Tech billionaire, Dr. Andy Khawaja of Allied Wallet is honoured to have won the 2017’s CEO to Watch – USA accolade. We were delighted to interview him to discover more about his hands-on approach as a CEO and to learn his inspirational and informative insights into the importance of communicating and engaging with Allied Wallet’s staff.
How does it feel to be nominated as the 2017’s CEO to Watch – USA accolade?
To be nominated for the 2017’s CEO to Watch – USA accolade is a great honour and I believe it is very much based on my hard work and skills, so I am extremely thrilled and happy to receive this accolade.
What do you believe are the essential qualities for any CEO?
All CEO’s have a duty to do the job that every CEO in the world does, which is to be hands-on, communicate with your staff and be much more engaged with every department. In addition, you need to know what errors they have and how you can fix those, by working with them. Staff members cannot be yelled at, but any CEO should work with them and educated. You cannot hire a team and expect them to work miracles if you do not lead them well. CEO must be a leader who takes the team in the right direction, to ensure that they are a better candidate for the task in hand.
How did you become a CEO? What path did you take to become one?
I started as an employee and I saw the way that my superior managers handled the tasks and directed us. In this position for 16 or 17 years, I learned what the tasks are for a CEO running a company. I have seen some fail and others succeed, but I learned from life experience, rather than just from the books you study at school. If you don’t have the field experience, then it is a completely different ball game over here in the USA.
