The Global Advantage: Dubai-based professional shares tips for those wanting to settle abroad

Head of Operations at CloudKitchens, Rahul Chauhan, has a diverse set of experiences through prolific stints at companies such as Microsoft, Uber, Wadi.com and noon, just to mention a few. In the following interview, the professional shares his journey. Read on. 

Could you walk us through your educational background?

I did my schooling from Apeejay School, Saket in Delhi, having spent my entire school life from Nursery to Class 12 there. Post that, I completed my B. Tech Electronics and Communications Engineering from Jamia Millia Islamia in 2012. And after working for a few years in an e-commerce start-up, soon after, I graduated with a degree in Management from Indian School of Business in 2016.

Why did you opt for a career in Management? Did you always know your calling?

While in school, I was provided the opportunity to take part in many extra co-curricular activities that allowed me to explore my likes and interests. So, as the Head Boy of the school, I realised that I really enjoyed working on projects, being on my feet, collaborating with other team members and applying analytical skills to solve problems. All of which pointed towards a career in Management where I could utilise my skill-set while enjoying what I do.

To say that I always knew my calling will not be truly correct but I was able to figure out my own likes and dislikes and intuitive skills to begin with, thanks to the opportunities that I had the privilege enough to have during school years.

Tell us more about your current role. What does a regular day look like for you?

I currently work as the Head of Operations for Cloudkitchens.com in the Middle-East region, based out of Dubai. We are an infrastructure-as-service business, providing restaurateurs with a faster and cheaper solution to run their business.

On a typical day, I am involved in day-to-day running of our multi-kitchen facilities, meeting our clients for furthering and improving the business, reviewing performances with my team and working closely with other departments so that we can run an efficient and profitable organisation.

Your learnings till now?

My biggest learning is that teams and organisations are essentially made of individual people, each driven by their own aspirations, mind sets and goals. For a manager to succeed, it is important to understand everyone’s unique thought process and then provide them with a unified direction so that everyone works towards a common goal.

A work ethic you closely follow?

Honesty and trust. Appreciate the strengths of your team members and be willing to accept and learn from mistakes.

How is the work culture in Dubai? Is it different from India?

Since Dubai is a multicultural hub with people from hundreds of nationalities and backgrounds, the work culture is based on finding common ground amongst the entire team. Moreover, it is important to be cognisant of the fact that every culture is different in their outlook toward work and life in general. I feel that compared to India, there is more emphasis on work-life balance and life outside work in Dubai.

For new professionals who are planning to work abroad, your advice?

I think it’s a great idea to spend at least a few years working abroad as it provides so much more exposure and understanding of different cultures and thought processes.

My advice to young professionals seeking to work abroad is to try to reduce the number of variables when moving outside the country. Moving countries is itself difficult, it is important that they have confidence in the organisation and role they are joining. They must also research the costs and living expenses before taking a call.

How were your years at Apeejay, Saket? Any life lessons you picked?

My years spent at Apeejay, Saket were absolutely amazing. Growing up in a single place for my entire school life gave me a big sense of comfort and confidence. Spending my foundation years at the school helped shape the person I am today, the teachers we had were incredible and were really interested in setting up the students for success in life, rather than simply imparting knowledge.

With this, the various extra co-curricular activities, clubs, and events really helped in providing us (students) opportunities to explore and understand our likes and dislikes. When I look back at the 14 years I spent there, I have nothing but fond memories, life-long friendships and feelings of happiness and gratitude.