for transformation

Sherifa Al Doseri is the Manager of the CEO’s Office, where she oversees the activity within the office and assists in following up on the directives and implementation of strategies and plans. Dr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, the Bapco CEO commented on Sherifa’s appointment that ‘... Sherifa is a resourceful person and can be relied on by everyone in the Executive Team to handle issues with confidentiality and efficiency’.

Sherifa holds a Bachelors degree in International Relations and Affairs from the American University Sharjah United Arab Emirates, a Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance Level 7 Human Resources Advanced Diploma and a Leadership Diploma from the University of Westminster, UK.

Sherifa started her career as a Research Assistant, then Executive Assistant to the Vice Chancellor at the University. Sherifa joined Bapco in 2009 as a Senior Recruitment Officer and pursued a career at Bapco in Human Resources, holding appointments in different functions from manpower selection to recruitment and administration. Sherifa was promoted to HR Business Partner for the BMP, moving to the project team in 2019 to support in her new role.

The COVID-19 pandemic created particular challenges for both Bapco and BMP - described elsewhere in this report. BMP, unlike the base business, has a high proportion of contractors who are foreign nationals. Those who were previously free to leave and enter the country were now prohibited from travelling, risking significant project delay. Sherifa was responsible for liaising with the contractors based in other countries to try and determine how to minimise the ensuing disruption. In some cases, Bapco obtained special dispensation for travel once the appropriate COVID-19 test regimes were put in place. Sherifa also initiated virtual weekly ‘toolbox’ meetings to raise awareness of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on project planning.

Sherifa’s second important role during this time was acting as liaison between Bapco and the Ministry of Health. The restrictions imposed by Bapco - for example the requirement for home-working - had to follow those imposed by government and therefore change in accordance with the latest Ministry of Health guidance. As an active member of the COVID-19 CMT, Sherifa was responsible for interpreting Ministry of Health requirements so that they could be applied properly to BMP.

Sherifa also supported the campaign to vaccinate the BMP workforce, coordinating with Awali hospital and other Bapco departments. Vaccination was critical for BMP’s contractor workforce where there was greatest potential for transmission. Sherifa was responsible for encouraging uptake of the vaccines amongst all those eligible.

Sherifa comments that she is proud to be associated with Bapco and regards every day as a learning opportunity. Sherifa sees the company culture as fast-paced with an aspiration for transformation.

Sherifa’s appointment as Manager of the CEO office is just one of the many examples highlighted in this report of Bapco’s commitment to sustainable development; in this case through the recruitment of the best talent irrespective of gender and a contribution to a fairer society.