IN-HOUSE NEWSLETTER OF SUHAIL BAHWAN GROUP VOLUME 04 | ISSUE 14 JULY/SEPTEMBER 2017
FROM THE VICE CHAIRPERSONíS DESK Dear Colleagues Welcome to the third quarter 2017 edition of Suhail, our Group’s newsletter.
Designed & Published by Media and Communications Division Suhail Bahwan Group [Holding] LLC P.O. Box: 169, PC 100 Muscat, Sultanate of Oman Phone: +968 2465 0037 Email: pr@suhailbahwangroup.com
DISCLAIMER SUHAIL is an internal newsletter meant exclusively for SBGH employees. Although immense care has been taken, we request our readers to bear with us in case of any errors and omissions. Please send us your feedback, comments, contributions and suggestions to pr@suhailbahwangroup.com
During this quarter we have made an important business acquisition; SBGH has bought over Modern Information Technology LLC (MITECH) - one of the largest Omani software development companies that has been operating for the last 15 years- in which SBGH was a partner. The company, popularly known as ITON earlier, is currently working on prestigious software projects in Oman such as eVisa system, eCustoms system and eServices for ministries. We are confident MITECH will be a one more proud asset to SBGH family. Bahwan Tourism, for the first time, has entered Japan market by participating in the Japan Expo Tourism Fair (JATA) in Tokyo recently. The feedback is encouraging and hopefully this will open up new inbound business for us from Japan- the world’s third largest economy. That said, during the past nine months our revenues have not been great nor have the sales in many of the companies shown any significant progress. With just three months left for the year, it’s critical that we become more aggressive and achieve our targets. I do not buy the argument of those blaming market conditions and oil prices; in fact Oman crude oil prices are going up in recent months and therefore, market conditions are improving. Let’s continue to be more aggressive in our existing businesses and more enterprising in identifying new ventures.
Enjoy reading the issue.
Amal Suhail Bahwan
Contents
......................................................... July-September 2017 | Issue 14
Chairman Sheikh Suhail Bahwan honoured with Arab League . . . . . . . . . . . . . . award for voluntary work Distinguished . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Employees of the Month
03-04 05-06 HR And Training Division Conducts a 07-08 Series of Sales Training programme Bahwan Healthcare’s business partner visits Oman 15 Bahwan IT celebrates Onam with 17-18 traditional fervour and enthusiasm Bahwan Tourism launches new video to promote Oman abroad 22 Bahwan Electronics launches Titan’s smart watch in Oman 29 Bahwan Building Materials launches 30 Asala brand Sanitaryware and tiles Cybersecurity A Concern of Everybody 35-36
03-04
..
.......................
06
....
............
.......................
..........
..................... .........................................................
09-10
19-20
25-26
11
21
SUHAIL | Corporate news
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
SUHAIL | 04
SUHAIL | Corporate news
Chairman Sheikh Suhail Bahwan honoured with Arab League award for voluntary work Our Chairman Sheikh Suhail Bahwan, who is always known for his generous charity and voluntary work, was recently honoured with Sheikh Issa bin Ali Al Khalifa Award for Voluntary Work by the Arab League. Ms. Amal Suhail Bahwan, Vice Chairperson of Suhail Bahwan Group, accepted the award on behalf of Sheikh Suhail Bahwan in a grand ceremony held at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo. Later, on her return, she presented the award to Chairman at his office. The Arab League award honours people from various sections of the society in recognition of their contributions to various areas of community development, such as health,
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
education, eradication of poverty etc. Employees of the group praised the generous and humanitarian gesture of Sheikh Suhail Bahwan and said that he was always known for his charity activities. They prayed to Allah the Almighty to reward Sheikh Suhail and accept it as ongoing charity. The employees also expressed their pride and happiness for being a part of Suhail Bahwan Group that believes in corporate social responsibility among private sector institutions and its role in supporting the society through many initiatives that aim to benefit Omanis and expats living in this great country.
