A lesson in success
Dr Vajahat Hussain, CEO of Amity Middle East and one of our influential Indians, gives insights into his role and why he thinks so many of his country men and women have found success in the GCC
What is your management style and how has it been embedded into the way Amity University is run?
“Just to clarify we are beyond just a university, we are a university we have a group of schools and we have preschools - so we have this entire life cycle of education. For this whole thing to work I think empowerment of our leaders is the key and that’s why we believe in sustaining jobs and have smart people to tell us what to do. We don’t tell them what to do. That’s what most of our team has been doing. Also we teach our leaders to multi-task so that every person is a CEO. They not only take responsibility for their own area they also take responsibility for their colleagues' areas and when they go to take a decision they have a 360-degree view rather than just do their little bit. This helps us keep everybody along the succession line ready to take on bigger jobs.”
What have been your key achievements in your current role to date and in your career in general?
“I like creating institutions and leaving a legacy of some sort by virtue of doing that. There are people who create great businesses and create great wealth but as someone who works for an organisation you really can’t do that for yourself. Instead you can leave a legacy behind where the institutions that you run have very competent teams and become sustainable because of that competence. I think that’s been something that I have achieved here at Amity. We have done pre-schools, we have done K-12 schools and we have made a very successful university and we continue doing this across the region.
We are up in Sharjah, we are up in Abu Dhabi, we are now about to enter Ras Al Khaimah and we are talking about a university in Bahrain. We have also just set up a school in Amsterdam, so from the UAE now our next step is to go into Europe and North Africa and create institutions there.”
From a Middle East perspective how is the institution evolving, especially given the increasing competition with a number of international operators coming into the market?
“Competition is immense, both in K-12 as well as higher education. However, the difference between us and some other major players is that we are not for profit and we therefore give back more value to our students against say our competition. Also because it’s not for profit and our motive is not profit driven but sustainability driven we have a longer window on our own returns and our own expectations, which allow us to pass on the benefits to the students. This makes it lighter on their parents to allow their children to study with us at Amity.”
Do you have any words of wisdom or a mantra that you manage by?
“We have people who are empowered to carry out tasks beyond their calling and to grow into roles that are ahead of them and therefore they are training all the time to take on bigger roles, better roles where the scope is much deeper and much wider. If you want to call it a mantra it should be ‘prepare leaders for a better tomorrow’ or to make your organisation sustainable. I work with this formula, ‘what if I was hit by a bus? What if I’m not there tomorrow?’ Somebody else should be able to take on the role urgently, quickly so there has to be continuance. Organisations can’t run successfully if they are person dependent, practices and processes have to be in place that allow the institution or business to function even without you and I think we are a good example of that. “Another common question I ask my team is ‘what have you done about it?’ That’s very much my style, it’s not just come and tell me about it, it’s go and make it happen. We all want the organisation to be the best we can possibly make it and the best experience for all of our students whether they are little or studying for their doctorate and it’s that passion that is part of the process.”
Why do you think so many Indians have found success in the Gulf region?
“Because of the spectacular leadership that this country offers, there is no denying that, and absolute transparency in doing business. It’s because of this transparency and the style of every single Emirati we meet in leadership. Whether it’s young, whether it’s old, the way they have been trained to receive us, to encourage us, has resulted in Amity instead of investing Dhs15m ($4m) as a test market, committing Dhs1bn ($272.2m) where we are today. And the other thing we have realised, and I think this is the magic of this country, there is no ‘no’ there is a solution for a ‘no’. When you go to ask for something, whether it’s an approval, whether it’s a permission, you’ll never get a no for an answer you’ll get a solution. They will find a way to get it done and this is something we have realised that is remarkable in this country. They are innovative, they change with time, they progress with time, they adopt best practice quickly and in turn this encourages us to invest.”
What has made the India-UAE relationship so strong and are you encouraged by recent changes to legislation including new student and 10-year visas?
“First on the India-UAE relationship, it is at a high point at the moment. Indians have served this country the longest and this contribution has been recognised and awarded in the maximum possible way. The relationship between the two governments at the very highest level is very strong, very warm, and we have seen the repercussions not just in foreign direct investment or trade but even in terms of acceptance. For example, the temple that has just been given permission to set up in Abu Dhabi. You cannot get a warmer relationship than that.
“The other thing is the recent announcements, especially the 10-year visa for professionals and investors and also the student visas, which will kick in and let anyone study in the UAE. We are looking at a major boost in the economy and also in public and private investment because of the changes. Again in terms of visa on arrival for Indians of certain visa categories it is very encouraging and I think that it will also bring quite a number of tourists into this country. It’s a win win going forward and I keep on telling this to everybody. Whoever asks me ‘why are you in Dubai or the UAE and when should we come?’ I tell them we are at the right place at the right time. In the UAE the right time is today.”
“Another common question I ask my team is ‘what have you done about it?’ That’s very much my style, it’s not just come and tell me about it, it’s go and make it happen.”