Meet the woman who’s supercharged Vodafone’s global tech leadership, one groundbreaking idea at a time

Imagine launching a groundbreaking technology that enhances how people communicate.

Then redefining e-commerce with the introduction of Black Friday to a major market.

And then, as if your impact has not already been immense, creating a smart home product that captures the attention of global tech giants and the worldwide media.

Sounds like the plot of a tech thriller, doesn’t it? The daring innovator who quite literally changes the world, and continues to reimagine where technology can take us. Except this isn’t a movie or a best-selling novel. It’s the real-life story of Monia Challaoui, who’s been pushing the boundaries of what’s possible at Vodafone again and again over the last 14 years.

Monia’s journey began as a graduate at Vodafone Spain. She started making waves right away, launching the company’s first machine-learning technology in 2012. Vodafone’s voice-to-text service was ahead of its time and this early success set the stage for the bold ideas and transformative projects that have defined Monia’s career ever since.

After moving to Vodafone UK, she took on the challenge of revolutionising the company’s e-commerce strategy. She decided to introduce Black Friday and Cyber Monday to vodafone.co.uk, a bit of a gamble, it must be said, as there wasn’t any budget available to create a new marketing campaign. However, with characteristic resourcefulness, Monia realised they could lean on the natural search driven by Black Friday online to funnel organic traffic to the website. This ended up making the campaign cost-effective and today, our Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping experience for telcos is a cornerstone of Vodafone’s online success.

But Monia wasn’t done yet. Joining Vodafone’s Consumer IoT team, she embarked on a mission to create Europe’s first smart home starter kit.

“I was impressed by IoT as a technology and how it was solving everyday problems. When I heard that Vodafone wanted to invest in such technology to serve consumers, I myself wanted my family to benefit from it.”

“Because of my product management experience in technology, I was the best candidate to drive the product development for SmartHome technology.”

Collaborating with Samsung HQ and leading a team of 1,000 engineers, Monia brought the V-Home Safety starter kit vision to life. V-Home gave consumers in Europe an alternative to traditional security systems with expensive professional installation. The kit was completely plug and play, and included a system that contacted the owner in the event of an intrusion.

The product became a showstopper at the Mobile World Congress (MWC). Monia presented it to Samsung’s CEO and the global media, and it earned rave reviews. Vodafone’s reputation as a leader in IoT innovation was truly cemented. Then, under Monia’s leadership, IoT solutions for our b2b segment went live and ultimately, her portfolio’s contribution in solving real business problems led to the company’s recognition as a Leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for IoT Managed Connectivity.

Monia’s career story is a testament to the power of curiosity, collaboration, and daring to dream big. From voice-to-text, to smart homes and beyond, she continues to shape the future of technology as she embarks on yet another new challenge, managing Vodafone’s investments in diverse markets worldwide.

Driving growth and innovation for our business customers right across the globe. Transforming ex-operating companies into successful partners for Vodafone. There’s no doubt that Monia is going to help Vodafone stride into the future, and ensure that we remain a leading light in technology for many, many years to come.