CEO Today Middle East Awards

www.ceotodaymagazine.com 74 CEO Today Middle East Awards 2018 UAE ABDALLAH MASSAAD CEO of RAK Ceramics PJSC ABOUT ABDALLAH MASSAAD 25 Years of Ceramic Expertise Mr. Massaad has led RAK Ceramics PJSC as Group Chief Executive Officer since June 2012. A visionary leader, Mr. Abdallah Massaad RAK Ceramics’ Group CEO, has succeeded in strategically positioning RAK Ceramics as a premium international brand known for its experience, wide product range, technological innovation and high- quality production. From a single factory in Ras Al Khaimah, RAK Ceramics has grown to become a global player and has 20 plants including 10 tiles, two sanitaryware, one tableware and one faucets in the UAE and one tiles/sanitaryware plant each in India, Bangladesh and Iran respectively, with a distribution network spanning 150 countries. June 2014 marked a transformational point for RAK Ceramics under Mr. Massaad’s leadership, when Samena Capital acquired 30.6% of the business and implemented a “Value Creation Plan” aimed at unlocking value for shareholders. As part of the Value Creation Plan, RAK Ceramics started a re-focused strategy focusing on streamlining its global businesses and growing its most profitable operations. 2016 also represented a special year in RAK Ceramics’ history as the company celebrated 25 years of ceramics’ expertise and launched its new global corporate brand identity. An award winning CEO Mr. Massaad’s tenure with RAK Ceramics began in 2004, when he was invited as a Marketing Consultant to assist the CEO office, and upgrade the branding and positioning of the company in preparation for future sales and marketing challenges arising from ambitious expansion plans. Mr. Massaad formally joined RAK Ceramics in 2006 as Deputy CEO, responsible for operations management, strategy development, implementation and RAK Ceramics’ global interests. He supported the Chairman and CEO with strategic planning and expansion initiatives enabling the company to reach the milestone of 1 billion square metres of global sales since it began. He was also responsible for implementing corporate governance regulations and overseeing the strategic refocusing of the business portfolio. An award-winning CEO, in 2015, Mr. Massaad won an International Business Stevie® Award for ‘Executive of the Year (Manufacturing)’. The efforts of Mr. Massaad as a visionary CEO were also further recognised when he was awarded ‘Industry CEO of the Year’ at the CEO Middle East Annual Awards 2015 and in 2016 Mr Massaad was shortlisted as a Top 100 CEO as part of Mediaquest’s Top CEO Awards in the GCC. In 2017, Mr. Massaad was shortlisted as one of the Top 100 Smartest People in the United Arab Emirates by Arabian Business, and he was also honoured as one of the top 100 Most Sustainable CEOs by the World Sustainability Congress. Having over 25 years of experience from field sales, to sales management, to product marketing, Mr. Massaad has highly developed business leadership skills in national and international markets. Prior to joining RAK Ceramics, Mr. Massaad was the General Manager of International Ceramics Company SARL (ICC) Lebanon. Mr. Massaad holds post graduate qualifications in Management ‘DEA in Business Administration’ (1998) andan undergraduatedegree “Maitrise in Business Administration – Marketing” from USEK (Université Saint-Esprit de Kaslik), Lebanon. He is fluent in Arabic, French and English and also speaks basic German. FIRM PROFILE From functional to fashionable Transforming the company from ‘functional to fashionable’, Mr. Massaad has positioned RAK Ceramics as a global provider of complete lifestyle ceramics solutions. Innovation is at the heart of the company’s philosophy and RAK Ceramics has continuously led the way in terms of product development, using a wide range of technologies at its state-of-the-art manufacturing plants. As an organisation, RAK Ceramics has much to be proud of and over the last 25 years the company has helped to create icons and build marvels all over the world. As a complete provider of inspirational lifestyle ceramics solutions, RAK Ceramics continues to grow and develop new and exciting innovations to meet the needs of its global client base. Providing integrated ceramics solutions with attention to every detail, no matter how large or small, from the Burj Al Arab, Atlantis on The Palm and Ferrari World, to Wembley Stadium, The O2 Arena, and projects of all sizes in between, RAK Ceramics’ products feature in some of the most iconic buildings in the world. Since taking over the reins, the Group CEO of the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange-listed company has maintained the firm’s annual turnover of $1bn. Mr. Massaad’s leadership also kept the business afloat during the 2008 crisis, when RAK Ceramics proved to be one of the region’s least affected companies thanks to continued investments and expansion. Driven by Mr. Massaad, RAK Ceramics continues to be a leader in technological innovation and considers investment into technology to be a main competitive advantage.