Lessons learned and work re-imagined: reflecting on 2021

Finding time to reflect is something I’ve prioritized often over this past year, which has been filled with a mixture of hope and uncertainty. The pandemic remains part of our lives and, with it, a level of unpredictability. Yet, optimism is breaking through with global vaccine drives underway. We’ve moved out of the initial response phase to the pandemic, into a new realm of recovery – business and economic recovery, as well as a more personal level of healing as the world reopens and spending time with extended family and friends is a possibility once again.

This year, many businesses have navigated the recovery phase, entering a new normal landscape where they have had to re-imagine old ways of working and reassess what productivity looks like in a hybrid workspace. A highlight this year was attending the Microsoft 365 Summit: Future of Hybrid Work event in November, which provided great insights on the path forward. I shared some of these insights in an article, noting that employers must take a proactive approach to company culture, while prioritizing inclusion and enabling flexibility. Empathy is another key learning for team management today. It’s something I feel strongly about, leading by example in an environment where digital exhaustion and the effects of the pandemic on the mental wellbeing of staff are realities that cannot be ignored. Business success can only be achieved in a supportive environment; one that respects the boundaries between personal and work lives, which are so easy to blur.

Despite these challenging circumstances, my inspiring team’s spirit, solidarity, and commitment to our customers and partners was unwavering. This was, undeniably, a key highlight of my year – working alongside such incredible individuals, some new joiners. In January, we welcomed Kendi Nderitu to the role of Kenya Country Manager and, in June, Salima Amira was appointed Country Manager for Morocco. Both are strengthening the impact that Microsoft has in the multi-country region our teams operate in across the Middle East and Africa.

Our work in the region over the past year has been equally inspiring – seeing the power technology has in bringing about positive change within businesses and entire sectors. In July, we launched Dynamics 365 Business Central in Kenya, Nigeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and Lebanon. This cost-effective, cloud-based, business-management solution is meeting the needs of numerous small- and medium-sized businesses, who account for the bulk of total businesses in these economies, making support for them a priority. In sectors, from health to education, Microsoft has continued to leverage our technology for good. Highlighting how educators can use tech for far more than a connectivity tool that enables virtual classrooms, we shared an article in November on how digital solutions can enrich the learning experience. Looking at Microsoft’s Minecraft: Education Edition, it’s incredible to think that a game – previously viewed as a source of entertainment not education – has deepened leadership values in learners, encouraging the type of collaboration so crucial in our increasingly borderless global society.

As for the year ahead, I’m excited to pick up where we left. In 2021, we helped financial services providers in our markets accelerate meaningful digital transformation through our robust, tailored cloud-based ecosystem. In 2022, we will continue to focus on driving agile transformations that such ecosystems enable, empowering people, businesses, and economies alike. Re-imagining old ways of working, which is already well underway in innovative applications of tech solutions, will be the theme for the new year. I’ve no doubt it will be a prosperous one.

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