النهار

In today's digital age, where platforms can make or break careers, few shine brighter. When it comes to professional growth and thought leadership, LinkedIn is the go-to platform. Amidst millions of creators, certain voices stand out, guiding and inspiring others to leverage the potential of this networking gem factory. One such exemplary figure is Carrington Malin, a LinkedIn Top Voice from the UK but located in the UAE. Carrington's story is a testament to the power of adaptability, continuous learning, and strategic networking, all through developing a solid voice of growth on the platform. Let Carrington's story encourage you to carve your niche, share your insights, and become the next LinkedIn Top Voice.

Like many of us, Carrington ventured into LinkedIn without a clear roadmap. But what made him stand out was his voracious appetite to network, learn, and grow. Today, he regards LinkedIn as a tool that exponentially magnifies his reach, enabling him to connect with like-minded professionals from all around the globe. In this sense, once asked how he started on the platform, he stated, "I started on Linkedin, as most people do, without knowing exactly what it was for or how to use it, but recognizing that it's a platform that I should join! The potential to network with like-minded professionals from around the world made me an enthusiastic user, and that's the main value I derive from Linkedin today. I simply meet far more people on Linkedin, in more fields and more countries than I ever could do without it."

I follow his account and am impressed by the insights he shares daily with the community. With a particular focus on AI and emerging technologies, he feeds the platform with a mix of industry news and insights from the Middle East, mainly the GCC region. Asking about his objective? Simplifying complex tech trends and making them accessible and understandable to the masses.

"To be honest, I share news, insights, and stories that interest me most. I am very focused on artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies and take the time to learn everything I can about them. AI has become a hot topic, and everyone seems hungry to learn more about it. I have a wide range of interests, but my big focus is helping technology, business, and government professionals understand more about trends and technology adoption in the Middle East. I find it fascinating and love to see countries in the region build leadership positions for themselves in using and developing some of these new technologies."

For Carrington, LinkedIn is not just a platform; it's a powerful tool to connect, learn, and grow. He is driven by the passion to make AI and new tech more relatable to the Middle East audience. While the news media is saturated with AI breakthroughs, Carrington delves deeper to unearth stories yet to be told. When asked how LinkedIn impacted his life and career, he enthusiastically reflected, "I'm an early adopter of new digital technologies. I love to explore new digital platforms and tools and experiment. For example, I was one of the first 100 people to apply for an Internet connection in the UAE; I worked on my first website project in the 1990s and have worked with many clients to announce 'technology firsts.'

A friend told me about Linkedin in 2004, and I immediately opened an account! As it turns out, I was one of the first 500,000 users to join the platform, which today has more than 900 million users! Over the years, Linkedin has helped me hire staff, form partnerships, make friends, keep up-to-date, and learn from other professionals." In the course of the interview, Carrington revealed what and who inspires him to create content on LinkedIn. In this sense, he stated, "I have a clear business interest in Linkedin, which is to connect with potential customers, partners, and experts that I can learn from. So, my main goal is to create content that interests these audiences, attracting more of those people to my network. My inspiration comes from the need to make it easy for more people to understand the impact of AI and other new technologies on the Middle East. Although the media may seem full of such news, some of the most interesting stories remain unexplained or untold. So, it's exciting to reveal some of these fascinating stories to my followers."

All Linkedin users should post regularly, according to their goals and time available, to get the most value from being there. This is important, but I'm not saying everyone must post something on Linkedin daily. A simple checklist would be A) complete your Linkedin profile in full - make sure that its comprehensive, B) make sure that you write your profile for the sort of people that you want to connect with on Linkedin - for example, are you looking for new customers or a new employer, C) work out what your target audience is interested in and why you want to engage with them, D) share, create, or repurpose content that your audience will be drawn to and enjoy, E) iterate, optimize, learn from other content creators. Also, don't be afraid to have an opinion! Other people are sometimes more interested in what you think about a topic than the latest news. It's also good to remember that on Linkedin - more than any other social platform - it's not all about Likes! Some of my most valuable business contacts hardly click the like button or comment on my Linkedin posts, but they engage with me directly via messages, email, or in person.

While individual efforts on platforms like LinkedIn are essential, institutions play a vital role in nurturing these skills from a young age. This is a serious call to action to all educational institutions.

The best thing educational institutions can do is teach students how to learn, ask questions, and communicate effectively. However, some students inevitably enjoy posting on social media more than they do writing essays, even if some of the same skills are involved. So, social media has a role in education because it demands good listening and writing skills and the ability to put opinions, facts, or news into context. Without such skills, we'd all be 'doomscrollers'!

Linkedin is an enormous opportunity for school and college leavers because it is a global platform that can help them access global experts and a global audience. Even if you do not intend to venture far from your hometown, that's extremely useful because it helps open your mind to new possibilities. For young people about to enter the job market, Linkedin is a great platform to conduct research, source advice, and insights, find and learn from experts, take online training in a wide range of soft skills that are vital for today's careers, and begin building a valuable business network. Suppose you've learned how to network with professionals successfully. In that case, you are up to date with business and technology trends and can show that you're continuously learning. You're a much better job candidate for your first employer!

Born in England, Carrington Malin is a UAE-based entrepreneur, marketing professional, and consultant working in the region's digital, technology, and telecommunications sectors for decades. In his early days, he helped to build one of the Middle East's most significant trade events, GITEX. Later, while still in his twenties, he formed the region's first technology-focused PR agency with operations in Amman, Cairo, Dubai, and Kuwait and a close affiliation with the leading global marketing communications group Omnicom. As the founder of one of the region's first PR agencies, Carrington was also a founder member of the Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA).

Today, Carrington is an independent consultant who helps business, government, and technology leaders take technology concepts, products, and services to market. He has worked with many technology and communications clients over the years, including Cisco, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, and Orange, governments in Egypt, Jordan, and the UAE, and many digital and technology startups. He also writes about technology, has been published in a wide range of media, and is often interviewed by journalists on regional and global technology trends. Carrington has published "Middle East AI News," a weekly newsletter on adopting artificial intelligence in the Middle East, since 2020.