A brief insight into our CEO, Mr. Yaser Hameed.
Mr. Yaser Hameed took charge of Syrainfotek, now CloudQ, in 2013. He completed his Bachelor of Engineering (BE) focused on Computer Software Engineering from MS University. He’s a serial entrepreneur with 20 years of demonstrated history in building world-class teams, and he’s been recognized as one of TiE Atlanta’s Top Entrepreneurs for two consecutive years.
Under his leadership, CloudQ has grown from a garage start-up to over 350 employees across multiple countries. Today, CloudQ is recognized as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the US, ranked #3920, by Inc. 5000.
Our CEO loves to spend time with family and friends, play sports, and is a big-time coffee lover. From my interaction with him during the annual meet in India, I understand he loves to have fun and is a great dancer as well. So, grab a coffee, and read along for an insightful interview with our beloved CEO.
HOW AND WHY DID YOU START THIS COMPANY?
I came to the USA as an immigrant, had the opportunity to work for several companies, and learned what they did well and areas for improvement. I felt I could take what I learned, especially from an immigrant perspective, and apply that to my own company. One of my hallmarks is putting a strict focus on honest communication with my employees and clients.
WHY THE NAME CLOUDQ?
Our company is a cloud-based technology company, so we wanted to ensure the name would resonate with our employees and clients. The Q stands for quality—which I think is extremely important in all that we do.
TELL US ABOUT THE BIGGEST STRENGTH OF THE COMPANY
We have strong, dedicated leaders that have helped me build excellent working relationships with our clients, and we’ve built robust internal processes and systems for our HR and immigration functions to deliver quality service to our employees and clients.
HOW DID YOU GET TO WHERE YOU ARE TODAY?
I got much help from family, friends, and mentors, but my personal discipline, confidence, and focus on quality have helped me grow and develop myself and the company.
WHAT WERE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU FACED?
Being an immigrant and not born in the USA has been my biggest challenge because I’ve had to learn the culture and navigate through many areas in my life that I knew little about. I’ve turned this challenge into my mission to help other immigrants not face some of the challenges that I’ve gone through.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO TELL US ABOUT YOUR BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE?
I’ve had several in my personal and professional life, but being named one of the fastest-growing companies for five consecutive years by the Inc. 5000 is one of my biggest accomplishments to date.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR FREE TIME?
I enjoy spending time with family and friends and playing sports (volleyball, badminton, etc.).
ARE THERE ANY OTHER CEOS THAT YOU ADMIRE?
Two CEOs that have helped me dive into entrepreneurship are Zia Rahman & Oz Khan—Zia was instrumental in helping me start my own company, and Oz helped me learn how to use my ideas and grow the company.
WHY IS EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IMPORTANT?
I want every employee to feel valued, and I want to be part of our company and deliver excellent service to our clients. We’ve implemented new timesheet procedures, we’ve deployed new software for better employee self-service, and we do our best to communicate critical messages via our monthly newsletter and quarterly town halls to increase employee engagement.
WHICH TEAMS IN THE COMPANY ARE MOST ENGAGED AND WHY?
I’m lucky to have a dedicated corporate team in the USA and a great delivery team in India. All teams are highly engaged and work together well which allows us to deliver quality to our employees and clients.
WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE THE KEY TO YOUR SUCCESS IS?
I’m confident, enjoy calculated risk-taking, and have surrounded myself with people that complement my strengths.
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM EMPLOYEES?
I want our employees to be transparent and do their best to always deliver quality to our clients. We offer competitive pay and benefits package and want each employee to take pride in our company.
WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO HAVE AS PART OF A WORKPLACE CULTURE?
The most important area is listening to our employees and clients and always encouraging a healthy work environment that is transparent and focused on delivering quality.
WHAT DO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION MEAN TO YOU?
It means treating everyone fairly and with respect. It’s important that everyone feels valued.
WHAT ARE THE HOPES YOU HAVE FOR THE COMPANY’S FUTURE?
My hope is we continue to help people grow and develop in their careers and provide the right expertise and innovation to our clients.
SIR, WHICH TIME OF THE DAY DO YOU PREFER TO WORK?
I love what I do so can work anytime, but I prefer to work a normal work shift and use my evenings and weekends to spend time with family and friends.
DO YOU PREFER COFFEE OR TEA?
I prefer coffee.
WHO HAS INFLUENCED YOU MOST WHEN IT COMES TO HOW YOU APPROACH YOUR WORK?
One of my mentors is Michael Goggin, and I’ve learned a lot from him over the years, especially when it comes to open communication with our employees and clients; the importance of building quality processes and procedures in our operations; and how analyzing key data points, coupled with trusting your gut, can improve decisions.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB?
My first job was as a Network Engineer.
YOU MENTIONED ABOUT A BOOK YOU ARE WRITING DURING THE TEAM LUNCH THIS YEAR. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE SOMETHING ABOUT THAT?
I want to share my life experiences with others to help them gain insight and get some advice to help them navigate the world better. I hope it will inspire other immigrants to know they can also succeed by having confidence in their ability, working hard, and never giving up regardless of the obstacles in their way.
A MESSAGE TO THE EMPLOYEES?
We value all employees and are here to support you and do our best to enable you to provide quality service to our clients. Thank you for all that you do every day!
Hey guys! I hope you had fun reading my last article for this year and got to know our CEO a little bit better. As we close off this year’s blogs, I hope all of you had a wonderful year and wish everyone to look forward to another year full of positives. Happy Christmas, and Happy New Year to all.
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