Sustainability and infrastructure: Hany Naeem

We met CEO Hany Naeem at the Cairo office of his forward-looking company, Gridtech Infrastructure.

He manages numerous transportation, energy, and telecom projects from here, so he's become intimately acquainted with the rapid changes these sectors have undergone in recent years. Since 2019 he's also been the CEO of GTS Sistem, one of CPS's Spanish group of companies active in telecoms, security, and railways.

So, Hany, why the focus on sustainability?

A resilient global economy now requires a sustainable global infrastructure. New transport and power generation projects need to tick a lot of clean energy boxes that they didn't before. It's more challenging than it used to be, but I'm a problem-solver at heart, and setting the world on the right track for my children - and everybody's children is a set of problems that I think are worth solving.

Has sustainability always been on your agenda?

In a sense it has. I played football until I was 17, but realised I couldn't play forever. So, you could say that I needed a more sustainable career. I'm only half joking. The football work ethic set me up well for a new direction that led to my MBA and a business career. I've made my home in the transportation sector which has naturally evolved towards more sustainable practices. Infrastructure industries have seen a tide of necessary changes in that direction. For the sake of the planet and humanity, we must preserve as we build. I support green initiatives in business, and I'm committed to sustainable practices.

Did you move straight into the transportation sector?

No, I started in sales and marketing. At around 28 I was working for El Sewedy group, exporting cable products and the Trunkey project to Africa. I managed to open operations in about 16 African countries. The sheer variety of cultures in those nations taught me the value of learning to respect and understand them. On a practical level, you can only do business with people when you understand their needs, because that's a big part of how you win their trust. Another is transparency and another is honesty. I don't think you can succeed without them.

It sounds like you had to do a lot of absorbing and adapting.

I certainly did! And there were some tough logistical challenges too. Transporting materials to these countries was not always straightforward. Some of them lacked seaports, so we had to use boats and land transportation. There were many obstacles, but we overcame them.

So, fast forward to today. I'm curious about your push for sustainability. What does it look like on a practical level?

At GTS Sistem, we've been part of the effort to help the Egyptian Ministry of Transport switch from diesel to electric locomotives, worked on the Modernization of signalisation of all railway lines and upgrading infrastructure, and implemented intelligent traffic management, among other projects. Part of our success has come from increasing efficiency within the company and eliminating waste. I've successfully managed the company budget and helped us fill an order book that's the target now close to one billion Egyptian Pounds ($32.4 million). I cover the MENA Region. I've always believed that investing in your staff and valuing them is key because without them your company is nothing. Hiring the best people, giving them the tools they need, investing in IT, and setting up our company culture has all paid off with some great successes.

Can you talk us through them?

My initiatives have helped to increase revenue by 250 per cent in three years as well as triple our profits. We've reduced expenditure by 21 per cent by renegotiating contracts and building new relationships with partners. We overhauled the employee experience and implemented strategies that have improved staff retention by 32 per cent.

I'm beginning to think that playing football may have helped you learn how to keep a lot of different balls in the air.

You could be right! Since 2013 I've also been a board member and shareholder of GT Group which I cofounded. It has various subsidiaries such as Alfa Investment, Infra Projects, and Optiserve. I share management responsibilities to help us reach our goals, managing 488 people in 12 locations. Our five-year plan is to increase home improvement opportunities by 48 per cent in our target regions. Our goal is to become one of the biggest names in special infrastructure activities, and we're currently working on a mega project with six countries in the MEA region.