Selina Bieber is the Senior Regional Director of the Middle East and North Africa at GoDaddy. And that’s a big deal! GoDaddy is the world’s largest domain registrar company with easy-to-use and affordable services aimed at enhancing the online presence of small businesses and assisting their growth. Leading their journey to help boost digital transformation in the region, including in Egypt, is no easy task. And that’s perhaps why Bieber’s experience may need you at least a few minutes to grasp!

But what exactly is Bieber doing in Egypt and the region? What’s her story? And what made us perceive her work journey as so inspiring? What insights did GoDaddy come across to form their strategy in the region, and why are they dedicating a lot of their efforts to meeting with and educating entrepreneurs over here in Egypt?

We had the honor of meeting Bieber virtually, and she told us all about it in her own words.

What follows is Bieber’s writing…

I believe in authenticity, and as I travel through the region, I come across good ideas coming out of entrepreneurs and small business owners defying unique challenges. So, bringing digital tools and education to the region to help foster economic development and sustainability is my passion.

Selina Bieber (middle) at work.

GoDaddy’s Approach to Entrepreneurs in Egypt in Particular

With close to 25 years of global experience, GoDaddy has served customers in over 100 countries globally and has witnessed outcomes that have transformed the lives of numerous entrepreneurs. Before entering the Egyptian market, we focused our strategy on two main pillars; educationally and operationally to empower Egyptian entrepreneurs and align with Egypt 2030 vision.

The strategy relies on launching creative integrated marketing communication campaigns, as well as providing different types of educational and promotional content, to help share the benefits of creating a digital presence for their venture, and then how GoDaddy can help with its online products and services.

On an operational level, GoDaddy offers entrepreneurs the necessary tools to flourish in the digital world by providing them with affordable and easy-to-use online tools to strengthen and accelerate their online presence.

This includes:

1. Fast and protected hosting plans
2. An SEO-friendly and mobile-optimized website builder tool
3. E-commerce capabilities
4. Professional email accounts

These products and services help communicate a complete picture of a business’ presence online, and—when coupled with online marketing tools—they allow entrepreneurs to target their desired customers with ease. They’re essential elements for a business to grow.

In 2021 our goal is to leverage the solid foundation we have built over the past two years, in order to maximize and guarantee growth amongst the entrepreneurial sector in Egypt.

Selina Bieber (middle) at one of GoDaddy’s events.

Highlights From GoDaddy’s Initiatives So Far

From the educational side, GoDaddy has several existing partnerships in Egypt to help educate small businesses on the benefits of going online and how GoDaddy products and services can help.

Local activities in Egypt and the region include:

1. Collaboration with ‘Startups Without Borders’ to educate and train 500 entrepreneurs across MENA on how to run an effective online business.
2. After having presented virtually at the recent SHE CAN Conference, GoDaddy created the ‘Building a website’ Workshop, in partnership with the SHE CAN organization to help empower female entrepreneurs to start a business and teach them how to build their own websites.
3. We are participating in this summer’s unique GIZ ProGirls program that offers an internship opportunity for middle school students to learn at GoDaddy, introducing them to the field and sectors of STEM, sharing experiences with them, and allowing them to make a conscious decision regarding their future professional career path.
4. Participate in the ‘Marketing Reloaded’ event held by Startups Without Borders and AUC Venture Lab to help entrepreneurs boom their business online where they highlighted topics such as ‘Growth Hacking’ and ‘Digital Transformation’

GoDaddy will continue to empower entrepreneurs through additional activities in the region.

Our survey research supports Digital Egypt’s focus, with 66% of entrepreneurs in Egypt responded saying that their country is a good hub for small businesses.

Selina Bieber of GoDaddy during a stage presentation.

Giving Entrepreneurs and Digital Transformations a Boost: How GoDaddy Plans to Make a Positive Impact in the Region

‘Digital Egypt’ is an all-encompassing vision and plan, which lays the foundations for the transformation of Egypt into a digital society.

The ‘Digital Egypt’ strategy is built on three main pillars:

1. Digital transformation
2. Digital skills
3. Jobs and digital innovation

These three pillars are standing on two extremely important bases; digital infrastructure and legislative framework.

GoDaddy believes that it can assist in Egypt’s digital transformation through education and offering easy-to-use and affordable online products and services.  As we have considered an increased activity in the region, here are some current unique attributes in Egypt that have helped to guide us:

Youth and agile Population with high internet usage:

Egypt has a large population where youth comprise around 60%, we know that the younger generations are generally characterized as tech-savvy.  According to DataReportal, the country has witnessed a large increase of +22 % in the number of internet users in Egypt, between 2019 and 2020, meaning approximately 54% of Egyptians are connected as of January 2020.

