‘Dubai is a great place to live, it has the highest standards of living’

After making a rise from sales support executive to GM Sales, in South Asia based out of Singapore, this alumnus, who studied at Apeejay School in Panchsheel Park, has some very fond school memories of some wonderful teachers. “I still remember the buzzing extracurricular and sports environment, the functional small canteen – its samosas and bread pakoras. I have made life-long friendships that have continued till date; they are today an extended family,” Shailesh Mor who works as Director Ocean Services, Middle East, Africa, India Subcontinent Region at Expeditors.

To read more about his journey, read on:

Where did you start your professional journey from?

I started in Delhi with a Global Company called American President Lines which was one of the leading global shipping lines of those times. I worked with them for six years and made a meteoric rise from sales support executive to GM Sales – South Asia based out of Singapore. I then came across another fast-growing company called Expeditors which called upon my skills to grow them in India. They had a unique compensation model of monthly bonuses in addition to a salary which was a function of business growth and profits. A share of that went back to employees. I took a chance on it and ever since I have worked for them; this year I completed 25 years with them.

You are in Dubai. What challenges were faced in relocating to a city like Dubai?

Dubai is the best city in India as many people jokingly mention here. It’s one of the easiest transitions to an international city. We have a large Indian community, and literally, everyone speaks Hindi or Urdu here in addition to English. The only challenge worth mentioning is getting a driver’s driver license. They take it very seriously here and you have to go to many classes even after driving for 25-plus years. This is followed by some serious testing before they give you a driving license. The whole process can take a month. That said, it’s necessary to get used to high-speed highways which work on strict driving disciplines to avoid fatal accidents.

Why did you choose to work in Dubai?

I was promoted to a senior role in the same company (Expeditors) for which our regional headquarters is in Dubai. Also, I found this to be a great place to live which has the highest standards of living and safety. It was a no-brainer to shift here.

Can you tell us about your present role?

In my current position as Director Ocean Services for a region, we call it MAIR (Middle East Africa & Indian Subcontinent Region). I look after the ocean services of a Global Logistics company called Expeditors which is a Fortune 300 company headquartered out of Seattle USA and is publicly listed on the NASDAQ Top 100  index.

The role involves managing and growing our ocean shipping business coming into the region of Middle East Africa and the Indian Subcontinent from anywhere in the world and going out from this region to anywhere in the world. To find out more about Expeditors do visit http://www.expeditors.com.

You have a Blog. But I notice you have not written for some time. Why?

Yes, I love to write in my spare time and someday have the wish to author a book. The blog was my window to express and see if people would like what and how I wrote. There is no reason why I haven’t written other than not sitting down to just reflect and recap. The fact you noticed I have a blog will spur me to get back to it soon.

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“I was promoted to a senior role in Expeditors for which our regional headquarters is in Dubai. It is a great place to live which has the highest standards of living and safety”

–Shailesh Mor,  Director Ocean Services, Middle East, Africa, India Subcontinent Region at Expeditors

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Five tips you would like to give to youngsters who are starting their careers.

They will sound pretty clichéd but it is just because these are honestly the key takeaways for many. First, work at something that connects with you as an individual and you have a genuine interest because then you don’t have to worry about motivation.

Second, it takes 10,000 hours of working at something for you to become an expert stage. It’s up to you how much time you dedicate to invest in learning more about your work area. For you to beat others in your same age category you just have to work harder than others. Curiosity is the word I would like to give to this eagerness to learn and know better than others.

Three, do what’s assigned to you well and then do more than that and or ask what else you can do. Take initiative! Management always likes youngsters who want to do more than what their job is per se. It shows they are eager to move forward and take on bigger responsibilities.

Four, keep learning more about the industry you are in and always invest in upgrading your knowledge and skills. We live in a fast-changing world and staying ahead on knowledge and skills is a must.

Last but not the least, build good relations with everyone you interact with. A positive outlook and energy is the key to building genuine relationships with all stakeholders – be it, customers, be it your colleagues, and seniors. Never hesitate to engage with senior leadership and ask questions or seek mentors. I always advise youngsters to take each day of work as an opportunity to solve problems and build positive stories. This way you build your equity in a big way. Ever heard about the power of compounding? It applies to everything in life and not just money!