Mohammed, could you start by telling our readers a little about yourself and your professional journey?
I’ve spent more than 25 years building a leadership career across the Energy and Utilities sector, working across B2B and B2C environments and leading major commercial, operational, and transformation programs throughout the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and beyond.
My journey began in frontline operations and sales, which gave me an invaluable understanding of how businesses work at ground level — from supply chains and terminals to retail networks and industrial customers. This early exposure shaped my belief that leadership starts with listening, learning, and respecting the realities faced by the people delivering the work.
Over the years, I was entrusted with increasingly strategic mandates, including regional leadership assignments and executive roles overseeing major turnarounds, market expansions, M&A evaluations, and cross-border growth initiatives. I’ve managed multimillion-dollar P&Ls, rebuilt underperforming organizations, and delivered measurable improvements in profitability, governance, and customer experience.
Operating across more than 40 countries gave me a unique global perspective while keeping me grounded in practical, hands-on leadership. Today, I focus on transforming organizations, building high-performance teams, and delivering sustainable value in rapidly evolving markets — always guided by integrity, operational excellence, and servant leadership.
What is it you currently do?
I currently lead a comprehensive transformation mandate that spans multiple operational and commercial functions. My focus is on restructuring complex service operations, strengthening governance, optimizing costs, and building an integrated, customer-centric operating model capable of supporting long-term growth.
This work includes elevating fleet and logistics efficiency, improving human capital structures, enhancing operational controls, implementing commercial strategy, and driving digital enablement. A central part of my role is integrating historically fragmented activities into a unified framework that improves transparency, speeds up execution, and raises overall performance.
I also work closely with senior leadership on strategic planning, market positioning, and multi-year investment priorities — ensuring alignment with national transformation objectives and emerging regional opportunities. Leadership development is equally crucial; I spend significant time mentoring managers, building capability, and embedding a culture of empowerment and accountability.
What interesting projects have you been involved in?
I’ve had the privilege of leading several high-impact projects across various regions. One major initiative was a full turnaround of a regional organization facing declining performance and fragmented operations. Through redesigning the commercial model, rebuilding leadership capability, and implementing governance frameworks, the business returned to sustainable profitability within a year.
Another significant project involved leading a multi-country market expansion that included launching tailored product portfolios and establishing a state-of-the-art industrial blending facility. This opened new revenue streams, strengthened supply chain infrastructure, and deepened customer engagement.
I’ve also led the development of integrated retailing concepts that modernized customer experience for the fuels and services sector and improved competitive positioning. In addition, I negotiated aviation and technical service agreements that generated recurring revenue and established strategic presence in high-value segments.
More recently, my work has centered on transforming large, multi-division service operations — uplifting standards, reducing inefficiencies, strengthening governance, and building performance cultures capable of supporting national giga-projects.
Tell us about the major turnaround initiatives and strategic expansions you have achieved.
Across my career, several transformation and expansion mandates have shaped my leadership philosophy. One early assignment involved a distressed business that required immediate stabilization. I redesigned the commercial structure, rebuilt the organizational framework, and restored customer trust — resulting in significant earnings improvement and a much stronger audit rating.
I also led regional expansion efforts across high-potential markets, including market entry strategies, development of tailored product offerings, and construction of advanced industrial infrastructure to increase production capacity and unlock new growth channels.
Another key initiative was leading a major M&A feasibility project aimed at modernizing a national retail network. This required deep financial modeling, regulatory alignment, and reimagining the customer journey. The insights shaped long-term strategic direction for the business.
My work in securing major aviation and OEM partnerships also played a transformative role, establishing new revenue streams and increasing market share through mutually beneficial strategic alliances.
These experiences taught me that successful transformation depends on clarity of direction, disciplined execution, and alignment of people behind a shared mission.
What is your current focus?
My current priority is building a stronger, more agile organization capable of delivering consistent, high-quality service while supporting long-term strategic growth. This involves integrating previously fragmented functions, elevating service reliability, embedding governance discipline, and driving digitalization to improve performance visibility.
Leadership development is a core focus — investing in coaching and building empowered, capable managers who can lead with clarity and accountability. Digital enablement is another priority, ensuring systems and tools support data-driven, real-time decision-making. Ultimately, my focus is ensuring that today’s transformation initiatives create sustainable, future-proof capabilities aligned with national priorities.
What are your goals and mission?
My mission is to build resilient, high-performing organizations capable of thriving within the region’s fast-evolving economic landscape.
My goals are centered around three pillars:
1. Sustainable Transformation — embedding operational and commercial excellence into the long-term DNA of the organization.
2. Leadership Development — cultivating empowered leaders who can drive performance and uphold strong cultural and governance values.
3. Strategic Alignment — ensuring that growth initiatives directly support national development priorities.
Ultimately, I aim to leave every organization stronger and more competitive than when I first joined it.
How are you ensuring alignment with Vision 2030?
Vision 2030 is reshaping the region’s competitive landscape, and alignment begins with understanding its core objectives: diversification, sustainability, digital advancement, and human capital development.
