| Kippreport.com

INTERVIEW: Nabil Habayeb

July 14, 2012 3:00 by kippreport

How many people make up the work­force?

We have, in my region (the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey) 4,200 people.

What is the region’s growth turnover?

It was about $10 billion in 2011.

What kind of growth are you seeing?

Double-digit growth.

And within this MENA region, where are you seeing the growth?

The main focus area is the big countries, the big revenues that are coming in from Turkey, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Algeria. These are the big markets for us. Qatar is a big market for us, especially [be­cause of the] energy and growth of Qatar airways. But now we are starting to see growth in other places such as Oman, Ku­wait. Pakistan is another area that we are concentrating on.

When you look at women in the work­place, do you see a real change? Do you think women are trying to approach a role of leadership in the region? Which countries are leading the trend?

I think women in leadership is a big focus area for us, and we have been working very closely across the region to make sure that we are a catalyst for this. If you come to our offices you will see women in leadership in many functions. The talent that you get is great. Turkey has been a great base and the GCC is picking up quite a lot. We have a lot of UAE nationals who are working for us and arising in key locations. Saudi Arabia is a big focus for us. We have increased our work force considerably in the kingdom, that is the woman workforce and in leader­ship positions.

Saudi Arabia is moving a lot faster, but from a lower base. I think with the activi­ties that we have been promoting around women’s health, that has helped us to po­sition ourselves to attract more [women] from the region. Of course, North Africa, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria is moving in that direction, so we are seeing this trend in almost all regions. The one that is moving faster is probably Saudi Arabia, but from a lower base.

-By Ranvir Nayar

*First published on Trends

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Tags: GE Middle East and Africa, Nabil Habayeb, President and CEO, renewable energy