Tell me about the work you do at SDM Asset Management & Consulting.
As operations director, I am responsible for ensuring that the operations of the business are well co-ordinated and geared to deliver value for both the SDM shareholders and our clients, who engage our services to advise them on their physical assets.
I have to set goals for the team while ensuring ongoing communication with the clients.
How has the way you work changed during lockdown?
This has been a very challenging period for all of us. We have lost a few jobs but worked hard to hang on to as many jobs as possible.
Working from home has taught us a few lessons, such as the importance of good co-ordination and communication, and these are the lessons I believe all of us should embrace as we move into the future. Without any shadow of doubt, the world of business will never be the same after this pandemic.
What drew you to work in physical asset management, and what makes you good at your job?
At SDM Asset Management, we rate physical assets as being among the most important assets a company has. I was drawn into this space by my love for asset management and the desire to help companies, including state-owned enterprises, manage their physical assets better.
You cannot run a good business if you do not know what you own, along with the value, condition and location of what you own.
What do you most and least enjoy about your job?
Assets sit at the heart of the future of businesses and organisations. And I really enjoy seeing a company open up to the idea of future-fitting their organisation. The journey of discovering the value of their assets and optimising that value is strenuous but worth it at the end. I suppose it is sad to see organisations that are resistant to change. In the current economic climate, that could spell doom for them.
What is the best career advice you have ever received?
Everybody works for themselves, regardless of where you are in the organisation. Failing to deliver has ripple effects on the organisation and at a personal level.
What is the first thing you do at work each day?
I always prefer to use my first few hours and/or late hours (when everybody else has left the office) to focus on the strategic elements of the business - on key matters that are likely to have a substantial impact on the business.
I can always deal with the mundane in the course of the day.
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