Meet Ezzeddin, our team member in Dubai, UAE

Meet Ezzeddin El Tahra, our sales team member in the Middle East region. With years of experience working in the construction industry, Ezz has seen first hand the demand for rapid digitization in this dynamic market. He talks through the challenges of change in one of the fastest-urbanising regions in the world.

What is your position at Mastt?

I'm an Account Executive at Mastt in Dubai. My role is to establish stronger relationships with strategic business partners in the region, and to find the right business opportunities in the Middle East so that we can expand our growth in the market.

What made you interested in selling software?

Over many years of working within the construction industry, I saw the particular need and growth opportunities in technology. That's what led me to focus on selling software as the industry rapidly started shifting to digitalization. I've always been tenacious in building new business and it’s an interesting product to talk to prospects about.

So what are the most significant pain points for Owners and PM Consultants in the Middle East?

Dubai and the MENA region in general is a very fast-moving market. The construction industry is already complex enough at the moment. So everything is moving toward digital transformation and everyone wants to adopt technology, especially the big developers and consultants that manage mega- and giga-projects.

Most of the significant pain points of major Asset Owners and PMCs in the region come from the in-house systems that they have invested a huge amount of effort and money to develop, often over a long period. After some time, they usually found out that these systems failed to meet their expectations. However they were deeply rooted and dependent on these systems so they often find it difficult to get out of it and into a better alternative.

This is a cumulative observation based on feedback from clients and my experience since the beginning of my career within the construction industry. I’ve heard it many times.

What do you think are the most significant benefits for owners and PM consultants when they use Mastt?

I would say the current process of managing large construction projects is already extremely complex. By adopting Mastt I believe owners and program managers can significantly reduce the complexity and increase the efficiency of this process. That would be my most significant benefit for owners and program management consultants. Having a system like Mastt enables them to have a more accurate understanding of their cash flows, contingencies, and risks across their entire portfolio program and even project.

Where do you normally go to unwind for the weekend?

I really enjoy spearfishing. I have friends in Abu Dhabi, which is the other Emirate next to Dubai. I often drive for around an hour and a half drive from Dubai to Abu Dhabi to catch up with them there and go spearfishing together on the weekends. We take our boat, jump into the water in the early morning around 4AM and just dive for around an hour. Later on, we would grill the fish we caught on an island and do some wild camping off-road. That’s my way to escape a long, busy week.

And what are the most popular sports in the UAE?

Horse racing is one of the most popular here. People love and enjoy working with horses and we have huge racehorse events on a regular basis.

If you could introduce a traditional food in the UAE to your colleagues in Australia or the US, what would it be?

Off the top of my head, I would say Mandy. It's rice and some sides like salad, sauces and you can either choose chicken, beef or seafood, grilled steamed to go with it.

This is what you’ll have straight after you land in the UAE and it’s also the most famous dish when it comes to the heritage of the UAE. The dish is healthy because it's either grilled or steamed and you can choose the protein. Even the rice itself has a very amazing taste. I personally love it.