Hatem Hariri is the general manager for the Middle East and Africa for Juniper Networks, a network solutions provider. The Lebanese Canadian, who moved to the UAE nine years ago, has 20 years of technical, sales and business management experience in telecommunications, having previously worked for technology vendors such as Avaya and Nortel. The 44-year-old lives in Mirdif, Dubai, with his family and has three children – an 11-year-old daughter and two sons, 13 and six.
How do you spend your weekend?
As I’m based in a different time zone than some of my team members, customers and partners, I often end up working on a Friday. Despite this, I maintain a healthy work-life balance. I spend quality time with my wife and children having meals, going on outings, catching up with friends, etc. I’m also a firm believer in taking part in outdoor activities to stay fit, so I reserve Saturdays for sports, such as basketball and swimming.
How did you become a general manager?
My journey involved a combination of hard work, perseverance and leadership skills. I have always had large ambitions in life and I knew that if I wanted to soar to the top, I would have to take risks. One such risk was moving to different countries and learning to embrace its unfamiliar environments and cultures. This allowed me to work with colleagues and customers from across the world while gaining valuable experience every step of the way. Learning played a fundamental part in this journey as well and I made sure I learnt not only through educational institutions but also the talented individuals around me, and of course my own shortcomings. My journey wasn’t a solitary one; the brilliant teams that I have led over the years played a crucial role in making me the leader I am today and I am grateful for the best support system that one could ever ask for – my loving wife, children, extended family, and friends.
What is your go-to gadget?
My iPhone 7 Plus, as it connects me to the internet and the variety of social media platforms I am active on. Being up-to-date with the latest industry trends is vital to our business and helps keep me sharp.
What was the lowest point of your career?
There was not a lowest point per se but rather bumps along the road. I would compare it to an archer firing an arrow – to cover more distance and gain more power one must be first pulled back. The challenges I’ve encountered have only made me stronger and for that I am grateful.
What advice would you offer others starting out in your business?
To be disciplined, self-motivated and versatile. The environment that we work in is highly dynamic from a technology and economic perspective and being able to adapt is crucial.
What is your most indulgent habit?
Always moving. I don’t burn out.
What do you have on your desk at work?
Beside my laptop sits a beautiful handmade calendar that was a birthday present from my family, filled with quotes about our life journey together.
What car do you drive?
A Porsche Cayenne.
How do you achieve a work-life balance?
I make a conscious effort to establish a set of rules that allows me to strike the right balance. My guidelines are as follows:
• Create realistic boundaries between work and non-work items – have discipline. When I get home from work I make it a point to dedicate at least two hours with my family, no phones or laptops allowed. I then have dinner with my children and put them to bed. After they’ve gone to sleep, my wife and I relax with a coffee and discuss the day’s events. Then I start up my computer and action any tasks that are pending before calling it a night. When I wake up, I spend a half hour exercising, then check my emails while having breakfast before heading out to the office.
• Make time for myself. I’m a big fan of the outdoors, so I swim laps around the pool, go for walks and play a few games of basketball with my children.
• Spend quality time with each of my family members. My wife and I go out for dinner, watch movies, go for walks and catch-up with close friends. My eldest son loves sports so we play football, table tennis, go bowling and ride our bikes. With my younger two, I watch their favourite TV shows, play hide and seek, read books and take them to the park.
What are you reading at the moment?
There are two books: Who Says Elephants Can't Dance? by Louis V Gerstner Jr and My Vision: Challenges in the Race for Excellence by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
If you could swap jobs with anyone, who would it be?
The UN secretary-general, so that I could do my part in making the world a better and more peaceful place to live.
mfahy@thenational.ae
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World Cup warm up matches
May 24 Pakistan v Afghanistan, Bristol; Sri Lanka v South Africa, Cardiff
May 25 England v Australia, Southampton; India v New Zealand, The Oval
May 26 South Africa v West Indies, Bristol; Pakistan v Bangladesh, Cardiff
May 27 Australia v Sri Lanka, Southampton; England v Afghanistan, The Oval
May 28 West Indies v New Zealand, Bristol; Bangladesh v India, Cardiff
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Duterte Harry: Fire and Fury in the Philippines
Jonathan Miller, Scribe Publications
Company%20profile
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Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
The%20specs
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Scoreline
Germany 2
Werner 9', Sane 19'
Netherlands 2
Promes 85', Van Dijk 90'
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
