Omar's Story

Salaams & Greetings,

The origins of my name Omar Fahmy stem from connections made by my grandparents with people from Egypt. It is an Arab name, Omar means "flourishing" or "long-lived” and Fahmy means "understanding, comprehension, knowing". I strongly believe these meanings gravitate towards Academia, which is probably the reason why I enjoy working for the University of Auckland, Engineering faculty.

In my early day, I had a curious DIY mindset, I used to take apart radios and TVs and put them back to see how they worked. This mindset served me well in my career, I always managed to solve multiple problems by drilling down to the root cause of the initial problem. This led me to graduate with a Diploma in IT and a Master’s degree in Management at the University of Auckland. It taught me the importance of managing people’s expectations through a Quiet Leadership trait, most often using a calm, consultative, supportive, and empathetic but result-driven approach to empower others to make decisions that add value. 

Working with community organisations gives me great satisfaction, being able to contribute my skills and knowledge to better the lives of others. I have led and served in many community organisations; Interact Club, Rotaract, Lions Clubs, Toastmasters, New Zealand Sri Lankan Foundation (NZSLF), Sri Lanka Muslim Janaza Fund, NZ Muslim Association (NZMA), and now with Whau Ethnic Collective. Working with different organisations for a common cause has always been challenging, but being open, collaborative, and inclusive has helped to achieve the best outcomes.

Omar Fahmy.