Eng. Ahmed Shawky Abdel Fattah
Vice President, HAC

Q: Describe your career, to date, at HAC?
A: My career with HAC goes back to 1966 when I was a fresh graduate and joined Hassan Allam Holding for the very first time as an Assistant of area project Engineer. At that time, we were a team operating under harsh country conditions: Egypt was politically unstable, and went to war a year after I joined, a factor that invariably reflected on the business. However, with hard work, and healthy structures in place, the company survived that turbulent period in Egypt’s history. 

My first assignment with HAC, outside of Egypt, was in Libya in 1971, where we launched a new regional division in 1967. Our main assignment, in Libya, was to deliver Sewage Treatment Plants, Sewer lines in Benghazi & Tripoli and the Central Hospital 2000 beds till 1976. 

After Libya, I transferred to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to work for HAC’s new division there from 1976-1981. There, I was Construction Director in Mecca, where I headed key projects. mainly in the field of Water Plants & Elevated Tanks, which was a milestone in HAC’s projects history.  In 1981, I returned to the head office in Cairo and have been here ever since.

Q: How would you describe your years with HAC?
A: My years with HAC have been very rich with experience and knowledge.  My rotation across the different HAC offices in the region, meeting and working with different people from diverse cultural backgrounds, has taught me a great deal. By managing important projects in Libya and KSA, I have learnt that one needs to have an eye for detail, and be able to spot when things ‘go wrong’ so as to problem-solve quickly and efficiently. 
At HAC, you get a unique sense of ownership and belonging to the company as well as its projects, which motivates you and keeps you performing better. 

Q:How would you characterize your past four decades at HAC?
A: HAC is my second home. I’ve always felt that I am working with my extended family; the human factor is a key ingredient in HAC’s success as an employer.

Another important aspect of HAC’s company culture is their strong appreciation of values: as an organization, they are acutely aware of the importance of ethics and values in a company, and are very strict when it comes to that.

Q: What is your favourite part of the job?
A: My favorite part of the job is when I successfully manage to train a new generation of managers, who can carry the company’s success forward, for many years to come. 

Eng. Samah Ragab Nabih (PHD)
Senior Estimator, International Projects Department

Q: When did you join Hassan Allam Construction (HAC)?
A: I joined early 2011, after earning my PHD degree in engineering. I have come on board as a Senior Estimator at the International Projects Department. Ever since joining, I have been fortunate to work on large-scale, nationally significant construction projects and I am really enjoying the scope of this exposure.

Q: What do you think of HAC as an employer?
A: When I joined, I immediately sensed the friendly working environment. The company culture here is professional and competitive, while maintaining a strong family-feel, where everyone is valued and rewarded. I guess it is this strong atmosphere that drives us all to perform better. In fact, the management strongly believes in human resource investment, which is a very motivating factor for me.

Q: What is your favourite part of the job?
A: The unique projects (in terms of project size and scope) that HAC undertakes. So far, I have worked on a broad spectrum of important construction projects – from airports to the largest retail mall of its kind in the MENA region. This variety in professional assignments is hard to come by at other firms.

Q: What is your biggest challenge?
A: As a Senior Estimator, my greatest challenge is to continuously make sure that HAC’s project documents are studied very well and priced accordingly. This is a demanding task, with a great deal of variables to manage. But, I suppose none of us would do this job if it was easy. It is the challenge that makes it exciting!

Eng. Ahmed Talaat Kafoury 
Business Development Manager

Q: Describe your career, to date, at Hassan Allam Construction (HAC)? 
A: As Business Development Manager at HAC, my first and foremost responsibility is to identify new business opportunities for the company and make them happen. My career progression inside the company has been quick: I joined the company in 2009 as Deputy Business Development Manager and was promoted into my current position in May 2010.

Q: How have you found working at HAC? 
A:  Coming from a multinational background, HAC is the first regional company that I have worked for. I felt the difference in corporate culture immediately – particularly in the strong supportive atmosphere of team work that exists inside the business.

 In HAC, my achievements are not just professional milestones, to be added to my CV. They are genuinely personal successes that I share with my peers. I enjoy HAC’s management support, appreciation and openness to new ideas, which helps me achieve my targets, thanks to productive and harmonious teamwork.

Also, HAC’s strong and well known history in the market is an advantage in itself and a source of pride. You really feel you are part of a long standing and an old brand – one that truly speaks for itself. 

Q: What is your favourite aspect of the job?
A: The negotiation skills that my job brings.

Q: What is your biggest challenge?
A: To break my own records! As a Business Development Manager, challenges are mainly cost-related and this constantly adds to my experience. Balancing costs is always an existing, and challenging, balancing act between a number of internal and external variables. I enjoy working hard to get this right!  

Q: Describe your career, to date, at Hassan Allam Properties (HAP)?
A: I started off at HAP as a Customer Service Executive, and subsequently joined the Sales & Marketing Department where I have now reached the position of Senior Property Advisor.

Q: How would you describe your years with HAP?
A: Interesting, inspiring and challenging! With strong management support and considerable on-the-job-training I have successfully shaped my career as a Property Advisor. Today, I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.

Q: What do you think of HAP as an employer?
A: I really enjoy working at Hassan Allam Properties – the atmosphere is friendly and almost all employees in my division are of a similar age. That means the communication between us is smooth as we ‘speak’ the same language.

Significantly, we work with an open-door policy. So, no matter how junior you are, you can raise your concerns with senior management and be sure to be heard.
Also, HAP offers considerable opportunities to grow within the organization:  it is a challenging and competitive working environment where every team member, regardless of seniority, have ample opportunities to progress in their career – provided, of course, you bring dedication, hard work and commitment to achieving the objectives you are set.

Above all, it makes a real difference working within an established, and well respected name. As a subsidiary of Hassan Allam Holding, HAP is one of Egypt’s leading real estate developers and a sister company to the country’s oldest construction firm. As a company, we are known to deliver on what we promise, and this gives us more credibility when dealing with clients. I am proud to be a member of the HAP team.

Q: What is your favourite part of the job?

The hard sell to customers, and successfully bringing on board new Hassan Allam Properties home owners, every single day - that is by far the part I enjoy the most!