GET TO KNOW...
On the lighter side of things, we ask the
industry experts what makes them tick. . . .
Maged El Serougy,
General Manager –
Kuwait, Schneider Electric
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What would you describe as your
most memorable achievement?
My most significant achievement has been
Schneider Electric enabling the Kuwait
Ministry of Electricity and Water’s smart
metering project, which is set to launch
800,000 smart meters across the country.
Schneider Electric, Ericsson, and Zain are
joining forces to deploy the ministry’s smart
metering infrastructure.
Aligned with Kuwait Vision 2035, this smart
metering project is enhancing Kuwait’s
innovation leadership and aims to help
organisations and residents to gain real-time
utilities monitoring and payments to save
time and money.
What first made you think of a
career in technology?
I first thought about a career in technology
when I was in university. After graduating
from Ain Shams University in Egypt
with a degree in mechanical and power
engineering, I joined ABB, where I started
my career as a condition monitoring
engineer. I’ve also worked on the client
side with Kharafi National and KUBOTA. It’s
exciting to work in the technology sector,
especially in the Digital Transformation
of energy management and automation.
As Kuwait faces the three key mega-
trends of digitisation, urbanisation, and
industrialisation, the Digital Transformation of
energy is more important than ever before.
I’ve enjoyed working with Schneider Electric,
an industry leader and a dynamic and
fast-growing company. I’ve enjoyed helping
customers meet their business needs with
tailored technology solutions and look
forward to the next wave of technology
innovations based on the cloud, the Internet
of Things, and Artificial Intelligence.
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What style of
management
philosophy do you employ
with your current position?
My management style is an ‘open office’.
I strongly believe that successful managers
and c-suite executives need to emphasise
constant communication, and also not
to have restrictions on communication
with their team. I believe that effective
managers need to take a hands-on
approach to building high performance
teams. Diversity and inclusion is a major
point of our professional development
in Kuwait. I’m dedicated to fostering an
environment in which our Kuwait business
promotes gender equality, diversity
of nationalities and abilities, and also
empowers the Kuwaiti workforce.
What do you think is the current hot
technology talking point?
Cloud is the hottest technology talking
point in Kuwait and in the Gulf, as cloud
computing technology has rapidly advanced
in ability and decreased in cost. In Kuwait,
there is a raft of young and innovative
engineers and c-suite executives who are
eager to adopt breakthrough technologies
such as cloud, Artificial Intelligence and
the Internet of Things to drive new digital
business models that can transform citizen
and customer experiences.
Kuwait is also a major hub for innovative
home-grown organisations, start-ups,
and entrepreneurs. Schneider Electric is
supporting the training of our channel
partner ecosystem in emerging technologies,
and we are also continuing our partnership
with the non-profit INJAZ Al-Arab and
explore educational tie-ups to mentor and
train youth in Kuwait.
How do you deal with stress and
unwind outside the office?
Outside of work, I’m also highly competitive
in the sporting world. I enjoy playing squash
and chess, especially with
my two sons, because I
believe that it’s important
the body needs to work
as quickly as the mind. I
also try to spend as much
time as possible with my
family, including my two
sons and my daughter. On
the weekends, we spend
quality time together going
camping, attending cultural
events and having fun. n
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