Category: The 10 Most Inspiring CEOs in Middle East 2022_Profile

Meet Mohammad A Baker, the Deputy Chairman and CEO of GMG, a global well-being company retailing, distributing, and manufacturing an extensive portfolio of leading homegrown and international brands across the health, sports and food sectors. 

Having started as a single butcher’s shop in 1977, GMG is now considered one of the leading family-owned conglomerates in the Middle East. With its rapidly growing global presence, GMG now has more than 7,000 employees in 12 countries across the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia. 

In many ways, GMG’s success mirrors that of Dubai. Just as Dubai has transformed from a humble trading outpost to a global commercial and tourism hub over the last four decades, GMG has also undergone sweeping changes since its inception. 

When Baker became the CEO, he had a vision of transforming the company and making it future-ready  Under his helm, significant milestones happened, such as expanding into Asia through the acquisition of popular Asian retailer Royal Sporting House and Géant, a chain of supermarkets and hypermarkets in the UAE, part of Groupe Casino, a French retailing giant.

Although born into a family that owns a successful and growing business like GMG, Baker explored multiple careers before joining his family business. After completing his education, Mohammad A. Baker served the banking industry for a brief period of time and later built his own business, which was one of the free-standing gyms in Dubai. However, in 2010, Baker joined GMG and spent his first six years immersing himself in every aspect of the business. In 2016, Baker took over as the CEO of GMG.

Diversifying Offerings

Since its inception in 1977, GMG has worked round the clock to become the most trusted partner for growth and innovation across its target markets. “From our modest beginnings in Dubai, our ambition and vision were to become global,” asserts Mohammad A. Baker. 

In line with the ambition, the management team redesigned GMG’s business to reiterate the mission of promoting a healthier and more active lifestyle through four primary business verticals; GMG Sports, GMG Food, GMG Health, and GMG Consumer Goods.

At GMG Sports, the firm inspires and empowers the entire community through high-quality and authentic sports gear from the world’s leading brands. It also manufactures food products through its food division, which helps the organization add value to the UAE’s economy by producing locally and supplying consumers with fresh and nutritious foods. GMG distributes various popular homegrown food brands through its Consumer Goods division and oversees its Géant operations in the UAE. Additionally, the acquisition of Géant from Urban Foods has expanded the firm’s capabilities across the food value chain, covering food manufacturing, distribution, and retail. 

On the other hand, GMG’s Health Division delivers a holistic approach to supporting consumer well-being through nutrition, pharma care, vitamins, supplements, etc.

“Across all of these businesses, we are daring ourselves and others to develop better products and experiences that change lives,” says Baker. 

Handling Challenges

Baker has always believed that failures act as stepping stones to success. He says, “One of our values at GMG is to keep evolving. We must constantly challenge ourselves to meet ever-changing consumer demands and beyond. To do so, we must be the change we wish to see and inspire our partners and communities to do the same.“

He feels it is very important to understand the market’s pulse and be prepared to challenge the status quo. A business leader must be prepared to evolve and adapt to quickly changing situations.  

The Greatest Accomplishment

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Baker and the team decided to launch a purpose-centric vision that could drive them to win globally, not just in GMG’s home market and GCC. This decision eventually led to GMG’s acquisition of Royal Sporting House, Asia’s leading multi-brand sports retailer, which opened the Asian market for the organization. 

Entering the Asian market during the pandemic was a bold move as the business sentiments were low and markets were down. Still, the organization got an opportunity and went after it. 

Baker adds, “This coupled with the extraordinary resilience shown by our people, our partners, and the community overall in rebounding from this challenge is an achievement I am extremely proud of.”     

Implementing New Ideas

Baker and his team’s revitalized corporate vision and values set a clear direction for GMG’s next chapter of sustainable growth. They are focused on improving people’s lives through active living, nutritious food, and good health. Baker hopes to continue acquiring new international brands, developing homegrown concepts, entering new markets, and growing GMG’s existing partnerships in 2022. 

As a business, GMG will also reap the benefits of the recent internal restructuring, including the newly established vertical divisions and reporting lines that optimize performance and explores new synergies. 

