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Having held seven different positions at Allianz Trade throughout France, Mehdi El Ouni is no stranger to career mobility. Seeking a new and expansive challenge, he took the ultimate leap out of his comfort zone and into the warm, international climate of Dubai. As Head of Credit Underwriting, he shares his experience adjusting to such a multicultural location and playing an integral role within its evolving business landscape.
Could you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?
I was born in Tunisia and then grew up in France, where I graduated with a degree in finance from the University of Paris. Directly after graduating, I joined Allianz Trade in Normandy as a junior analyst. I would then take on many different roles in a variety of regions, from Bourgogne to Champagne and Lorraine. I started in assessment, shifting to underwriting and then later to a managerial position in the Allianz Trade Paris headquarters. Working across France in this way enabled me to see firsthand how industry sectors vary with geography and to practice adjusting to different environments. This regional mobility prepared me to make a bigger move to Dubai in the fall of 2023.
Now, as Head of Credit Underwriting at Allianz Trade Middle East, I'm responsible for growing, managing and supporting a team of several underwriters. I also work closely with customers to help them develop their business safely through Trade credit insurance. Among my main objectives are to maintain excellence in our day-to-day activities, support new business growth and improve Allianz Trade Middle East's key performance indicators (KPIs).
What inspired you to take your career abroad?
After 20 years in France, I craved a new challenge in a dynamic region – a chance to open my mind while enhancing my adaptability, as well as my interpersonal and language skills. I wanted to go to a completely new place and feel reborn!
I was therefore excited to hear about an opening in Dubai from my previous manager, sending me on a competitive, three-month long interview process before being offered the job! I knew the transition to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) wouldn’t be easy, but also saw it as a new adventure – with the added opportunity of stepping into a Head role. Plus, I had a family member living in Dubai, so I was already familiar with the area.
What have been the main challenges of mobility and what have you learned from them?
My main challenge has been integrating into such a multicultural community. Living in Dubai provides the unique experience of meeting people from around the world – which also means seeing an array of dialects and ways of life. However, the warm welcome I received from Allianz Trade colleagues in Dubai made this integration easier. Although our team encompasses more than fifteen different nationalities, we share the same goals and are all in this adventure together.
Diversity also strongly informs the business landscape here. All of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are under the responsibility of Allianz Trade Middle East. We’re therefore working with many different currencies and two main languages, which are English and Arabic. If I’m not mistaken, the UAE is also new to the trade insurance market, which has at most a 20-year history here. Mobility helps to stimulate innovation within this young market: in our team there’s a high circulation of ideas and best practices, improving our organization and KPIs.
I do my best to leverage the expertise I’ve accrued from France to share with clients and colleagues on the processes and importance of trade credit insurance. This has its challenges – but with empathy, resilience and sincerity, I’ve already seen amazing outcomes.
Do you have any parting words for people interested in a career abroad?
Let go of preconceived ideas. Be flexible, treat everyone with respect, and get as much information as you can on the way of life you are about to enter into. For example, it's important to know what the weather is like - people are often surprised by how hot it is in Dubai, and tend to dread the months of July and August here!
My personal goals are to succeed here on personal and professional terms, while securing the satisfaction of clients, my colleagues and the Group. For the moment, I would say I’m very happy with where this path has brought me.
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