- Programme studied: MSc Analysis, Design and Management of Information Systems (now MISDI)
- Year of Graduation: 2009
- LinkedIn profile
Alum of the Month for March is Lokman. He was one of the first batch of employees to work for Uber in Europe and has played a part in its growth internationally.
What’s your current job?
I’m currently in charge of international expansion operations for UberEATS, having previously worked for international expansion for the Uber Rides business. My responsibilities include identifying and assessing new expansion markets, targeting key areas for further expansion and then implementing and managing the launch on the ground with the team. I joined Uber quite early in their business venture and was one of the first batch of employees for Europe. One thing that struck me, joining at such an early stage was witnessing the impressive growth.
What’s the best thing about working for Uber?
Uber is a company that empowers their employees, giving them trust and responsibility, with a focus on ownership and managing your own prospects. All of this came at an early age and I can honestly say the experience has been like managing my own start-up but with additional support when it is required. Uber is an incredibly fast-paced working environment, for the usual corporate company it can take years to finalise the projects, but with Uber we’re finalising projects in a few short months.
Where have you worked previously?
Previously, I worked at Groupon IPO within their business intelligence team. Groupon, like Uber, was a dynamic and fast-paced company. In fact, when I worked there it was the fastest growing company at the time! Whilst working for Groupon, I saw first hand how a company could go from humble beginnings in its start-up phase to becoming the major corporation it is today.
What was the biggest lesson you learnt whilst studying at the Department of Management?
There are so many things I learnt whilst studying at the Department of Management, all of them have proved invaluable when working out in the field. Often an educational setting can have difficulty translating when it comes to real world application, but I found studying at the Department of Management, this was definitely not the case.
I learnt that interpersonal skills and communication are crucial to managing a team and that individuals are different and therefore the skills they bring to the team will be different, perhaps even to how I initially envisioned. Understanding differences and embracing them is something that has provided me with a wealth of success, and my teams always work cohesively with every member feeling as though their opinion is valued.
Problem-solving is often a team effort, with a manager’s role being to draw on their own wisdom and experience, to be decisive when it matters and ensure that everything stays on track. The leadership qualities that I gained at the Department of Management have served me very well throughout my professional life.
I also learnt that effective management is about risk mitigation. Identifying what can go wrong and how to prevent that from occurring, has meant that my projects not only stay on task but also that they’re completed to a high professional standard with few (or no) hiccups along the way. Preparation is very important to a management role.
What hobbies or passions do you have outside of work?
I have a passion for sailing and exploring the world around me.
Working for Uber on their international expansions programme has broadened my horizons and afforded me the opportunity to travel extensively, just one of the many job perks Uber offers, but one that certainly aligns with my zest for world travel.
How do you stay in contact with your fellow LSE alumni?
I have found that the easiest way to stay in contact with fellow alumni is through social media platforms, there are also the alumni events that I attend to keep track of some of the amazing work my fellow alumni are doing in their chosen companies and fields.