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— Libor Bucinsky, worked indirectly for Muhammad at ShowMax
"I worked with Muhammad for several months on the launching of ShowMax service. Muhammad is truly professional in terms of program management, with great social skills and strong focus on delivery. He was advising the team to take proper decisions which was never easy. He mastered corporate organization to be able to remove obstacles quickly and stayed optimistic and smiling during hard times. I enjoyed working with Muhammad and I can clearly recommend him into any program management position due to his result oriented nature and very good management skills."
— Gregory Mountford, worked indirectly for Muhammad at MultiChoice
"It ought to be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things."
"I worked with Muhammad on the DStv Explora and saw it past launch from a very different initial plan. Muhammad’s role grew with the project as he grew into his natural position, then, as strategic programme manager. With an eye across the entire business, he has the ability to orchestrate change wherever it is required. Within our division this manifested itself as his ability to transition Agile methodologies and culture from something entirely contained within the development team to something more akin to an organisational capability.
To achieve this, and other of his feats, required Muhammad to earn the trust of all those around him, to efficiently identify and deal with problems (both technical and human) and to communicate across the entire value-chain.
His technical problem solving skills can be seen quite clearly in his CV; earning trust, his knack at identifying complex problems and his communication skills are all extraordinary, but require no further discussion. His human problem solving skills, however, require some more mention:
On more than a few occasions, Muhammad has hosted workshops within the business for e.g.: to resolve inter-departmental conflict, to identify roles and responsibilities in the changing landscape of our business and to punt international best practise in product development. On each occasion the attendees learned what Muhammad wanted to impart, but did so of their own accord allowing them to take greater ownership of the required change. Like horses, he leads people to water through understanding and open discussion – we then arrive there thirsty and grateful, and drink all that is on offer. (It sounds very Machiavellian – perhaps it is – but Muhammad wields his great power with an even greater sense of social responsibility).
We are truly a different organisation from the one Muhammad joined in 2011 – and that change is largely due to the efforts of Muhammad. "
— Santjie du Plessis, worked directly with Muhammad at different companies
"I have had the pleasure of working with Muhammad for a number of years on a variety of complex and distressed projects. His level-headed approach and ability to see the bigger picture has made all of these interactions a privilege and education. He is able to give structure and process to chaos but always maintaining a human touch. He is able to communicate effectively at all levels and his exceptional technical ability ensures that he can hit the ground running since he is able to grasp and internalize the technical aspects of any project very quickly. I can with full confidence recommend him as project or program manager for any complex problem or project."
— Sahana Saavakar, worked indirectly for Muhammad at MultiChoice
"Muhammad has always been the great source of motivation, a knowledge bank and consistent guidance for the whole team/program/project. He is known for his vast technical knowledge and leadership qualities. There are times when I have gone to him to vent out my disappointment over some things at work and Mo was always patient and he listened to all of it ,gave apt advises- guess what, those advises always worked! It has been an immense pleasure to work with him.
He is a true “guru” and I have learnt a lot from him. Besides all this at work, he is a very understanding, generous & balanced man in person. One can count on him for any kind of help, a true friend he is!"
— Muhammad Sooliman, worked indirectly for Muhammad at MultiChoice
"Muhammad joined Multichoice not long after I arrived to work on the Explora project. Initially as a project manager/scrum master. In the beginning he just observed – attending the meetings – sitting quietly – nodding his head – making a note of what people were saying.
Then after a while he started asking some questions. Not difficult questions – but definitely critical ones. Ones that we should have stopped to ask a while ago. More than that he was someone that was helpful in getting the answers. Not that he knew everything – but he knew how we could find the answers. If there was a need to involve a different team – he would facilitate it. If there was a need to involve an external party – he would build the relationship. If there was a gap in the delivery chain – from his own experience he would suggest ways to fix it. If there was confusion or even conflict between the different teams – he would organise a workshop. He would look for quick, simple interventions that would have big, positive impacts. It is not surprising that he became the programme manager responsible for facilitating the deliverables across the value chain – headend, STB, backend, product, external vendors, etc.
