Imane Jamal Eddine ─ Innovative leader driving active change and delivering powerful results…
June 29, 2022 • 3 Minute Read
Updated October 2022
Imane Jamal Eddine
Chief of Staff, Microsoft Asia
Microsoft
(Previously — Chief Customer Success Officer,
Microsoft Singapore
Microsoft)
Are you looking for an innovative leader who is driving active change and delivering powerful results? We know the person—Imane Jamal Eddine!
Imane Jamal Eddine is the Chief Customer Success Officer for Microsoft Singapore. She is responsible for leading the Customer Success organization and ensuring customers’ cloud onboarding, success, and value realization. Through innovative thinking, she drives active change and delivers powerful results through diversity and inclusion. Imane endeavors to advocate and empower women in technology by inspiring young female talents across Asia, encouraging them to embrace innovative thinking grounded in trust, inclusivity and meaning. When she is not working, you can find her writing, reading, and spending time with her family.
Please meet this IT Wondrous Woman™, Imane Jamal Eddine!
Our 10 Questions for this IT Wondrous Woman.
Fun Facts
1. What’s the one thing about you that your business colleagues don’t know about you?
That I’m passionate about acting and about theatre and I wanted to be an actress before deciding to focus my education on STEM.
2. Before the pandemic, how many air miles/KMs did you flying annually?
I can’t even count; the question is how many days I spent at home! I flew so many times to Australia that I had my official hairdresser based in Sydney for 3 years!
3. What is the most adventurous food you have eaten and what city/location did you eat it?
Papuan cuisine, while not adventurous, was great. I flew to Papua New Guinea for a customer engagement and decided I wanted to spend the whole time trying traditional dishes.
Your Career
4. What are the top two experiences, achievements or failures that shaped your journey as a successful leader?
Becoming a mother was one of the most important experiences that shaped my leadership. Prior to becoming a mother, I was number-focused, results-oriented in a factual but transactional manner. Becoming a mom taught me patience, resilience and most importantly empathy and service.
The second one that shaped my leadership very early was when I was propelled to a leadership position within 2 years of graduating from university. I had a huge imposter syndrome. I worked longer hours than anyone else just to prove to everyone and to myself that I deserved the position. When you lead teams where the average age is twice yours, you learn how to manage egos and how to leverage their collective wisdom.
5. Did you have a mentor in the early part of your career and, if so, what is the biggest lesson you learned from your mentor or influencer?
One of the biggest lessons I learned was from my boss and mentor in France. Coming from Japan, I had a phenomenal culture shock when I continued to lead in the Japanese style without much understanding into how French do business. My boss took me for a 3 hour coffee catch-up to coach me on how the most important trait of a leader is to listen, observe, understand, and leverage the working culture rather than judge it.
Walking In Your Shoes
6. What is one piece of business or career advice you would give to your younger self?
Focus on deep human connections, success is only fulfilling when others are successful.
7. As a leader, how do you remain a resource for people early in their careers?
I am committed to mentoring and coaching the younger generation. They’re our future and we want to share with them our experience and wisdom, and we also want to hear their perspective, purpose and dreams. I love listening to them and empowering them in any way and shape I can.
Today’s Business Environment
8. What is the most interesting project you have worked on in the last few years?
I joined Microsoft in October 2020 to lead their Customer Success in Singapore while leading their transformation strategy for a Connected Customer Experience. This was one of the best projects I worked on. I needed to be a change champion and get everyone around me excited about the transformation and ready to be part of it.
9. What skills are you currently developing or refining (in yourself) that will make you a more successful leader in the digital economy?
In the last decade I focused more on honing my leadership style and on growing as a leader. When I joined Microsoft, I rediscovered my passion for technology and why I chose STEM in the first place. I’m now training myself on Cybersecurity to get certified and be able to fully support my customers in their security needs and challenges.
10. What is your greatest business challenge today?
Wellbeing and mental health of my team. We live in a connected 24/7 digital world, and I’m endeavoring to get my team to disconnect from their emails and phones, spend more quality time for themselves and their loved ones.