SUHAIL | 03
SUHAIL | Corporate news
loyees of the Month
September 2017 1] Anil Kumar. M, Commercial Assistant, Bahwan Furnishings and Trading LLC | 2] Bader Abdullah Azaz Al Breiki, Helper, Bahwan Steel and Trading Company LLC | 3] Mohd Yeakub Ali Ahmed, Rigger, Bilad Oman LLC | 4] Syed Nister Khan, Microsoft Consultant, Bahwan IT LLC | 5] Nuzha Nasrullah Rasool Bakhsh Al Balushi, Support Engineer-Software, Modern Information Technology LLC | 6] Mohammed Faiyaz Ahmed, Deputy Manager-Pre Sales, Bahwan Projects & Telecom LLC | 7] Muhammad Farhan, Bio Medical Engieer, Bahwan Healthcare Center LLC | 8] Ahood Nasser Juma Al Hoti, Account Staff, Finance & Accounts Division | 9] Ketan Durlabhbhai Patel, Assistant Manager-Networking, Information Service Department | 10] Ibrahim Moosa Dad R Al Balushi, Senior Sales Manager, Bahwan Electronics LLC | 11] Shakir Ghabish Mubarak Al Mujaini, Watchman, Bahwan International Properties LLC | 12] Radhakrishnan A K, Sr. Commercial Executive, Bahwan Building Materials LLC | 13] Sandeep Sreejayan, Assistant Manager Audit, Internal Audit Division | 15] Mohammed Sobhi Ahmed, Training Coordinator, HR and Administration Division.
.........................................................................................
Farewell to Khalfan One of the senior most employees of our Group, Mr. Abdulla Khalfan Al Balushi, assistant manager Public Relations retired recently after serving 49 years. A soft-spoken, sincere and hardworking personality, Mr. Khalfan handled all functions relating to public relations very effectively and has earned the respect of every colleague in the company. Ms. Amal Bahwan presented him a memento on his farewell and wished him a happy and contented retired life.
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
SUHAIL | 06
SUHAIL | Corporate news
Distinguished Emp
July 2017 1] Josey Kulangara Sam, Pharmacist, Bahwan Healthcare Center LLC | 2] Yaqoob Khasib Rashid Al Sheidi, Senior Operation Assistant, Bahwan Logistics LLC | 3] Sameh Tayseer Younis, Assistant Manager - Design, Bahwan Electronics LLC | 4] Sooraj Jayaraj, Customer Support Engineer, Bahwan IT LLC | 5] Amanul Haque, Project Engineer, Bahwan Projects and Telecom LLC | 6] Nabeeb Thazhath Muhammed, Executive - Projects, Bahwan Furnishings and Trading LLC | 7] Fawziya Hamood Azzan Al Wahaibi, Receptionist, Bahwan International Properties LLC | 8] Abdul Quddus, Helper, Al Asala Manpower and Services LLC | 9] Hind Moosa Yahya Al Harbi, Senior Accounts Assistant, Finance and Accounts Division | 10] Harini Sudeep Padbidri, Assistant Manager - System, Information Service Department | 11] Saji C Chacko, Audit Supervisor, Internal Audit Division | 12] Mubarak Ali Mubarak Al Sabri, Helper, Bilad Oman LLC | 13] Jainul Haris, Foreman, Bahwan Steel and Trading Company LLC.
.........................................................................................
August 2017 1] Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh, Office Boy, Bahwan Travel Agencies LLC | 2] Suresh Sharma, Carpenter, Bahwan Furnishings and Trading LLC | 3] Ruqaia Ghalib Mohammed Al Alawi, Project Co-ordinator, Bahwan Projects and Telecoms LLC | 4] Nitai Baiddya, Erector, Bilad Oman LLC | 5] Jhunu John, Senior Sales Executive, Bahwan Steel and Trading Company LLC | 6] Badriya Salim Said Al Hasani, Call Centre Representative, Bahwan IT LLC | 7] Hussain Ali Abdullah Al Farsi, PSenior Commercial Assistant, Bahwan Building Materials LLC | 8] Parminder Singh, Traffic Controller, Bahwan International Properties LLC | 9] Baroot Mubarak M Al Khamisi, AC Mechanic, Bahwan Electronics LLC | 10] Shiran M N M, Assistant Manager-Networking, Information Service Department | 11] Seetharama Shankara Salian, Foreman, Internal Audit Division | 12] Surendra Vasudevan K R, Admin Executive, Human Resources & Admin. Division.
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
SUHAIL | 05
SUHAIL | Corporate news
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
SUHAIL | 08
SUHAIL | Corporate news
HR And Training Division Conducts a Series of Sales Training programme As part of its continuous efforts to hone selling skills of SBGH sales team HR & Training Department conducted a series of training sessions entitled “Mastering your Sales� during the quarter July to September 2017. This training programe gave an in-depth view of the various sales processes and capabilities as well as ways and means to maximize sales especially during challenging market conditions. The sessions were interactive with participants
sharing their varied experiences and presenting their opinions and suggestions on how to maximize sales. They also appreciated the efforts of HR & Training Department to enhance skills of SBGH employees and asked for more such programes that will help them overcome tough market situations. In response to their requests, HR & Training department is planning to launch various new courses in the coming months.