Future Roadmap

As a growth company, GMG’s ambition is reflected by its ongoing journey to expand its portfolio and double its global workforce by 2025. 

Baker says, “We see potential in delivering health and well-being across every market we operate in. A renewed focus on personal well-being is a trend we are witnessing across all geographies globally. In line with this trend and our wider ambitions, we have made some strategic partnerships and acquisitions.” 

Last year Baker and his team expanded GMG’s Nike partnership to Iraq and Egypt, increased the investment in KSA, and scaled up some of the verticals. 

In March 2022, GMG announced its partnership with an international lifestyle brand named New Era and became its official distributor across the GCC, Iraq, and Egypt. Later in April, it acquired Nike-only stores from SUTL Corporation’s sports retailing arm in Singapore and Malaysia. In the same month, GMG entered the food retail industry by acquiring Géant operations in the UAE. The organization also holds exclusive rights to expand these operations further in the Middle East.      

“Our major retail partners have been with us for decades because they realize that we are never complacent despite our success. We will continue to focus on expansion, acquiring new international brands, developing homegrown concepts, entering new markets, and growing existing partnerships,” asserts Baker.

 

Meet Shefiq Abdulla, the CEO of Dubai-based Telephony Group of Companies, an ICT solutions and services leader with over two decades of experience serving the private and public sectors of UAE and the region. Currently, Telephony’s team has over 600 employees in the UAE, with over 300 employees spread across other regions, entirely committed to delivering state-of-the-art telecom technology. 

Shefiq started his career in Sales as an entry-level junior sales representative selling the company’s ideas, innovations, and excellence to the customers. However, he gradually succeeded on the way up and soon became the Chief Executive Officer of the Group Businesses.  

“A lot of people consider me lucky for achieving a lot at a young age and becoming a CEO for the whole group. If you look at it from my perspective, you realize that it means that I had to take a lot at a young age and mature early. Everything I do now and with every struggle I face, I feel more determined to continue the path. I hear a lot of whispers about me being a workaholic and so committed to this journey that it might consume me.“- Asserts Shefiq. “But the truth is I find pleasure in what I am currently doing, and this is what gives me power, focus, and a good sense of direction. When you do things out of pleasure, you simply immunize yourself against all the criticism and negativity that you hear now and then.“

A Diverse Portfolio

Telephony Group of Company offers a diverse portfolio for its clients, which is reflected in the number of projects it undertakes and its expansions to other countries worldwide. Telephony treats its clients as partners and offers all the possible guidance to help them choose the solutions that best serve their businesses most effectively. Instead of chasing revenues like many other companies, Telephony Group of Company wants to ensure repeat businesses and a lifetime relationship with its clients. 

Shefiq believes that when a company understands its partner’s business needs and offers advice on the right solution and guidance through implementation, it can easily create a win-win situation and profitable business relationship for both. 

Success and Failure

“My greatest accomplishment is getting the chance to spread what I know to the world. Knowledge is wasted when not shared. Maybe my audience is small today, but at least now I have a voice and people to read, interact and comment on my thoughts. That is by itself an accomplishment for me.“- says Shefiq.

Shefiq prefers to measure success differently as he doesn’t link it to achievement or growth. Instead, he links it to the positive influence that he leaves on people’s lives. 

Around five years ago, Shefiq decided to take a different path and start to effect change, so he started with himself and went on a personal transformational journey to learn from the wise and the giver, to get enriched with knowledge. Shefiq immersed himself in readings and took a vow to spread that knowledge. One day he plans to write all that journey down for the benefit of others and to encourage people to be less selfish and more human.

Although he failed in various situations and times, every time, Shefiq chose to clear his head, review his mistakes, and start over again. 

