Give an overview of your role at Motorola and your journey with the company.
I have been with Lenovo and Motorola for a little over 12 years. I started on the Lenovo side in the M&A and Strategy team, and one of my first projects was the acquisition of Motorola Mobility from Google. I also worked on the acquisition of the System x business from IBM.
Since then, I’ve taken on different roles across Lenovo. I spent two years doing venture capital work, and around 2016, I moved into the mobile business division—essentially the Motorola group—where I focused on restructuring the business. Eventually, I took over strategy for Motorola, and for the last three to three and a half years, I’ve been leading the B2B business, helping us grow in the enterprise space and working closely with Lenovo.
Motorola has seen significant change over the years. How has the company evolved and differentiated itself in the competitive telecom and tech sectors?
I think of our journey in three phases.
The first phase, post-acquisition in 2014, was all about stopping the financial losses. The business had been losing money under Google, and it continued after we acquired it. So, we focused on core strengths—products, markets, and innovation—and exited premium segments and several unprofitable markets to rationalise our footprint. That helped us reach break-even.
Phase two, around 2018–2019, was about stabilising and growing the business while continuing to innovate. For example, the first 5G call was made on a Motorola device on the Verizon network. We re-entered markets like Japan and opened new ones, including the Middle East. We also entered the B2B segment.
Now, we’re in the third phase—acceleration. The goal is to double our business in three to four years using FY22–23 as the baseline. We’re halfway there. In our latest financials, we recorded 27 percent year-on-year growth and 43 percent growth in revenue.
Premiumisation has been key. In the Middle East, premium devices were a small part of our revenue. Today, they contribute over 35 percent. Globally, all our markets are profitable, growing, and seeing increased premium share. In Latin America, our biggest market, we hold around 20 percent share and are number two. In North America, we’ve hit double-digit market share—about 10–11 percent—and we’re number one in prepaid and in the flip category. We’re also the number three player overall in North America after Apple and Samsung.
Europe has shown hypergrowth—double and triple-digit growth in recent quarters. In the Middle East, we’ve doubled our presence in the last two years. In Asia, we’re focused on India, Japan, and ANZ. India has grown by almost 300 percent year over year, and in Japan, we’ve grown from under two percent to around 10 percent market share. Australia has also seen our business double.
Innovation in 5G, foldables, and lifestyle-led tech has helped drive this momentum.
Shifting gears to the B2B side, what differentiates Motorola’s enterprise offerings?
Our philosophy has always been to be a true partner to our enterprise customers—not just a vendor or supplier.
We focus on providing products that meet customer needs across different industries, sizes, and budgets. And we go beyond the device—we offer end-to-end solutions that span the entire lifecycle, from deployment to management.
We support zero-touch deployment, making it easy for employees to get started with a device right out of the box. We offer our own mobile device management (MDM) solution, and all our devices are Android Enterprise Recommended. They’re tested to work with existing MDMs, and we also offer fine-grained control for those who need it.
We’re very nimble. Our R&D teams often build custom capabilities in collaboration with customers. For example, with Hala Taxi in Dubai, we developed several features specifically for their requirements.
Security is another area where we’ve been leaders. We take a zero-trust approach—starting from the supply chain, through firmware, and into runtime—with AI-powered digital security features layered in.
On productivity, we’ve introduced unique offerings like Windows 365 with Microsoft, allowing users to run a full Windows environment through their Android device. Through Smart Connect, we’re also enabling seamless integration between Motorola phones and Lenovo PCs, bridging the gap between smartphones and laptops.
It’s a holistic approach, fully aligned with Lenovo’s ‘pocket to cloud’ strategy.
What can you tell us about the ThinkPhone and how it integrates with the ThinkPad ecosystem?
The ThinkPhone is a purpose-built enterprise device. We launched the first generation in 2023, and the latest model builds on that with a focus on durability, security, and productivity.
It’s IP68-rated, submersible in water up to 1.5 metres for 30 minutes. It features Gorilla Glass Victus and meets MIL-STD-810H for durability—handling extreme temperatures, humidity, drops, and more. Yet, it maintains a premium look and feel.
It runs on a MediaTek processor that balances performance and efficiency. It also includes Lenovo’s full ThinkShield security stack and comes with five OS upgrades and five years of monthly security patches—a huge plus for enterprise buyers.
It supports Smart Connect, so users can work seamlessly across phones, tablets, and Windows PCs—an essential capability for modern hybrid workflows.
The ThinkPhone offers a unique proposition for enterprise customers, especially in the Middle East, where you have extreme temperatures and high expectations for quality.
Early on, we noticed some devices would overheat in taxis in places like Dubai, and we’ve taken those learnings and built them into the ThinkPhone and other models.
What’s great is that we haven’t compromised on design. The device looks and feels premium, performs exceptionally well, and meets the region’s enterprise needs. We received great feedback on the first-generation ThinkPhone, and we expect continued demand.
What can we expect from Motorola in 2025, both on the consumer and enterprise fronts?
From a B2C perspective, the Middle East is a strategic priority for us. We’ll continue driving premiumisation, especially with our foldable devices and unique software experiences. You’ve already seen some of our global partnerships—like those with Pantone and Bose—make their way into the region, and we’ll continue to expand on that.
On the B2B side, the Middle East is absolutely core to our growth. We’ll keep pushing innovation in security, durability, and AI-powered productivity. While I can’t share specifics yet, you’ll see some exciting announcements soon.
We’re fully committed to the region—both in consumer and enterprise segments—and we’re excited about what’s ahead.
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