Interview for the length of your coffee.
Neeraj
Gupta
Saloodo’s digital freight forwarder platform is growing and simplyfing peoples life. But who are the people behind the monitors, working hours before you are even able to push the registration button?
In our second Fast Focus, let’s travel to Dubai. Here you’ll find a small, very international team of Saloodo! colleagues. They are responsible for the processes regarding our Middle East and African stations.
Meet our MEA Operations Manager Neeraj Gupta.
Who are you? Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am Neeraj from beautiful India. I am a tech-savvy mechanical engineer with post graduate in “Supply Chain Management” with over 11 years of experience in Automotive and Logistics across India, Singapore, Australia and UAE. I am a fun-loving individual who always looks for challenges in work place and food in personal place. If not working in logistics, I would have been a chef by profession, as the kitchen is where I find my “inner peace”.
How does a typical day look like at Saloodo! MEA?
A typical Day at Saloodo! starts with number crunching for our business’ KPI’s working on solutions to connect people and improve lives. Every day, we work on looking for new solutions for customers and listening to our partners to improve ourselves in terms of technology and service.
How would you say Saloodo! is different from the companies you worked with before?
In my opinion, Saloodo! inherits its core qualities from DHL which is having respect for each other, working on to providing solutions for customers and taking care of business. Saloodo! has an open culture where everyone’s voice and idea matters and this brings the sense of ownership, passion and motivation among everyone.
How is working with a global team?
Working with our global team has not only provided me exposure to work with not only different subjects, but also provided me in-depth knowledge on product learning. The whole process of understanding customer requirement, brainstorming from each element be it Operations, System, Finance or Technology is exciting and filled with learning. The global team has been instrumental in the success of Saloodo! in MEA.
What got you into logistics?
I think I got into logistics at a very early age when we started moving houses within India due to my father’s job. It used to amaze me as a kid when the whole household shifts from city to city without damaging goods. With my bachelors in mechanical engineering I got to work with India’s biggest automobile company where my role was into building truck bodies for our customers. Few years later I graduated with Masters in Logistics and Supply chain. In Dubai, which I consider as world’s global center of logistics in terms of technology and infrastructure, it only motivated me more to join the logistics industry. With a job in the world’s largest logistics company, I have never looked back and been working on to make success stories with my colleagues.
3 points you like about Dubai? And things that could be better?
Dubai is city of opportunities and one of the best ones to live in. The list is long but top 3 things I like are
Safety: Dubai is by far the safest city I have ever lived in.
Diversity: With citizens from across the world, Dubai provides to everyone’s need, making it truly feel like home away from home
Food: Being a foody myself, I think this place has one of the best food options in the world. Be it authentic Indian, Lebanese or Arabic, the food is just amazing and affordable.
The only thing I would like to see getting better is going greener, which is already part of Dubai’s 2040 vision.
