CEO Insights Magazine

Incredibly passionate about people and cultures, leading cross-functional, international expansion projects, and working with different business teams in multiple geographies to build business cases, and define growth, Dr. Obaida Al Deri (Country Manager, Artat Enterprise) is a seasoned professional making significant benchmarks in the Gulf region for 11 illustrious years. He brings to the table long and unrivalled experience in overseeing logistics, developing new business opportunities, and reaching target profitability.

As a veterinary doctor with great business acumen, Obaida is driving expansion in the field of animal health and nutrition and looking for front-run improvement in poultry and dairy equipment and feed additives in the UAE. He has been effectively addressing the gaps in this industry, solving major problems, and translating needs into business. Under his leadership, the UAE team of Artat has been able to maximize its business in the veterinary market as well as penetrate the human diagnoses field and build a vast network and sturdy reputation. Let’s hear it from him.

How would you define Artat Enterprise as an organization?

Artat Enterprise is specialized in providing complete and innovative solutions for animal health and nutrition, especially dairy animals and poultry. Our mission is to provide premium services & consultancies to help our customers improve animal welfare, health & nutrition by supplying top-tier products from research-based suppliers, we believe we are an extension of suppliers to be the source of expertise, knowledge, & evidence-based solutions for business & operations. Our top professionals provide extensive technical support and consultations most of which are either DVMs, M.Sc., or PhDs. Our optimized supply chain service excelled by operation & customer service team ensures compliance with regulations, managing smooth logistics, fast clearance, and timely deliveries with the best methods at the highest communication skills. As a supplier extension, Artat works exclusively as a distributor with many world-class companies and the pillar of foundation in their relationship is transparency, honesty, and full disclosure of all the activities that they do with respect to the sales of all the products they distribute.

Tell us about your leadership approach.

As a leader, my strategy is a combination of multiple strategies that varies based on the situation. As a Delegative Leader, while hiring, I ensure to select competent candidates, and as trust is the foundation on which I found I build relationships with my team. Therefore, I make sure my team know their responsibilities and I give them adequate time and support that they need to reach their goals. Following the Transformational Leadership approach, I believe everyone has potential, and such strategy is a key so that team members can reach their full potential. Carrying the leadership thoughts of an Authoritative Leader, throughout a decade of working in the Gulf market, I was able to create a deep understanding of how things go and how to utilize this in driving business growth. Therefore, I believe it is important to share and support my team with such information that leads them to achieve their goals.

Could you reflect on some of the toughest challenges you have encountered in your journey so far? How did you overcome them?

Predicting and taking brave actions: I always say, what can be other’s hell, can be your paradise! This is what was proven to be true during the year 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic has severely affected numerous economic sectors across the world and the veterinary sector wasn’t an exception. It wasn’t too long after the pandemic started to foresee the disruption in supply chains and, this came along with insane price fluctuation and shortage in raw materials. We understand that animals remain at farms and still need to be fed. Such situations and their consequences urged us to act immediately and actively communicate and work with our global business partners to schedule continuous shipments to build our local inventory and ensure consistent and timely supplies to all our clients.

Exploring new fields, encountering new challenges, and turning them into opportunities: In 2018, in cooperation with one of our suppliers, we introduced an innovative solution in the veterinary industry, which was a confirmatory PCR testing technology. At that time, our goal was to approach the authorities in the Gulf region to use this technology at the borders, ports, and airports so that there could be an onthe- spot test conducted on animals that are being imported from other countries. This wasn’t an easy mission as any lab device or test must be validated before it is approved for field use.

During Covid-19, PCR machines that were installed for veterinary usage had a major role to play in conducting PCR tests for humans. We started exploring a whole new opportunity from which we could benefit as an organization at the same time we could serve the community in the situation of crises.

What is the future roadmap you are headed towards?

At present, we are involved and providing our services and solutions in four main sectors, dairy and poultry farming, aquaculture, and pet animals. But in the coming years, we aspire to expand our portfolio in the equine sector. Additionally, we plan to benefit from the robust reputation and network we were able to build in human diagnostics during 2020. Hence, we are actively planning and searching to find solutions in that sector.

Dr. Obaida Al Deri, Country Manager, Artat Enterprise

An alumnus of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine - Al Baath University, Edinburgh University, and The Harvard Business School, Obaida is an entrepreneur and an innovative business leader in the animal health and nutrition industry, focused and driven to help conceive and build key international strategic expansion with a priority towards business success and growth.