Spotlight on Loveena D'Souza, Dubai based Talent Development Manager

Loveena D'souza on her leap from biotechnology to leading the charge of transforming and empowering Sales Training in the region.

SPOTLIGHTS & INTERVIEWS

ME-HR & Learning

8/24/20263 min read

Tell us about you, your core experience, and your professional journey in the Middle East.

Looking back, I don’t think as a post-graduate in Biotechnology, I would have ever thought I would end up teaching sales training skills to insurance consultants across the GCC, but life takes you on strange and wonderful journeys.

I moved to Dubai last year after wrapping up a 14-year career at Accenture where I lead global learning transformation programmes, including our reputable Sales University for HP Inc employees. Just telling people that I have spent 20 years in Learning and Development makes me feel pretty old, but every day I learn something new!

While I’m a recent transplant to Dubai, I’m a veteran in the GCC, having been born and brought up in Bahrain. Proud to say I’m ex-SHS and have earned my stripes under the Comboni sisters who ran the institution back in the ‘80s. I’m very grateful to Nexus for giving me the opportunity to give back to Bahrain, along with our other GCC branches, some of the wealth of my experiences and knowledge through our branch wise training interventions.

How would you describe the underlying culture of your business?

Having studied the Dubai market for over 16 months now, it is my observation that sales in any industry follows pretty similar cultures.

There’s strong pressure to succeed, make a dent in the market and capture opportunities. Leadership also expects consultants to adapt to changing times, appeal to younger customers, speak the language of newer generations as they bring with them business opportunities.

All of this is only possible when sales professionals are open to innovation, learning new technologies and adopting new communication styles that reflect the needs of a market that is changing every day.

How easy is it for you to get direct access to the decision-makers in your company?

I’m extremely proud of the open door policy at Nexus, where I am able to have open and honest conversations with the CEO and Directors, and other department heads about training interventions, their specific business objectives and how best to implement change while keeping sight on our long term focus, which is always to keep our customers’ best interests at heart, while serving our partners according to our regulatory framework.

What do you foresee as your biggest industry challenges over the next 5 years?

Everyone loves to talk about AI, but honestly this is just another technology that we will all adapt to; the same way we adapted to computers and the Internet when that first came out.

Here are what I believe our key industry focus areas should be over the next 5 years:

· Adapting to the Gen Z way of doing business: Out with the old and in with the new. Traditional training methods certainly have their place, but the newer generations will have their own way of learning, working and communicating. As talent professionals, we would do well to learn from and support them by adopting newer training methodologies, which incorporate the best of both worlds.

· Continue to focus on agility: Cross skilling is imperative to remain resilient in a rapidly changing world. I believe we owe it to our people to help them develop skills across domains, while encouraging them to tap into their unique set of characteristics to truly help them stand out in a world which will demand them to show them why they should be chosen over a technological intervention.

What are the critical skills and competencies you need to train to meet the region’s future talent requirements?

Critical thinking will help sales professionals continue to stand out in every single interaction. It enables them to meet changing customer needs and close that deal, at the time it matters most.

Adaptability is a skill that everyone needs, particularly at this time when we see global unrest and continuous change in the way technology evolves and impacts our lives.

Collaboration is going to help to remind us of our shared humanity, and why we need each other to succeed.

Learning new technologies and their applications on the job will help sales professionals stay relevant, no matter where their career takes them.

Loveena’s profile: linkedin.com/in/priloza