Full Name: Jobin Joejoe

Position and Company Name: MD of Sony Middle East and Africa (MEA)

Main Activity of the Company: Consumer electronics

Date and Place of Birth: February 2, 1980, India

Schools and Tertiary Education: Matric, Deepvihar Higher Secondary School, Goa; Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering, Goa Engineering College; MBA, IIMM, Pune

First Job: Sales engineer at Mass Kinematics

Size of First Pay Packet: $300 a month

Career Path to Date: Sales engineer at Mass Kinematics, 2001 to 2002; executive: retail asset product group at SREI International, 2004 to 2006; channel account manager at CAD Gulf, 2006 to 2007; area manager (United Arab Emirates and Oman) at Sony MEA, 2007 to 2010; chief representative for Egypt at Sony MEA, 2010 to 2013; head of sales (Gulf Cooperation Council States, Iraq and Levant) at Sony MEA, 2013 to 2017; GM: sales at Sony MEA, 2017 to 2019; deputy sales director at Sony MEA, 2019 to 2022; deputy MD at Sony MEA, 2022 to 2024, MD at Sony MEA since April 2024

Value of Assets under Your Control: Not stated

Number of People under Your Leadership: 244

Management Style: A visionary leadership style focused on fostering creativity and diversity. Our people philosophy, ‘Special You, Diverse Sony’, bridges the intersection between innovation and creativity by nurturing open-mindedness and collaboration to mutually deliver and pave the way forward

Personal Best Achievement: Being among the youngest to be appointed as MD for a Sony sales and marketing company worldwide

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: My father – he has always been a guiding hand in my life, inspiring me to always do the right thing

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: Taro Kimura, my first boss and mentor at Sony, who helped transform me into a go-getter. His guidance and professional advice during the early part of my career were instrumental in shaping my later development

Person You Would Most Like to Meet: YoungHoon Kim, who is considered to have an IQ of over 250

Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: Sir Ratan Naval Tata, a beacon of India Inc, who is one of the most respected business leaders around the globe

Philosophy of Life: Embrace change and learn in every experience. I believe that every challenge is an opportunity to learn, and that personal learning is a lifelong journey

Biggest Ever Opportunity: Every problem presents an opportunity. What’s important is unearthing it and I’ve been lucky with that so far

Biggest Ever Disappointment: I’m a firm believer in Oscar Wilde's quote: "What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise." It’s given me a generally positive outlook on life and meant that I am always able to see the silver lining. As a result, I haven't encountered a disappointment so significant that it consumed me

Hope For the Future: I hope for a future where communities can come together to support one another, creating a sense of belonging and collective strength

Favourite Reading: Articles, research papers, news and podcasts to stay informed and inspired

Favourite TV Programme: The Good Doctor

Favourite Food/Drink: Seafood, with a glass of Scotch whiskey

Favourite Music: Timeless tracks from the 80s and 90s

Favourite Sport: I enjoy playing badminton or snooker whenever I can. I also love watching a good game of cricket and following the thrill of Formula 1 racing

Hobbies: Listening to music

Car: Daily drive – Lexus GX460; weekend drive – Nissan Xterra Offroad

Pets: None

Miscellaneous Dislikes: Poor customer service or traffic delays

Married: To Mekha

Children: Keicia, 15; Keith, 8

Clubs: None