Page 3 - Al-Rashed Newsletter November 2021

TÊTE-A-TÊTE

You are in Al Rashed almost a two decade now, what made you stay that
long?
This is something that I have pondered over in my head quite a few times.
Stability, benefits, flexibility, and quite a few other options are the ones which
you would normally consider. However, in my case, I feel it is the belief that
you are a part of something which has kept me going. The team, the
environment and the culture which has become a part of my life. Benefits are
desire and quite necessary as well, but I feel this belief could be main reason
for me staying back with Al-Rashed for so long.
QUEENA ANTHONY
If you must summarize your journey in Al Rashed, how it would be? ASST. MANAGER LOGISTICS
I started my career with Al-Rashed as a fresher and I am the assistant logistics manager now. This journey has
been quite a quite roller coaster ride with excitement, scary turns, and joy. From working late night especially
during Iraq reconstruction phase, multi-tasking, coordinating on umpteen responsibilities along with billing jobs,
arguments with Mr. Bala, bawling from Mr. Ravi, meeting my life partner, outings & parties with my colleagues
and their families, compering for our staff party, the list is endless. Lots of wonderful, joyful, and sometimes
resentful memories, but all which I would never let go & always hold close to my heart. In short, my journey has
been adventurous, eventful, and in many ways a fitting reply to the very few who wanted to see me fail.

What is the most fun part of your job?
I think it’s the vibe. The people around me care about me as a person. The collaborative environment in our
department makes it easy to perform the daily jobs. We all support each other and work together, making it
easier to perform. I also love that I have a great degree of control and freedom within my job. On a lighter note,
paid vacation days could be fun & something we all look forward to.

What are the challenges you come across in your day-to-day task?
Logistics is a challenging job. You need to be always on your toes. Maintaining effective communication with the
client always is one of the major challenges. Explaining things properly & providing them maximum clarity is a
major part of effective customer communication. This helps in gaining customer confidence. Understanding
customer needs & adapting to the same is another major challenge.

The things that you do to unwind after a long and hectic day?
I love cooking. I am always on a look out for something new & interesting to cook. Cooking helps me to unwind
and relieve me of the tensions from a days’ work. Also, I am a soap opera person. I have my own niche of
soaps which I am fond of. Evening spare time is TV time.

What are the major changes you have seen in yourself after working for Al Rashed?
Being the first lady in Al-Rashed was quite scary but I did manage to prove myself to be a capable employee
over the years. The years in Al-Rashed has helped to mould & shape me into the person I am today. Foremost,
my job has helped to instill in me a significant sense of purpose. I have become more confident, more resilient &
has learned to stay positive.

What one thing you believe that can be done differently in our company?
Al-Rashed has a great reputation as an innovator and a leader in the industry. A lot of things are going right,
which is part of the reason why I am here for so many years.
However, there is always room for improvement. I feel the company could make a better use of social media.
This is a fantastic way to connect with current and future customers.

INTERVIEWED BY NASEEMA KHAN