Operationally, this means rebuilding organizational structures for efficiency and transparency, elevating service standards, and ensuring readiness to support national mega-projects. Digital transformation is central — deploying systems that enhance performance intelligence and enable faster, more informed decisions.
Human capital remains a priority. Vision 2030 emphasizes capability-building, and I focus heavily on mentoring leaders and strengthening culture. Alignment also requires collaboration with regulators, partners, and stakeholders to ensure long-term relevance and strategic fit.
What is your leadership philosophy?
My leadership philosophy is built on three pillars: servant leadership, clarity, and empowerment.
I believe great leadership begins with serving people — enabling them, guiding them, and removing barriers so they can perform at their best. Clarity is equally important; people deliver more when expectations and standards are transparent.
Finally, empowerment drives progress. I push decision-making closer to the frontline, where insights are strongest. Empowered teams innovate faster and take ownership of results.
I also lead by example — staying close to the work, listening actively, and maintaining humility. Leadership is not a title, but a responsibility to elevate others.
How has the business leadership landscape changed?
The leadership landscape has evolved toward purpose-driven, emotionally intelligent models. Authenticity now outweighs hierarchy. The pace of change demands adaptability, data-driven thinking, and the comfort to operate in uncertainty.
Governance and operational discipline have become fundamental. Organizations today must balance innovation with strong controls and compliance frameworks.
Employee expectations have shifted as well. People seek empowerment, development, and meaning. Sustainable high performance now stems from trust, alignment, and psychological safety.
Collaboration is essential. The future belongs to leaders who can unite diverse stakeholders around shared purpose and strategic direction.
As a leader, how do you ensure high performance across diverse teams?
High performance begins with building a unified culture and shared purpose. When people understand the “why,” alignment becomes natural.
I prioritize structure and governance — clear roles, expectations, and accountability frameworks that keep teams focused and disciplined. I invest heavily in coaching leaders, strengthening decision-making, and enabling autonomy.
I also create an environment where people feel valued and heard. When teams trust leadership, performance becomes self-driven. Above all, I maintain presence on the ground; credibility comes from staying close to the work.
What’s next for you in the coming five years?
In the next five years, I aim to expand my impact across the region through larger executive mandates, major transformation programs, and advisory roles in strategy and operational excellence.
With the Middle East’s rapid development, there is growing demand for leaders who can bridge vision with execution. I intend to contribute by shaping high-performing organizations and supporting national transformation efforts across the GCC, Africa, and Asia.
Leadership development remains a personal priority. I plan to invest more time mentoring emerging leaders and helping them navigate a changing business landscape.
What differentiates your leadership approach from others in the industry?
My leadership approach is defined by a combination of global experience, operational grounding, and servant leadership. Many leaders focus solely on strategy or performance; I believe true transformation begins with people.
I spend significant time on the ground understanding challenges firsthand and ensuring strategy is connected to reality. My early experience in terminals, retail sites, and industrial operations taught me the importance of governance, discipline, and execution — principles that continue to shape my leadership.
Having worked across more than 40 countries, I bring a global lens to decision-making, enabling me to adapt quickly, navigate complexity, and build resilient, future-ready organizations.
What advice would you give emerging leaders in the Middle East?
Lead with humility — it keeps you learning and evolving. The Middle East is entering a historic phase of growth, giving young leaders unprecedented opportunity and responsibility.
I encourage emerging leaders to:
- Develop a global mindset. Exposure to diverse perspectives is essential.
- Invest in relationships. Leadership is built on trust and alignment.
- Stay adaptable. Technologies change; markets shift; strategies must evolve.
Seek roles that challenge you. True growth comes from stepping into opportunities that stretch your capabilities.
How do you balance short-term performance with long-term transformation?
Balancing both requires clarity, communication, and strong governance. Short-term results depend on operational discipline, while long-term transformation requires vision and patience.
I ensure balance through:
- Clear priorities — focusing resources where impact is highest.
- Transparent communication — ensuring teams understand the rationale.
- Structured governance — tracking both short-term KPIs and long-term milestones.
Short-term performance keeps an organization healthy; long-term transformation ensures it becomes stronger.
What must organizations change to remain competitive in the next decade?
The next decade will reward organizations that transform boldly and early. Critical shifts include:
- Stronger operational discipline and governance
- Deep digital integration across operations
- Investment in talent and leadership
- Customer-centric cultures
- Regional, cross-border perspectives — especially within the GCC
Organizations that act now will define the next era of competitiveness.
What philosophy guides your decision-making in high-pressure situations?
In high-pressure situations, I rely on clarity, composure, and integrity.
Clarity helps identify the real issue.
Composure enables sound judgment and sets the tone for the team.
Integrity ensures decisions remain aligned with values and governance.
I listen closely to data, experts, and frontline insight. This combination leads to rapid, values-driven, and effective decisions.
Where can readers find out more about you?
I welcome professional engagement on LinkedIn, where I share insights on leadership, transformation, and regional market developments.
Email: mohammedeghazy@gmail.com