He reads the situation and the people well and has the ability to provide a birds-eye view or dive into the details. He has the foresight to identify potential risks early – and the experience to identify ways to mitigate them. You will see him sit for hours or days taking a vague project requirement with a crazy deadline and somehow putting together the pieces in such a way that the different teams know what is needed.
Additionally, he has a years of experience as a software engineer and can easily understand the technical aspects. He stays up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies – and is still passionate about developing software. He is one of a handful of people that I have worked with – who have been able to balance soft skills and technical knowledge.
With everything already said – his most important characteristic (and the reason why I enjoy working with him) is his ambition and drive. He is always striving to reach the next level….and then trying to pull those around him along."
— Andrew Moore, worked directly with Muhammad at MultiChoice "I worked with Muhammad on a number of strategic VOD implementations which required Muhammad to manage deliverables and resources across divisional lines. Muhammad proved to be an efficient and effective manager with strong project management domain expertise and strategic insight whilst also demonstrating solid technical understanding of the VOD space and exceptional problem solving skills.
Muhammad is adept at managing both stakeholders and technical resources. He never shies away from making tough decisions, something he did frequently in a very high pressure environment that is very susceptible to change, resulting in the frequent need to set, observe and adjust priorities. Muhammad is very flexible, is at all times focused on business value and has a natural ability to command authority.
Muhammad is a pleasure to work with, someone I would highly recommend and most definitely look forward to engaging with in the future. "— Brenda Rogerson, worked directly with Muhammad at MultiChoice "I have worked with Muhammad on a number of projects, including the introduction of the DStv Explora to the market. Muhammad was able to give guidance on this project due to his extensive knowledge and previous experiences. He was also able to identify potential issues and through presentation of well researched recommendations was able to influence a fairly major change in direction on the project which resulted in an improved product and better customer experience. He's able to present at a strategic senior exec level, but also easily able to communicate on all others levels - he's approachable, willing to listen and engage, happy to share his knowledge and experience and a great mentor to those who want to learn.
We have much more that we can learn from him, and it's great to work with someone who doesn't just identify issues, but also puts together researched and backed up recommendations." We have much more that we can learn from him, and it's great to work with someone who doesn't just identify issues, but also puts together researched and backed up recommendations."
— Phil Nicholson, Decoder Product Development Mngr, MultiChoice, managed Muhammad indirectly at MultiChoice"At time of writing this Muhammad has worked in my team and was then retained as a consultant to the team. We handle the development of decoders products at MultiChoice and Muhammad was brought in to program manage our latest offering, the Explora PVR decoder. Muhammad did much more than program management. He introduced new disciplines and overhauled most of our development processes while he was at it. He also engaged with executive management, successfully managing expectations to a point where the business could effectively plan with reasonable certainty around the expected launch date. I rely heavily on his counsel on a day to day basis and value his energy and integrity. We have a lot to thank Muhammad for and hope he continues to offer his services to our organisation in the longer term."
— Iby Thampy, Systems Integration Manager, MultiChoice, worked directly with Muhammad at MultiChoice"I have had the pleasure of working with Muhammad for just under two years, and enjoyed collaborating with him on many projects. Most recently, we collaborated on the Explora PVR project, where Muhammad's contribution was key to the delivery of a high-quality and successful product. Muhammad has many strengths, but chief among all, in my opinion, is his ability to communicate both with the written and spoken word. A quick review of his blog will bear me out on the former. He was also able to enrich our young technology team with the breadth of his experience across the Pay-TV industry, especially with regards to the best practices in System Integration. He mentored (and continues to mentor) a number of people, priming them so that they understand what the industry and their function is all about. On the Explora project, Muhammad planned the entire project end-to-end (Headend, STB, Goto Market, etc across the various business units) to the n-th degree, frequently highlighting entire functions that had been omitted from the project. Even his field-trial feedback was meticulous and bore out his attention to detail. While we didn't see eye-to-eye every time, I was able to appreciate Muhammad's ability to present a strong, logical argument. He is very principled, and would never deliver a message to executive management because that's what they wanted to hear. It's not very often that you see technically strong people with such exceptional soft skills, so that does make Muhammad stand out."
