Did you know that Clearmove’s co-founder started coding as a child? Haitham Al-Khatib, the Managing Director of the company, was always passionate about computers and software, and his passion led him to the creation of a cutting-edge smart solution in a rising industry. In this interview, he shared with us interesting facts about himself, his life, and Clearmove’s early days.
About you
What environment did you grow up in? Can you tell us about your family and neighborhood?
I was born in the UAE, and when I was one year old we moved to Canada and I grew up in London, Ontario. When I was there it was me, my mom and four sisters; and my dad would be going back and forth to Abu Dhabi. Growing up I lived in a very simple neighborhood, and in the winter we would play hockey outside and in the summer baseball, we’d also do tobogganing. I used to spend a lot of time out in the cold!
That sounds unexpected. Is that true that you started coding at the age of 8 ish?
Well yes, I started coding around 7 or 8 years old, out of boredom. At that time everything was on MS-DOS, which required coding to operate, unlike today. So, I used to take apart the computer and put it back together to understand how and why it works. My parents would go crazy! But around 1995 I got one of the most modern Windows 95 desktops and my dad pushed me to learn technology. My dad, however, wasn’t into computers but he looked to the future and knew I had a passion for it. We were one of the first families to get the internet at home, which was super expensive and slow at the time! This is when I started learning more deeply about hacking and networking. There was a thing called MIRC (internet relay chat) which is where the hacking community was trading everything from scripts to hack different computers to pirate movies.
So you were quite a gifted child. Did you study well at school?
I was the worst student in high school. Literally the worst of the worst. Always in trouble, suspended, doing terrible in classes. I didn’t enjoy it much and didn’t like any subjects. But at university it all changed, I probably ended up becoming the top in the class, I was on the dean’s list (academic award for recognizing the level of highest scholarship – editor) and received several scholarships. I think it was so different from school because at university there was freedom to choose whether you study or not and I actually chose to study.
How has studying in Canada influenced your personality and your way of doing business?
Canada teaches you to work hard if you want to survive. Everyone is equal in a sense, they have equal opportunities to do what they want in life. I saw everyone around me from different backgrounds, different struggles, and situations, all working hard for a better life and future. It’s a different type of environment to a lot of richer countries like the UAE, where some people have it easier and are less adaptive. In Canada, you can go in either direction in life, whereas some people in other countries don’t need to work hard because their lives are already decided and structured.
Who were your early mentors?
One of my partners, who got me to start my first company back in University times. He was in his 40s and on sabbatical, writing a book; and I was studying. Meeting him changed my life direction because he made me realize I was actually good at coding and could make something out of it. He influenced a lot of my early life, by pushing me to business, teaching me how to run a team, and things like that. Our first contract was 300,000 dollars, we got very lucky. I was 22 at that time.
Wow, first business at the age of 22! Did you work anywhere before that? Maybe student part-time jobs?
Before university, I had a summer job for three months. My friend’s dad had a company that does scaffolding (metal frames around the buildings used for construction – editor). I built for them an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning System) to digitize all the paper invoices and processes. I think I was around 17 at that point. But after that, in university, I did not work at all because I had very intensive studying – about 6 courses a semester. I studied software engineering during the first 2 years, then I dropped out and did a degree in Economics with a minor in Business and Statistics and continued to get a second degree in Building Engineering.
Wait, you dropped out from software engineering? Why?
One of my professors accused me of plagiarism. She didn’t believe that I made a project myself (instead of creating a simple application I made a mini bank system with checking accounts, changing currencies, that had all the security levels, etc). Only with the help of the teaching assistant, my professor realized it was my work, so she said “If you are writing at this level there’s nothing this degree is going to give you”. She recommended me to go further if I wanted to complement this skill, so I took her advice and switched to Economics to get an in-depth view of mathematics and statistics to add to my existing skills.
Which skills in your opinion shaped who you are at the moment?
Engineering taught me that everything is learnable. There are so many topics in it where you need to start studying from zero and become an expert at it: lightning design, transferring buildings, soil mechanics of foundation.
What skill or talent do you wish you had?
I wish I was a better public speaker.
How did you learn about investing? Where is your financial education from?
During my first degree, when I was about 19, I was doing day trading stocks. Regarding financial education, I learned a lot by myself. My father died when I was young so I had to manage all family finances, what to leave for a rainy day, and so on. In general, till these days, I do not buy things that I do not use, I always need to get value out of something.
Someone said you are a big coffee fan, is it true?
I am a big fan of coffee, and my favorite part is making it. You need to be focused and do everything step-by-step, so for me, it’s a form of meditation in some sense. I believe when you do something with your hands it takes your mind off of all the issues of the day. I love seeing people’s reactions to coffee I make for them, which is usually a big smile.
You obviously traveled a lot. What do you like doing when you visit a new place?
First of all, I’m not a fan of museums, I don’t think they reflect a country’s identity at the present. I like to explore cities by walking around, going to restaurants, seeing iconic places, and getting a feel of actual culture.
How do you feel during lockdown considering your previous lifestyle? Have you reassessed your life, values, priorities?
I definitely miss the feeling of being on the move. I feel like when you are on the move you get more things done and you are more motivated, which is hard to get when you have a daily routine at home. I wish I picked up some new hobbies, but now we actually work more than before the lockdown.
About Clearmove
Why Global Mobility?
I always choose the hardest path in life. I wanted something that wasn’t as easy as e-commerce for example. I’d always rather solve a complex problem than do something easy. If you solve a complex problem, the reward is higher.
Our colleagues say that you are an honest, generous, and fair boss. Do these characteristics interfere with your business plans?
I never wanted to be that kind of boss who has an ego, who goes through the power trip, considers he’s always right and everyone is wrong – that’s not the environment I want for the company. I want people to be able to challenge me, to think freely. I always wanted to make sure that I showed the other side of being a boss. There have been times though where perhaps I have given a mile when they needed an inch, so there is always a need for a balance. It’s like, we can’t just look at the numbers, but we also can’t just focus on emotions when making decisions.
Why does Clearmove have this set of values (Innovation, Initiative, Responsibility, Leadership, Resilience, Teamwork, People)?
Because I think that those are the things that got us through the best times and the most difficult times.
Blitz
- Favorite kind of coffee: Ethiopean Espresso
- Favorite city: Kyiv. I like the way it sparkles at night.
- Favorite holiday destination: Spain
- Favorite food: Seafood
- Favorite phone app: Reddit
- Beach potato or an active person: In-between
- Your most prized possession: Someone gave me an orchid as a present which I kept for 10 years. I don’t value material things a lot, to be honest. If I had a $100,000 car or $10,000 car it doesn’t make any difference in my life. I value relationships more.
- One fact about yourself that Clearmovers do not know: I don’t like eggplant
- Your motto: You are your only limit
Do you want to join our team and have Haitham as your boss?