Otso Lahtinen is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Geobear. He is responsible for leading the development and execution of the Company’s long term strategy.
The Lahtinen family founded Uretek (now Geobear) in the 1970s. Fast forward to today and the company has completed over 200, 000 projects worldwide.
Mohamed has a PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Birmingham and he is also a Chartered Engineer (CEng) and a Fellow member of the Permanent Way Institute (PWI). He recently received an Honorary Research Fellow position at the University of Birmingham in the School of Civil Engineering.
Mohamed is actively publishing technical papers in peer-reviewed journals and international conferences and his research work has won a number of awards in the Permanent Way Institute and Railway Business Award.
Aleister Willis is Marketing Director at Geobear and is responsible for ensuring that our customer base understands our solutions and the benefits they bring.
Since the early ’00s, Aleister has held a number of senior marketing roles at engineering consultancy Atkins, working across the rail, oil and gas, nuclear and power sectors.
Richard is a Director for Geobear UK. He holds ultimate responsibility for the day to day running of the company and its strategic direction.
Richard is a Chartered Engineer with over 30 years experience in Geotechnical Contracting, and has worked in Senior Management positions for over 20 years.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +97 158 504 4596
Office: King Majid Sultan Abdul Rahman Saif Al Shamsi – Al Muteena – Deira – Office 1 – 14F
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Company Role: CEO and owner
Favourite Quote: “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”
George Bernard Shaw
Your top 3 favourite Podcasts/Books?
Outwitting the Devil, Napoleon Hill
Jack Welch, Winning
Eckhart Tolle, The Power Of Now
What is something your customers have to deal with that you want to fix?
Unnecessary closures of their assets during ground improvement.
What do you do at Geobear?
Enable performance and create momentum.
What are your credentials/past experience, for working in your position?
I have worked with resin injection since 12 years of age in various roles.
What do you like about working at Geobear?
A team that really wants to take the company to the next level.
What are the values that drive you?
Growth.
Integrity.
Safety and well being of people.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not working?
Sports, quality time with family and friends.
Company Role: Vice President of Marketing
Favourite Quote: “The highest levels of performance come to people who are centered, intuitive, creative, and reflective – people who see a problem as an opportunity.” Deepak Chopra
Your top favourite podcasts/books?
Secrets of peak performance – Tony Robbins
Super soul conversations – Oprah
Selling the invisible – Harry Beckwith
What is something your customers have to deal with that you want to fix?
Change is a scary thing, especially when we are used to a particular way.
Familiarity with a process can make it seem like the logical and reliable choice, even if it no longer delivers acceptable results.
Our customers are faced with a dilemma to go with a traditional way of fixing the problem, even though it will take much more time, money and hustle, or to go with a new approach/technology, which can fix their problem much faster, more cost efficiently, assured and better for the environment.
We sometimes feel safety in the circumstances we know, even if we do not like them.
We sense danger in what we do not know. In other words, people feel a strong bias toward maintaining their current or previous decisions.
Our aim is to provide our clients with a vision on an improved future and remove fears of the unknown.
Educate them to choose the option that works best for their needs.
What do you do at Geobear?
In marketing one of our main goals is to understand our customers and put their needs first.
We want everyone to know that there is a smart alternative to maintain transport infrastructure.
Gaining more trust, making our customers feel safe and understood.
Building long term relationships with employees, clients, government officials and stakeholders.
What are your credentials/past experience, for working in your position?
Masters in International Business and Administration, PHD in Business Psychology, various courses in Business Mastery, Leadership and Marketing.
Established a successful retail business in Russia.
Have been working at executive positions in different countries and industries for over 10 years.
Always striving to learn something new everyday and implement the knowledge into practice.
What do you like about working at Geobear?
At Geobear everyone shares the same vision and dedicated to the mission.
There is a genuine spirit of cooperation and shared goals all revolving around helping the customer.
We all support each other and work together to offer creative feedback and then make our ideas a reality.
A positive organizational culture is key to feeling motivated and inspired at work.
What are the values that drive you?
Optimism. I was born in Russia and one of the expressions describing this value, often goes like this “When God hands you lemons, you make lemonade.” The value of optimism is clear here – take what you have been given and make the best of it.
Vision. Created by our dreams and daydreams, alike, provides the platform to take our lives to wherever we want them to go. Our vision reminds us that we are always capable of learning and growing into who we want to be.
Gratitude. It is with a grateful heart that helps me to see and appreciate what I have today.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not working?
Spending time with family and friends.
Enjoying nature, outdoor activities and sport. There is a natural adrenalin rush in doing something new.
Company Role: Marketing Director, UK
Favourite Quote: In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is King. Erasmus
Your top 3 favourite Podcasts/Books?
Long Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela; Dice Man, Luke Rhinehart; Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky
What is something your customers have to deal with that you want to fix?
Aside from the technical solution, the real challenge for me is changing mindsets. In our industry and with people in general, they tend to be cautious, which on occasion means conventional solutions are chosen ahead of new, better methods. So our focus is to ensure people understand that our solution have been used for forty years, are tried and tested, have not failed and are simply a better method of ground stabilisation or improvement for structures.
What do you do at Geobear?
Make the above answer a reality. My job is to ensure our customer base fully understands what Geobear does and the benefits of using our solution. So long as the case for a geopolymer solution is articulated clearly and easily understood, the clients can then make an informed decision.
What are your credentials/past experience, for working in your position?
Over the course of 14 years I had a number of senior marketing roles for a large engineering consultancy in the UK. I’ve worked in the rail, roads, oil and gas, nuclear and power sectors and am almost institutionalised into the engineers way of thinking.
This is a great help when creating propositions for engineers, but I can also dilute core engineering principles and provide clarity to others, such as a homeowner.
What do you like about working at Geobear?
We provide the best solution to problem ground, without doubt. Before I joined the company, like many, I thought it was too good to be true – but it isn’t, what we do is really cool. This means from a marketing or promotional point of view I have lots to work with. Also, if you look at the range of projects, from helping someone with subsidence in their home, to work on a major motorway or stabilising a war memorial, there are so many amazing projects to talk about.
What are the values that drive you?
Honesty, integrity and commitment. I think if we stick to these principles in work and to a degree in our lives in general you’ll do okay!
What do you enjoy doing when you are not working?
I have a wife and two daughters, so that’s fun (sometimes!!), but other than that anything creative and the occasional clay pigeon shoot.
Company Role: Managing Director, UK
Favorite quote: “Inch by inch is cinch / Yard by yard is hard!”
Your top 3 favorite Podcasts/Books?
Not very high brow but the “Secret Diaries of Adrian Mole” (The whole series), so easy to read and something I can relate to having grown up in the same era. Easy reading and makes you laugh out loud everytime.
What is something your customers have to deal with that you want to fix?
Poor ground conditions that are affecting their assets / business and we can help fix that for them without the disruption of more traditional methods.
What do you do at Geobear?
Responsible for all aspects of the UK business
What are your credentials/past experience, for working in your position?
35 years experience in Geotechnical Contracting from around the world. Senior Manager positions for 20 years. Chartered Engineer.
What do you like about working at Geobear?
Fast moving, innovative environment, always looking to improve day by day, week by week. Hence my favourite quote.
What are the values that drive you?
Safety / Customer Service (doing a good job), Integrity/ Realising when someone is in trouble we are all in trouble.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not working?
Being with my Family / grandchildren / Travel / Gardening / Football