​Meet Moses Samaha - Executive General Manager, Product, Marketing & Sales @ Equifax Australia

We hope you’ve been enjoying learning a bit more about all of the amazing executives we’ve interviewed so far.

Our next superstar is Moses Samaha, Executive General Manager of Product, Marketing and Sales at Equifax. When Moses meets people for the first time, he describes what he does as being in charge of running the “go-to-market” part of the business. Essentially this means his team looks after the relationships with customers. They’re chartered with looking after these people and ensuring customers are satisfied and getting the most from the business. Moses may also throw in there that part of his role and team is building a lot of the products the customers use. So it’s necessary for him to understand what’s important to customers, what works well and what doesn’t work well.

When he was working in telco, Moses would tell his children that he was an inventor. It was easier in those days as you could give them a new phone or app to play with – in his current role, it is harder to explain. So, he explains that he makes new products for people – still an inventor with a sales person sprinkled in.

Making a Difference

Moses would call his autobiography Making a Difference, and his superpower would be flying. Being able to get to different places that are far distances across the world quickly does sound like the dream!

When he was growing up, Moses did not have a clear view of what he wanted to do until well into his teen years. Growing up with immigrant parents from Lebanon in Sydney’s western suburbs, he looked at family and friends who had done well, and from there they started shaping how he thought about his future career.

In fact, his father was in electrical maintenance and Moses completed an electrical engineering degree on the back of that. He told us that his parents did what they could to create the best experience they could for him and the family. Moses would eventually find his own way and opportunities as life threw them at him. One thing is certain though – he did not think he’d be doing what he is.

If he could turn back time

The advice he would give to his 15-year-old self was simple, yet very informative – especially today:

“Be hungry. Always want more, to grow, to do better, work hard, and take opportunities as they come.”

However, in saying this, Moses also noted to not put too much pressure on yourself in terms of having a plan. Yes, have a goal in mind, but be prepared to pivot and change because things come your way and you need to know when to grab them and run with them. Moses himself still follows this advice. He’s an electrical engineer on paper but has never actually worked as one. He told us that he wouldn’t have thought of being in the role he’s in now but he has no regrets and it’s been great – so seize those opportunities as they come!

In terms of doing his best thinking, Moses is definitely a morning person. He noted that he’s freshest in the mornings, his brain is primed in the mornings, and he joked that it all goes downhill from there! Exercising is another time when he accomplishes some great thinking – a lot comes to him when going for a run, walk, or bike ride. Is it a coincidence that he does his exercise in the mornings?

When asked if there was a year in his life that he would love to relive - Moses recalled his university days. He recollects them being filled with fun, little responsibility, spent his time meeting lots of friends, and overall life was a lot simpler. There were no pressures from family, financials or work.

Moses inspired us with a great app idea: an electronic business card exchange. The idea is that by tapping phones together you can create contacts – as he has realised nobody seems to carry traditional paper business cards anymore.

Balancing work and life since COVID-19

Moving then to his philosophy on balancing work and family life, Moses told us his has changed over the years. Had we asked him a few years ago, his answer would most likely have been different. Up until the last three years or so, Moses admitted that his work-life balance was actually quite imbalanced. However, after dealing with some personal obstacles, he is much more focused on the idea of balance – not only with in terms of ‘work-life’ but also balance of mental health.

While unfortunately tragedy in his life was what brought this shift, he noted that these changes that all happened in one year woke him up really fast. Moses has since mellowed out in the last few years because there is simply too much to lose if you break the balance. He is not alone in noting that sometimes it does take hardships to get you to think about balance differently.

Expanding on these evolutions in thinking, COVID has altered Moses’ work views as well. Personally, he loved being at home, seeing the kids, and not traveling for work all the time.

As a leader, COVID made him more empathetic and appreciative of people’s personal lives more – from what’s going on around them, to young kids or pets distracting them, to their own opportunities and challenges. Ensuring the balance is also there for them became significant – if things are broken at home, his team will take it to work which will impact how they approach their days.

Being able to go for walks during meetings was another positive. And often on these walks the fundamental, grounding, simple things in life were brought back – such as seeing chalk on the footpaths, children riding their bikes, or families playing outside together. These old-fashioned values came back during this time. Even though COVID obviously brought about much devastation, appreciating these simple things is crucial. Seeing a silver-lining in all situations is just as important.

Amanda is a Division Lead at Parity Consulting, Mother, ABBA Enthusiast, Cheese Connoisseur amateur guitarist (still learning!). With over 20 years recruitment experience, Amanda still absolutely loves what she does – meeting inspiring people and working on a variety of roles across Product Management, Marketing and Communications in the Fintech and Digital sectors.  Amanda has a well established network and reputation – people love working with her because of her genuine enthusiasm, diligence, hardworking and helpful work ethic.

Parity Consulting works with clients who embrace diverse and inclusive environments and empower their teams to bring their authentic whole self to work. We encourage people with different beliefs, abilities, backgrounds and life experiences to contact us.

Feel free to reach out to Amanda Glacken on +61 450 291 368 or aglacken@parityconsulting.com.au