Ahmad Al-Neama and The Road to Victory

Indosat Ooredoo is well-known as one of Indonesia’s biggest and longest-standing telco companies. So when Ahmad Abdulaziz Al-Neama was invited to serve as President Director and CEO in August 2019, he was filled with “a great sense of pride and excitement” at the months that lay ahead.

Of course, fast-forward to today and we know that things didn’t pan out quite the way Al-Neama will have expected. Less than a year into his appointment, the Indonesian government announced the nation’s first confirmed cases of COVID-19, putting his leadership to the test.

Planting his feet firmly in Jakarta, thousands of kilometres away from his family back in Qatar, his response? Make Indosat Ooredoo one of the first companies in Indonesia to implement a work from home protocol to ensure the health and safety of his employees. This saw him not only provide his team with the tools and connectivity to be able to work remotely, but also hygiene kits and additional monetary support to see them through these unprecedented times.

“It’s definitely hard to be away from my loved ones, but I felt that my Indonesian family needed me more so that we could get through this crisis together,” he said.

Indeed, this kind of commitment to and care for his employees has long been at the heart of Al-Neama’s leadership.

Prior to taking the helm at Indosat Ooredoo, Al-Neama had spent 15 years with the business across various markets – assuming the role of Group Chief Technology Officer at the Qatari branch, as well as being a member of the board of directors for Ooredoo Oman, Myanmar and Tunisia. And over the years, he developed a strong sense of duty.

“Welfare and employee development are integral to my vision of the company and our strategy for the coming years,” he said.

To this end, he introduced a number of new initiatives for his employees to build their skill sets, as well as a long-term recognition program to reward their hard work.

He is also personally involved as a coach in the company’s ‘Road to Victory’ squad, which is tasked with instilling a sense of pride and thought leadership throughout Indosat Ooredoo, ensuring that the business leads the industry from the front.

His dedication has clearly paid off. A recent internal survey revealed that 82 percent of employees feel happy and productive in spite of the new working arrangements.

There’s been external recognition too, with Indosat Ooredoo being recently nominated as one of the Best Companies to Work for in Asia by HR Asia.

However, it’s not just internal affairs keeping Al-Neama busy. He’s also concerned with the wellbeing of the wider community, extending his compassion to the Indonesian populace.

As disasters struck the country, Indosat Ooredoo continued to offer support to the afflicted - from flood relief to those impacted in Jakarta, to ongoing donations for those affected by the current pandemic.

Looking to the future, the University of Colorado alumnus hopes to ensure bright career prospects for Indonesia’s youth and keep the country connected by committing to various campaigns in a bid to support Indonesia’s Digital Agenda.

“For example, in partnership with GSMA and Facebook, we conducted our Internet101 campaign, which saw Indosat Ooredoo facilitate 500,000 one-on-one trainings with Indonesians throughout the archipelago to develop our digital economy and close the internet literacy gap,” he said.

He also secured a collaboration with Google on a telephony initiative to help Indonesians stay connected digitally without the need for a smartphone or even data connection.

Currently, Al-Neama and his team are working on a project with Telecom Infra Project (TIP) and GSMA, running the first field trials of OpenRAN technology in Asia in an effort to lower the cost of providing internet services to rural areas.

“There’s so much potential in Indonesia’s telco industry. These initiatives are just the tip of the iceberg as to what we could be achieving,” he added.

Robust economic growth, growing internet usage, along with the rapidly developing digital economy present a huge opportunity for not only the sector, but for Southeast Asia’s biggest economy as a whole.

“I’m convinced implementing the right telco infrastructure will help Indonesia to emerge from this pandemic stronger than ever,” Al-Neama commented.

It’s this unrelenting faith and passion for the industry that has enabled him to not only keep the company steady, but also given him the courage to take some big leaps in growing the more than 50-year old business as he continues to execute his three-year turnaround plan – improving not only the company’s financials, but overall sense of pride, presence and customer experience.

The strategy calls for a holistic approach to accelerate growth and digital capabilities, efficiency and competitiveness, while also empowering Indosat Ooredoo’s regional teams to nurture trust.

The numbers alone speak for themselves. Early into his tenure, Al-Neama successfully completed the sales of 3,100 telecommunication towers to PT Dayamitra Telekomunikasi (Mitratel) and PT Profesional Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Protelindo), amounting Rp 6.39 trillion.

By close of 2019, the company successfully recorded Rp 4 trillion in profits - this coming off the back of a significant loss the year before - thanks to a dramatic jump in cellular revenue.

This growth was maintained into 2020, despite the COVID-19 climate. Indosat Ooredoo’s latest quarterly earnings reported a 9.4 percent growth in revenue and Rp 265 billion in profits during the first half of this year, at a time when most industry players saw a decline in top and bottom lines.

“I am very proud of the whole Indosat Ooredoo family,” he said. “The road was bumpy, yet amid a slew of external challenges, we have still managed to get that much closer to our end goal of becoming ‘the Telco you can trust’.”

He added that he was honored that the company’s stakeholders continue to put their trust in him.

“I’ve made it my mission to bring the glory days back to Indosat Ooredoo, inshaa Allah (God willing).”

When asked what inspires his leadership, and how he’s managed to keep his head above water in such trying times, he gives a nod to Steve Jobs and American author Simon Sinek who wrote the best-selling book, Start with Why.

“If you’ll allow me to quote Sinek, ‘Leaders are the ones who have the courage to go first, to put themselves at personal risk to open a path for others to follow.’ This is my mantra,” he said.

Outside of the currently virtual office, Al-Neama takes time to decompress through reading, citing Brazilian author Paulo Coelho as a firm favorite, as well as watching soccer and tennis matches.

He also keeps himself mentally and physically active. He’s a keen cyclist, golfer and has recently picked up Sudoku.

The avid traveller said that he looks forward to traveling and exploring new places again when a form of normalcy returns.

“When you’re making decisions that impact thousands, I think it’s vital to look after your mental health as much as your physical health” he said.

“Particularly in uncertain times, it’s the only way you can ensure clarity of mind so that you’re putting your best foot forward.”