MENA Newsletter

The People Behind the Promotions

May 2020 | Issue 8

Professional life, promotions, and past decisions

Johnny Ayoub, Ziad Zacca, Joseph Mazloum, Sabri Hamade, and Rosemary Mosquea have decades of experience in the world of consulting—many of those years at Booz Allen. Following well-deserved promotions and with exciting challenges ahead, they show no signs of slowing down or changing course.

Johnny leads the MENA energy and environment practice and was recently promoted to senior vice president, while Ziad and Joe both join Booz Allen’s list of vice presidents. For their part, skill and hard work have seen Sabri and Rosemary rise up the ranks to become principals.

We spoke to the five colleagues about their professional lives, past and present—and some of the values that matter.

Johnny Ayoub

Booz Allen prides itself on its values. Which values are important to you?

Being honest and defending our convictions are important—and these require more courage than one might think. For me, staying humble and listening to our partners, colleagues, and clients are also essential. You don’t want to be that person who thinks that they’re always right and everybody else is wrong. Listening helps you learn and progress.

What are the best and worst parts of your jobs?

I’ve been doing this for 15 years, and the best thing about it—what keeps me going— is the interesting challenges that I face daily. I don’t think I’ve done the same project twice, which is remarkable. Also, everyone works as a team and this feeling of unity motivates me. As for the worst part, admin is the bit that I enjoy least, but it’s unavoidable!

If you could go back in time, would you change anything?

As an engineering student, I had no idea that there was a profession called management consulting. But when I discovered it, I found it matched my skills in industrial engineering, operational research, and problem solving . Given the outcome, I think I made the right decision.

Booz Allen prides itself on its values. Which values are important to you?

For me, patience, perseverance, and keeping an open mind are all important. Teamwork is invaluable, too. You can’t do things alone; in fact, team development and support have been vital in helping me get where I am today. Without a solid team that you can trust, nothing happens.

What are the best and worst parts of your jobs?

The best part of my job is working with very smart, motivated, and intellectually challenging people. It’s also exciting to come to work every morning knowing that I’m going to have a demanding day and that at the end of it, I’ll feel like I achieved something.

The worst part is when you have everything planned and under control, and an unexpected issue comes up last minute.

If you could go back in time, would you change anything?

Looking back, I could have made different choices that optimized my career path, but I made those decisions based on the best information I had at the time. I don’t regret them because they led me to where I am now.

Ziad Zacca

Joseph Mazloum

Booz Allen prides itself on its values. Which values are important to you?

The right leadership style is key. It’s important to stay focused and know how to adapt to changes, especially if we consider how volatile our business and the region are. Here, Booz Allen’s emphasis on unflinching courage is particularly relevant: We have to be courageous in all our endeavours and follow our convictions.

What are the best and worst parts of your jobs?

What I like about my job is delivering impact and working with great team members. I also enjoy the perpetual intellectual challenges and the career progression opportunities. The downside is that the hours we work can be long.

If you could go back in time, would you change anything?

When I was younger, I made a number of important decisions on my own. If I had the chance to do things again, I would seek the advice of a trusted mentor.

Booz Allen prides itself on its values. Which values are important to you?

Speaking of courage, change is never easy, and our recommendations aren’t always popular, but at Booz Allen, we have the courage to be honest with our clients, build a case for what we believe in, and stick with our convictions to challenge the status quo.

What are the best and worst parts of your jobs?

I enjoy interacting with clients and helping to deliver results. As a lead strategist in our energy and environment practice, I oversee project delivery and meet with clients to discuss their priorities, while also reviewing deliverables, managing project planning, and brainstorming solutions with my team.

If you could go back in time, would you change anything?

I’ve worked in management consulting for more than a decade and entering the profession was definitely the right move for me. Since joining Booz Allen in 2014, I’ve always felt that the firm provided me with the right supporting environment and opportunities to grow. There’s a nice sense of continuity as you develop your career.

Sabri Hamade

Rosemary Mosquea

Booz Allen prides itself on its values. Which values are important to you?

At Booz Allen, I have always felt empowered and encouraged to speak boldly about my ideas. To me, that says a lot about the company’s values. The defense and security industry is primarily male-dominated, yet that fact has personally never, ever been an issue for me here. The support of the firm, my colleagues, and our clients has been amazing.

What are the best and worst parts of your jobs?

I really like the pace and variety of work at Booz Allen. My project teams are geographically dispersed so I’m always on the go. My day is very fluid, traveling to different sites where I’m checking on my clients and my teams, making sure they’re both happy.

If you could go back in time, would you change anything?

Part of the reason I’m here is that I wanted to be bold in how I approached my career. For the same reason, I always prefer to look forward, not back. I moved to the MENA region in 2011 after working 5 years at Booz Allen in the U.S. It took a lot of courage to uproot myself, but I wanted to contribute to something bigger than myself.