On this month’s Girls in Tech, Deputy Editor Giorgia Guantario spoke to Iman Ghorayeb, Director of Advertising and marketing and Communications, EMEA and APAC at Avaya, to grasp how she grew to become one of the vital influential communications professionals within the ICT business.
A advertising knowledgeable and communications skilled, Iman Ghorayeb, Director of Advertising and marketing and Communications for EMEA and APAC at Avaya, has matured 20 years of expertise within the ICT business.
Ghorayeb got here to the UAE in 2000 when he began his profession at Spot On PR, a digital advertising and communications company primarily based in Dubai. He barely knew something in regards to the business on the time, but it surely did not take him lengthy to construct a robust portfolio of shoppers.
She defined: “Each time I made a profession transfer, it was to step up. I began as an account supervisor and rose to the function of director fairly rapidly. On the time, I used to be working with virtually each tech firm on the face of the earth and with groups throughout the area – I labored alongside lots of good individuals who launched me to many new advertising practices and I’m very grateful. for this.”
Ghorayeb moved right into a client-side place in 2006 when he began working as Director of Communications for Wataniya Telecom (now Ooredoo Kuwait). Within the means of pursuing a extremely profitable profession, her life took a flip when she grew to become pregnant along with her first baby and determined to stop 9 months after giving delivery.
“When my child was 9 months outdated, I made a decision to resign as a result of I felt I could not do it. After that I used to be unemployed for seven years and had two extra kids. I utterly misplaced contact with the business and had no concept after I would return to work.
“When my third baby managed to go to kindergarten, I made a decision to search for a job once more – it took me an entire 12 months to search out one as a result of nobody needed to provide me an opportunity after a such a protracted break. It was one of many hardest issues I’ve ever needed to do in my life, however I stayed motivated and finally began working with a PR company once more, main their know-how follow.”
Getting into the workforce after such a very long time was not with out its challenges for Ghorayeb, who felt he needed to hone his comfortable expertise and adapt to the brand new actuality of the advertising business, which had turn into far more digitally centered. Though desirous to study and keep up-to-date, the communications chief discovered herself out of a job once more when the company did not help her studying curve.
She continued: “On the time I assumed this was it, my vanity was at an all-time low and I simply did not see how I might progress in my profession. So I rolled up my sleeves and approached Avaya – I requested them to provide me an opportunity they usually had been extremely accommodating. We began small by constructing the PR and communications follow within the Center East area. I surrounded myself with individuals who taught me lots whereas on the identical time sharing and growing my communication expertise. They discovered worth in me as a lot as I discovered worth in them.”
Ghorayeb’s profession progressed rapidly, reaching his present function as Director of Advertising and marketing and Communications for the EMEA and APAC areas at Avaya – an organization he defined has a consolidated variety coverage and strongly helps ladies in its group.
“The Avaya crew can determine expertise and actually nurture and encourage it to develop. They took a threat after they supplied me a job after so lengthy away from the business, however they acknowledged my expertise and distinctive talent set and inspired me to take it in a route that labored each for me and for the corporate.
“At Avaya, we encourage expressing opinions and bringing new concepts to the desk – particularly in know-how, you must give you modern concepts virtually every single day, and such an open-minded work atmosphere that welcomes new voices is the important thing to success,” she defined.
Ghorayeb praised Avaya’s administration for growing a tradition that promotes wholesome and inclusive dialogue for all its staff.
A Silicon Valley Research carried out in 2015 confirmed that ladies in tech have a tough time placing the best steadiness with out being seen as too comfortable or too powerful within the office, nevertheless, Ghorayeb discovered that the power to precise sturdy opinions is a part of the rationale he discovered success in it. Profession.
“Everybody at Avaya can categorical an opinion, after which it is as much as the person whether or not or not they wish to train that proper. I’ve at all times benefited from this open tradition and know that I’ll by no means be negatively rewarded for talking my thoughts. Working in one of these atmosphere has helped me turn into fearless in my method and progress my profession rapidly,” she concluded.