Shefiq states, “Perhaps the most important one to mention here is when I happened to expect everyone around to be of the same drive and understanding of the importance of transformation to the sustainability of any business, including my own. Now, I am more mindful of how I want to achieve my objective and will hopefully soon share that vision out loud.“

Implementing New Ideas

Shefiq believes new ideas require a welcoming attitude and an open mindset. He says, “If we don’t first start with that, we are likely to fail in our attempts or suffer to reach our goals. I am against the idea that change requires time, not when you are in technology, and you are demanded to innovate consistently.“

He wants to convince people regarding the necessity of new ideas instead of enforcing them. With everyone onboard, things mostly go efficiently and smoothly. Shefiq wants to start first by developing a work culture that helps support innovation, quality, and sustainability which are the primary growth driver for any company.

Future Plans

Telephony Group of Companies has a strong vision, with high moral values and dedication, customer-centric innovations, and business ethics. The organization is built on three core pillars- People, Purpose, and Peace. Under Shefiq’s leadership, it further intends to grow, expand, and innovate while maintaining and spreading these values to everyone it works with. 

Additionally, the organization plans to offer digital services to improve efficiency, transform, and grow businesses in the future. It also wants to empower communities to pursue ultra-digital transformation and use technology and innovation to change people’s lives, especially youth and women. 

To enable 3000 women entrepreneurs globally by 2025, the organization is also planning to guide and help ten women in 2022 to start their entrepreneurial journey with it.

Born and raised in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Dr. Abdulrahman Al Shikhy started working in Dammam; shortly after completing his graduation. During his brief time in the city, Dr. Al Shikhy noticed that he and his colleagues were facing issues finding a flight or ride to go back to their respective hometowns to visit their families during Hajj, Ramadan vacations. As Saudi Arabia is a big country, the distance between cities like Dammam and Jeddah is 846 miles.

Keeping these issues in his mind year after year, he thought to find the best possible ways to return home on his holidays. Every time he sought a ride or a flight; it was a struggle. Besides this, most of the trip’s drivers were solo. He recognized the issues like exorbitant fuel prices, constant car maintenance, and staying up all night to cover distances between cities, making it strenuous for passengers who opt to travel often.

During this period of his life, he got a chance to complete his study to get a Ph.D. that is when he met many tourists and discovered their excitement about traveling everywhere by sharing the ride and cost.

“This is when I had an epiphany about how our country lacks a plethora of resources when you are trying to find ways to move from city to city in Saudi Arabia.”– says Dr. Al Shikhy.

These experiences acted as a catalyst for Dr. Al Shikhy and during his journey, he seized the opportunity to explore and discover a myriad of activities, distinct concepts, different cultures, and more. Soon he decided to travel to Europe.

Keeping all these shortcomings in mind, Dr. Al Shikhy was intrigued by the concept of ridesharing in Europe’s “BlaBlaCar app.” This is where he found the solution to the problems faced by the common people in his country. Soon, this notion inspired him to finally introduce his idea in Saudi Arabia, which eventually marked the launch of Rehla in the country.

Rehla is a ridesharing mobile app that links drivers and passengers heading to the same destination between cities, which results in a great travel experience at the best price possible.

Diversifying Offerings

The initial purpose of introducing Rehla was to allow its potential travelers to travel intercity by opting for ridesharing services at a very reasonable rate. Dr. Al Shikhy’s main aim was to reach those customers who cannot afford expensive rides, don’t own a car, are students or pilgrims. Initially, it was a challenge to break past the cultural barrier of sharing a ride with a stranger, mostly because ridesharing was a completely new concept in Saudi Arabia. However, the Rehla team continued to introduce a flurry of additional services that supports the main ridesharing concept, making it easier and more comfortable for everyone.

The Rehla team then decided to further develop its business model by successfully implementing the advanced booking feature, where the rider gets the opportunity to book their ride before the journey anytime and anywhere, also allowing the passenger to choose the best offer as this feature supports the lack of finding rides to specific places. This indeed creates make more options for passengers.

Dr. Al Shikhy and his team also introduced  sending parcel on the same day with those captains who want to increase their income and travel with empty seats daily between cities.

Moreover, Saudi Arabia is a country full of history, heritage, and beautiful cultures that are yet to be explored.”

