From the time he started his undergraduate degree at the University of Waterloo, Salman Shaban (BA ’11) eagerly awaited the day he would complete his education and join his family’s fifty-year-old multinational metal recycling business, Lucky Group. In 2005, Salman made the decision to fast-track his career and moved back to his hometown in Dubai, while continuing to finish his degree remotely. Salman, a third-generation family member at Lucky Group, was inducted into the Lucky enterprise at the very lowest rung as a trainee.
“Over the next three years, I successfully completed a rigorous management trainee program at Lucky Group, which included a series of intensive training sessions in various departments and recycling facilities, while also being introduced to the senior-management world of corporate visions, developing strategies and tactical implementation,” says Salman. “One of the most critical lessons I ever learnt at the University of Waterloo was to never turn your back to any opportunity that comes your way and so it was a welcome experience to study the family business from the perspective of both an employee and a shareholder.”
Salman was later appointed to the business and marketing operations core-team at the company’s global headquarters in Dubai, which proved to be a challenging new undertaking. As part of his new role, which included managing individual recycling sites, Salman travelled to facilities both inside and outside the Lucky Group umbrella in over twenty-five countries across North America, Europe, the Middle East, East Asia, the Indian Subcontinent and Australasia. As Lucky Group expanded its global presence, Salman also lived in six of the facility locations including Pakistan, UAE, Oman, Canada, New Zealand and Qatar.
“I strongly believe that I was able to be successful in such demanding roles due to the strong foundation and confidence I developed while studying at the University of Waterloo. My time there was truly unforgettable,” Salman recalls. “I learned three important lessons: how to identify an opportunity from a crisis, how to be agile in an ever-changing environment and the importance of being a global citizen.”
After he graduated, Salman decided to stay connected and give back to the University by representing University of Waterloo in the United Arab Emirates as a Global Ambassador.
Salman now leads the core-team assigned by the company’s shareholders to set up an integrated scrap metal recycling facility in Doha, Qatar. As a FIFA 2022 host country, Qatar has taken up various large-scale infrastructural projects including the construction of one of the world’s largest airports, a highly technologically advanced railway system and a redevelopment of the entire country’s road network. Salman feels committed to easing the environmental impact that comes along with this growth, helping to manage the resulting metal waste and leading a path to a sustainable economy in Qatar.
