SAE Magazine 12-2

It starts with focusing on something you genuinely like or have a passion for alongside having the right intentions. You then couple this with a prepared- ness to work hard, help others and plough some- thing back whenever you can. Then you throw in some formal education, more than a bit of tena- ciousness and persistence and then flavour it with a little bit of natural talent if it exists (he says jok- ingly). Add to this the element of positive visu- alisation and years of hard earned experience of being out there and deeply immersed in your in- dustry or profession. Take all of those ingredients and combine them with a willingness to learn as you go through emphatic listening and observation and you have the makings of a winning formula I guess! It all adds up to a long and winding road and lots of bloody hard work and a bit of luck of life if you ask me” (he laughs out loud). His role as CEO of SAE & Qantm is to ultimate- ly oversee, steer and drive all aspects of the busi- ness whilst maintaining the agreed strategic direc- tion. What does that entail on a day-to-day basis? “Apart from the routine administrative, operational and financial oversight, very importantly, the role requires constant communication at varying levels (internal and external to the organisation) and an ability to trouble shoot, make decisions and adjust the groups track and heading accordingly whilst also keeping the staff and management motivated and focused on the mission.” What are SAE’s key capabilities and what is needed to create and maintain the competitive advantage? Hawatt is quick to respond: “There are too many aspects to talk about so let me focus on a few. Long before my time, SAE had the makings of a winning formula. It’s own combination of ‘herbs & spic- es’ so to speak. SAE now also has some 36 years of knowhow and experience in the global creative media education space to point to. It is a wonder- ful testimony to the founder and management and staff over the period that the group developed the ability to deliver creative media education across multiple jurisdictions and geographies. Yes, we provide and will continue to do so, a great inter- nationally recognised education experience to the students and a good quality level of service via our staff but there is something quite special in how we can continue to do this across so many diverse countries and locations and all of the challenges that that entails. Starting with a great concept, we havebeenabletocontinuetoweavetogetherabusi- ness model which really is second to none in the creative media education space and we continue to aspire, expand and deliver into areas that many in the industry would possibly never even imagine.” We know that obsession with the customer / con- sumer needs is arguably the one of the single most vital factors in business success; the main priority in any business must be to win and keep the cus- tomer. Do you think the education sector generally views this as a priority? “If it doesn’t then of course it should – especially in the ‘for profit’ education sector. The student needs and outcome is the single most important consideration and we must deliver by providing an education experience that not only meets immediate expectations but also that can be carried positively forward well into the future at the personal, professional and industry level. Our culture views our students as a kind of half artist / half technician and we work hard to develop this.” “We like to think that if there is even a small cre- ative bone in the student, we can help to develop and amplify this with an SAE / Qantm education. The technical skills and training we provide defi- nitely assists them to express themselves at mul- tiple levels. The goal is always for the student to make something of a career out of their field of in- terest (be it Audio, Film, Animation, Games, Digi- tal Journalism or any of the other of the plethora of long and short courses we offer). ➤ Romy Hawatt & Princess Reem Ali His role as CEO of SAE & Qantm is to ultimately oversee, steer and drive all aspects of the business. 23 SAE & SAE Alumni News // Featured Profile Index

SAE Magazine 12-2

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