— Themba Mashiane, Test Manager, MultiChoice, worked directly with Muhammad at MultiChoice"If I have to describe Muhammad in football terms, I'd say, he's a star, Muhammad is one of the best managers I have ever worked with, he helped me individually by coaching & mentoring, always planned ahead and steered my team to work better and better, he's got all the skills needed for strategic planning and program management and he lead by example. We always say knowledge is power, Muhammad possess lots of knowledge, he's one person who always knows what he's talking about."
— Sandipa Seeparsad, Project Manager, MultiChoice, worked indirectly for Muhammad at MultiChoice"Muhammad has the ability to be a natural leader and working with him has afforded me the opportunity to learn so much. His planning and organisational skills are at an expert level. He has an eye for detail and this allows nothing to slip through the cracks of any project that he is overseeing. He is also someone who can be looked to for advice on Project Management and is able to teach effectively. I have learnt many things from Muhammad and am sure that my Project Management skills have increased because of working with him."
— Rivaj Singh, Senior Developer, DStv Online, worked directly with Muhammad at MultiChoice"I had the privilege of working with Muhammad on some large programs. Muhammad is a skilled program manager who has successfully helped build crucial projects at Multichoice often with aggressive timelines. He has brought together and co-ordinated the various business units into a shared, focused team guiding them through the various stages of the program. His leadership and skills he brings from working with large organisations in UK is exactly what we needed. Managing up and down - Muhammad's excellent communication skills together with in-depth knowledge of processes and technical co-ordination helps bridge the gap between staff and executives. He is comfortable communicating at all levels of the organisation and adapting his communication according to his audience. Muhammad commands respect and successfully brings together the various business units who often have different agendas. His other skills on conflict resolution, project management principles and risk management are sound. Muhammad has a strong work ethic and is dedicated to the job at hand. He is a pleasure to work with and I believe his many skills and well-rounded experience would make Muhammad a valued contributor anywhere he worked."
— Ian Privett, Software Development Manager, MultiChoice, worked directly with Muhammad at MultiChoice"Muhammad is a natural leader who is highly motivated and driven with the ability to manage, stimulate, facilitate and persuade project/program stakeholders at all levels. He has a calm demeanor when interacting with his team and ensures that focus is maintained on the tasks at hand. He has the uncanny ability to retain and communicate knowledge relating to technology, industry best practices and process enhancement. He is an asset to any team when it comes to strategic thinking and process improvement. I believe the current success of the MultiChoice program managed by Muhammad, is due to his exceptional leadership ability and soft skill qualities. I highly recommend Muhammad in the capacity of consultant, implementation specialist and strategic management."
— Jak Kelly, Project Manager, Pace, was with another company when working with Muhammad at MultiChoice"It was a pleasure to work with Muhammad. He is a very experienced Programme manager with very strong process skills."
— Paul Bright, Technical Manager, MultiChoice, worked directly with Muhammad at MultiChoice"Muhammad is a highly experienced, motivated, hard-working workaholic of note! He always impressed me with the quality of questions he ask, the quality of work he does and the quality he displays in all levels of engagement. Even with the hectic schedule at work he always managed to find time to blog about his passion for management and process improvement. He communicated very effectively both up and down the company hierarchy. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that he not only has excellent management skills but also has in-depth knowledge of low-level software functions. From the very first days he joined our team he has been accurately pointing out weak areas in our governance of the project. Subsequently he was promoted to the Program Manager post and since then he has successfully implemented several key process improvement and governance best practices. I would highly recommend Muhammad for positions which would feed his constant enthusiasm and passion for continuous improvement in all levels of software/product development life cycle."
— Kamil Maharaj, Head of Test Automation, MultiChoice, reported to Muhammad at MultiChoice"Muhammad is a shining example of a manager. He is dedicated, hard working and very knowledgeable. If he does not understand something he will take the time to research and get information on the subject. He is always willing to answer questions and share his knowledge. Muhammad was a major stakeholder in the test automation effort at MultiChoice. With his knowledge and experience he guided us in the right direction to make this project a success. Muhammad was then seconded to a different role in the organisation as a Programme Manager for the most critical project around. He managed the project with exceptional skill. He improved processes and followed up regularly with many different stakeholders. Doing all of this has now brought the project to a launch ready state. All i can say is that without the direction and project management skills of this one individual we would be very far from a launch ready project.We definitely could not have done this without him. I personally would strive to be a manger and in general a person like Muhammad. I wish him success in all his future endeavors and i know that he will be a great asset to any business."
