Abla Talbi El Alami | making work meaningful stories.
Abla Talbi El Alami, regional head of Finance, APAC
a rich and exciting career journey
Moroccan born and raised, I’ve lived in five countries and on three continents so far. My sixth country and fourth continent are coming soon, once I move to Singapore!
I pursued my studies in the American system most of my life and was so humbled and thrilled to join the fifth best Master in Management program in the world, with a specialization in corporate finance. My professional journey has consisted of my career here at Randstad, our family business and politics.
My journey at Randstad has been full of milestones as it has enabled me to move geographically, professionally and strategically, allowing me to gain a 360-degree understanding of the business (OpCo staffing and Professionals, Holding, and Global businesses). I am so proud to be part of an organization that promotes talent and offers endless opportunities for growth and evolution.
My career at Randstad began in Paris where I worked at the OpCo level. From there, I moved to Amsterdam to work at Randstad NV, and today, I work as the regional head of Finance for Randstad Sourceright and Risesmart in the Asia-Pacific region, where I will soon be moving. In my current role, my responsibilities include financial planning and performance steering of the accounts, countries and region; financial reporting and governance; forecasting and budgeting; business analysis and partnering; pricing and financial implementation.
celebrating accomplishments
Based on this record of outstanding achievements and leadership, and my likelihood to have an impact in the future on society and communities, I’m so proud to share that I was selected in 2019 by McKinsey as one of the 100 Next Generation Women Leaders.
This recognition is not only an honor, but has allowed the greater community to explore the importance of women in leadership and refine our own skills further.
adapting to the changing times
Evolving to the new world of work, hybrid working and ensuring work-life balance hasn’t always been easy, but as a leader, I try to apply this ACC model:
Adaptability — to adapt to this new working model by setting up new standards.
Connectivity — to always be connected and reachable to support different issues and ensure business continuity.
Collaboration — even with remote work, collaborating with colleagues and working together is always better than working alone.
This strategy has served us well during the pandemic and through recovery to ensure that our teams and our clients are always well supported.
As we continue moving forward in our pandemic recovery, I’m also adapting my leadership skills. Traditional skills have become insufficient. The switch to digital and increased automation is crucial. Therefore, business leaders have to upskill themselves and their teams. They need to improve technical skills and data proficiency, effective communication and empathy, which is not always the easiest to convey through a screen.