One of the speakers at the Digital Bridge 2023 forum was Glovo's Global Director of Government Relations, William Benhall. We talked to him about the company's work in Kazakhstan and asked him to share the features of its corporate culture.
William Benhall, 42, global director of government affairs, linkedin
After graduating from university, I worked in the music industry. Back then, music was mostly sold on CDs, and we created digital versions of songs for Apple and Spotify. After that, I worked in the economic industry for a few years, in companies in Africa.
In 2019, I joined Glovo. I started as a manager, after a while became a regional manager, and then moved to the role of Global Director of Government Affairs.
Glovo is a global company with more than 170,000 business partners around the world. The platform is used by more than two million customers and around 70,000 couriers who deliver products. We operate in 25 countries and 1,500 cities. The company has a large number of stakeholders who benefit from working with Glovo.
We operate in an industry where scale matters. The ability to grow quickly and get as many orders as possible is an important economic indicator. Despite the fact that competitors had more money in the first stages, we were able to reach a scale that we are satisfied with.
In Kazakhstan, the company has about 5000 partners — businesses that use our services. 90% of them are small and medium-sized enterprises. We invest a lot of money and resources to support them in the process of digital transformation.
Glovo is a young company. I'm 42 years old and I'm in the top 1% of the most «age-appropriate» employees.
The company has several important values that are not just hanging on the wall, but the CEO talks about them so often that they have become a part of every employee. Among the values: moving fast, being able to make mistakes and not blaming colleagues when things go wrong. This can be seen in the way we have grown and developed.
In Glovo's corporate culture, I like the idea of radical transparency when it comes to the feedback. If a person hasn't done the best job, we say so directly. We don't take it as criticism, but as an opportunity for growth and improvement. Some employees don't get used to it right away, but it is in such moments that a person grows as a professional.
If you want to work at Glovo, I advise you to study the company's values in detail before the interview. Think about how close they are to you and how you can do your job better because of them. Our corporate culture may not fit everyone. And that's okay.
Glovo is a company that is heavily data-driven. There are a lot of different dashboards and tools at work to solve business problems. Sometimes surrounded by all the charts and data tables, you feel like you're piloting an aeroplane. Therefore, the ability to work with data and the ability to make decisions based on it is important.
In my role as a regional manager, I worked in the thick of things. There were always things that needed to be done right away. With the transition to working with governments, processes slowed down. Because of this, my approach to leadership has changed. I now think at a strategic level for the long term. I think about each country's strategies and ways in which Glovo can contribute to development.
A successful leader must have two important qualities. The first is the ability to create a vision. The best leaders inspire employees and show that their work is important. The other quality is the ability to maintain an atmosphere of «urgency» where tasks must be done today or this week, without delay. When these two things are in place, people don't need to be forced to work an extra hour. They do it on their own and believe in the reasons for which they are delaying. Ilon Musk is a great example of a leader with a specific vision and experience.
One of the most underestimated characteristics of a good leader is the ability to listen and gather around him experienced professionals who may be superior in many things. This enables the leader to consider different points of view and create a unified strategy.
I enjoy working with governments because it gives me the opportunity to help people across the country. A big part of Glovo's corporate vision is the digitalization of local economies. We also develop programs for couriers and other employees through which they develop new digital skills. I am motivated by the idea of working on projects that positively impact people's lives.
The only downside to my job is the speed with which government agencies sometimes make decisions. It takes some time, but it is necessary to solve important issues.
Glovo is a flexible company in terms of working hours. I start the day early, answering emails before breakfast. I'm usually the first one in the office. This allows me to leave early to spend time with my children. I organize my schedule around important events for my family, and this kind of flexibility allows me to achieve balance even when there is a lot of work to do.
I pay a lot of attention to calendar planning. I organize my schedule around important events for my family, and this kind of flexibility allows me to achieve balance even when there is a lot of work to do.
I use Google Calendar, Superhuman, which is an email service, and Confluence for sharing information within the team.
Kazakhstan is an important market for us. We have already invested over 100 million euros in it, and this is just the beginning. We see the business growing, increasing several times year after year. Glovo has a high penetration rate here, although it lags behind South Korea or the UK. We have a long way in front of us, and that's a good thing. It means that the market will grow, and we will grow with it.
We are present in 14 cities in Kazakhstan. This is more than other companies in our field. We plan to consolidate our positions. We also work in Kyrgyzstan and are considering other Central Asian countries to start working in them.
Glovo is a tax resident of the country. This means that while we do not make a profit here, we also help the government and citizens of Kazakhstan. This is an important point, because not all technology companies agree to such commitments. That is why it is important for us to invest in the market, local business partners, couriers and employees.
