tackle them and lead the
team to the right solution.


4. Who has had the greatest impact on your career? And why?


The person who has had the greatest, lasting impact on my career is my late
father. Very early, he taught me that nothing in life comes without hard
work and perseverance. This has been an invaluable lesson throughout my
career.

I have also been fortunate throughout my career to have met many inspiring
people who believed in me and guided me in the right direction.

Of course, I would never have been able to go that far in my career with
the strong support of my wife. She has always been very supportive of my
career decisions and motivated me to go further.


5. What is the best career advice you’ve ever received?


I was once told: “Regrets are useless. If you make a mistake, find a way to
make it right and move on.” This advice has helped me through many
challenging moments throughout my career. You cannot go through your
professional life without making the occasional mistake. The key is making
these mistakes an opportunity to learn, grow and improve. Mistakes are
lessons waiting to be learned.


6. The top reason for your professional success?


There has definitely been a lot of dedication, hard work and commitment
involved. However, this alone is never enough to be successful.

Individual professional success is only possible with a supportive and
hard-working team around you. Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to
be surrounded by the most brilliant and motivated of colleagues and they
have been instrumental in not only my success but Millicom’s more broadly.


7. How do you relax?


I enjoy spending quality time with my family. My job involves a lot of
travelling around the world so I really value the time I have with my two
daughters and my son. We enjoy visiting museums, historical sites or time
spent away from the buzz of London.


8. By what time in the morning do you like to be at your desk?


My work day usually begins before I even arrive at my desk. I normally
begin my day by reviewing my emails before I leave for the office. This
means I can arrive prepared and aware of the day I have ahead of me. I
usually travel a lot for work, but whenever I am in London I enjoy taking my
children to their school in the morning and normally arrive at the office
around 9am.


9. Your favourite job interview question?


My favourite question to ask during job interviews is: “What is your
definition of success?” The reason I like this question is because everyone
has a different and unique interpretation of what success means to them. You
can learn a lot about a candidate’s values and perspectives through how they
define success.


10. The biggest perk of your job?


I realised very early how Millicom’s work is improving people’s lives and
playing a fundamental role in supporting the social and economic development
of our markets. I am very fortunate that Millicom’s purpose and values are
aligned to my own. I therefore feel tremendous pride in being part of a
company that drives such impactful social change and this is one of the
biggest perks of my job.

I am also aware of how much work is left to be done in this respect but
this is also a perk as it gives me the motivation to work even harder every
day.

Mohamed Dabbour is the executive vice president and head of Africa for
Millicom, an international telecommunications and media
company.--Howwemadeitinafrica



Mohamed Dabbour

 

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