Testimonials

Hewlett-Packard: Testimonial by an American of Lebanese origin about HP’s Middle Eastern success

“HP is here to be part of the local fabric.”

Hewlett-Packard (HP) has a long history in the Middle East, having entered the market in 1968, and is now ranked market leader with a 22 percent share, well ahead of its nearest competitor IBM. According to Joseph Hanania, HP’s General Manager for the Middle East, the Middle East computer market is in a strong expansion phase and is expected to achieve 12 percent growth this year to reach USD 5.3 billion. HP’s success, however, is not solely driven by bottom-line profits, but rather by a concerted effort to promote economic, educational and knowledge development.

Explaining HP’s regional success, Hanania points out that the global group has made a long-term commitment to the Middle East market. He says, “I think we understand this market because, although we are a multinational, we operate with a local objective in mind, which means you have to grow the local market. We are not here for one or two or three or five years; we are here to be part of the local fabric. We have traditionally been strong in this region. Compaq was extremely strong as well, and when it combined with HP, we ended up with strengths everywhere.”

HP is involved in sales, support and marketing in the Middle East and a few months ago also began manufacturing operations at its plant in Saudi Arabia, which now assembles certain models of HP desktops. HP’s client list includes the region’s top public and private sector organizations.

Hanania explains that HP aims to benefit the Middle East through providing knowledge transfer as well as educational and professional opportunities. He says, “We believe that the key to prosperity in the Middle East is educational and economic development, so we are committed to raising these standards. We believe that if we do our work and other companies do their work on educational and economic development, this region will continue to prosper.”

As in all its markets, HP in the Middle East favors a flexible, transparent, open management culture. In addition, Hanania says, “The other pillar of the HP culture is a commitment to doing good in the areas in which we operate – and I really mean contributing in a non-commercial sense toward good causes.”
HP is a strong supporter of a number of initiatives throughout the Middle East, including the Make a Wish Foundation for terminally ill children. HP recently provided a notebook computer for an 18-year-old with terminal heart problems, and Hanania, who exchanges emails with the boy, says, “When you do something small like this, you never imagine the impact it has on people. It is steps like this that make a difference, the little steps that make a big impact.”

As far as big steps toward social betterment go, HP has been busy. One of the most extensive projects recently completed by the company was the implementation of e-learning in local schools in Jordan, an investment in the future that Hanania believes is crucial. “This education project in Jordan is the boldest experiment,” he says, adding, “New methods of teaching have been implemented, not just for the sake of methods, but for greater involvement between student, teacher and parent.” Now, in many public classrooms in Jordan, children learn with a wireless network and interactive computer programs with the help of HP IT-solutions and hardware. Hanania’s enthusiasm for this project is evident. When asked about his visit to the newly technologically enhanced classrooms, he said, “You could see the advantage. If you want to see what it’s really like, all you have to do is see the smile on the children’s faces as they use these new learning tools. It tells the whole story. The look in their eye, the smile on their face, it tells everything. It’s an excellent program.”

Hanania is an American of Lebanese origin thoroughly enjoying working and contributing to the Middle East. Concerning investment opportunities for United States companies in the Middle East, Hanania, believes the media focus on negative situations in the region deters many investors, whereas the reality is that the Middle East has always offered and continues to offer great growth potential. He concludes, “I would tell people looking to do business here that if they are interested in expanding their business, anytime is a good time.”

For American companies operating in the Middle East, HP has positioned itself as the ideal partner. As Hanania says, “We listen to our customers. We are not just a hardware company. When we meet with clients, we are thinking how we can solve their problems through applying our array of hardware, software, solutions and intellectual property.”

Amy Peterson: Testimonial from American working in Dubai

What made you come to Dubai?
I met my husband in Washington DC and he is of Lebanese-Armenian descent and he has been in the UAE since 1964. After we got married, we decided to come and live here. We arrived in August of 1992.

What were your initial impressions of Dubai in 1992?
In the middle of August, it is hot. I wear glasses and when I got off the plane, they immediately fogged up! When I drove around the city, I saw that it was not as ethnic as I had imagined it to be. I didn’t know about the country before I came and I found it very cosmopolitan. And this was 12 years ago, so now it’s changed so much, it’s even more cosmopolitan and modern. Now, it’s home. I have to say, I love the States, but this is home at the moment.

