Aiming to drive innovation
Set on acquiring new skills
Operations specialist at Old Mutual Namibia, Ally Sem, is excited to learn how the department functions in order to contribute to the organisational goals and objectives.
Ally Sem obtained a bachelor’s degree in management accounting from the University of Stellenbosch, an honours degree in business management from the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), and is currently completing an MBA in management strategy at Namibia Business School. He also enrolled in a few short courses to add to his qualifications.His career initially began at Old Mutual, where he worked as an accounts administrator. He says the biggest challenge was the duty that comes with being a problem solver. He always had to look out for new ways of working, and the finance space was a controlled environment with limited room for creativity.
Fitting in
After two years of working in finance, he joined the automation team while it was still new at Old Mutual, where he worked as an automation analyst. This is when he realised that operations is where he fits in well. "I joined the automation team when it was new and managed to be part of the first automation projects implemented at Old Mutual Namibia, which I consider my greatest achievement thus far," he said.
Apart from the day-to-day duties of his new role as an operations specialist, he is interested in learning new skills and improving those he currently has. These include skills in business optimisation, project management, people management, change management and risk management.
He believes that this career path stems from his passion for innovation. "I believe that in this role I can add value by driving innovation in the best possible manner and ensuring that the business continues to grow in all aspects," he says.
He enjoys that he is able to freely use logical and creative thoughts in order to make changes and improve the business.
Some lessons learned during his career include never burning bridges. He says: "You never know when that bridge will be the gateway to your future." Additionally, he has learned that every situation and environment will be determined by what you make of them.
Looking ahead
Sem’s future plans include growing his expertise in operations and strategy in order to pave a smooth way for him to step into a senior operations position to have a great impact and contribute to steering the company to a fruitful future.
While moving along in his career, he takes note of the progress he makes.
He says it is important not to look "at the quantity of output but rather the impact he makes in the workplace."
Sem advises youth striving to be appointed in this position to have a big appetite to learn. He says it is important to grab every opportunity they get to learn a new skill. "Open your mind to learning from others and allow the process of getting to where you want to be to play out," he said.
In his free time, Sem enjoys cooking and would one day love to join a culinary institute as a hobby.