— Rick Tonoli, Scrum Master, MultiChoice, worked indirectly for Muhammad at MultiChoice"The first thing that struck me about Muhammad was the calm and collected approach to everything that he does, and in particular his level headed way of dealing with high pressure situations. He has exceptional people skills, always treating everyone with a high degree of respect and understanding. Combine this with his well rounded technical background, a determination that I can only admire, and his remarkable ability to take a chaotic situation and bring clarity and understanding, and you have a well rounded individual adept at leading and running projects of any size. Looking specifically at Multichoice, what impressed me most was his ability to take multi disciplined teams spread across the organization (and the world) and to get them all to work together as a cohesive unit toward a common goal. As program manager he brought a level of organizational coordination and control that was badly needed. Without him I believe the project would not have had the successes it has had. I rank Muhammad unique amongst the people I've worked with. Calm, collected, approachable, respectful, knowledgeable, driven, determined, pragmatic and an all round "good guy", I highly recommend him, and I would gladly work with him again."
— Anand G, Solution Architect (Contractor from Corpus Media Labs), MultiChoice, South Africa, worked directly with Muhammad at MultiChoice"Muhammad showed excellent project management skills by bringing our project on track. He brought in many processes which improved the outcome of individual & the team. Even-though he is a hight profile person, he is easily reachable. In addition, his style was open and inviting to questions (and expressed appreciation for them) and willingly gave his time to responding to questions thoroughly. He is extremely enthusiastic about his work which is infectious. I am very lucky to work with him"
— Gautam Kumar, Software engineer, Altech UEC Technolgy,, reported to Muhammad at MultiChoice Technical Operations (BTD)"Mohammad Khan has an absolute clarity on defining the goals very clearly in project management. He comes with a huge and excellent experience in managing very complex projects.He believes in raising correct issues for management and did that very efficiently in our project.He has a very good foresight in managing technical resources and a clear vision to complete the project.He became the main force of progress in executing our project at Multichoice Johannesburg , and the difference was really visible in product once Muhammad took charge as the project manager. He is a hard task master as a project manager and also gives helping hand to technical resources whenever required in clarifying things, which was really help full to me.When ever i had questions over my responsibilities as an integrator i personally talked to Muhammad for clarity and he always helped me with his expertise and also clarified me on attributes of being an integrator which helped me a lot.He was so successful in transforming the software product development, that he was also called for help for maturing the other technical process in the organization.He adds the real value in the organization he works for."
— Nick Thexton, Senior VP New Initiatives R&D, NDS, managed Muhammad indirectly at NDS "Muhammad is extremely professional and dedicated in all aspects of his work, but in addition has great tenacity when tackling new technical projects. He is also a very efficient communicator, which mean his contribution is felt at all levels in the organisation."
— Steve Williams, Group Manager, NDS, worked with Muhammad at NDS"Tenacious and diligent. Always on top of the detail, but with a pragmatic angle often missing from PMs."
— Fabien Andrieux, System Architect & Middleware Expert, NDS, worked directly with Muhammad at NDS"It's been a pleasure working or should as say collaborating with Muhammad at NDS. Beyond his management skills and efficiency, Muhammad redefines the personal relationship in work by his stable humour, being always kind and calm, cold blooded, and most of all empathic enough to take the best out of each collaborator ! His engineering skills allied to his abstraction capabilities makes him a precious collaborator in a development or delivery organisation."
— Andrew Davey, Senior Engineer (Infrastructure), NDS Limited, worked with Muhammad at NDS "Muhammad is a conscientious and thorough individual who takes all the necessary steps to ensure that aproject is delivered successfully, whilst still finding time to acknowledge the contributions of all involved."
— Josh Patt, Senior Group Leader, NDS, worked with Muhammad at NDS"Muhammad and I worked together on a large software project involving many teams in different locations.Muhammad's organizational skills and great attention to details were essential to the success of the project."
