‘In moments of pressure we must remember that pressure is in itself, a privilege’ – COO David Galea

David Galea, Chief Operations Officer at Licena Group, on Tuesday highlighted that pressure is something that comes with leadership and should be seen as a “privilege” rather than as a negative.

He was posting on social media after the Rugby World Cup Quarter-final between France and South Africa, where he drew upon the analysis of former rugby union player Tendai Mtawarira, noting a parallel between sport and life.

Dr Galea has been Chief Operations Officer of Dubai-based physical commodity trading firm Licena Group ever since he co-founded it over four months ago. It handles trading portfolios across fertilisers, grains, pulses, and crude.

During the interview, Mr Mtawarira said that athletes look at pressure “in a different way”, as it is ultimately a “privilege”. “Pressure is not having food on the table. It’s not being able to provide for your family. And here you are, playing on the biggest stage, representing your country, playing this wonderful game in front of thousands of people,” he said.

He added that one has to “take that moment in” and “make the most of it”.

“For fans, and often fanatics, of a certain sport, we forget that for the professionals, a sport is a job, and we can draw on the behaviour of our sporting heroes as examples to emulate and be inspired by,” Dr Galea said.

He remarked that the retired rugby player’s comments, do not only apply to professional athletes, but are also suited to leaders, executives and managers.

“In moments of pressure we must remember that pressure is in itself, a privilege. And embracing that privilege and performing under that pressure is what we owe ourselves and our teams,” Dr Galea continued.

“For athletes, it’s their clubs or countries who they represent. For leaders, it is our teams and our companies,” he added.

Dr Galea said that he enjoyed the game, which ended 29-28 in favour of South Africa, and he “really loved the takeaway” from the interview, as it served as great “inspiration”.

Dr Galea holds a Doctor of Law (LLD) in Law and European Studies from University of Malta, together with a LLM in Maritime Law from University of Southampton. He is also qualified in strategic thinking and leadership for growth from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.