Dubai: Robert Willett, former Best Buy and Accenture executive, has been appointed CEO of Dubai-based family conglomerate Al Futtaim. In his first interview in his new position, he exclusively talks to Gulf News about his move to the UAE, his visions for the company and about having "retired from retirement."
Gulf News: When are you taking over your new position?
Robert Willett: I was working as a non-executive board director for Al Futtaim for about a year and now I am switching to full time, after my appointment as CEO in the last month.
Did you have any ties to the region before?
I am a sort of international person, and have been working in the Middle East since quite a while as well in many other parts of the world in several designations, for Accenture and of course for Best Buy. The Middle East has always had a sort of fascination for me, and fortunately Omar [Al Futtaim] asked if I want to join their team. So in fact they approached me. This gives me the opportunity to share my experience for Al Futtaim, who are running a very diversified and successful business.
You announced your retirement from Best Buy last year, did you now retire from retirement?
[laughs] I have always been looking for bigger opportunities, and I must confess that I am a little bit of a workaholic.
It is quite rare that a Gulf family business hires a non-family member to run its operations.
I hope to lead the business of Al Futtaim in the right direction. I can understand that it is seen as a rare case, but, however, Omar [Al Futtaim] is a very special person and I hope that I can participate in the business of the company.
Given the fact of your appointment, it has been truly acknowledged in the US and UK business community that the Middle East obviously continues to attract top executives. Did your appointment come as a surprise for many?
Frankly, my colleagues were not surprised, as they know that I always was an international person, for example, as I built up the Best Buy business in China. This and other operations throughout the world gave me a great experience on the international stage. Regarding the Middle East, I think sometimes people are ignorant of the markets. This market here, of course, has had its predicaments with the world recession, there was some turbulence and some slowdown and I am not sure if the region is already out of the woods. But the market here has coped with it particularly well. On the other hand, if you ask if there are things to do, I say: yes, and if you ask if there are issues to be addressed, I say: absolutely.
However, I am delighted to be in Dubai, it's an amazing place to be. In my opinion it should occur to more people to come here. It's a great place for families and businesses, and a great place to live.
Do you think that business customs here differ from the US or the UK?
A very important thing not only here, but in several other parts of the world, is face-to-face interaction instead of emails and the like. It is important to build a relationship and to build trust, to get to understand each other. This, of course, takes its time, but it also offers tremendous opportunities.
Al Futtaim is a huge business conglomerate, how long will it take for you to get an overview over all activities?
Since I worked with Al Futtaim now for one year as a non-exec, I have got a pretty good idea of their business. But it is too early to say that I would already be able to leverage it, this will take another six months. By the way, this is not about one single person, this is about a team working together.
What is your game plan for the company?
I hope you understand I cannot disclose this at the moment. I have a vision which I share jointly with Omar [Al Futtaim]. Over the next six months we will be building a team to walk on a united way forward.
What did it mean when it was said that you were expected to lead the group into an era of positive change?
This means to lead it from its forward-centred way on a customer-centred way. Its not the vertical approach, it is a horizontal, holistic approach.
You said in an earlier statement you are going to focus on making Al Futtaim truly "customer-centric". Which role did the customer play for Al Futtaim until now?
The customer has always been important for Al Futtaim. Now we have got more experience and we are going to apply it.
You just travelled to Cairo, visiting Al Futtaim's Festival City project. Can you give details on the fundraising process for this venture?
This is a good question, but it's too early to give details on this particular topic.
Any expansion plans into new sectors or countries with Al Futtaim?
As for this question as well, I request you to be patient at least for the next six months.
Distinguished career
Robert A. Willett began his career with Marks & Spencer in the UK, has distinguished himself creditably on the international retailing landscape by holding group CEO and Managing Director positions in major companies across Europe, Asia and the US.
In 2004, he joined Best Buy and served as the executive vice president of operations and chief information officer. He was appointed CEO in 2006. He was responsible for the implementation of a global integration and growth strategy to maximize the retailer's opportunities beyond North America, while continuing to re-engineer the supply chain and information technology functions. Prior to Best Buy, Willett was Global Managing Partner of Accenture's retail practices and Executive Committee member of the global management consultancy. He worked with retailers throughout the world on strategy review, business transformation, procurement and supply chain management, brand positioning, technology transformation and customer segmentation.
In June 2008, he was also named to the board of directors of LightHaus Logic Inc, a provider of video analytics systems based in Canada. In 2009, he was appointed a non-executive board member of Al Futtaim Group. Last month he took over as CEO of the group.
Can large family conglomerates benefit from acquiring non-family members? Should such companies look at hiring outside the family to bring in new ideas and experience?
