Super-active boss of Cisco UAE stays on the go all week

Cisco UAE managing director spends his free time running, spear fishing and diving off the east coast of the Emirates.

During his time at Cisco, Rabih Dabboussi has achieved several US technology patents for the company. Razan Alzayani / The National

Rabih Dabboussi is the managing director and country manager of Cisco UAE, where he is helping to drive the company’s smart city strategy in the Emirates as well as in the wider Middle East region. The Lebanese-American, 44, joined Cisco in 1996 as an engineer in the US. He moved to the UAE in 2008 to lead the engineering organisation for Cisco’s emerging markets, and was responsible for the service provider segment in the emerging markets before transitioning to the managing director role for the UAE. During his time at Cisco, Mr Dabboussi has achieved several US technology patents for the company and has lived and worked in the US, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

What are your favourite things to do on the weekend?

I am an athlete and an outdoors person with a lot of passion for sport activities including running, cycling, swimming and horseback riding. I also have a passion for spear fishing and free diving. During the week, I normally do a 7-10 kilometre run to start the day off. The typical weekend for me includes more intensive exercise than I would do on a weekday with either a 12-15 km run along Jumeirah Beach, a long cycle or a diving trip offshore.

What do you consider to be your favourite hobby?

When I was younger, I was a US national karate team member. That was one of my biggest passions in life and the competitive experience gave me much learning. The sports activities that I have mentioned together with free diving and spear fishing are my favourite hobbies nowadays. I dive offshore off Dubai, on the east coast of the UAE, or in the Musandam Peninsula.

What can’t you live without?

Apart from the sports and outdoors activities that I love, I couldn’t live without my family – my lovely wife and children. I have two girls and two boys, the eldest is 18 and my youngest is seven.

What do you consider the secret to your success?

My energy and passion for everything I do in life, alongside my ability to multitask and juggle numerous things during the day whether at work, in my social life or with my hobbies. People’s well-being is also very important to me; with my employees in particular, I focus on trying to understand their strengths and weaknesses in terms of how they can help contribute to the business, develop themselves in their careers and I coach them to create focused objectives and defined goals.

What advice would you offer others starting out in your business?

It is important to not only be passionate, but also to deliver reliable and high-quality products and/or services to your clients. Treating your clients with utmost respect and demonstrating commitment to them is key for success.

How do you achieve a work-life balance?

To be honest, it does surprise me when people say that they do not have enough time in the day to achieve the things they have set out to do. My motto is to work fast and constructively and focus on prioritisation. I also always try not to put off the priorities of today for tomorrow. That way you will achieve a work-life balance because you will be able to create time to do the work that you need to do but also find time to relax and do the things you are passionate about – prioritisation is the key here.

How do you relax after the working day?

I take a nice long jog or I hang out and spend time with my wife and kids – I absolutely love their company.

If you weren’t managing director of this company, what else would you be doing?

I would definitely choose to live in Dubai – that is a given – I love the UAE. We moved here in 2008 after many years with Cisco with numerous global assignments in Europe, Asia, Latin America and Middle East. I am fascinated with property and real estate and I would love to be a property developer focusing on premium luxury real estate. Additionally I would also devote time to volunteering in underserved poor communities or war-stricken regions.