March 2, 2023
WoEgypt

Amira El Ezabi, ABB Egypt Panel Builders Channel Manager. She has 23 years of experience working in Sales and Marketing. El Ezabi graduated from the Faculty of Engineering-Cairo University /Electrical Power and Machines in 2000.She believes that dedication and good relations are the main factors to success. Being passionate about her job, El Ezabi focuses on customer satisfaction and solving their problems. She considers her main accomplishments are leading a diverse team and maintaining a healthy and a conflict free environment. 

Empowering people and creating chances for them to make decisions and take calculated risks are some of her core values. “I deeply believe in “Walk the Talk” and to be a role model with your actions not your words,” El Ezabi says. 

In her downtime, she enjoys cooking gourmet food for her family, reading novels and listening to classic music.

WoEgypt: What sparked your interest in engineering? Can you describe the moment you realized this was a field you’d like to pursue? 
Amira El Ezabi: Frankly, I had no interest in engineering. My dream was to be a doctor, but I didn’t score the acceptance threshold of Faculty of Medicine. That moment of realization was not that satisfying, actually I was in denial phase for a quite long time even after joining the faculty.  

WoEgypt: Engineering is an intense major. What was the most challenging part of your college experience? Did you ever experience any uncertainty that this was the path for you? 
AE: Indeed, Engineering is a very intense field, everything was challenging; culture, topics, people, due dates, recognition. I was uncertain that it was not my path till year 2, then I had to face my fears and be convinced that this was it, and I have to push and exert my full efforts to graduate

WoEgypt: Tell us what did you learn from your job that you couldn’t have learned in the classroom?
AE: I learned a lot throughout my work life, part of the credit goes to college; strategic thinking, always be result oriented, thinking of plan B in parallel with your basic plan, and time management. 

On job; the most important thing is having good relations, respecting others, accepting differences, creating a healthy environment with minimal conflicts. These are the main pillars that make business easier and facilitate doing your job. 

WoEgypt: Describe your job as an engineer in ABB.  What are your roles and responsibilities?
AE: I started with ABB in 2000 as a site engineer where I had to interact with consultants, contractors and technicians. It wasn’t an easy job for a fresh graduate but it added a lot to my personal skills and increased my tolerance and endurance.

By 2002 I shifted to Sales and Marketing at HQ, a whole new experience that nurtured my unseen skills; I enjoyed working with my manager, my peers and my customers. Gradually I was upgraded to higher posts with more responsibilities and leading a team.

Early in 2020, I joined the channel partners team and again a new experience with more detailed aspects, leading a diverse team and dealing with business partners working in all market segments. 

WoEgypt: What does an average day look like for you? 
AE: On average, a normal day comprises of at least 10 voice calls, around 3 meetings, 30-40 emails in addition to processing internal issues related to my team members. 

WoEgypt: What are the biggest misconceptions people have about your job?
AE: I believe most people think that working as an engineer is far from being into people and lacks emotions, that engineers are more like machines not human beings and that is totally not true.

WoEgypt: What is it like to be a woman in engineering? What challenges do you face as a woman in the engineering world?
AE: It’s not easy but worth the efforts, engineering jobs are mainly occupied by men, but when women rule they rock. At ABB, I am lucky as we are working in an inclusive environment that respects diversity and fair treatment regardless of gender.

WoEgypt: What advice do you have for women interested in engineering?
AE: Be brave and speak up, your work and dedication will speak for you. Don’t hesitate to show sympathy, this is where your source of strength comes from and is considered a good virtue not a weakness. 

WoEgypt: Finally, what do you wake up looking forward to? What’s next for your career?
AE: I look forward to having an impact on my team professionally and personally. Humanity is what matters and lasts. For my career, I am always open for higher responsibilities and accepting further challenges. 

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