I The World's Ten Highest-Paid Athletes

SportsMoney

BILLION-DOLLAR CLUB

THE WORLD’S TEN HIGHEST-PAID ATHLETES.

Empty stadiums. Curtailed seasons. Playoff bubbles. And a year of record paydays as four athletes each earned more than $100 million, helping boost the combined earnings of the top ten to $1.05 billion.

1. Conor McGregor

$180 million

ON THE FIELD: $22 million OFF THE FIELD: $158 million The brawler was knocked out in his UFC return but won big selling his beverage brand.

2. Lionel Messi

$130 million

ON THE FIELD: $97 million OFF THE FIELD: $33 million A leak of his contract showed the Barcelona soccer icon was earning much more than previously thought.

3. Cristiano Ronaldo

$120 million

ON THE FIELD: $70 million OFF THE FIELD: $50 million The Juventus soccer star has more than 500 million social media followers to pitch his CR7 clothing brand to.

4. Dak Prescott

$107.5 million

ON THE FIELD: $97.5 million OFF THE FIELD: $10 million A $66 million signing bonus pushes the Dallas Cowboys quarterback to an NFL earnings record.

5. LeBron James

$96.5 million

ON THE FIELD: $31.5 million OFF THE FIELD: $65 million A new deal with PepsiCo helps lift the Lakers’ King above the rim to a record high for an NBA player.

6. Neymar

$95 million

ON THE FIELD: $76 million OFF THE FIELD: $19 million The Brazilian added Puma, Epic Games, PokerStars and Triller to his sponsor list. 7. Roger Federer

$90 million

ON THE FIELD: $35,000 OFF THE FIELD: $90 million Deals with brands including Uniqlo, Rolex and Credit Suisse help the Swiss tennis titan cash in even while injured.

8. Lewis Hamilton

$82 million

ON THE FIELD: $70 million OFF THE FIELD: $12 million The Mercedes driver piled up bonus payments en route to a seventh Formula 1 title. 9. Tom Brady

$76 million

ON THE FIELD: $45 million OFF THE FIELD: $31 million The ageless 43-year-old is making more than ever, inking deals with apparel seller Fanatics and Danish eyewear maker Christopher Cloos.

10. Kevin Durant

$75 million

ON THE FIELD: $31 million OFF THE FIELD: $44 million Durant scored with Postmates’ sale to Uber (he was an investor) and produced a short fi lm that won an Oscar.

Lift Your People Up

With the support of Microsoft Viva, organizations can unlock employee potential and build business fit for the future.

How can companies help employees to reach their potential? Organizations need to continuously look at how best to support their employees to protect productivity, encourage creativity, and promote engagement. Microsofts “Work Reworked” survey found that for many companies in the Middle East and Africa (MEA), productivity either increased or remained the same last year. However, as we’ve seen in the Work Trend Index, these productivity levels could be hiding an exhausted workforce with many employees experiencing “digital overload.”

With this in mind, companies need to protect their employees’ wellbeing and optimal workflow—the state in which people are able to give focused attention to a single task for superior output. Some simple measures include scheduling meetings outside of workflow sessions during the day and encouraging the use of tools like scheduled Focus Time in Microsoft Teams.

As for creativity and engagement, rebuilding social capital is of great importance because it is linked to successful business outcomes. This involves reconnecting distant networks, encouraging teams to expand their interactions, and sharing knowledge. More broadly, managers need to create a culture where social capital thrives, underpinned by kindness, fun, and collaboration.

How can managers empower employees to make decisions and promote an innovative culture? Remote work has its benefits, but it has encouraged some habits that are detrimental to innovation. One example is the increase in work being done in silos. The Work Trend Index found that interactions with our close networks at work increased, but that they dropped with distant networks. We are, however, seeing an increase in interactions among networks when lockdowns are eased. This offers us a glimpse of the hybrid future as companies learn to balance the benefits of remote work and inperson interactions.

As for decision-making, business leaders should encourage employees to act with confidence and speak their minds. The ‘Work Reworked’ research demonstrates that managers in innovative companies facilitate regular, open dialogue, and allow people freedom in how they approach their roles. Furthermore, the last year has put a lot of pressure on people, so exercising empathy and flexibility will help organizations and their people to thrive.

Organizations are now discovering the power of data. How can cloud and AI-powered tools help extract insights for smarter decisionmaking? Tools such as MyAnalytics and Microsoft Viva Insights offer workers private, personalized insights that help them take control of their week. For example, they can identify the best time for focused work, catching up on email, and connecting with people. In addition, Microsoft Viva Insights gives employees the tools to recognize when and how they might need to switch off.