— Shlomi Rosenberg, Program Manager Fusion Integration & Testing, NDS Limited, worked with Muhammad at NDS"Muhammad is a very target oriented manager, which likes to understand the details involved in the areas he manages (even at very large scale projects) and use them to help optimize and push forward the various activities. Muhammad is very plesent to work with and always helps promptly with any project related requests, arangments or logistics needed with a very positive attitude. I would highly reccomend Muhammad for anyone needing high quality management positions."
— Lakshmi Subramanian, Technical Lead, NDS services Pay TV Technology, worked indirectly for Muhammad at NDS"Muhammad was managing a project from the UK and demonstrated his ability to work well with teams located offshore, in my case Bangalore. Despite the time/distance issues Muhammad connected very well with the Bangalore team. Motivating his people, identifying the right job for the right person, delegating tasks competently, setting the right direction for the team in tough times, are some of the qualities that describe Muhammad. He truly is a manager who balances his people and project delivery exceptionally."
— Serge Chambon, Project Manager, NDS, worked with Muhammad at NDS"I worked with Muhammad on a very challenging project in terms of software complexity involving many component teams distributed across the world. Muhammad had a key position in the project owning the Middleware backlog, planning, delivery, defect management but also managing top issues, on-site integration teams, and working with management teams across the globe. I acted as the France regional project management interface and received instructions from the project through Muhammad, although we hardly met face-to-face, regular phone calls, VCs and email enabled us to develop a good professional relationship which continues today, even though we're on different projects now. I have been impressed by his professionalism, his investment and his patience to explain and re-explain things with only one goal : to make the project progressing. Muhammad has a keen eye for detail and is well known for his talent with spreadsheets, an asset to have in any team."
— Steve Taylor, Vice President, Technology, NDS, managed Muhammad indirectly at NDS
"Muhammad pays great attention to detail and works hard to understand the technology that he is involved in. I have worked with him in a number of different roles over the years and appreciate his dedication to getting the job done."
— Anxo Vilas Castiñeiras, Group Manager - SW Integration, NDS, worked with Muhammad at NDS"Muhammad is a very dedicated and competent Project Manager. He has a lot of energy not only when managing the project updates but also proposes enhancements to processes and drives the changes forward. Muhammad can also get involved in detailed technical discussions thanks to his strong technical background and because he likes keeping up to date with new technologies."
— James Cunningham, Principal Systems Architect, NDS Limited, worked with Muhammad at NDS"Muhammad is a diligent project manager who makes things happen. He's not affraid to take on new challenges or change the way things are done. Always on the lookout for problems that others may not see and quick to follow through and resolve matters that may affect the successful outcome of the project."
— Prashanth HN, Sr Technical Leader, NDS, worked directly with Muhammad at NDS"Worked with Muhammad in the process of starting a new multi-site project. Muhammad's was like an engine driving the whole process. He is very result oriented and the results are very much aligned towards organizational goals. He had created several opportunities for me to use take the lead and complete the activities rather than plainly telling what needs to be done and how it should be done. I guess that helped in building mutual confidence. Even though i am not a management guy, but i was rather impressed by Muhammad's management skills, especially the way he used to have a clear thought on high level agenda but also knew what has to be done at grass root level to realize it. I am glad to have worked with him and learnt a few things in the process."
— Mohamed Afkir, Development manager, NDS, worked directly with Muhammad at NDS"I worked with Muhammad when I used to be in UK/NDS. Muhammad is a hard worker project manager with talented technical background and he is always committed to succeed his projects. He likes challenges and I recommend him."
— Simon Lomas, Technical Director, NDS, worked directly with Muhammad at NDS
"Muhammad is an extremely capable individual, always meeting his objectives, often identifying innovative
and creative solutions."
— David Mandelzweig, Programme Manager, NDS, worked directly with Muhammad at NDS"Muhammad and I have worked closely together where Muhammad was the development manager on a large software project facing into the multi-site company while I managed the interfaces with the customer. Muhammad is technically competent, and managed the Agile-like development with expertise. He is hard working and conscientious, and is highly recommended."
