Meet Seif - Business Development Manager in Low Carbon & Renewables

We recently welcomed Seif to the WeConnect Energy team, having joined us at the end of 2024 as the Business Development Manager for our Low Carbon & Renewables sector and he has settled well into our Dubai office. Seif has a real wealth of experience in the energy sector and it was a pleasure to learn more about his background, both personal and professional. Further down the page, Seif also discusses the upcoming World Future Energy Summit 2025 event and what on the agenda has particularly caught his eye.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your background.

I began my career in France seven years ago after graduating with a masters degree in business management. I have had the opportunity to do business development, 360 recruitment as well as team and career management. My career has taken me across the globe and over the years I have worked in France, the USA and Qatar, working across a variety of different industries, from aerospace to upstream oil & gas projects.

What about your journey in the recruitment/energy sector and what inspired you to pursue this career path?

My whole career has been people/talent-centric. As a manager within consulting firms, I was in charge of deploying strategy related to talent acquisition and management. Back in France between 2018 and 2022, I had recruited 50+ consultants and built an individual career path for all of them, which helped us to set a clear roadmap based on performance objectives and evolution criteria. While the main client was a giant in the aerospace industry, these consultants were also able to transition to other sectors throughout the years, including retail, banking and life sciences. I made the move into the energy sector in 2023, after being appointed Account Manager for a major Oil & Gas operator in Qatar.

The energy sector has a very unique culture and approach in terms of recruitment and career management, as the activity and the career objectives of the consultants are directly linked to projects instead of employers. Whilst these are 5+ year projects in general, this forces you as a Business Manager to always anticipate and stay proactive in attracting the top talent from the industry.

What excites you the most about working in renewable energy right now?

I see two exciting aspects in the renewable energy sector. First, the challenges we face compel us to seek solutions, driving remarkable technical innovations.

In parallel, renewable energy is also a way for countries to gain influence and achieve greater regional or global leadership by attracting massive investments and top-skilled people.

The combination of these two points makes the renewable energy industry a very dynamic, innovative and promising industry.

What is your outlook for the low carbon and renewable energy sector over the next decade?

It’s a complicated question as sustainable energy is a global concern. However, we can clearly identify the MENA region as a leader in this domain. The UAE and Saudi Arabia have established long-term public strategies and roadmaps to transition to carbon neutral sources of power (nuclear, solar, and wind), while the Sultanate of Oman has launched an ambitious green hydrogen program. In parallel, Egypt and Morocco have announced more than $200Bn of investments in green Hydrogen production projects until 2030, which is more than all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries combined. I believe the GCC is a leading example of what great looks like in terms of the future of this sector.

What’s a typical day like for you?

I like to start my day by reading the news and the latest updates from the energy industry, usually with a latte or a cup of tea (English breakfast, please). Then depending on my calendar, the most important part of the time is dedicated to connecting with our prospects and clients via video calls or face-to-face meetings to keep updated on their strategy, upcoming challenges and last business updates. The “other” key moment of the day is dedicated to candidates sourcing and screening. Apart from these two activities, I’d say that you never really know what your day is going to look like, and that is also what makes our job exciting.

What is the most challenging part of your job, and how do you handle it?

The key to success in business development is consistency, which requires strict discipline and strong time management skills. This can be hard as you might come face to face with situation and tasks that must be handled or achieved, and yet you still must set priorities.

The other challenging part of business development is to keep motivated and fresh when you are in difficult times, such as struggling to close a deal or reach your targets. This can be hard but it’s humbling and part of the job.

What’s a piece of advice you’d pass onto someone who wants to get into business development/recruitment?

Open your mind, remove all your filters, and get curious about people, because that is what our industry is about.

What do you get up to when you are not working?

I am always searching for some exciting places and adventures, and I look forward to discovering the UAE’s landscapes (mountains, desert, mangroves...). This country has so much to offer beyond just fancy restaurants and amazing pools!

And finally, if you were on a desert island and could only take 3 things with you, what would they be and why?

I would probably take a radio, a fishing rod and a lighter. I’m a practical man and this is my survivor’s starting pack.

World Future Energy Summit 2025

I am excited to be joining some of the wider WeConnect Energy team for the World Future Energy Summit, a three-day bumper event focused on the global transition to clean energy. This event, part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), will take place from January 14 to 16th at the impressive Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), not far from our Abu Dhabi office. This is the first major event our team will be attending in 2025 - and a must-visit, according to our Dubai-based Managing Director, Dan Brook. Dan states that “For as long as I have been attending, WFES has been getting bigger and better year on year. From the scope of topics to the quality of speakers and, importantly, the discussions held, I definitely view it as the most important renewable energy event in the MENA region.”

Of the three days, Day 1 is the standout for me, focusing on solar and clean energy. There are plenty of event themes, but I will be keeping a close eye on green hydrogen and the future of hydrogen - something regularly discuss with clients. The summit host, Masdar, will emphasise the need for cross-sector collaboration to achieve global energy transition goals in support of the tripling of global renewable capacity set out in the UAE Consensus.

Need Some Agenda Ideas?

On the morning of the opening of the event, I plan on catching the initial keynote from H.E. Eng. Sharif Alolama, Undersecretary for Energy & Petroleum Affairs, Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure, UAE.

Also on my agenda is an interesting panel discussion which I don’t want to miss: ‘Next-gen grid: Paving the way for sustainable energy’. Not only is the panel comprised of senior leaders from both the public and private sectors, but the topic is one that impacts us all. This talk promises to focus on grid stability and ensuring appropriate investment for grid upgrades and future-proofing it to keep up with demands. It will address the impact of modern requirements on the grid - such as EV charging and other macro developments, like massive data centres - and their societal implications. Grids need to be both smart and flexible to keep up with rising demands, this discussion is my pick from the Solar & Clean Energy agenda.

Later on at the event I plan on attending the discussion entitled - Gas in the Energy Transition: A Vital Bridge. Again, this panel is hosted by a solid mix of public and private sector speakers with the core theme of the discussion centred on natural gas having a long-term role in the energy transition, that will not be ending anytime soon. Personally, I believe that sometimes this energy source’s impact is overlooked, but gas plants provide stability, and can help to bridge the gap while renewables progress. I am interested in hearing about the position it will play and how it might replace heavy fuels as time goes on – do catch this one if you can.

As we’ve all seen and heard, AI is a topic that isn’t going away soon and it’s a term there’s simply no escaping from. In addition to an earlier talk in the day on ‘AI in tech’, a really interesting conversation - and something I believe is overlooked by society as a whole - is “Planning for the AI energy drain” and how substantially more energy is consumed (a quick AI search uses up to 25 times more than a Google search apparently!). Can its increased requirements be met sustainably? Gartner expects that the global electricity demand by 2030 will be 3.5%, or double that of France – shocking numbers. Listen in to explore what the rapid expansion of AI use and data centres will mean for energy systems and future energy planning.

Conclusion

I hope you appreciated learning a little bit more about me and what makes me tick. Heading to WFES? Drop me a message and let’s talk! To anyone in my network or beyond who would like to discuss career opportunities within the energy sector, or, from the client side, who we can help fill vital roles, please feel free to reach out on LinkedIn - I am happy to help. I’ll be continuing to blog throughout 2025 and plan to share some more of my insights and tips with you.