What would you tell Americans about living in Dubai?
I love living here. God forbid if something was to happen with my relationship, I would still seriously think about staying here. I say that because it’s a country where you still have moral responsibilities. I feel very safe in this country. The people that I interact with are very considerate, very gentlemanly and very professional. And it’s just a nice place to live. If I have children, I would raise them here. It’s very safe.

How do you find working at Dubai Media City?
I love it. I’ve been with them for three years now. I was just promoted into my new position. I’m the sales director. I have a great team. It comprises a UAE national, a lady and gentleman from South Africa, another gentleman from Germany and a lady from the United Kingdom. I work with so many nationalities and everybody gets along. You learn so much. Also, I believe in the leadership of DMC and on a bigger scale, I really believe in what Sheikh Mohammed is doing for this city and I’m excited to see these dreams come to fruition.

How would you compare working here vs. having a comparable job in NYC?
I think we have better benefits. For example, I’m now going on a one month vacation, and that’s standard. We have private medical insurance. For me the benefits are that they appear to be more and there is more opportunity for Americans out here. We are a novelty of a sort and so we have access to situations that you wouldn’t have in the States.

What would you say to Americans thinking about Dubai?
I would say come, visit, stay, the vacation homes are phenomenal, do business here. The business environment is very Western in its thinking.

What is a bad thing about being in Dubai?
Well, my family is in Nebraska, so I am far away from home. The bad thing is that you don’t get to spend as much time with your family. People have to be prepared for that. Another bad thing is that you have to adjust to the way things are done here. Little things, but it depends on your personality. Everything you want, you can have here. But, some people find it frustrating to not knowing where their favorite grocery store is at first. But, if you are comfortable in the States, if you are the kind of person that can adapt, then you will be just and most likely more comfortable in Dubai. It’s a nice lifestyle and it’s relaxed. People work hard here, but they also play hard.

Christopher Wentzel: American working and living in Dubai

How did you begin working for TECOM?
I had an internship with TECOM last year, as part of my studies at University of Connecticut. I was here for three months working in the legal department and I wanted to come back when I graduated. My family is still in the States. They came to visit over New Year’s and, in fact, my brother who is still at University of Connecticut will be coming out here to start a job when he graduates.

What is your role within TECOM?
My position is performance analyst. I’m with planning and business development. I spend a lot of my time doing product management. My customer interaction is limited, but I spend a lot of time trying to get American companies over here.

How do you find living in Dubai as an American?
The biggest thing for Americans when they think of the region as a whole, is security. That’s one of the biggest worries. And I can say that I feel totally safe here as an American. It’s the type of social structure here that gives that safety.

How do you like working for TECOM?
It’s great. I’ve only been here for seven months and the exposure is incredible. In other jobs, you often get stuck in these traditional roles where if you’re a performance analyst or you’re a product manager, you are doing only that. Because there’s so much growth and development in Dubai and within our company as well, we’re expanding quite a bit, so my job is constantly adapting. Initially I started doing performance management and then was given a few products to look over, and soon I was doing product management. So from a career point of view, it’s great. I speak openly to my peers. I work with a very diverse group of nationalities. My head supervisor is Indian, my division supervisor is Emirati, my colleagues range from South African, to British, to German to Lebanese, they’re from everywhere.

Do you miss home?
I miss my family, of course. The quality of living here, though, is very high and I could see myself living here for many years to come. What is making it easier to be far away is that Emirates is now starting to fly directly to New York.

How do you compare working in Dubai versus working in New York?
I had a considerable amount of work experience before moving here. I find that in the States, when you work for a large company, you have your job and you just do your job. You don’t get as much exposure. Here, they encourage entrepreneurship and innovation to such a high degree and development is happening so fast that you have to adapt and take on more responsibility.
Do you feel that there is more pressure here than there would be in a similarly sized company in New York?
It’s pressure but it’s fun work. I would say that in the States, it definitely depends upon what kind of job you have, but if you are an employee who doesn’t own his own business, you often work a nine to five job. You do what you have to do. If you are a project manager in the States, it’s as simple as that. They are not going to have you doing things in the finance department or many things outside the scope of your work. You may have a few things here or there but you have your job objectives and you do that.

What’s the one thing you wish to tell New Yorkers about Dubai?
Dubai and the Middle East region are both becoming increasingly vital to the world. A general awareness and a better understanding of this region are necessary.