What they said‌. I think this type of training should be done future for refreshment. There should be more strategic plans to be discussed to cover the market information. The session was excellent. Many buzz words came out from trainer and this type of training will really help and support employees to develop more better than present. It was a good interactive session where we refresh our salesmanship. Thanks for the HR team to conduct such a session. It really help us to know more points which we not aware about it and help us to be in market with positively. Very good initiative by the management to train the sales team during the tough time of the market. Expecting more training to develop sales skills to satisfy the client. Please share us the presentation and materials.
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
SUHAIL | 07
SUHAIL | Know your colleague
Which project / assignment have given you immense job satisfaction? What have you learnt on the job? I have learnt to work under pressure without tension and now I have full confidence to take up any responsibility and complete the work. I am also in the good books of my superiors.
What is your suggestion for work improvement? We should give more attention for training in different areas of accounting and focus on improving staff performance. Employees should also love their work environment, which is considered as their second home. They are responsible for development of work and job performance.
How have your parents influenced your life / career? I am indebted to my parents for what I have achieved so far, through their constant advice and their great support in shaping up my personality. They are the main motivation to my commitment to work. God save them and provide them with health and long life.
How do you spend your leisure time? My favorite hobby is photography and writing with different Arabic fonts. I always spend leisure time with my family and friends.
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
SUHAIL | 10
SUHAIL | Know your colleague
Know your
Colleague ‘‘ I believe in raising the level of one’s speech, not the level of one’s voice. ‘‘
Salma Nasser Abdullah Al Husaini
Please tell us about yourself and your educational qualifications? I was born in Muscat in a family of nine brothers and I am the eighth among them. My father is now a retired employee of the Ministry of Defence and my mother is a housewife. My primary and preparatory studies were in Surur, Sumail region and completed my secondary education at Al Hail Al-Awamer school. Later, I joined computer courses and then I got a professional degree in accounting. I also got a certified international certificate called (CTA).
Can you brief us on your career so far? I worked at Larsen & Toubro Electromechanical Company for four years in the pay roll division and then I joined Suhail Bahwan Group on 13 November, 2012 in the payroll division of our Finance and Accounts department. The reason for my joining SBGH was that I already had similar experience.
What is your functional role? My day-to-day function involves job related to payment of salaries and entitlements to 19 companies in the group. My work also includes clearance of leave and resignations . Our work in the payroll department requires complete confidentiality, accuracy, patience, attention and concentration. Although there are several employees in the section, we all work as a team with one goal, which is to complete the work on time without any delay.
How has been your work experience so far? It has been a great experience working with Suhail Bahwan Group, which is one of the most known companies in the Sultanate of Oman with a high reputation. The company takes care of its employees and encourages them to develop their skills first so that the performance of the company is also good. One experience I gained here is how to raise the level of your speech, not the level of your voice, and how to deal with individuals of different colors and different nationalities to accomplish the tasks entrusted to you.
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
Salma Nasser Abdullah Al Husaini Accounts Executive - Pay roll, Finance and Accounts Division
SUHAIL | 09
SUHAIL | Corporate news
Suhail Bahwan Group supports National Measles Vaccination campaign In support of the second phase of National Measles Immunisation Campaign launched by the Ministry of Health, Suhail Bahwan Group organised a free measles vaccination camp for its employees at its Headquarters Al Rawaq building, Al Qurum. Large number of employees belonging to various companies and their dependents in the age group of 20 to 35 years visited the camp and got their vaccination administered by officials from the Wattaya Health Centre, Ministry of Health, Muscat. The management and staff of Suhail Bahwan Group thanked the Ministry of Health for extending this opportunity to the Group’s employees and praised the Government for the proactive healthcare measures. The measles virus is highly contagious and airborne disease which spreads easily through coughs and sneezes of those infected. Measles can lead to lifethreatening complications, such as pneumonia and inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) and other complications. A preventive dose of measles vaccination will protect people from getting infected by such diseases.