“Each year, millions of tourists visit Saudi Arabia to discover, revel, and experience what Saudi has to offer them. There is a lack in the tourism sector which gave me the impetus for introducing a service where we provide an expert licensed tour guide who is also a captain to guide them to learn more about our country.” – says Dr. Al Shikhy.

The Greatest Accomplishment

Dr. Al Shikhy believes introducing Rehla to the Saudi market was his most significant accomplishment. Like many other start-ups, Rehla struggled initially. However, with time everything slowly fell into the right places. Additionally, Rehla has succeeded in closing the first round of funding. Moreover, with this unique concept, Rehla got to take part in various accelerators like Taqaddam, Misk powered by Plug & Play, Monshaat, Zain Great Idea, Tourism Accelerator, and Plexus.

Dr. Al Shikhy has established a team that has remained diligent over the years and has helped the company achieve its goal. As a result of the team effort, the start-up now has its set up at Saudi Arabia’s two busiest airports, King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and Tibeh Airport in Madinah, which serve as the primary entry points for pilgrims visiting Makkah and Medina.

Dr. Al Shikhy also says, “Our main strategy is to expand our business by entering the cities through International Airports & train stations. And soon, we will start operating in Riyadh and Dammam Airport besides Jeddah and Medina Airport.”

The proudest moment for the organization was when it was allowed to compete with industry behemoths like Uber and Careem at the Madina airport. Out of all 36 firms operating in transportation services in Saudi Arabia, Rehla was the only application provided with the opportunity of opening a booth at the Medina and Jeddah airports, in order to acquire more travelers without internet, Saudi number, or a smartphone.

Defining Success

As the founder and CEO of Rehla, Dr. Al Shikhy, says, “We all define success differently. To me, success is when you believe in an idea and make consistent efforts towards it,  which means we never give up trying..” This should serve as a reminder for the team to constantly strive to achieve the goals that are set to feel rewarded and accomplish their efforts.

Apart from that, he has always encouraged his team members to communicate freely and give them space, which helps everyone to appreciate different viewpoints, backgrounds, and ideas, which eventually contributes to the growth and success of the firm; Dr. Al Shikhy feels that as a leader, it is his responsibility to continue to mentor and help his team with his vast knowledge.

Tackling Challenges

The application was launched in 2019 when most of the Saudi Arabian population wasn’t familiar to the concept of ridesharing. It takes time to inculcate any new concept in the minds of the citizens. It also requires a lot of marketing and brand recognition.

Moreover, the application was launched just 2 months before the deadly pandemic, which resulted in a prompt lockdown to curb the spread of the virus. This situation also brought skepticism amongst the users even when the lockdown was over. Road travel and social distancing protocols soon became a major threat for start-ups like Rehla.

Dr. Al Shikhy realized from this situation focusing or investing time and money on one service won’t take the company anywhere. Instead, he believed that his team can do more as  Rehla has a flexible business model which could be utilized by using the same elements that are the captain, and his car but by providing different services. So, the firm at once launched other supporting services in one application.

Future Roadmap
Transportation is an important part of our daily life. Many passengers prefer to travel by road to immerse themselves in nature. While others often face a tough time finding a cheap fare. This is where Dr. Al Shikhy would like Rehla to bridge the gap.

Dr. Al Shikhy started Rehla to become a the best choice for ridesharing apps to provide  a good experience for travelers. The team members intend to make Rehla a ‘super application’ in the region that can provide the most important services of transportation & tourism, all in one applicationat very reasonable rates. Additionally, the founder looks forward to expanding the application to various neighbouring countries. Recently, Rehla has completed trips to and from Bahrain, UAE, and Kuwait.

A passionate aviation professional, luxury travel entrepreneur, and global citizen with more than 15 years of international experience, in strategic groundbreaking innovation, Gabriel Meza Madrid serves as the CEO of Dubai-based aircraft management and charter company Jet Luxe.

