Samer Halabi, regional managing director of KONE Middle East discuss their latest service and innovation in the Middle East.
About the Leader, Samer Halabi
Samer Halabi is the Regional Managing Director at KONE Middle East. With 20 years of experience and technical knowledge in the region, of which 17 years was spent at KONE, Halabi is currently responsible for all of KONE’s regional business operations.
In his role, Halabi leads KONE’s business strategy, and is in charge of P&L management, business development, budget planning and and the alignment of all operational activities within KONE’s guidelines and objectives. In addition, Halabi acts as the face of KONE in the region for costumers and stakeholders in the community.
In his last position, Halabi assumed a similar role of Managing Director in Doha for a period of three years. Previously, Halabi was involved in the Exports and Sales departments at KONE Middle East, where he, respectively, took on the roles of Exports Manager and Associate Sales Manager. Halabi moved across different departments over the course of his time at KONE, gaining exposure in various aspects of the industry.
Halabi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Aleppo University in Syria, and has also received various trainings in leadership and innovation from the UK and Switzerland.
About KONE
KONE’s global operations
- ~EUR 9 Billion turnover
- 55,000 workforce
- In 2017, KONE sold 158,000 elevators and escalators.
- KONE has a leading position in the biggest Asian market, namely China.
- KONE is always looking to differentiate itself from other competitors, by working more closely with our customers to develop services which improve their business. The new KONE Care is a great example of this co-operation.
- New Equipment makes up just over half of our business (55%) followed by Maintenance (31%) and Modernization (14%).
KONE in the Middle East and North Africa market
- In the United Arab Emirates, KONE (Middle East) LLC was established in 2002, along with a professional team of factory trained staff with long experience in the elevator & escalator industry and equipped with tools and facilities to guarantee 24 hours after sales service.
- Our offices are located in UAE, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain. For the rest of the Middle East, we are available through Distributors and Joint Ventures.
- KONE first entered the Middle East in 1976 via an agent.
- KONE Middle East and Africa is the region with the second highest market volume after Great China.
Detailed history
- Gibca Ltd became KONE’s agent in 1976
- Regional office in Dubai since 1993
- KONE (Middle East) LLC, Dubai was founded 2002
- KONE Elevators LLC, Doha was founded 2006
- KONE Oman was founded in 2006
- KONE – AREECO joint venture closed and management taken over 2007
- KONE Egypt distribution business taken over 2014
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