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
SUHAIL | 11
SUHAIL | Company news
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
SUHAIL | 14
SUHAIL | Company news
Know your
Company Modern Information Technology LLC Suhail Bahwan Group Holding has recently acquired MITECH, an Information technology software company that has been operating in Oman for the last 15 years. MITECH is one of the largest Omani software development companies, providing local expertise in the GCC markets with proven record of innovation, performance, delivery and accomplishment. Over the years the company has invested and developed more than eight software IPs (Intellectual Property) that are among the first software IPs from Oman. These awardwinning software and technologies have set the standard for communication and collaboration, bringing vital experiences to government and private entities in Oman. MITECH in Oman has trained and engaged 100+ Omani software professionals in developing and delivering IT products, services and solutions. Currently, MITECH is delivering prestigious software projects of Oman like eVisa system, eCustoms system and eServices for some ministries. MITECH is ISO 9001 & ISO 27001 certified company with dedicated and experienced staff. MITECH has made various strategic partnerships such as ValueLabs – One of the leading IT & eServices solution providers in the world. With the inclusion of MITECH in Suhail Bahwan Group, the company’s brand value has strengthened manifold and is all set to achieve bigger milestones in future.
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
SUHAIL | 13
SUHAIL | Company news
Bahwan IT and McAfee conduct workshop on Intelligent Security Operations Framework Bahwan IT in association with Information Technology Authority (ITA) and McAfee conducted a workshop on “Intelligent Security Operations Framework” in September. The workshop covered latest and advanced information security technologies and various ways of automated and intelligent operations. Mr. Mo Cashman, Director of Enterprise Architecture and principle engineer from McAfee delivered the lecture. Attended by top officials from various ministries, the event was well received and most participants wanted to explore more about McAfee solutions.
..........................................................................................................
Bahwan IT ties-up with ABBYY Oman is going through a digital transformation in both government & private sector and this calls for advanced reliable and latest software applications. To support this rapid growth Bahwan IT has entered into a strategic business partnership with the world-renowned, optical character recognition, document capture and language software ABBYY. With an intent to help customers, ABBY provides a high rate of Arabic character recognition and is known for its success in the region for its capability and accuracy in simplifying and converting paper documents to digital data and further into business data Mr. Dimitry Lenvner of ABBYY paid a visit to Bahwan IT as a part of enablement programes. In a very short time, Bahwan IT team has certified and is equipped to deploy two of main ABBYY’s products – ABBYY – Recognition Server & ABBYY Flexi Capture. Congratulations to Bahwan IT team.
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
SUHAIL | 16
SUHAIL | Company news
Bahwan Healthcareís trade partner visits Oman Mr. Julien Pizzuto, CDG Regional Sales Manager, Europe, Middle-East, Africa Channel Partners from Bio-Rad Inc., one of Bahwan Healthcare Centre’s premium business partners, recently visited Oman and held meetings with BHC senior management to further strengthen the business relations. The team included Mr. Sanjay Suri, General Manager, Mr. Dinesh Chaturvedi, Deputy General Manager, Mr. Trevor Fernandes, Assistant General Manager, Bhawan Healthcare Centre and Mr. Ravinder Soin, Deputy General Manager, Finance & Accounts. Bio-Rad is one of the well-known companies that manufactures and markets a broad range of products and solutions for the life science research and clinical diagnostics markets.
..........................................................................................................
Bahwan IT organises Digital HR Roundtable Bahwan IT along with its partner SAP SuccessFactors and Oman Society of HR Management (OSHRM) organized Digital HR Roundtable for HR Professional community and potential customers recently. Mr. Melek Geveci of SAP SuccessFactors delivered the keynote address. The objective of the Roundtable was how to drive HR transformation in the digital age by putting people first as Digital HR is now the core of next-generation HR strategies. There was panel discussion on “Digital HR” at the end of event comprising SAP executives, OSHRAM members and public/private customers.
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
SUHAIL | 15
SUHAIL | Company news
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
SUHAIL | 18
SUHAIL | Company news
Bahwan IT celebrates Onam with traditional fervour and enthusiasm Once again Bahwan IT celebrated Onam festival with traditional fervour and enthusiasm last month. Organised by Bahwan IT staff members and their families, the programme included dance and songs along with the traditional vegetarian lunch, with elaborately prepared dishes, served on plantain leaves. All participants were dressed up in traditional dress to mark the occasion. Onam is a harvest festival in India particularly in Kerala celebrated with joy and enthusiasm in a very traditional way.