— Leanne Silsbury, Team Leader - Integration and Test, NDS, worked with Muhammad at NDS "Muhammad is a very methodological person who gets to the point and gets the job done quickly and effectively. He instils confidence in his work / decisions and customer service."
— Albert Pretorius, Mr, News Digital Systems, worked directly with Muhammad at NDS"Muhammad is an excellent results-driven engineer and project manager with in-depth knowledge of all aspects of software development."
— Simon Dyke, Principal Software Engineer, NDS Limited, worked directly with Muhammad at NDS"I was fortunate enough to work with Muhammad for a number of years within NDS, within many different projects and teams - I always considered Muhammad as a key contributor, and it was a pleasure to work with him. I consider Muhammad to be a friendly, helpful and very knowledgeable individual who would be an asset to any team which he is part of."
— Alan Edwards, Team Leader/Group Manager, NDS Limited, managed Muhammad at NDS"As a member of the Streaming Development Team Mohammad proved to be a valuable developer, producing quality solutions to complex issues. He is equally at ease working within a cooperative, team environment as he is working as an individual. Mohammad produced on-time solutions and was a keen contributor when it came to innovative thinking. A pleasure to work with."
— Manuel Caballero, Senior Software Developer, NDS, worked directly with Muhammad at NDS "I worked with Muhammad on a very high profile, multi-million unit deployment STB middleware project. I found that he was professional and competent, keeping calm even during setbacks and disasters. Muhammad has, in my experience, always been keen to learn and develop his technical and management skills. He does this proactively, rather than relying on others. Highly recommended."
— James Field, Director of Technology, NDS Ltd, managed Muhammad indirectly at NDS"Muhammad is a passionate and dedicated individual who applies himself diligently to team based project activities whilst continually improving his own technical knowledge in a variety of disciplines."
— Lou Otway, Senior Software Engineer, NDS Limited, worked directly with Muhammad at NDS"Muhammad and I worked closely together on a complex project for a demanding US customer developing an advanced EPG. Muhammad had sound knowledge of the end-to-end requirements, took the lead in developing the infrastructure code, implementing critical components in an elegant manner, keeping the code simple such that it became easy to extend and enhance in future releases. Technically competent and unbelievably hard working and committed, approachable at all levels, he is a key player in any team."
— Salik Miah, Team Leader, NDS Ltd, managed Muhammad at NDS"Muhammad is a highly competent, tenacious and passionate engineer with a track record of producing high quality software in a complex problem domain. He has a wealth of development experience ranging from embedded systems to development of high performance high availablity streaming products. He is very pragmatic in his approach to software development and produces solutions to agreed deadlines and most of the time exceeds expectations. Muhammad is very creative and is keen in inventing novel solutions to problems. He has worked dilligently with customers directly to resolve system wide issues."
— Salik Miah, Team Leader, NDS Ltd, managed Muhammad at NDS"Muhammad joined the team having been a Software Engineer working on embedded devices. He is a quick-learner and a self-starter and very quickly got to grip with new technologies including Windows development, COM, C++ and began producing high quality solutions for high performance reliable streaming products. He produced several demos which were showcased to investors and potential customers. Muhammad was able to master the problem domain in a short period of time and was promoted to Senior Software Engineer."
— Liam Friel, Technology Leader, Silicon & Software Systems, managed Muhammad indirectly at Silicon & Software Systems S3"I worked with Muhammad on several projects with tight deadlines. He always showed great committment to the team and the project, worked well under pressure, and contributed strongly to the success of each project he worked on."
— John Maguire, Technology Officer, Silicon & Software Systems, managed Muhammad at Silicon & Software Systems S3"In the time that Muhammad worked for me, he demonstrated a clear interest in contributing to both the team and the wider objectives of the company. He was very committed to achieving whatever tasks were given to him."
— Iby Thampy, Software Engineer, UEC Technologies, worked directly with Muhammad at UEC "Muhammad is a very dedicated and hard worker, who is always willing to go the extra mile when the effort is required, and has also shown a capability to come up with innovative solutions. His sound knowledge of the principles of electronic engineering and software engineering have stood him in good stead in this regard."
