• Dr. Rashid Al Leem

    ...never give up

    'Failure is the stepping stone to success'. The easiest part during a decisive situation is to give up, but some never give up without a fight. Critics always ambushed the hard work of the man in the arena; one who holds together at the time when everyone else believes that you have fallen apart, is true strength. It is indeed a delight to stand up to a man who firmly believes that it's not about how many times you have fallen but the glory lies in getting up every time with a greater spirit.

    Dr. Rashid Al Leem was born on 1st December 1966 to a middle class family. He presently enjoys various government positions in Sharjah; he is the Director General of Hamriyah Free Zone Authority, Director General of Sharjah Sea Ports and Director General of Sharjah Customs. Happily married, he is the proud father of six children including his newborn twins.

    We could see a sparkle in his eyes when we asked Dr. Rashid about his childhood in Sharjah, "Life was so easy those days; as population of the whole nation was pretty less compared to the present scenario. My biggest dream was to study Petroleum Engineering." Dr. Rashid considers himself to be extremely lucky as he was regarded as one amongst the sharp students. "There was a criteria by the Federal Government, by scoring over a certain percentage in high school; you get a chance to complete higher education abroad. I decided to go to US in1983." It was that time when oil was discovered in large quantity leading to a boom in the Oil & Gas industry in Sharjah. "I was lucky to join AMOCO Oil, an American Company that had concession agreement with Sharjah Government. I worked 12 hrs a day on the field at around 50 degree Celsius during the day and during the cold times temperature drops to almost 1-2 degree." Dr. Rashid believes that the life in

  • Dr. Rashid Al Leem

    AMOCO Oil Company gave him great experiences about technicalities, leadership and managerial experience.

    Dr. Rashid was one of the very few Sharjian who could make it to the top positions in AMOCO "I started as a gas plant operator with engineering background and was promoted to production later on. I was working as assistant to the Plant Manager and was in charge of logging operations and smoothening unit of gas. It was in March 2000 when I got an offer from Government of Sharjah to be a part of Hamriyah Free Zone. When I started the operations in March 2000, there were just about 76 companies and in less than 10 years of time, we could make it to 4700 companies. Starting with a few local companies initially, we are now proud to have about 150 different national flags flying outside the Free Zone which is worth an investment over 2 billion Dirham."

    Dr. Rashid turned lucky again, when he was offered to lead both the customs department as well as seaport in Sharjah along with his prior responsibilities. He is a man who built his own destiny since his childhood, "It was always self inspiration that drove me ahead, from high school to my dream to study Petroleum Engineering in USA. I also owe the credit of my success to my parents, who supported my dreams and aspirations."

    Business is a big risk and when you have no idea what is to be done it becomes riskier, Dr. Rashid shares his perspective about the do's and don't in business "Ideas are to be appreciated irrespective of the hierarchy of the person; always look for innovative solutions and have an open communication system in your organization." Ethics and principles is another major factor which Dr. Rashid considers very important.

    When Dr. Rashid was asked upon the most important skills that can help an individual reach great heights in business. He replied, "According to me, soft skill is very important, they are inexpensive skills which requires a lot of time and energy to acquire. I am of the opinion that one who owns true soft skills will be the leader of the future."

    Dr. Rashid holds the responsibility of three challenging departments and works closely with the Government of Sharjah, which means he has to make important decisions on daily basis. We enquired about his views on making decisions, he replied, "Well I would say in business 99.9% scenarios you need the help of others in making strategic decisions."

  • Dr. Rashid Al Leem

    Though a busy man we wanted to know about Dr. Rashid's favorite past times which help him remain cool and composed. "My two most important hobbies are reading, that takes about 80% of my free time and secondly swimming." He used be one of the recognized swimmers of Sharjah club. However reading takes first place in his heart.

    We all make certain goals in our life which we strive to achieve during our life. We divide it in various phases on which we ponder upon looking back in time. We asked Dr. Rashid, how he would like to spend his life when he turns 80. "You never know whether I am going to make it to 80" he replied with a laugh "I think I would be classifying my life in four phases. First 20 years you spend your life learning, you make sure that you get the best education, the best materials, the best university and everything the best. The second 20 to 40 years, you make sure that you get the best job, the best salary and the best position. Next 20 years of life, you start looking back appreciating your achievements and would like to leave a legacy behind. Finally, you start concentrating on social programs and charitable programs during the final phase of your life."

    It was almost time for us to conclude our conversation with Dr. Rashid but before we said our farewell to him, we asked for a motivating address for our young generation which will help them to overcome obstacles in their life, with a smile Dr. Rashid said, "Never give up in life; be positive; you should have a clear vision that will drive you upward, mission in life as well as in business and last but not the least you should be able to enjoy the beauty of success."

    Finally we had to conclude our talk with Dr. Rashid. His years of experience lead us to see things in a different light, really a delightful experience for achievers team to know a man of his caliber. We wish him all the best on his future endeavors.

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