Saif El-Demerdash started his career in 2003 as an electrical sales engineer in a famous local company which is also a partner of Schneider Electric. Ever since Saif started working, he put Schneider Electric as his target and aspiration to boost his career. He always praises the level of professionalism and passion all employees at Schneider Electric have. After 3 years, Saif joined Schneider Electric, and this is where a huge adventure began for him and his career. In this interview, he talks about the importance of sustainability, the implementation of Smart Homes and how they can benefit the environment, and what SE is doing to help the younger generations.
We sat down with Saif El-Demerdash to know more!
Throughout your career, what did you learn from Schneider Electric?
I learned how to unleash my potential and dreams. Moreover, how to act as a leader (from personal and organizational perspectives), and how to be empowering and inclusive.
What do you love most about the work you’re doing at Schneider Electric Egypt?
Northeast Africa, and Levant Cluster, with Egypt being the biggest country within this Cluster, is considered one of the famous talents and excellence centers inside Schneider Electric organization on a global level. Working within a high-potential culture and being surrounded by great and talented people leads to continuous improvement and fast career tracks locally and globally.
My work in transactional business for around 12 years has a lot of added value to me and my career. Transactional business is a-pure-people-business from end to end. Starting from Supply Chain, passing through partners, and ending with customers. This makes our work meaningful all the time as we aim to improve and add value to people’s lives while sustaining and developing our profitable growth and business successes.
In what ways can smart homes help in spreading awareness and knowledge about sustainability?
In a nutshell, the world is facing huge challenges of sustainability, driven by
many factors, but we focus on energy. The main challenges are climate change
and global warming from one side and resource availability for electricity
from another side.
What are some of the solutions and facilities that smart homes offer that are not easily accessible in regular or traditional homes?
Through our smart homes’ solutions, we aim to create homes that provide the highest levels of safety, flexibility, energy efficiency and comfort for residents while ensuring sustainability to help achieve carbon-neutral goals and reduce global warming. There are categories of solutions that distinguish smart homes one of which is Wiser which is a solution that enables you to convert your house into a smart one in no time and without the hassle of extra wiring, it’s just Plug & Play solution. It works with a wide variety of Schneider Electric products, including light and shutter switches, and thermostats. With easy customization, you can adjust your home to your current needs and add more features later when you need them.
In light of Egypt hosting COP27 this year in Sharm El-Sheikh, in your opinion, how can we make actual changes to contribute to a better and more sustainable future?
We should implement more and take more actions in regard to sustainability, reliability o renewable energy, local partnerships, expansion in digital solutions, and access to energy for everyone.
The Sustainability Hub we inaugurated during COP27 embodies the six long-term commitments of Schneider Electric which are set to deliver our sustainability goals and reflect the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (Climate, Resources, Trust, Equality, Generations, and Local), achieve a climate-positive world and raise awareness about sustainability and how everyone can contribute to fighting climate change. We also signed several agreements with leading local developers to implement our smart building solutions in their projects.
Also, we take pride in being partners with the Egyptian government and the South Sinai government to contribute to the transformation of Sharm El-Sheikh into the first green city in Egypt.
What kind of change do you think smart homes will make when implemented on a large scale in the middle east?
They will definitely make homes more convenient. Moreover, they offer smart solutions to boost comfort, safety, and convenience. Smart homes also optimize energy bills and boost your home’s value. Additionally, they decrease your carbon footprint and help you cope with global trends and regulations. Smart homes also improve security and increase control. Therefore, with integrated smart cameras, sensors, and door locks homes become more secure than ever + monitoring and control from anywhere, anytime
How do you see the future of smart homes in Egypt?
It is booming especially with the rise of wireless solutions which are relatively more cost-efficient and accordingly affordable to more social segments.
What are the future plans for Egypt?
We have a strategic objective to become the digital partner of choice to customers from different sectors and segments and sustaining our growth trajectory in the local market.
Tell us more about the Green Challenge you launched earlier this year
In light of the efforts spent to support sustainability and operational efficiency for all emerging economic sectors through fostering innovation, Schneider Electric launched the Green Challenge competition in cooperation with King Salman International University and South Sinai Governorate encouraging students to come up with innovative solutions to the issues faced by the governorate.
Launched two months before COP27, Schneider Electric Sustainability Hub in Sharm El-Sheikh witnessed the closing ceremony of the challenge and the announcement of the winners in a special ceremony attended by the Minister of Higher Education and the Governor of South Sinai. The winning teams received their awards before a slew of entrepreneurs and sustainability leaders during the ceremony.
The competition included a short incubation program that provided students with the social entrepreneurial, and technical skills needed to turn their ideas and innovations into feasible projects that can help the community, effectively empowering students to face the challenge of climate change via innovative solutions.