William Benhall, 42, global director of government affairs, linkedin
About career and company development
After graduating from university, I worked in the music industry. Back then, music was mostly sold on CDs, and we created digital versions of songs for Apple and Spotify. After that, I worked in the economic industry for a few years, in companies in Africa.
In 2019, I joined Glovo. I started as a manager, after a while became a regional manager, and then moved to the role of Global Director of Government Affairs.
Glovo is a global company with more than 170,000 business partners around the world. The platform is used by more than two million customers and around 70,000 couriers who deliver products. We operate in 25 countries and 1,500 cities. The company has a large number of stakeholders who benefit from working with Glovo.
We operate in an industry where scale matters. The ability to grow quickly and get as many orders as possible is an important economic indicator. Despite the fact that competitors had more money in the first stages, we were able to reach a scale that we are satisfied with.
In Kazakhstan, the company has about 5000 partners — businesses that use our services. 90% of them are small and medium-sized enterprises. We invest a lot of money and resources to support them in the process of digital transformation.
About corporate culture
Glovo is a young company. I'm 42 years old and I'm in the top 1% of the most «age-appropriate» employees.
The company has several important values that are not just hanging on the wall, but the CEO talks about them so often that they have become a part of every employee. Among the values: moving fast, being able to make mistakes and not blaming colleagues when things go wrong. This can be seen in the way we have grown and developed.
In Glovo's corporate culture, I like the idea of radical transparency when it comes to the feedback. If a person hasn't done the best job, we say so directly. We don't take it as criticism, but as an opportunity for growth and improvement. Some employees don't get used to it right away, but it is in such moments that a person grows as a professional.
I like the idea of radical transparency in feedback issues
If you want to work at Glovo, I advise you to study the company's values in detail before the interview. Think about how close they are to you and how you can do your job better because of them. Our corporate culture may not fit everyone. And that's okay.
Glovo is a company that is heavily data-driven. There are a lot of different dashboards and tools at work to solve business problems. Sometimes surrounded by all the charts and data tables, you feel like you're piloting an aeroplane. Therefore, the ability to work with data and the ability to make decisions based on it is important.
What a manager should be like
In my role as a regional manager, I worked in the thick of things. There were always things that needed to be done right away. With the transition to working with governments, processes slowed down. Because of this, my approach to leadership has changed. I now think at a strategic level for the long term. I think about each country's strategies and ways in which Glovo can contribute to development.
A successful leader must have two important qualities. The first is the ability to create a vision. The best leaders inspire employees and show that their work is important. The other quality is the ability to maintain an atmosphere of «urgency» where tasks must be done today or this week, without delay. When these two things are in place, people don't need to be forced to work an extra hour. They do it on their own and believe in the reasons for which they are delaying. Ilon Musk is a great example of a leader with a specific vision and experience.
One of the most underestimated characteristics of a good leader is the ability to listen and gather around him experienced professionals who may be superior in many things. This enables the leader to consider different points of view and create a unified strategy.
Advantages and disadvantages
I enjoy working with governments because it gives me the opportunity to help people across the country. A big part of Glovo's corporate vision is the digitalization of local economies. We also develop programs for couriers and other employees through which they develop new digital skills. I am motivated by the idea of working on projects that positively impact people's lives.
The only downside to my job is the speed with which government agencies sometimes make decisions. It takes some time, but it is necessary to solve important issues.
About time management
Glovo is a flexible company in terms of working hours. I start the day early, answering emails before breakfast. I'm usually the first one in the office. This allows me to leave early to spend time with my children. I organize my schedule around important events for my family, and this kind of flexibility allows me to achieve balance even when there is a lot of work to do.
I pay a lot of attention to calendar planning. I organize my schedule around important events for my family, and this kind of flexibility allows me to achieve balance even when there is a lot of work to do.
I use Google Calendar, Superhuman, which is an email service, and Confluence for sharing information within the team.
About plans
Kazakhstan is an important market for us. We have already invested over 100 million euros in it, and this is just the beginning. We see the business growing, increasing several times year after year. Glovo has a high penetration rate here, although it lags behind South Korea or the UK. We have a long way in front of us, and that's a good thing. It means that the market will grow, and we will grow with it.
We are present in 14 cities in Kazakhstan. This is more than other companies in our field. We plan to consolidate our positions. We also work in Kyrgyzstan and are considering other Central Asian countries to start working in them.
Glovo is a tax resident of the country. This means that while we do not make a profit here, we also help the government and citizens of Kazakhstan. This is an important point, because not all technology companies agree to such commitments. That is why it is important for us to invest in the market, local business partners, couriers and employees.