Also, according to GoDaddy research with Egyptian entrepreneurs, 81% surveyed consider the ICT 2030 strategy to be very important towards achieving Egypt’s ‘2030 Vision’.  The ‘2030 Vision entails developing the ICT infrastructure; fostering digital inclusion; achieving the transition to a knowledge-based economy; building capacities; and, encouraging innovation.

Strong Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in MENA region:

Startups in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region were granted $1.03bn in funds during 2020, according to a report by startup data platform, MAGNiTT. The funds, which were granted to about 496 deals, reflected a 13% increase compared to the financing granted in the previous year.

In 2020, MAGNiTT also reported that Egypt ranked second across MENA—right behind the United Arab Emirates—in the number of deals concluded by startups. Egypt’s share of the total deals that took place during that year was 24%. Egypt had also acquired 17% of the value of the funds raised by startups in the MENA region during the same year.

Supporting the development and growth of the entrepreneurship ecosystem is a key pillar and area of focus for Egypt’s government, as part of its ‘2030 Vision’. Our survey research supports this focus, with 66% of entrepreneurs in Egypt responded saying that their country is a good hub for small businesses.

We, at GoDaddy, are aiming to reach more entrepreneurs and small business owners in Egypt, and the region, and provide them with reliable and accessible digital solutions, to help increase their online presence and help them become more comfortable creating and managing their digital presence. We believe that this can in turn can help support Egypt’s digital transformation plan and contribute to the country’s economy.

E-Commerce:

The future of e-commerce looks very promising in Egypt, especially with the Covid-19 pandemic acting as a catalyst for the industry’s growth in the region and around the world. According to Digital Marketing Community, e-commerce was considered one of the highest growing business sectors in Egypt amid the coronavirus pandemic. It has witnessed a growth of between 300 to 500%.

According to the same research, we also see the investment community supporting more e-commerce driven ventures, with e-commerce and tech-related startups topping the list of companies that successfully secured investment in 2020, acquiring 16% of the total financing pie.

Arabic Language:

We have a global customer base with customers from over 100 different markets – including in the MENA region. Our focus in MENA over the past two years has been to build an improved customer and product experience for our local, Arabic-speaking customers throughout the region.

Accordingly, we launched the Arabic Website Builder and Arabic E-Store – giving our customers the ability to build and publish their websites in their own language, creating a more user-friendly experience both for them, and their own customers. This was an exciting step forward for us in MENA, as we truly delivered on a need for our customers here in Egypt and the broader region.

As for challenges in the market:

While Egypt is an aspiring market for entrepreneurs and digitization, still many business owners find it difficult to go online. In our survey, 50% of respondents think that websites are beyond their knowledge and expertise, and 30% think they are very expensive. Also, 28% believe that social media platforms attract customers better. Therefore, we focus on sharing information about the benefits of being online, in addition to delivering easy-to-use and affordable online tools.

Before launching in Egypt and the MENA region, we researched to analyze its digital transformation scene and were surprised to learn that Internet penetration in Egypt stood at 54%, social media penetration at 41%, and 91% of the total population have access to mobile connections in 2020, according to DataReportal. This particular information really grasped our attention because it further proves that Egypt is an active market with a tech-savvy population that is equipped and eager to hop into the digital transformation era.

Today, accelerated by the global pandemic, the world is being pushed to further digitalization. It is now readily accepted that if establishing an online presence for your business isn’t on your checklist, you’re missing out on the numerous advantages and opportunities the digital world has to offer.

Whether you decide to create a website, social media account, or e-commerce platform, being online presents a multitude of benefits that can help your business progress. Having increased visibility with a website home on the internet not only widens your desired customers’ reach and builds credibility, but also enables you to compete with other businesses, maintain brand control and keep your marketing fresh and up to date.

And with today’s variety of available online tools and solutions, it is easier and more affordable for Egyptian entrepreneurs to get started. Egypt is on the cusp of digitalization. Being only offline is simply not an option nowadays if you aim to expand and stay relevant in the modern world.

Selina Bieber (middle) celebrating graduation.

How My Education, Earliest Jobs, and Side-Projects Shaped Who I am Today

I think reaching this point in my career has been mostly about making the right choices, experimenting with what I like, figuring out my strengths and weaknesses—particularly when it comes to rising to new challenges and opportunities.

