Meet Dounia Jouron, EMEA Vice President of Issuing Business at Pine Labs. With a distinguished academic background, Dounia also holds a PhD in Economics from Paris’ prestigious Sorbonne University.
Sorbonne Paris, in 2023 –10 years after obtention of her PhD
Her research focused on innovation’s impact on SMEs and corporate collaborations. Dounia’s career spans academia, tech hubs, and industry leadership, including a 6-year tenure at Cap Digital – a Parisian tech hub- and key roles at Adyen. Currently, she drives growth in the Middle East, leveraging her expertise in digital transformation and fintech innovation. Being a top-notch payment platform for businesses, Dounia is contributing towards enriching the commerce experience globally with Pine Labs.
The Beginning Of Dounia’s Career
Born in Morocco and immersed in French culture, Dounia studied Economics in Paris and graduated from the prestigious Sorbonne University. While her Master’s Degree was more than enough to start her professional career, Dounia decided to accomplish a PhD and investigate how innovation is changing the way SMEs and Corporate brands collaborate, at a time when open innovation and tech were still very timid in the core sectors of our economy. Dounia shares, “I joined Cap Digital, a tech hub dedicated to start up and scale up, to do a 6-month internship and sharpen my ideas for my thesis. The internship turned into a 6-year job where I fell in love with new technologies and enterprise digital transformation.”
After earning her PhD in 2013, Dounia began teaching digital transformation fundamentals at the university while working at the same time in the fintech industry. Her tech industry experience and a pivotal business trip to Bahrain in the Middle East opened her eyes to the region’s vast potential for innovative tech companies. “In 2021, I moved to Dubai with my family to support at that time the expansion of Adyen in the region. In 2024, I was appointed as EMEA Vice President for issuing business at Pine Labs.” She adds.
Presence Of Pine Labs
Pine Labs is a leading financial technology company building the best commerce and fintech platform from Asia for the World. Backed by some of the largest global investors, the company has more than 5000 employees across the globe. Dounia says, “Pine Labs is a leading fintech innovator, providing payment and commerce solutions across industries. With expertise in robust fintech infrastructure for banks and governments, our platform offers acquirer processing, merchant acquiring, and issuing business solutions for merchants, enterprises, brands, financial institutions, and consumers.”
Dounia Jouron shares that they are currently expanding its footprint in Australia and New Zealand, the US and has a focus on EMEA. “There is a lot of buzz around Pine Labs’ offering considering the company’s ability to offer a full-stack, end-to-end technology solution in pre-paid transaction management, loyalty programs, gift cards, promotion operations, and wallets. Existing customers are appreciating the use of these technologies that make the experience way easier and reinforce a seamless engagement between the brands and the end-customer.” She shares.
Pine Labs’ innovative solutions are enhancing customer experiences in the GCC region, where brands expect top-notch technology. Their presence in the Issuing business is underscored by partnerships with leading global airlines. Qwikcilver, by Pine Labs, jointly developed the Asset Manager solution with Amadeus serves the global airline industry, with over 15 airlines worldwide utilizing this solution for compensation, promotional programs, and customer engagement.
On Being A Successful Leader
Effective leadership is crucial in every dynamic business landscape. Dounia believes that the Middle East is a great region for technology companies, and everything is in place to make it successful for brands who want to develop. She adds, “Competition is fierce though, so it is important to pick the battles and have a strong focus. It is impossible, even in a relatively small market, to get it all from the beginning. I like to say that it’s better to have 50% of something than 100% of 0 – in business at least, personal life I’m rather everything or nothing!” She shares.
Dounia Jouron suggests that although it can be frustrating, one should believe in consistency and long-term results. That is the reason why she believes in the power of alliances and partnerships to achieve sustainable growth. “Nobody wants to go into long discussions, sometimes tech development and in our sector developers and bandwidth are generally missing. But it is worth the effort.
The second aspect that any leader should consider is the different cultures this region offers. It is unique to deal with such a diversified bunch of people. Reading between the lines and understanding the nuances but also the influences sometimes is key to get some result. What seems to be crystal clear for me may not be that clear for my colleague who has a different background. We need to keep this in mind while dealing with customers and partners.” She adds.
Leveraging Strengths For Success
The region has always championed the use of new and emerging technologies and brands and customers here are ready to embrace necessary products and solutions that make their lives easier.
Dounia Jouron shares, “The solutions developed by our company resonate well with the needs of the region and are coming from the stable of an established organization with decades of experience in payments and commerce. Our ability to operate globally as well as the solidity of the company through a visionary management team are strong elements supporting Pine Labs’ growth in the region. We have managed to earn the trust of big conglomerates and marketplaces and today work with diverse industry verticals.”
Pine Labs’ ability to stay ahead of the curve and laser focus on innovative pursuits aligns with the needs of the tech-savvy users in the region. Dounia Jouron adds, “We take pride in selling value to our customers, and therefore the demos we provide help showcase the value of our offerings, which we believe is the first step towards a long-lasting successful partnership with the brands.”
Words Of Wisdom For Beginners, We asked: Dounia Jouron
Addressing the beginners in this field, Dounia Jouron shares, “Care about your network and don’t underestimate the seeds you plant. It can look like a bottle in the ocean, but if the idea is good, it will pay off –greatest things always take time”.
Follow Dounia Jouron on LinkedIn.
Find Pine Labs on LinkedIn and visit their website https://www.pinelabs.com
Discover’s Dounia’s vision about partnerships and alliances and how to empower them in this Podcast
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