A well-directed strategy is essential for corporate success. A holistic business approach is one such idea that enables all employees to collaborate for the success of the company. Managers may promote their organization’s objectives and communicate with their teams more effectively by learning more about holistic approaches. In order to identify solutions and efficiencies that meet the demands of all departments at once, effective operations leadership must take into account the specific objectives and viewpoints of each department. To satisfy the needs of the customers, one should have divisions that must cooperate. Although it can be tempting to think of each department as a separate silo, there are some critical tactics that operations directors can use to develop a comprehensive strategy. Meet Saifi Ismail, Group President of Yalla Group Limited, who is achieving success in all areas of operations with a holistic approach, whether it be in terms of revenue or user growth.
Profession Stepping Ladder
An Australian-Jordanian businessman and computer engineer, he holds a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from the Jordan University of Science and Technology and a postgraduate certificate in management from Macquarie University in Australia. He began his career in 2004 at Huawei as a VAS engineer and worked there till 2006 in the service and software division. Later, he worked as an account manager for ZTE Corporation for two years. Ismail began working with Etisalat in 2008 as the manager of product marketing.
He joined NetComm, a publicly traded firm on the Australian stock exchange, two years later. For over four years, he served as vice president of sales and business development for the Middle East, Africa, and South East Asia regions. Ismail returned to Etisalat as the director of modern commerce in 2013, a role he held for around six years. He later began serving as Yalla Group’s group president and a member of its management team as of October 2019.
The Essence Behind Yalla
Yalla Group Ltd. was conceptualized in 2016, during a period when computer games and their related devices dominated the digital entertainment market. With the swift technological improvements the telecommunications industry has seen since then, the idea has continued to solidify and develop, and the decision was made to launch the business at Dubai Internet City. Numerous factors led to the decision to launch from the Emirate of Dubai. First, it draws in investors from throughout the world because of its desirability. In addition to the need for Arab societies to provide content specifically for the Arab world via Arab platforms specialized in this sector, whose goods take into account the values and traditions of Arab cultures, the city offers a model environment for digital entertainment. Another reason for starting the business and offering these products was the scarcity of Arab social media products in the face of tough competition from international platforms, which swept the largest segment of Arab consumers.
The World of a Unified Experience
Yalla Group, the UAE’s first unicorn technology company to list on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), is committed to offering top-notch online social experiences to people with similar cultural backgrounds. Yalla Group is the leading voice-centric social networking and entertainment platform in the MENA region. Yalla, a voice-centric group chat app, and Yalla Ludo, a casual gaming app with online versions of regionally popular board games, are the company’s two flagship mobile products.
Following the success of these platforms, the business continued to grow its content, developing an ecosystem of apps that consists of Waha, a social networking product made for the metaverse; YallaChat, an instant messaging service made specifically for Arabic users; and games like Yalla Baloot and 101 Okey Yalla, created to support thriving local gaming communities in Saudi Arabia and Turkey, respectively. Yalla Group has also released Yalla Parchis, a Ludo board game created for the South American region. Additionally, the company has entered the mobile gaming distribution industry of mid-core and hard-core games in the MENA region through its holding subsidiary, Yalla Game.
Responsibilities to Execute
A group president’s responsibility in an organization is to lead a group of executives. Presidents carry out high-level managerial tasks pertaining to the overall operations of the company. Saifi Ismail’s responsibilities as Group President include full operational oversight, marketing, and development, along with sales operations for paid services and other direct customer services, partnerships, investments, shareholder affairs, and other direct operating affairs within the Middle East and North Africa region.
He was honoured and recognized for his all-encompassing leadership. He was acknowledged as a member of the 2022 Forbes Business Council. He has received recognition as one of Arabian Business’ “2022 Most Inspiring Business Leaders” and Estesmarat Magazine’s “2021 Leading Personality of the Year” (Digital Entertainment). He was also honoured by The Global Economics Magazine as the “Best Emerging Leader in the Digital Entertainment Sector.”
Sustaining the Culture of Yalla
Regarding the management style that Saifi employs, it is based on a number of accepted tenets, the most important of which is that increasing customer happiness is one of the most crucial success factors. This is true for all businesses involved in social communication and digital entertainment. Modern management, in Saifi’s view, necessitates leadership that operates at a faster pace, has flexible decision-making, moves away from centralization, and has a belief in specialization. Saifi believes that these factors and requirements are an absolute necessity that must be present in every business leader today. In addition, there are values and ethical guidelines for content that is appropriate for the Arab world. Saifi, the Group President, places these two criteria as his top priorities.
Saifi’s Life Rule
Saifi Ismail believes that he has a basic personal life like any other young Arab. He enjoys playing several video games and watching football, the most popular sport in the world, in both its physical and digital incarnations. Due to the nature of his employment, he also enjoys reading, especially about topics linked to digital entertainment and the communications industry.
Saifi enjoys spending his free time with his family since he strives to maintain a healthy balance between his personal and professional lives. He believes that this component requires a leadership mentality that possesses the same abilities that a successful leader should have.
Saifi adds, “In addition, enjoying happy moments with my team and reinforcing the concept of teamwork are important qualities that I try to maintain.”
Wisdom for New Leaders
The most crucial traits of a successful leader, according to Saifi Ismail, are the belief in specialization, the assignment of tasks to experts in every area of work, the promotion of a healthy competitive spirit within the work teams, and the adoption of a culture of cooperation and interdependence among employees. Young businesspeople should follow his advice, which is based on the business model developed by Yalla Group Limited over the years to become the premier Arab platform for digital entertainment and social networking:
- Adopting an innovative approach given that it is one of the key aspects of the digital age and the subsequent advancements the Arab region’s digital entertainment industry has seen
- Taking advantage of possibilities as soon as they arise is important because delaying or postponing decisions will allow rivals to emerge or catch up.
- Avoid rigid plans that do not embrace development and innovation, as the digital age is predicated on quick changes and improvements. Instead, use flexible planning that can be converted and updated in response to market data.
- One of the most crucial steps in the business sector is to thoroughly research the target markets for your concept or product because they serve as the foundation for all business goals and strategies, regardless of industry, but particularly in the digital industry.
- Using unconventional approaches and capitalizing on the qualitative advancements made in the target industry
Written by Steve Sanchez.