Hailing from a family of pilots, Gabriel and his brother Sam Madrid spent most of their careers in the aviation industry. Over the years, both became obsessed with efficiency and improving the customer experience. They soon realized that although aviation is incredibly innovative, many elements of the industry need improvements. For example, a charter’s booking and payment process is much more cumbersome and problematic than it should be. Issues like banking procedures, time differences, public holidays, and currency issues slow down the process of booking a flight, which is very frustrating when an individual wants to fly immediately. So, Gabriel and Sam decided to develop a fintech product to streamline the payment processes of private jets.

Making Processes Better

Soon, Gabriel and Sam left their full-time roles and went all out for their start-up journey, growing the team to twelve. Gabriel states, “Our obsession with efficiency had us working day and night on a solution. In parallel, we were offering aircraft management and charter services, which is our area of expertise.” Through this process, aircraft owners approached Jet Luxe, and frustrated with jet management’s status quo, they requested the firm to take over their aircraft. Eventually, their approach was very well received, and they started multiplying. Jet Luxe’s customers would say, “We are tired of the lack of transparency in business aviation,” and “you’re doing a great job, let’s do more together.”

Since its inception, Jet Luxe’s primary differentiator is its transparency, efficiency, honesty, and the ability to offer exceptional experiences. The market wanted Jet Luxe to continue developing its charter and management business, to which the company obliged. So, the organization was developed to streamline processes, making aircraft ownership and charter flights much more effective without compromising on experience and quality.

Fixing Broken Processes

With its core business in private jets, Jet Luxe manages and operates private jets. However, the organization’s primary business is its customer service; it helps solve various travel issues, create investment opportunities, and fix broken pieces of private jet travel.

Gabriel states, “We differentiate because we know our clients’ concerns, frustrations, and aspirations. From here, we can diversify our service profile and offer more agile solutions than bigger operators in this space. As a start-up, if we see an issue in the market, we can respond to it extremely quickly. We have the investment and manpower to make change happen quickly.”

Jet Luxe provides focused attention and 24/7 global personalized services for its clients. The organization also offers an investment option named INVICTUS Patron for its mature business aviation users, where they can sponsor an aircraft and enjoy a proven return on investment and reduced fleet rate.

Handling Failures and Success

Over the years, Gabriel has seen and faced a lot of failures. However, these failures have taught him to give maximum effort and try everything in his capacity to make things happen.

He says, “When the outcome isn’t as we had hoped – that’s okay. When we fail, we learn. Yes, the stakes are extremely high, and we will always try our very best to deliver exceptional outcomes, but if failures occur, we learn and move forward. 90% of factors are within our control, and the remaining % we need to learn from. There is always an opportunity to grow.”

Gabriel believes that success can’t be defined through a single channel- one needs a well-rounded life. He states, “We need professional fulfillment and business success but also a peaceful, well-rounded life. Success is being clear about and achieving your objectives. For me, these are wealth, health, and peace.”

The Driving Force

Gabriel is a problem solver and finds change very exciting. His vision is to keep seeing problems, finding solutions, and driving disruption.

He always wants to keep bringing new perspectives and fresh outlooks to the table. He states, “What drives me for a successful journey is finding ways to disrupt and adapt processes. This might not sound exciting, but when you discover a process that creates massive savings and value – it motivates you to continue.”

Preparing for the Future

As the CEO of Jet Luxe, Gabriel plans to expand the fleet to meet the massive demand. The organization is also increasing its concierge services, account management, and travel management options. Its future perspective will always be agile, as it can’t predict market conditions or client preferences perfectly. Jet Luxe can lead with a commitment to taking a disruptive approach to the business model.

At the topmost level, Gabriel also wants to support and encourage the respective authorities to enable better access and movement for the sector. He says, “Business aviation provides jobs and massive economic contributions, and it enables the world to keep moving. So, we’re here to help governments appreciate and understand the value of business aviation. From becoming more sustainable and greener to creating more financial contributions – business aviation should be better understood and supported.”

Jet Luxe is also committed to thoughtful and powerful strategic alliances with new organizations. It partners with new disruptive companies starting from fintech to fuel and interior designers to catering service providers.

