A Real Story Behind Success
A Real Story Behind Success Ahmed Al Fahad | Executive Director, Technology & Network Operations
The year 2017 was - without exaggeration - a turning point in my life. After 12 years in the strategic project management domain with Qatar Gas, I was nominated to carry out a special task at Al Jazeera Media Network: to establish a project management department from scratch. It is a great honour and privilege to be entrusted with such a task. It is an opportunity to serve my country. On the personal front, it was important for me to convince my father of the radical career move. Dutifulness to parents is one of the values cherished in our traditions. Moving from the energy to the media sector was not an easy career decision. After extensive discussion with my father, I was finally able to convince him. “It is a new career challenge. I am eager to take it on; and I promise I will live up to your expectation, father,” I said. Armed with faith before expertise, I joined Al Jazeera. From day one, I was adamant to cause a paradigm shift in the Network’s operational sphere, through watertight strategies and effective plans, to achieve the desired sustainable development. At the same time, I should not lose sight of the Network’s mission, as a key player on the global media landscape.
The early signs of success came with finalising the department’s organisational and executive structures. It was the foundation stone. Building a strong professional team was another challenge, which we were able to surmount with confidence. The second big leap we took was through the creation of a competent work environment. We were able to form a team of highly professional, accountable staff, all working towards a common goal. A workplace that any employee would feel proud of. Our collective efforts started – by the Grace of God - to bear fruit. The smooth operation of the department laced with the zeal of the hardworking staff ensured the successful completion of the Network’s project, within and without. From preliminary planning to complete execution, our department successfully delivered all the projects on time. Thanks to our personnel’s dedication, we were able to iron out all obstacles and solve all problems coming our way. The projects executed by the department stand as a testimony to our achievement, which in turn reverberates in Al Jazeera’s success - regional and global.
The year 2018 represented another career high for me with Al Jazeera. Having accomplished the tasks entrusted to me successfully, the Network decided to merge our department with technology and operations. A new structure was born, but it was born a giant. Having been appointed as the executive director of the newly formed ‘Technology & Network Operations Directorate’ was a new chapter in my professional career. With it came new challenges, of course. But in order to win, you have to swim upstream early on. That requires hard work and dedication, with no shortcuts. In addition to our technical endeavours, we spared no efforts to cope with rapidly changing technologies. Armed with faith and equipped with inspiration, I have always been guided by Al Jazeera’s human values and driven by the firm conviction that ‘I should do such a good job that the living, the dead, or the unborn couldn’t do it any better.’
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