International Development - James's Story

What is your current position and where are you based now?

My current position is Development Manager, and I am based in Doha, Qatar.

What was your first role at MCFT and what made you decide to join?

I started my professional career at MCFT, entering the Graduate Programme and joining the Operations Team within the Service Desk shortly after graduation. In this role, I liaised daily with customers, technical teams, and office colleagues, establishing a strong foundation in service delivery, operational support, and stakeholder communication.

I chose MCFT because the Graduate Programme provided broad exposure across several business functions, enabling me to explore diverse pathways and identify where my skills and interests would best be applied. This allowed me to cultivate a wide range of competencies and provided me with a complete understanding how the business operates, positioning me well for future advancement.

Can you describe your career progression within MCFT?

I kicked off my career with MCFT back in September 2021 as a Graduate Assistant Operations Manager. From day one I got to dive into different parts of the business—Customer Service, Procurement & Logistics, and Scheduling—which really helped me get a full picture of how we tick.

In October 2023, I took a six-month break to travel across Southeast Asia and Australia. It was an incredible experience, full of fresh perspectives and inspiration.

When I came back, I jumped back into the Operations team and soon moved into a role in Sales as a Business Development Executive in late 2024. My time in operations gave me unique insight which I could bring into building relationships and growing together.

Then in early 2025 I moved to the Middle East for the next stage of my career. First an 8-week training stint in Dubai, followed by a role as Area Manager in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Now I’m based in Doha, Qatar, working as Development Manager. I’m excited about helping our talented teams grow and shaping the next chapter of our regional journey.

How long did it take you to move from your first position to a senior or international role?

It took me just three years to move into a senior role at MCFT. Even during the latter period, I was already taking on a range responsibilities typically associated with a senior or experienced professional, therefore, by the time I’d moved into the International Role, it felt like a natural movement from my previous roles.

What kind of support or development opportunities did MCFT provide that helped you grow (e.g., training, mentoring, on-the-job learning)?

MCFT has assisted my development - I've been given real responsibility early on, with exposure to both the internal operational side of the business and customer interactions. The trust placed in me to manage my own projects and take ownership of key areas has been invaluable, supporting innovative ideas and problem solving. Rotating through different roles helped build resilience and adaptability – skills I continue to draw on as I grow in my career.

What skills or experiences do you think were most valuable in helping you progress?

Day to day experiences were what helped push me, particularly at the start of my career, I would say 3 main skills were learnt – problem solving, resilience, communication.  

Problem-Solving

From my early days on the Service Desk, I learnt quickly that a service provider environment demands quick decisions to keep operations running smoothly. In context, that meant ensuring the kitchen was operational, our costs were kept under control, and that the customer remained informed and satisfied. Over time, I based my decision making on the below:



• Recognising when something is about to go wrong (e.g., supply delay) and taking immediate action to find a way to resolve the issue.
• Making cost-conscious decisions while still meeting service expectations — balancing operational efficiency with customer satisfaction.
• After the resolution, stepping back to reflect: Why did this issue occur? What process do we need to adjust? What system can we put in place, so it doesn’t happen again? This ties into root-cause analysis and continual improvement which MCFT allows you to put real time into, whether its alongside your day job, or in group projects.

Resilience

In service operations you quickly learn: things will go wrong. A delay, a broken link, an unexpected cost — the difference is in how you respond. Quickly, I learnt that you can’t wait: you must act. That means picking up the phone, rallying the team, communicating clearly and keeping the customer on board. Then, after the incident is contained, you ask: What do we need to change so this doesn’t catch us by surprise next time?

That dual mindset — immediate action + strategic reflection — strengthened my resilience and prepared me for more responsibilities, as I could resolve issues quickly, by thinking on my feet.

Communication

As I transitioned into roles beyond pure operations – into sales and overseas I developed my communication skills further. The ability to engage with different cultures and people to explain your thoughts and work as a team was a real learning curve. Then having the responsibility to ask questions about, budgets, CAPEX, discount, resource optimisation really pushed developed me.

This ability to communicate across functions, levels and team - from frontline teams to senior leadership — became a differentiator in my progression.