Eddy Abboud, General Manager, GBM Oman shares his thoughts on winning ‘The Technology Person of the Year Award’ at the New Age Banking Summit 2019. An OER report

Eddy Abboud, General Manager, Gulf Business Machines has 20 years of professional experience spanning across Europe, Middle East, and Africa with a focus on Telecommunication and IT industries. He holds a degree in Leadership from Harvard Business School, as well as an MBA in Business Administration.

 As the General Manager of GBM, he is driving a growth and performance culture internally, which is expected to have a positive impact on Oman’s economy. In light of his achievements he was awarded ‘The Technology Person of the Year’ at The New Age Banking Summit 2019. Abboud shares his thoughts on the achievement and the factors that have enabled him to win the award. Excerpts from an interview:

You won ‘The Technology Person of the year’ Award at the New Age Banking Summit. What are your thoughts on wining this award?

It is a great honour and pleasure to receive such a prestigious award. I have accepted the award knowing that such status will add more responsibility on my shoulders towards the economy and my team. It will also push me to do more for Oman. My commitment to the Sultanate is even more strengthened, thanks to all those who contributed to this nomination. Let’s not forget that such an award doesn’t come because of one man’s job. It is the entire team at GBM who did phenomenally well lately and deserve such recognition.

You have been driving a number of initiatives since you took over GBM Oman. What needs to be done to drive digital transformation in Oman?

As the number one system integrator in the region, we are constantly engaged with all industries which give us insights on where each industry stands in a given country. Needless to say, technology is evolving fast which is an opportunity for customers and partners to collaborate on newly developed solution to bring further value to organisations and their customers. There is always room for improvement and in some industries in Oman, a major revamp is possible to improve basic services, customer experience, integration, innovation and with the involvement of financial institutions to start contributing to Oman’s GDP. The obvious and immediate response to digital transformation is embarking on the digital journey which includes enterprise level digital solutions, digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence which will give an edge. I am afraid that in Oman enterprises, although they do understand the importance of data, the challenge is kick-starting projects. Although, I totally understand the great intention of picking the right and correct solution for a desired outcome, I must say that making a wrong choice is sometimes better than not making one at all. This is a game of speed and control, a game of faster response with lowest friction, a game where competition is coming from everywhere, not just locally.

How would you describe your managerial style – is it centralised or collaborative?

During the time spent at Harvard, my core studies in Leadership had organisational culture at the center. The blend between my studies, knowledge acquired and experience made me realise that the secret sauce is to mix a growth culture with a performance mindset. Although I won’t be disclosing what the secret is, I can say that it is a strong managerial style which pulls people’s energy towards giving more and to love their job. Having said that, and because, ‘we need all kinds to make a world’, I would have different expectations from different people within the organisation. That’s why, sometimes it is centralised and at the same time it is collaborative. It all depends on the person, the team, the trust established and the nature of the activity. I am a true believer in delegation so that everyone can grow with added responsibilities, pushing people a little out of their comfort zone, and at the same time keep everything in check.

Who is your role model in life and what have you learned from him?

I am fortunate enough to have Dr Michio Kaku, for some time as my guide and giving me some wise and philosophical stories for me to figure out the meaning of life, understanding that life is simply a journey of discovery. At the same time, I had Warren Buffet and his long term investment thinking that struck a chord with me. The combination of both these worlds changed my personality fundamentally and the way that I think of today and tomorrow. I still have a long way to go but I believe I am getting there.

How do you spend your leisure time?

There is always a ‘me’ time and separately a family time. I do dedicate time for family as I know this it is the most important investment in life. On the other hand, I am constantly pushed by my wife to meditate as often as possible and I’ve noticed that meditation gives me both calm and strength, as well as exploring ideas in a very unique way. I dedicate time to reading ‘The Economist’ every Friday, without exception, as it gives me a broader perspective of what is going on around me and globally. Travelling, reading, family time and sports car are the four pillars that account for my never ending energy flow.