Emad Elatreby: Driving Businesses Towards Success Through His Adaptive Leadership Mentality
Emad Elatreby
COO
Emad Elatreby has been instrumental in streamlining & improving processes, driving change, and implementing profitable, forward-thinking solutions. He has completed his Mechanical Engineering from Alexandria University and worked with international companies like J Ray McDermott, Maritime Industrial Services, and Lamprell, and currently, he is working as a Chief Operating Officer with Ali & Sons Holding LLC.
Emad Elatreby engages in an exclusive interaction with CEO Insight.
What are the turning points in your professional journey? What have been the most significant Take aways from this journey?
There were many turning points in my 32+ years of working experience that impacted the journey however, the significant turning points were mainly changing my career from Offshore Oil & Gas industry only to the energy & industrial sectors which have enrichedmy knowledge and experience. The other significant turning point was being part of a transformation team that contributed to a move from the Private Sector to an International Publicly Listed organization where I got complete exposure to all business aspects. Another change I felt was while working in a Family Conglomerate group, those different platforms not only added huge value to the strategic mindset but also improved the adaptivity part of the leadership mentality which helped
me to drive the business in difficult times.
How do you perceive the changing role of a COO within an organization? What are the radical factors you consider while building a successful operations team?
The role of the COO evolved in the last couple of decades and today, well-trained, effective COOs are essential for every organization’s growth. As the second in command, COOs not only look after the traditional operational responsibilities but also ensure the planning and execution of strategic initiatives. In the current competitive market with an increasing R&D intensity, the COO’s crucial role is to equip the R&D with his strong technical background to elevate the performance of the firm to achieve its long-term strategic goal.
While the traditional capabilities remain in play for building a successful team namely the technical expertise, I always give equal importance to the social skills that include a high level of self-awareness, the ability to listen and communicate well, and a facility for working with different types of people and groups. Those Social Skills will allow for a healthy teamwork environment with a significant magnitude on the overall performance of an organization.
Tell us about your leadership approach and the principles that you are guided by. What is your success mantra?
Fundamentally, the COO's effectiveness is correlated with the ability to lead from the frontline hence, I would describe my leadership style as direct and leading by example while I would still enjoy delegating tasks and staying involved as a hands-on help to inspire my team.
What did the pandemic mean for you? How did you approach the need for a new workplace model and new operational strategies?
COVID-19 has disrupted economies and businesses around the world, however, adapting quickly to the changing business landscape was the name of the game. The pandemic show cased the strengths and resilience of organizations globally.
As an organization, our people are the most valuable asset hence their
How do you perceive the changing role of a COO within an organization? What are the radical factors you consider while building a successful operations team?
The role of the COO evolved in the last couple of decades and today, well-trained, effective COOs are essential for every organization’s growth. As the second in command, COOs not only look after the traditional operational responsibilities but also ensure the planning and execution of strategic initiatives. In the current competitive market with an increasing R&D intensity, the COO’s crucial role is to equip the R&D with his strong technical background to elevate the performance of the firm to achieve its long-term strategic goal.
Social skills are necessary for a healthy team work environment
While the traditional capabilities remain in play for building a successful team namely the technical expertise, I always give equal importance to the social skills that include a high level of self-awareness, the ability to listen and communicate well, and a facility for working with different types of people and groups. Those Social Skills will allow for a healthy teamwork environment with a significant magnitude on the overall performance of an organization.
Tell us about your leadership approach and the principles that you are guided by. What is your success mantra?
Fundamentally, the COO's effectiveness is correlated with the ability to lead from the frontline hence, I would describe my leadership style as direct and leading by example while I would still enjoy delegating tasks and staying involved as a hands-on help to inspire my team.
What did the pandemic mean for you? How did you approach the need for a new workplace model and new operational strategies?
COVID-19 has disrupted economies and businesses around the world, however, adapting quickly to the changing business landscape was the name of the game. The pandemic show cased the strengths and resilience of organizations globally.
As an organization, our people are the most valuable asset hence their
safety and security were our top priorities in that difficult time. Mindful of the communicability of the COVID-19 virus, we put in place stringent safe management measures in line with guidance from the authorities. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, we focused on virtualization of work, spreading awareness among our employees, and the use of technology across operations becoming indispensable, resulting in the adoption of digital tools and new technology.
What are your future plans as a COO? What would be your advice to the budding leaders in the operations department?
We are currently going through a major growth plan focusing on the long term development of the organization through an inhouse strategy program named “Re-imagining the Future” which is developed from within based on innovative ideas through brainstorming sessions and discussions with all the Group entities. After constructive debates and discussions, the management launched the program with a firm five years plan and relevant financial models translated into a strategic goal with KPIs and a time line. To achieve those goals, we have embarked on the first major project of implementing one of the internationally recognized ERP systems across the group ‘Oracle Fusion’ as the first milestone while we have other teams chasing other development projects adopting new technologies.
Human Capital is the main asset for any leader and organization, selecting the right team and empowering them will help achieve the set goals and more, this is my sincere advice to any future leader. Another important aspect is to build a culture of feedback by being an active listener and having a one to one meeting frequently to encourage that feedback culture, also embrace the delegation of authority, and encourage creativity to motivate your team.
Emad Elatreby, COO Energy & Industrial, Ali & Sons Holding LLC
Emad Elatreby is an expert strategist, negotiator and transformative team leader who is able to forge solid relationships with partners and build consensus across multiple organizational levels.
•Hobbies:Volleyball, Football, Swimming
•Favorite Cuisine:Mexican
•Favorite Book:The Man Who Broke
Capitalism.
•Favorite Travel Destination:Madrid & Toronto.
What are your future plans as a COO? What would be your advice to the budding leaders in the operations department?
We are currently going through a major growth plan focusing on the long term development of the organization through an inhouse strategy program named “Re-imagining the Future” which is developed from within based on innovative ideas through brainstorming sessions and discussions with all the Group entities. After constructive debates and discussions, the management launched the program with a firm five years plan and relevant financial models translated into a strategic goal with KPIs and a time line. To achieve those goals, we have embarked on the first major project of implementing one of the internationally recognized ERP systems across the group ‘Oracle Fusion’ as the first milestone while we have other teams chasing other development projects adopting new technologies.
Human Capital is the main asset for any leader and organization, selecting the right team and empowering them will help achieve the set goals and more, this is my sincere advice to any future leader. Another important aspect is to build a culture of feedback by being an active listener and having a one to one meeting frequently to encourage that feedback culture, also embrace the delegation of authority, and encourage creativity to motivate your team.
Emad Elatreby, COO Energy & Industrial, Ali & Sons Holding LLC
Emad Elatreby is an expert strategist, negotiator and transformative team leader who is able to forge solid relationships with partners and build consensus across multiple organizational levels.
•Hobbies:Volleyball, Football, Swimming
•Favorite Cuisine:Mexican
•Favorite Book:The Man Who Broke
Capitalism.
•Favorite Travel Destination:Madrid & Toronto.