As Hong Kong strengthens its economic ties with the Middle East, Iraqi green-tech entrepreneur Basima Abdulrahman is looking to the city as a “connector” to power her company's expansion and the optimization of operations.
The CEO of KESK, Iraq's first green-tech firm, took the stage at the International Talent Forum's technology panel of the Global Talent Summit Week to discuss talent strategies for the innovation sector.
Compared to traditional energy infrastructure companies, KESK synergizes green power and cloud computing technologies to build alternative energy projects and generate new revenue streams.
Abdulrahman expressed interest in Hong Kong's connectivity, as the city serves as a bridge between the Middle East and mainland China, which supplies 99 percent of her company’s hardware components.
“I truly believe the connectivity of Hong Kong between my region and the mainland would help us to optimise our supply chain,” she said.
When asked about the talent she will be looking for in Hong Kong, Abdulrahman said professionals should equip themselves with more than just technical skills, noting that adaptability is highly valuable today.
Understanding the world with a global perspective also helps enterprises connect with suppliers and access more opportunities, she added.
“In our specific business model, it's not enough to be just an engineer,” Abdulrahman said, stressing that cross-disciplinary talent is essential in the emerging era of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
She cited the example of integrating a solar system with software, explaining that professionals must understand how the physical asset connects to the digital infrastructure and how that technical language can be translated for users.
Besides talent, she highlighted the capital advantages across Asia, especially in Hong Kong, which will benefit her enterprise’s expansion.
“I think Hong Kong has this unique opportunity—between the talent, the connectivity, and access to funding—for a business like ours to find a place in this part of the world,” she said.
