Shereen Harris, Head of Marketing and Subscriptions at General Motors’ OnStar Middle East

Shereen Harris is responsible for Business Strategy, Marketing and Subscriptions at General Motors’ OnStar in the Middle East, overseeing connectivity and safety servicesand the go-to-market approach for the region. Under her guidance, the launch of OnStar has seen a successful start across the UAE and Kuwait and recently expanded in to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

Shereen is a leader with an unwavering passion for innovation and a proven track record of spearheading transformational projects. Starting her career on the agency side, she sharpened her knowledge and gained much experience across a variety of industries. With a deep-rooted commitment to revolutionizing the way we move she has successfully implemented impactful initiatives at both regional and international levels within General Motors. With a passion for customers and a look ahead mindset, she prioritizes creating unique experiences that enhance the customer journey to drive business success. Shereen has accumulated over two decades of experience, working with renowned companies such as Wunderman, Jacobsons, Ford, Citibank, and FedEx before joining General Motors. Her expertise lies in strategically enabling teams for success. Shereen’s career initially started in technology, but she found her true calling in combining art and science to deliver exceptional customer experiences. She has been a driving force at General Motors for 15 years, pioneering excellence in her field.

Reflecting on 2023, our desire for deeper connections as individuals, communities and brands is stronger now than ever before. Connectivity has and will continue to form the basis of our social structures, while championing the innovation needed to create the societies we wish to see in the future.

On a macro level, the region has been embracing connectivitythrough ambitious digitalization targets, underpinning infrastructure and harmonized public sector services, as found by BCG. Enhanced connection coupled with today’s rapid pace of innovation enables real-time collaboration and improved productivity, that is vital when navigating dynamic industry environments. This shift has resulted in the widespread adoption of emerging technologies, with the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) offering limitless potential to individuals and communities.  

Brands that have successfully embraced this heighted digitalization, resonate with target audiences. Deloitte found that consumers are increasingly making conscious choices about why and how to buy products and services. The study found that as they think more critically about their preferredbrands, it is the ability to digitally sense, motivate, and serve consumers that sets them apart. With this in mind we need to re-evaluate how our go-to-market plans create impact, through dynamic platforms, elevated content quality and bold approaches.

At OnStar we pioneer innovation, to create a drivingexperience akin to owning a ‘smartphone on wheels’. To successfully ensure the regional markets are ready for change, we must look beyond brand level activity and work collaboratively within the supply chain, aligning with regional governments to shift public mindset and achieve the visions in place. Pushing past traditional experiences to a seamlessly connected future, requires platforms that prioritize consumer education, ongoing engagement and creative delivery, tomaximize attention.

To meet the growing call for connectivity, collaborative creativity is needed in bridging the gap between functionalitiesand regional goals. In doing so, brands can growsynergistically within their host nations. Looking ahead to the future of connectivity, industry best practice forms a strong foundation upon which incoming talent can continue to generate brand resonance. To this end, championing diversity in thinking creates opportunities for brands and sets the tone for innovation. Fortunately for us, a recent UNESCO reportrevealed that 57 percent of graduates in STEM fields across the Arab world are women, while in the UAE, 61 percent ofSTEM graduates are female. The automotive industry stands to benefit from this diverse talent, and it is our job to ensure continued growth of this pipeline, inviting the youth to make their mark in the field and take our brands to new heights.