We recently had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Imad A. Syed, CEO – PiLog Middle East and APAC of PiLog Group. Dr. Imad’s journey over these years with immense expertise associated with some senior positions inspires many. In this interview, the CEO (PiLog Middle East and APAC) shares his career journey, his passion for technology, the challenges faced in sustaining the business, and staying ahead of the curve in the market.
PiLog is a global business and is one of the leading providers of Master Data Quality Solutions, supporting multiple master data domains in several industry sectors. As the CEO (Middle East and APAC) of PiLog, Dr. Imad A. Syed shares profound insight into expanding his business, building transparency and gaining customers’ trust, and offers valuable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Career Overview
We started the interview by asking, “Could you share a brief overview of your career journey, including key milestones and transitions?”
Dr. Imad reflects, “With eighteen plus years of progressive career growth from Sr. Systems Engineer to today’s CEO PiLog (Middle East and APAC), Group CIO and Board Member at PiLog with overall experience spanning over Twenty years speaks volumes and beyond. I have had the opportunity to lead organization initiatives from the front for all value management initiatives for PiLog group development and its esteemed customers in go-to-market, revenue management, innovations, profitability, product development, and corporate advisor.
I have expertise in designing simple yet powerful strategies for data governance, management, transformation, and analytics of complex system landscapes. I have a proven track record of excelling in operational efficiency & effectiveness. And revolutionized the product and solution development using innovative frameworks that are agile and sustainable from the perspective of futuristic technology evolutions.”
He added, “Developing & executing business strategies, be it for GTM or Product or Operational management or deep & diversified Value-Engineering solutions, has been my core strengths over the years. I believe in nurturing, building & leading high-performance teams, resulting in the best of both worlds in Customer and employee experience.
Moreover, I conceived, designed, and built the architecture of Enterprise solutions with state-of-the-art futuristic technologies, Cloud-based content microservices (web services) with subscription models, alongside the data lifecycle management processes such as iDataAcquisition, iDataHarmonization, iDataGovernance & iDataAnalytics for on-premise & on-cloud enterprise solutions that can be integrated on-demand across various platforms & operational systems.”
Passion For Technology
We were intrigued to learn the role of education in his career choices that led him to the present position. We asked, “How has your education influenced your career choices and growth in this industry?”
He shared, “My passion for technology changes and adoption as an early bird, building business-driven technology excellence and love for data, knowledge management has shaped my career.
Mission and goals had always been simple for me, with a motive to make organizations efficient and structured to meet dynamic business & technology demand with TOP and BOTTOM lines improving by at least 20 per cent YoY and revenue to 200 MUSD by 2024 and 500 MUSD by 2030.”
Adaptability Amidst The Challenges
Challenges are an inevitable part of any business. So, we asked, “How do you tackle challenges in your field amidst changing market dynamics and technological advancements?”
Dr. Imad shared, “Market penetration across geographies and industry sectors was one of our significant challenges, which was well addressed with revised geographical strategies and effective partnership management. Also, retention of the knowledge base was managed effectively with a career development plan along with equal opportunities to progress and profit-sharing models.
Adoption of evolving technologies and synchronization of platforms to meet dynamic customer demand and huge competition was a forward-thinking product release plan alongside improved customer user experience and limited change management. Furthermore, business plans with short-term to long-term longevity & sustainability have helped our company to sustain in favorable and unfavorable market conditions, including that of the recent COVID-19 pandemic.”
Staying Ahead In The Competition
To learn more about the approaches that ensure Dr. Imad A. Syed’s company stays updated with the latest trends, we asked, “How do you ensure your company remains adaptable to emerging trends and technologies?”
Dr. Imad replied, “Current and near future market conditions will be cautious with more and more organizations looking at opportunities to consolidate and optimize business and IT processes and investment. Though it is murky for IT products and services companies to sustain innovation, automation and the right vision will enable the IT Products, Consulting, and Services Industry to blossom.
Our company’s focus is on Data such as Master, Meta, and Real-Time Analytics optimization and, in turn, business processes that affect large industries the most on 4 M’s, which are Man, Machine, Money & Material, for Extended Supply Chain & Asset Life Cycle Management.”
Future Of Dr. Imad A. Syed’s Career and Company
We further asked, “What are your plans or goals for your career and company?”
He passionately replied, “PiLog’s business plan for short to mid and long term is derived with controlled aggression with an ability to manage effectively quarter by quarter meeting organizational objectives. Also, we have improved profitability with increased automation, PCBs, and per capita income in our targets, along with top-line and bottom-line improvement above market derivations & expectations.
We also focus on increasing market penetration across geographies with solid partnerships, analyst collaboration, and beefing up digital marketing & sales management. Moreover, we are interested in extending the service line and amalgamation of products to DATA Quality HUB with modular availability to customers to pick and choose on-premise or cloud Focused Investment on Innovation Council.”
Lessons Embraced In This Journey
We were curious to learn the crucial lessons Dr. Imad A. Syed embraced during his career journey over these years. So, we asked, “What valuable lessons have you learned throughout your career?”
“Being transparent, passionate, and adopting a vision-based organization management are the most crucial factors while running a business in this field. Challenges and problems will strengthen you to sustain and progress in any industry. Be a front-runner in adoption and look forward to continual investment in innovations for the business.
Also, having the correct set of business partners for your organizational growth plays an important role. Over these years, I have learned to create a value chain within the organization for better experience while effectively managing value for internal & external engagements.” Dr. Imad shared.
Setting PiLog Apart
“How do you differentiate your services from competitors in the current market?”
Dr. Imad A. Syed replied, “Our key products include DATA Quality HUB, including Data Harmonization, Data Migration & Governance Solutions for multi-domain master and metadata objects with impactful tools of Industry Standards, ML & AI-driven and IoT-enabled Business Partner Life Cycle Management, Business Performance Analytics Platform, and many others.
Our key services are Cleansing services covering Cleanse, Standardization, Categorization, and Enrichment of multi-domain master data, along with Management Consulting, Business Process Outsourcing, Asset and Supply Chain Process Optimization, and others.”
“However, our competitive advantages in this industry are wider market penetration, stronger financial ability, higher professional count across geography, and increased investment in technology, innovation, and reskilling.” He added.
Navigating Through The Global Trends
We were intrigued to learn how PiLog had navigated through the emerging market trends over the years. We asked, “How has your company effectively navigated and capitalized on emerging global market trends or shifts in consumer behavior?”
Dr. Imad A. Syed shared, “Some simple business rules at PiLog had helped it to sustain and pick up growth trajectory even during COVID-19. Being sustainable, reliable, and transparent in operations while timely and suitable investment in people, processes, and technology has helped our company to ensure its growth.
Also, having like-minded people from Board to Analyst with the Zeal to learn, unlearn, perform, and go that extra mile every time has been our strength! More than 40 per cent of our revenue is generated from existing customers, reflecting their confidence and trust in us.”
Inspirational Words For Beginners
Our last question was, “What are the most important qualities or skills you believe beginners should cultivate to thrive in this industry?”
“Remember, challenges and problems will strengthen you to sustain & progress. Always be transparent and passionate and have vision-based organization management. Be a front-runner in adoption and Go to Market while defining and effectively managing value for internal & external engagements. Ensure continual investment in innovations.” Dr. Imad concluded.
Connect with Dr Imad A. Syed on LinkedIn.
Find PiLog on LinkedIn or visit their website to learn more.
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