Jet Luxe expects to balance growth and scale with continued consistent services with its continued growth. Gabriel states, “We will grow, expand, and diversify, but we will never weaken our services. For example, we won’t dilute the concierge or account managers ratio per aircraft or partner. This will remain extremely important for our long-term quality control and experience management.”

Meet Abdulla Najem, the CEO and Co-founder of Waterwa, which offers a variety of brands of beverages and water to be delivered to customers’ doorstep. Available on both iOS and Android platforms, the Waterwa app helps its clients to subscribe for weekly or monthly deliveries to their homes and offices.

Since his childhood, Abdulla was fascinated by the whole idea of starting his own company, which eventually pushed him to start network marketing at the age of 17. In a world still apprehensive of the internet’s power, people were surprised to see a young entrepreneur taking a route that was so out of the box. Later, Abdulla joined a college of business, where he fell in love with business once again and started his first startup with a friend.

Soon, they entered the world of media as a powerful force, and the humble agency eventually proliferated. However, Abdulla then transitioned into a corporate career, where he realized how a big scale company works. He started working with RedBull and then with a locally successful co-working space. Later he moved to start working for an incubator in order to stay close to the start-up world, where he learned every detail about starting a company, which eventually led to the creation of Waterwa.

Catering to a Demanding Market

Abdulla knows that the current market is very demanding and constantly changing. He says, “You need to keep an eye on what happens around you, so one of the things that keep us on track is to focus on the audience’s perspective.”

The human aspect of his organization’s strategy also helps him to understand better what drives the market and creates a new trend. Abdulla believes growing and standing out in a competitive market can be challenging, so following the already proven trends can be an effective tool.

As the Co-founder of his company, Abdulla now believes building a formidable team that led the company in its legacy journey is one of his most significant accomplishments. He takes pride in developing a team that can tackle any challenge at any point in time collectively and successfully. Also, by being the pioneer of the “drinking water delivery platform,” many of Waterwa’s suppliers successfully created their own e-commerce platform, which is incredibly rewarding for Waterwa.

Abdullah is a passionate businessman with leadership skills capable to create competent teams in different functions. His leadership in Waterwa proves his problem-solving skills and agility to create forward-looking enterprises and potential unicorns. Abdulla’s consistency is what every company strives for in their leadership.

Tackling Failures

Abdulla feels the most significant failure was when he first started Waterwa. He realized that he gave people the benefit of the doubt too often, which is a red flag for productivity. This caused him a lot of time and value that he could have used to grow his company. Now he follows a strategy of “three strikes, you are out.”

This new strategy ensures that Abdulla reaches out to everyone who has reached a second strike and collaborates with them to mitigate the challenge further.

When it comes to success, Abdulla says, “Success is when people recognize the brand you built even by its deconstructed elements, like a letter, a color, or even shape. That kind of potential for legacy pushes me every day to build it with Waterwa.” He also added, “But on a more personal note, success for me is to be able to be a serial entrepreneur that builds up multiple different brands that truly benefit consumer needs.”

Preparing for the Future

Abdulla explains that Waterwa is well on its way to building a legacy. As businesses depend on the constantly changing market, the team is razor-focused on making a brand that can stand the test of time and stay relatable in the market for a long time.

Abdulla and his team at Waterwa are building a brand that customers can depend on and feel genuine loyalty.

A Supportive Leader

Waterwa’s employees and clients love Abdulla for his authoritative and coaching style leadership.

They say, “You motivate us and give us the direction that helps us develop and utilize our abilities more to achieve not just our full potential but also work/company goals.” – Project manager of Waterwa.

“Every project I worked on with Abdulla, he made sure to give it his full support and attention. His teamwork is always inspiring, and he knows that he only works without ego and with a collaborative mindset. Working with Abdulla Najem is easy because he knows how to juggle all the tiny details while still being diligent of the bigger picture.” – Deena AlSaweer – founder of Dpro.

“Abdulla Najem has always been great at developing the needed structure and direction no matter what his role was. He creates a culture of mutual trust and care by always acting with integrity, accountability, and transparency.” Robetra Dsouza – Head of Country Logistics of TExpress – Talabat