My Morning Routine: Ahmed Abu Zahra, country and sales manager for Egypt and the Middle East at BASF

Ahmed Abu Zahra, country and sales manager for Egypt and the Middle East at BASF: 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 Ahmed Abu Zahra (LinkedIn), country and sales manager for Egypt and the Middle East at BASF.

Edited excerpts from our conversation:

Most of my career has revolved around agriculture. I joined BASF in 2010, just as the company was returning to Egypt. We were building everything from scratch. My role was mainly in marketing, and our job was to put BASF in a strong position in the market. Within two or three years, we were the second-largest crop protection company in Egypt by sales. After a new market approach, we eventually took the lead.

In 2016, I moved to BASF’s headquarters in Germany as crop manager for Northeast Africa. I ran all marketing activities across those countries until 2020. I then joined the South European team, handling portfolio development and go-to-market activities for the whole of Africa. In 2022, I became European portfolio manager, focusing on Africa and later Central Asia as well. My background is mainly in marketing, but my experience has always combined it with sales.

I came back to Egypt this year and started my current role on 1 September. After almost 10 years in regional roles abroad, going from a strategic position to an operational one is a new challenge. I see these first months as a time to connect the dots. I’m working closely with the team, talking to our distributors and customers, and learning what’s holding back growth and what we can do differently. We don’t have a physical presence in the Levant or the Gulf, so I count on our distributors there.

Egypt still gets a lot of my attention. It’s a big, attractive market, so competition is fierce. That’s my main challenge right now, and it takes a lot of energy. I want BASF to become a solution provider in Egypt, offering services that go beyond crop protection. That means being more customer-focused, getting closer to our customers, and tailoring our offer to what they need. It sounds simple, but it isn’t — it takes effort from the entire team.

This year, we launched one of the latest innovations in our portfolio in Egypt ahead of some European countries. That had never happened before, and the whole team here is proud of it. We’re also training growers, who often lack access to technology and best practices for using pesticides. That training covers sustainability and stewardship too.

Digital tools can help farms, especially larger ones, move from traditional to more modern farming. A few years ago, we started a disease warning system. Diagnosis isn’t always easy for growers, and they can’t always predict when a disease is coming. Based on our data, we messaged retailers and growers to warn them and advise them to apply a protective product. We can do even more in that area, and I intend to bring those solutions to Egypt.

Biological products can help Egypt grow its exports. Egypt is a strong candidate for export business, and products sold here need to be acceptable in markets like Europe. Crop protection is one of the biggest bottlenecks for exporters, since residues and product types can create a lot of problems. The market still lacks biologicals, so we’re expanding our biological fungicides and insecticides across several crops, alongside biostimulants. Egyptian exporters are well trained and already use the latest technology, so I expect adoption rates to be very high.

I wake up at 5:30am, which I know is very early. I spend the next hour watching the news, which feels especially important these days. I also check social media and read — and EnterpriseAM is part of that. I prefer reading it in the morning because it shows me what’s happening across different businesses. I find that inspiring.

I’m at the office by 8:00am at the latest. I start with business discussions and emails from the day before, then plan the day ahead. This month has been exceptional, and I’ve been leaving at 8:00pm, which isn’t sustainable. Normally, I come in early and leave around 5 or 6pm to maintain a work-life balance.

I try to switch off as soon as I get home. It’s harder right now, especially since I’m also responsible for sales in Egypt. Sales teams don’t consider the “office hours” rule, so they call at any time. I’m still adapting to that, but I respect it. If someone calls, I answer because they might be bringing something valuable.

Family time is the best way for me to disconnect. We usually have dinner together and talk about everything outside of work, mostly about the family. If we have time, we watch TV or read. What matters is that we do something together.

Professionally, my ultimate dream is to make BASF the leading and most customer-focused company in the Middle East. Growth over one or two years isn’t enough. We need to set the fundamentals now so that growth lasts.

My biggest personal wish is to see my family succeed. My daughter is studying medicine, and my son is still in school. For me, I need to succeed in this new challenge.

My constant in life is reading — without question. Reading to me has shifted from a hobby to a habit. It has become an essential part of my routine, especially at night. Now I can’t even fall asleep without it.

I’m a big fan of Arabic literature, especially Naguib Mahfouz. I’ve read the Cairo Trilogy three or four times, and Midaq Alley is one of his best. I enjoy his novels more than the film adaptations because the sequence of events is more interesting on the page. I recently recommended him to my daughter, and his books are easy to find in English.

I’ve recently started following CNN Business Arabic’s podcast Kalam Business, which highlights strong entrepreneurial stories.

“You must strive, but success is not in your hands.” This is the best advice my father gave me. Some misread it as not caring about results, but it’s the opposite. Things outside your control can still affect the outcome, but I’m at peace when I know I’ve done my best. I’ve passed this on to my kids, especially when they study: do your best first, then see what happens.