Sebastien Riez, cluster president and CEO for the Northeast Africa and Levant (NEAL) region at Schneider Electric: Each week, My Morning Routine looks at how a successful member of the community starts their day — and then throws in a couple of random business questions just for fun. Speaking to us this week is Sebastien Riez (LinkedIn), cluster president and CEO for the Northeast Africa and Levant region for Schneider Electric. Edited excerpts from our conversation:

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My name is Sebastien Riez and I am the cluster president and CEO for Schneider Electric in the Northeast Africa and Levant region. I am a 47-year-old French national, a happy husband to Alexia, and a proud father to two wonderful boys aged 12 and 10 years old, Martin and Jules.

I hold a bachelor’s degree in physics as well as two master’s degrees with honors in business administration and marketing. I have close to 20 years of experience within the energy management sector where I have handled several positions — be it tendering, project management, business development, marketing, and general management.

I’ve lived in several countries. I was born and raised in France and I moved to Germany in 2011. There we spent seven years and it was where my two boys were born. We then moved to the UAE, where we stayed for four years before moving to Egypt in early 2022.

I love sports, including basketball, padel tennis, and running. I also enjoy traveling, discovering new cultures, and spending time with family and friends — especially for a good dinner or listening to my boys playing piano while I work from home

My day job is mostly about making decisions. This required me to be curious, ask relevant questions to relevant stakeholders, and to carefully listen to the answers so that I can take the most appropriate decision within the interest of the company, its people, and its ecosystem.

As CEO, I’m responsible for overseeing the operations and performance of Schneider Electric for the northeast Africa and Levant cluster that encompasses Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Libya, Sudan, and Malta. This includes setting strategic direction, driving growth initiatives, managing profitability, and ensuring operational excellence within the cluster. The role involves leading and supporting teams across different functions to deliver on business objectives.

Schneider Electric has a rich history that dates back to 1836 when the company was founded by two brothers, Eugène and Adolphe Schneider, in Le Creusot, France. Originally, the company focused on the iron and steel industry, and later expanded into the manufacturing of heavy machinery and railway equipment.

Schneider Electric evolved and diversified its operations and became a global industrial technology leader in energy management and automation, driving sustainable impact. We are a powerhouse of electrification, automation, and digitization.

Schneider’s purpose is to create impact by empowering everyone to make the most of our energy and resources, encouraging progress and sustainability for all. At Schneider we call this “Life Is On.” Our mission is to be the trusted partner in sustainability and efficiency.

We’re seeing five megatrends shaping our industry right now. These are climate change, a new global equilibrium, digitalization and artificial intelligence, energy transition, and the evolution of wealth. These trends are expanding the realm of opportunities in our field.

To deal with inflation and supply chain struggles, we have been focusing on localizing our production as much as possible. We’ve gone up from 55% in 2021 up to 81% today. This has been to optimize our sourcing, shorten our supply chain, and optimize our operational efficiencies.

Getting into my morning routine, I like to start my day with a green juice to boost my energy for the day. Whenever possible, I make sure to drop off my kids at school as this is quality time that I really value, especially during the busy workweek.

On my way to the office, I spend time catching up on news and industry reports, including EnterpriseAM to stay informed on the latest market trends both globally and regionally. I usually reach the office early at around 7:45am and take advantage of the quiet time to reflect on strategic topics and work on building the company.

Meetings, meetings, meetings. That’s what a normal workday looks like for me. It is a balance between day-to-day operations-related meetings and more strategic ones involving a variety of stakeholders. My direct connection with our customers, partners, and team is constant every day.

I try to go through each and every one of our six floors to see the other teams. There’s over 600 employees, so I do love this proximity and I’m always learning new things from it. I always find moments to have regular check-ins with my family, despite the busy schedule.

In terms of organization, I got lucky because I’m organized by nature. That being said I do get great support from many people around me — starting with my PA. I think it’s all about assessing subjects, defining priorities, delegating what can be delegated, empowering the teams around me, and focusing on what requires the most attention. Practically, it is also about short meetings. I like to keep them at a maximum of 45 minutes with a limited number of applicable stakeholders and a systematic break of 10 minutes in between meetings.

I also need regular physical activity. I exercise at least three times a week to release stress and clear my mind — I’ve been especially focused on padel for a couple of years now.

On a personal level, my goal is to spend more quality time with my family, particularly through shared sports and outdoor activities as my boys are now big enough to join me in many of my activities.

Professionally, my goal is to exponentially increase our impact throughout the region I’m in charge of, supporting everyone to make the most of our energy and resources. We are driving an ambitious corporate social responsibility program that has already reached 130k beneficiaries with a target of 225k by 2025.

Achieving work-life balance is a continuous challenge, especially in a demanding leadership role — but it’s something I prioritize. I do my best to maintain a balance, even though my wife might not entirely agree. It’s all about continuous improvement.

For example, Fridays are sacred in our household. We brunch together, we practice sports together, play board games, card games and video games. It’s also an opportunity to reflect on the week, what happened at school, with friends, etc.

I’m currently reading a book, which is titled Dancing with Disruption. But I usually prefer news over books. I love spending time watching TV series. I recently watched the Last Dance, the Diplomat, Designated Survivor, House of Cards, and Yellowstone.

I’ve received great pieces of advice from different mentors that I crossed paths with during my career. Putting my team first, continuing to learn and being curious, thinking of the solution instead of the problem, and selecting my battles.

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