Haidi Nossair Marketing director, Middle East, Emerging Africa and Turkey, EMC
“ “Having a vision, agility and adaptability to new market trends along with good sense of innovation are key for success. The success of any individual is highly dependent on their respective team or the teams they collaborate with.” 14
I entered the industry by coincidence, loved it and remained in it,” says Haidi Nossair, EMC’s Regional Marketing Manager for the META region. IT is an integral part of daily lives and is constantly evolving. She says, “I enjoy living this evolution.” In B2B marketing, it is important to have a clear understanding of what ‘business development’ means. While the sales deals are not closed by marketing managers, they play a major part in the sales cycle. Nossair says it is equally important to have the ability to lead the business as well as follow it. It starts with building the brand awareness required for sales to do their job, which is more than just recognising the company’s logo. “It is creating an understanding of what the brand stands for and what it can offer to businesses to advance their competitive edge or overcome their operations challenges. This is coupled with a good understanding of the market dynamics and its trends and also
the ability to analyse these insights and turn them into plans that can help the business achieve their sales objectives.” The strategies or the tactics to achieve this will have to change dynamically with the market changes and according to the company’s objectives. She adds, “Having a vision, agility and adaptability to new market trends along with good sense of innovation are key for success.” For Nossair, having the ability for active listening and the will to cooperate are key qualities to be a team player. “And also demonstrating flexibility to reach shared wins, looking for solutions rather than amplifying challenges will drive positive energy, showing commitment to the team and driving towards common agendas, ongoing and open constructive communication, and last but for sure not the least, having respect for each other and acting reliably are important. The success of any individual is highly dependent on their respective team or the teams they collaborate with.” Marketing has the ability to lead
a change in the organisation – and this is what she loves the most about her work. “Marketing in EMC has gone through exciting changes to enable us to make a bigger impact on the business and become closer to the customers. It is an on-going journey and this transformation is highly engaging. The dynamic nature of the IT industry and the future it holds, the opportunity to connect with amazing professionals and leaders within my network and beyond are other aspects that I enjoy about my job,” she says. She derives motivation from seeking new achievements. And having the chance to continuously learn and make a new or different impact. But most of all “the acknowledgement and success of my team” drives her. She urges aspiring marketers to understand who their customer is. She says, “Make your work customer centric. Love what you do and do it with passion or don’t do it. Be innovative and be agile enough to learn and evolve.”