Our research also highlighted that finding the right information is a big timewaster for employees. Here, tools like Microsoft Viva Topics can prove indispensable. Topics identifies and organizes new and existing information, arming employees with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions.

www.microsoft.com/ mea/newcultureofwork/ Collaboration.aspx

A Feat Of Engineering

After sailing through the COVID-19 storm, Fares Nassif, Founder and CEO at DEP Partners, is bullish about the future as the world of engineering and construction continues to bounce back.

What key decisions and strategies have shaped DEP’s journey to success? The engineering consultancy business is full of competition, so in order to really distinguish ourselves we developed several strategies that have become determining factors in our success. In addition, we took the decision to involve our engineers not only the technical side of the business, but in financial incentive plans too. Furthermore, we rose above traditional methods by investing in advanced engineering technologies and simulations. Last but not least, we embarked on a challenging marketing plan that enabled us to win airport projects that are, in fact, the most complex in engineering. Combined, all these factors have contributed to the success of DEP, as it is known today.

How did COVID-19 impact your business? The impact of COVID-19 was hardly felt within the company’s operations because our research and development department had already created engineering solutions that enabled us to work remotely, without losing any sense of coordination or unity amongst ourselves. Most of our clients are from overseas, and while they were all impacted by the pandemic in some form, they were each affected at different times, so we remained operational and busy throughout. From the COVID-19 experience, we have learned that we are able to generate business in challenging international circumstances.

How do you use and promote sustainable design practices in your projects? Sustainable design involves the consideration of all environmental, social, and economic parameters, and is nowadays a key factor in investors receiving a fast return on investment. Our sustainable design solutions seek to reduce negative impacts on the environment and enhance the health and comfort of building occupants, by improving technical performance and reducing

bill ratios. We strive to provide the most economical solutions to our clients. These solutions include project orientation vis-à-vis prevailing wind and solar exposure, and we carefully consider building materials, water consumption, and used water recycling. We also focus on renewable energies, air conditioning and noise cancellation, and smart systems that eliminate energy waste. With lifestyle and wellbeing in mind, our research has led to the best use of wind currents and landscape effects, by enriching the useful space with oxygen and good smells.

What business trends do you foresee in your sector post-COVID-19? At DEP, we believe all economic sectors will shift back to normal very soon. In fact, some have already done so. Our business is correlated to worldwide operations and growth, particularly in the sectors of energy, industry, health, infrastructure, travel, and others, which make up most of our everyday interests. From now on, in order to mitigate future disruption within this growing business, the engineering industry will integrate smart operational solutions based on the acquisition and implementation of intelligent data.

What is the most iconic or memorable project that DEP has delivered? The most iconic project that we ever produced was the airport operational management center in 2006. That project was based on integrating aircraft, passenger, and baggage operations, and while there were already some advanced systems available at the time, we were able to add great value. We integrated flight information systems, passenger registrations, and baggage into big data; we introduced a design performance script that formulated this data, and we came up with a total airport management solution that saved a lot of money and time. Today, 15 years later, the philosophy of our solution has been complemented by the Internet of Business (IOB).

What advice would you give to the new generation of professionals in your field? What is the recipe for success? My advice to young engineers and technicians today is to shift their studies towards aviation, since transportation has grown steadily throughout the years and has always been a winning financial investment. Global industry forecasts indicate that the six billion passengers who fly around the world today will grow to 13 billion in 2035, while airport and air traffic volumes are expected to double in 10 years. Against this backdrop of growth, the world has a shortage in airport engineering, and that shortage will remain for the next decade, as demand is much higher than supply. How do you see the future of engineering and construction? And how can young engineers develop successful careers in the sector? Knowledge and perseverance are vital to success. School and university diplomas are necessary but not sufficient; the earlier engineers get involved in real engineering processes, the easier

“The most iconic project that we ever produced was the airport operational management center in 2006.”

their entry into the industry will be. Engineers need to assimilate revolutionary software and simulators, get acquainted with standards and codes, and gain a deep understanding of design concepts.

With skilled workers in place, the future of the sector is bright: engineering and construction are essential to everyday life, opportunities are plentiful, and the threats are minimal. That said, competition will always exist, so industry players must continue to innovate and work hard to stay ahead of the curve.

www.deppartners.com