8/3/2019 Loving what you do

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home, as per the companys mission, Holly

also oversees the Human Resource Depart-

ment at Starlink.

There is an issue with HR being viewed just

as an admin department, she explains. HR

should in fact be more about enabling people

to deliver the strategic aims of the company

and drive growth, whether that is through

improved selection, better training or simply

ensuring that everyone knows why their role

matters. Hence, at Starlink, major efforts are

taken on how to engage employees, and at the

heart of this are the companys values of greatservice, respect, responsibility, teamwork and

loving work that are to be imbibed by each em-

ployee. Loving work isnt just about having

fun (although we like to have fun), its about

you caring about the business and jumping

out of bed in the morning ready to go the extra

mile.

Women and career

Holly was one of the speakers at the How

Women Work Conference held earlier this

year, where she talked about What makes a

workplace attractive for women.

Transparency and exibility, she says.

Transparent in terms of being clear about

what you want someone to do and being open

with them about what is going well and isnt

going so well. Flexible, because women have

multiple roles in society and many jobs caneasily ex to support that.

Does Starlink t the bill then? Denitely!

Roughly 50 percent of our employees are

women and there are two women on the senior

management team as well. We try to be suf-

ciently exible to support women in continu-

ing their career when they have a family, and

also to provide opportunities for career pro-

gression into different areas where we might

be able to be more exible with working terms

and conditions.

According to Holly there are numerous op-

portunities for women, but not all opportuni-

ties are structured to be accessible for women.

There are certain societal pressures deeply

embedded that make it difcult for women to

express their ambitions. If a woman says she

wants to be a CEO, she will be branded aggres-

sive or pushy; if a man says the same, he gets a

pat on the back.

Another challenge facing women out here

is networking. Networking is essential here,

and it can be very difcult for women as much

of this happens in male-only environments

such as the majlis.

But be honest, she tells women, about where

you are most likely to face challenges, and to

make sure to get the necessary support. Work

as a team with male colleagues. There may be

some opportunities that might need them to

help you. Also, more and more women are

making an impact in Qatar; contact them, as it

is always attering to be asked for help.

career Hopping

Hollys career path has involved stints rst

in the telecoms industry, then banking, then

sports and back to telecoms again. It was a

risk, says Holly, but a risk that favoured her

well. I took a risk in moving industries, mov-

ing countries; but if I hadnt, I would never

have had the chance to set up a bank (the al

khaliji Bank in Qatar) or be involved in a win-

ning World Cup bid!

Prior to Starlink, Holly had worked as the

Programme Director for Qatars FIFA World

Cup 2022 Bid. It was an amazing experience

and I am very excited about what it means for

Qatar. I know for most people the World Cup

is all about the beautiful game, but for me it is

about the excitement of bringing change to the

region and quite literally uniting the world.

The bid also brought her to meet some veryfamous footballers. However, she was com-

pletely unfazed, she confesses, as she didnt

know enough about the game to know who

they were!

Having sampled one industry after another,

Holly has gured out that all businesses are

fundamentally the same. Business people are

full of smart talk and jargon. I never admire

that as what value does it bring? Occasionally

there are some very complicated concepts or

technical details to understand that are new

to me, but I always enjoy asking someone to

explain to me what they are talking about. Its

amazing how many people have been using an

acronym for 10 years but dont actually know

what it means, or talk about something that

they cant actually explain.

Loving Work, Living Life

I just enjoy what I do, that is my greatest

motivation on a long, busy day, says Holly.

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While many women

would cringe at

the thought of giz-

mos, Holly Joint,

for one, loves gad-

gets and technol-

ogy! What's more, as the Director of Opera-

tions at Starlink, she enjoys catching exclusive

previews of the latest devices even before they

hit the markets.

Its great to be at the forefront of technol-

ogy, connecting and entertaining people, says

Holly. And while shes busy delivering com-

munications and entertainment to hands and

Lovingwhat

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