Global CEO Excellence 2017

46 CEO MONTHLY / GLOBAL CEO EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2017 challenge of tourism is increasing visitor arrivals while protecting the environment. Major cities are becoming overcrowded and urbanisation causes problems involving waste management. Concerns about pollution are rising, and other challenges of tourism are related to dynamic growth management, climate change, poverty alleviation, support for conservation and health, safety and security. This is why we have made such a strong commitment to sustainable tourism through our partnership with the UNWTO.” Being CEO means Haitham has to ensure everyone in his organisation understands the vision and how they will achieve it. He discusses his leadership style below, looking to be an inspiration to his team and leading by example. All the major assets of a good CEO are demonstrated by Haitham, notably being trustworthy and loyal, as these are seen as imperative in order to deliver the results he and his team strive to achieve. “My leadership style means I strive to lead by example. This involves having an insatiable hunger for success, passion for what I do and an even greater level of perseverance. I also think it is important for leaders to be trustworthy, loyal, committed and visible. I keep my team motivated by working hands-on, maximising each person’s unique strengths, valuing their input, recognizing their contributions and communicating with them, which is of the utmost importance. As long as I am capable of inspiring my team to deliver and drive results, I feel that I am on the right track.” There have been many challenges and opportunities which have arisen since Haitham became CEO of RAKTDA. Haitham believes his previous success is his biggest challenge, as his recent success has seen expectations of him become greater. The pressure is now on to deliver large-scale projects to the quality of standard that the CEO and his team have previously done so. Tourism Promotion CEO of the Year - UAE g