BMTG (UK) Ltd are delighted to continue with our series of alumni interviews. This month it was our pleasure to interview Mr Umair Ahmed Khan, Executive Secretary – President & CEO Office in Saudi Electricity Company
Hi Umair, please tell us a bit about yourself?
My name is Umair Ahmed Khan and I am from Pakistan. l am an MBA holder having extensive experience of executive assistance and secretarial support. Professionally oriented, a relationship builder, capable of designing and implementing strategic, corporate, administrative & financial plans & programs.
Proficient in establishing and maintaining effective working relations with top management & clients with ability to plan, analyze, organize and prioritize work effectively and interpersonal skills demonstration with experience of work in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and full respect for diversity.
Currently I am working as Executive Secretary – President & CEO Office in Saudi Electricity Company, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Where and when did you attend your ACEA® training and who delivered it?
I attended the Advanced Certificate for the Executive Assistant: ACEA® in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in May 2015. The course was delivered by Richard Arnott.
There are many training courses available for Executive Assistants. Why did you choose ACEA® in particular?
I choose ACEA® because it was especially designed to enable Executive Assistants, Executive Secretaries, Office Managers & other Office Professionals to realize their value & pivotal role in the organization. It provides relevance to the profession & the emerging roles which are required by the Executive Secretaries in today’s global environment. It also makes imperative that an Executive Secretary should have sufficient knowledge & understanding of the key fundamentals of Strategic Thinking.
I heard about ACEA through LinkedIn & I found it very interesting & knowledgeable.
The Course Outline, trainer & BMTG (Innoverto & Qualifi) profile makes me attracted to attend ACEA. My expectations before joining the course was very high because it was providing the same skills learning which I want to learn being an Executive Secretary for my career growth. “It was a great learning experience”.
What were your favourite subjects covered and why?
People Management & Leadership: It helps me to identify my leadership profile & how can I develop my strengths.
Emotional Intelligence: I came to know that how my behaviour was impacting others.
Communication & Conflict Management: Understanding communications, ability to influence, diversity, assumptions & stereotypes, listening skills, verbal & non-verbal communications.
Presentation & Reports Writing Skills: Learned how to work faster & efficiently in arranging meetings, making & giving presentations, reports writing & overcome nervousness.
Problem Solving & Multitasking: Learned how to differentiate & define various types of problems, develop selection criteria & evaluate alternatives, evaluate solutions & apply creative thinking techniques to solve problems.
Business Etiquette, Protocol & Diplomacy: Learned about cultural awareness, email protocols, telephone courtesies, cell phone etiquettes &use of social media.
Has achieving ACEA® helped you personally or in your career?
Indeed ACEA has made a huge difference to me both personally & professionally. Personally, it has given me the self-confidence, awareness & how to deal with people & how my behaviour is impaction them. Professionally, learned valuable lessons & tools that will be useful for a long time to come, I recognize my skills, I got greater confidence & it has open doors for me, as recently I have joined Saudi Electricity Company as Executive Secretary – President & CEO Office.
In the end I will say the course was “Brilliance beyond the imagination”.
Umair’s farewell Picture with VP of KIA Motors, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Was there anything in particular that you remember returning to the office with and implementing?
Yeah! in my previous employment, where I was working as Executive Secretary – CEO & VP Office in KIA Motors – M/s Aljabr Holdings, Dammam, KSA, I implemented Effective Communication & Conflict Management & the results were very positive, as now there is a proper system of communication to solve the conflicts in a quick time, as before I was taking long time to solve the problems because of lack of communication.
If a friend or colleague asked you to convince them to attend ACEA® what would you say to them?
I will say to them that being an Executive Secretary If you want career growth you should attend ACEA, it is very effective & interesting& the outline & the content of the course is very rich in knowledge. ACEA explains the correct path way of professional life.
Thank you Umair. I look forward to meeting up with you again hopefully at the next Executive Secretary Live.
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