Q&A: Dr Hamad Yahya Al Nuaimi

Dr. Hamad Yahya Al-Nuaimi, Group Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, was on hand to welcome the footballing superstars of Paris Saint-Germain – sponsored by Ooredoo – at a recent meet and greet event. Here, he talks about the Group’s CSR and sponsorship strategy and priorities, as well as its overall approach to partnerships.

• You’re pictured here at the recent meet and greet event with star players from Paris Saint-Germain, a team sponsored by Ooredoo for some time now. What does Ooredoo consider when it chooses sponsorships, whether teams, entities, individuals or events?
• Ooredoo spends a great deal of time selecting sponsorships to ensure each and every sponsorship, whether it be an individual, a team, an entity or an event, is a seamless fit with the organisation, our values and our ethos. We choose individuals, teams and entities who share our sense of responsibility to our communities; those who set a good example to others; those who uphold the highest of standards; and for events, those that will serve to benefit the communities in which we operate.

• How does Ooredoo choose brand ambassadors such as Lionel Messi?
• We adopt the same approach. Does the potential ambassador visibly live our values and our ethos? Will the ambassador be a good role model, especially for the younger generation? Does the ambassador share our commitment to our communities, and our responsibility to be a good (corporate, for us) citizen? It’s important to us that we choose ambassadors from all sectors of our societies, reflecting our people and the communities in which we operate, and also that we choose ambassadors to whom our customers and communities will relate.

• And how do these sponsorships fit in with Ooredoo’s corporate social responsibility strategy?
• Our corporate social responsibility strategy aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, so all sponsorships within this strategy must also align. We select sponsorships across each of the goals we consider a priority, with a particular focus on those that promote health and wellbeing for all; those that support gender equality and equal opportunities for all; and those that support sustainable development.

• Does Ooredoo apply the same approach when selecting entities with which to enter into strategic partnerships, such as Plug and Play, Dell, Microsoft and many more?
• We do indeed. We have a strategic aim of seeking, establishing, developing and maintaining partnerships with world-leading entities – those that share our values and ethos – that can help us achieve our long-term strategic goals. We particularly seek entities that share our commitment to innovation and to investment in technology, and those that will help propel us toward our goal of complete digitalisation.