Let me start with my education, which I believe has formed a lot of who I am today.

I did a double bachelor’s degree in Australia focusing on international studies and media. I then completed my master’s degree at Boğazici University in political science in Turkey with a focus on media again, this time while working full time. I also did a diploma in German language and literature in parallel to my undergraduate studies and work experience.

This exposed me to many cultures, debates, and conversations while also allowing me to lean into the media landscape and enhance my communication skills.

When it comes to my very early part-time work experience, activities like volunteering, running key events/campaigns through AIESEC, and traveling throughout my studies were integral to building my character, my communications skills, and my understanding of the strengths I possessed; in terms of marketing, sales, and potential leadership qualities.

I have also worked on side projects with friends and former colleagues over the past few years. Some of them were successful while others weren’t. But each experience has been rewarding in how it developed me and helped me strengthen my skills as I was able to strategize, learn from mistakes and develop better business strategies with them.

With my move from Australia overseas in 2007, I threw myself into the deep-end, in the sense that I constantly had to push, and try to kick-start a career in a foreign country with limited knowledge of the language and work culture – but I’ve found that it is the best way for me to grow, develop and become resilient.

My first corporate role was incredibly rewarding because I got to do a variety of activities within the marketing communications scope – just to name a few: Public relations and public affairs that lent into stakeholder management and crisis communications, corporate branding, brand marketing, and sponsorship.

Layered on top of this was project management from initial construction to the investment phase and onto the eventual public opening.

Your setbacks are the catalyst for your comebacks.

Crossing Paths With GoDaddy

These roles allowed me to truly comprehend the marketing communications field and its challenges, together with the infrastructure, tourism, and trade industry as a whole.

I think assessing yourself every year or few years to see where you are and where you want to be is another core part of moving forward.

After a few years in this role, I knew I wanted to move to the agency side to work across different industries and clients. I decided to join an agency where I had the opportunity to lead brands such as Facebook, Euler Hermes, and Verisign Inc while also playing a key role in the longer-term international client acquisition. Again, the variety was extremely rewarding as each client has a different business focus, different needs, and priorities. It was in this job when I first crossed paths with GoDaddy.

At GoDaddy, I was able to bring my previous experiences to the table and now embrace:

1. data analytics and PnL management,
2. product development and launch,
3. marketing,
4. e-commerce and integrations,
5. and customer care, to name a few.

But they all basically fell under the umbrella of end-to-end business management, which is what I do now.

If I was able to speak and analyze water flows within a marina design structure, move countries five times, decipher the construction of an underwater pipeline in the Black Sea without a technical background, and complete my CIM Level 6 Diploma in Strategic Marketing after having a baby, I wasn’t going to let self-doubt get in the way!

There is a teaching or guidance component that comes in here and stems from what I’m pioneering at GoDaddy – your setbacks are the catalyst for your comebacks. As cliché as it may sound, we all make mistakes and it’s important to own, learn and grow from them rather than dwell.

My past experiences are what helped me develop and become more resilient, producing much more quality work and carrying that to my current position at GoDaddy, in parallel.

My position stems from my hobbies; I love discovering and engaging with different people and new cultures. I’ve also been a competitive sportsperson for a lot of my life; there is a competitive spirit in me that pushes me to get to the finish line.

How My Aspirations, Passions, and Hobbies Somewhat Converged

I truly believe that the knowledge and experiences I have carried from my past supplement my work at GoDaddy and helps me be more impactful with both my colleagues and our customers.

My position stems from my hobbies; I love discovering and engaging with different people and new cultures. I’ve also been a competitive sportsperson for a lot of my life; there is a competitive spirit in me that pushes me to get to the finish line, and I carry that with me when leading GoDaddy’s regional operations in MENA.

When I was younger – I really wanted to be a news anchor or diplomat, but as I grew up these aspirations focused on assuming a leadership position in an international company with a purpose/mission I truly believed in. For me personally, authenticity is key, I’m a very transparent and genuine leader because I see how that helps push my team forward.

I also love writing… I don’t have as much time as I would like for it much anymore, but I always make an effort to integrate my passion into my work at GoDaddy—I might exercise that in a blog, a media interview, or a presentation. When I research a subject, I engage with it and then write/speak about it is as a moment of ‘me time and a little escape that allows me to reconnect with my hobby.

If you’d like to see my writings on tips and insights for businesses navigating the digital world, click here.