CEO Monthly Issue 9 2018

14 CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 9 2018 , Profiles International Middle East has provided employee assessment solutions to 40,000 clients throughout theMiddle East region since 1999. In early August, Profiles International’s CEO, OussamaMansour, was named CEOMonthlyMagazine’s CEO of Year for 2018. Following this well-deserved achievement, we spoke to Oussama to find out howhe has spearheaded his business to international success and acclaim. The Driving Force Behind Business Growth in the Middle East For nearly two decades, Profiles International Middle East has been a stalwart of the talent management industry, offering comprehensive talent assessments and strategies to help businesses increase productivity and reduce strain on internal human resource infrastructure. Oussama has, since the beginning, guided Profiles International to every success, into new markets and onto new horizons. In many ways, Oussama practices what he teaches to others; he is a leader that inspires continuous improvement, diligence and a commitment to excellence. Oussama starts the interview by telling us about his responsibilities as CEO of Profiles International, and how he nurtures an employee culture that encourages independence. “I encourage a working environment where talent can express their mind freely. They can experiment with new ideas and approaches. I respect independent thinkers and people who drive results without being told what to do. As a CEO, my primary responsibility is to provide direction, ensure alignment and deliver value to our shareholders through great customer service experiences.” Oussama continues, expanding on Profiles International’s values, “Our culture is built around a set of values that govern us in everything we do. These values are; great service experience both internally and externally, continuous improvement, teamwork, and financial success. Our values are translated to pre-defined behaviours that are communicated and implemented in our daily actions as well as in our meetings. Management ‘walk the talk’, and we encourage pro- active communication between our staff which, in turn, helps to develop a high level of staff engagement.” Perhaps key to Oussama’s success is his dedication and persistence to goals in his working life and outside of it – Oussama is, fundamentally, in a constant pursuit of perfection. “It is difficult to pinpoint specific attributes to humble success. 1809CE02 I was lucky to have been mentored by great mentors at each stage of my life. Have a clear vision and be passionate about it, determination, courage, persistence, action and stay focused are what I truly believe have impacted both professional and personal life.” Throughout his career, Oussama has held numerous positions of noted importance in leading institutions. His drive to improve and innovate is the cornerstone of Profiles International – after all, he is utilising this passion to help others to improve, evolve and grow in turn. During his tenure at Profiles International, Oussama has spearheaded the firm’s move into North Africa and the Arabian Gulf, earning industry-wide recognition for his considerable efforts. As an academic in the schools of mechanical engineering, international economics, human resources and business administration, Oussama is considered an expert, Master Trainer and leading Executive Coach in corporate training and management styles. He is, ultimately, well-suited to his position as Chief Executive, and a natural fit for ensuring growth for businesses in the region. Oussama’s coaching style is built around the importance of “mind over body”, teaching his ‘coachees’ to become agile leaders; adapting on the fly, predicting change, and acting accordingly. At the heart of its consultancy services, Profiles International utilises the science of ‘Neuro- Acceleration’, acting to remove innate psychological obstacles, and decrease procrastination. It is, by all regards, a tactic that works and has resulted in Profiles International growing to become a formidable presence in the human resources and consultancy sectors. Coming to the close of the interview, Oussama comments on how he built his own team from the ground up, “each team member was ‘hand-picked’ to ensure maximum alignment between the individual team member and our organisation culture. Each team member