Reem Halawa
Head of Systems Design & Planning
Mondia Digital
I hold a senior leadership role that is responsible for overseeing the entire process of designing and planning complex systems. I help define system architecture, manage the design team, ensure alignment with business needs, and drive the implementation of new systems by collaborating with different departments to identify and address potential issues throughout the design and planning stages.
When you are passionately involved in a project - a full journey from ideas on paper, to planning and preparing the requirements, to working on the implementation and solving any blocker/issue that may come around, and to see it go LIVE. It gives you the best feeling ever to see that you are part of a project that is valuable to customers.
A highlight of my typical day at work so far includes: - The ability to develop design decisions and project requirements. - Technical assessments on upcoming internal and external projects. - Planning of high-level designs. - Execution and ongoing stability.
My journey started in my last semester at university. I was panicking as I had no clue what I would be doing when I graduated. I searched for part-time jobs and started working in a part-time, unpaid role as a PHP Web Developer while still in school. After 2 weeks, I managed to publish my first website for a client and was super proud of it! It gave me the push and the confidence that I needed. After graduation, I already had couple of months of experience as a PHP developer, and the same company hired me for a full time job. I then started to look for a bigger "well-known" company that I can get a better experience in the field that I loved! I ended up working for the biggest e-commerce company in the Middle East. I started as a "Junior developer", kept getting promoted, and left the company with a "Software Engineering Manager" title. I decided to move on, and found another opportunity, and this time in a different country and city (Dubai - UAE). Over the past decade and a half, I have progressed through a driven and challenging career as a technical and management professional, and have been shaped by experience in eCommerce, telecoms, web development, and project management. It was a tough journey as a girl in a male environment! As a girl, I always had to prove myself, to prove my point, to prove my idea, but with experience not only in technical, but also personality, and communication wise, I managed to be a big part in this IT community. You always need to listen, by listening you will learn, and once you learn you can achieve! As they always say: the sky is the limit! And I truly believe in that. Life is a journey and it has its ups and downs, but we shouldn't give up! And we should always learn from our mistakes and try again and again until you reach what you wanted, and main importantly is until you are satisfied.
I always wanted to have a farm, and a small home right in front the sea! I will keep working as a consultant to give my experience that I've gained to the people who need it.
I love to hang out with friends, play board games, and go on road trips. Playing guitar is my new passion! I always like to try new things. I try to keep my laptop put away during my free time. :)
"Happiness is not by chance, but by choice." ~ Jim Rohn