National Protocol Officer Week - Graduate Profile: Abdiwahab Mohamed

As a protocol professional, what is the most significant challenge you faced related to COVID-19?

Moving high level delegate meetings to a virtual format comes with its own challenges. I cover trade and protocol for the Middle East and Africa regions and I recently had a long-planned courtesy meeting that was postponed due to technological glitches. Although we were able to reschedule the meeting, this situation illustrates the importance of preparation and planning.

 If you had to define a protocol officer in one word, what would it be and why? 

In one word – Planner. Planning is the most important skill because it allows you to adapt quickly to any challenges you may encounter when hosting a meeting, event, or VIP visit.

What is your most valuable protocol tool or resource?

My greatest resources are The Protocol School of Washington Protocol Officer Training course materials that are so extensive I can refer to them every time.

What piece of advice would you share with a new protocol professional, or someone who wants to take their career in protocol to the next level?

I encourage new professionals and those who want to progress in their careers to receive protocol training from an accredited source such as The Protocol School of Washington. There is so much that can go wrong if you are not trained properly. Any slight cultural difference can be potentially disastrous.