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
SUHAIL | 17
SUHAIL | Know your colleague
business is a bit dull due to challenging market scenario but I am sure by the grace of God we will bounce back like before. And I am ready to give my best at any time.I also urge my other colleagues to strive hard to improve the businesses and help the division to tide over the tough time.
Which responsibility/assignment has given you immense satisfaction? I am the first Omani in BBM, who knew how to use the Oracle system. When BBM migrated to Oracle from the old manual billing system, I single handedly managed to enter more than 50 manual billing books into oracle system in a month’s time. This was a herculean task and was well appreciated by everyone in the division. This one assignment I always remember till I retire from this company.
Any suggestion to improve the work environment? I feel BBM has to be more innovative and creative in showcasing its products on display and promotions. We are not on par with our competitors when it comes to display and promotion of products in our showrooms. So I request the managers to look into this aspect as it will boost our sales if our products are displayed attractively at all our showrooms. This, in turn, will help us to give a tough run to our competitors and help our prospects in the market, which is already feeling the heat due to the current market scenario.
How have your parents supported you in your endeavors? My parents have always supported me through out. They have not let me down at any point of time and they are very supportive. In fact it was my parents who urged me to undergo various courses in computers, English and business and store keeping. They have always encouraged me to learn many new things which have helped me boost my professional growth.
How do you spend your leisure time? I love swimming and playing football whenever I get free time. I also devote equal time to my family. I like travelling and I have been to Thailand, Malaysia, India, Bahrain and the UAE.
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
SUHAIL | 20
SUHAIL | Know your colleague
Know your
Colleague ‘‘ Working at SBGH was always my dream and I achieved it. ‘‘
Nasser Ali Azan Al Muqaimi
Please tell us about yourself I was born in 1975 in the Wilayat of Sur. My father is a fisherman by profession and mother a house wife. I have six brothers and two sisters and I am the third one among them. I am married and blessed with two sons and two daughters.
Brief us on your education qualifications I did my elementary schooling from Abu Bakr Razi and Zubair schools and completed my secondary education from Ahmed Bin Majid School.
Can you brief us on your career so far? From a very young age I dreamt of joining SBGH as it was one of the top business houses in Oman. My dream materialized when I got an opportunity to start my career with the Suhail Bahwan Group in 1995 after I completed my secondary school. I joined as a store keeper for Bahwan Building Materials in Muscat. In 2002, I was promoted as sales executive and transferred to Sur. From then onwards I learnt the nuances of selling and honed my marketing skills and over the years I proved my mettle in my new role. Now, I am the sales manager for BBM in Sur and I look after branches in Jalaan, Ras Al Hadd and Tiwi.
What is your functional role? I am fully responsible for BBM sales and stores in Sur, Jalaan, Ras Al Hadd and Tiwi. I am also in charge of selling Bahwan Steel’s products in these places. I am responsible for showroom displays in all these branches to ensure they attract customers.
How has been your work experience so far?
Nasser Ali Azan Al Muqaimi Branch Manager, Bahwan Building Materials, Sur
After joining SBGH my life has almost come to a full circle. The company has helped me grow professionally at all levels. From now onwards, I want to see my career graph touch a new level and I don’t see myself joining any other place as I want to retire in this company only. At present the
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
SUHAIL | 19
SUHAIL | Company news
Oman Tourism organises training for UK travel agents Bahwan Tourism’s UK representative M/s UPEREPS, attended a training workshop organized by Oman Tourism in August. Around 50 travel agents including all the luxury tour operators attended the training. Bahwan Tourism had an opportunity to meet and discuss with each operator to promote its Oman packages. At the end of the meetings there was an interactive session.
..........................................................................................................
Bahwan Tourism launches new video to promote Oman abroad Bahwan Tourism, in its vigorous push to promote Oman and Bahwan Tourism’s special packages for western and Asian travelers, has recently launched a promotional video. Featuring various stunning landmarks of Oman the video highlights historic villages, forts and souqs, craggy mountains, beautiful wadis and palm plantations, stunning coastlines and vast deserts in a nutshell. The promotional video will be played across various exhibitions, trade fairs, tourism events where Bahwan Tourism and its representative offices take part.
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
SUHAIL | 22
SUHAIL | Company news
Bahwan Tourism Conducts Familiarization Trip for Potential Tour Operators from China China is one of the important fast growing markets in the Far East in the last two years with large number of Chinese tourists exploring new countries. This presents a huge opportunity for the future of the Oman Tourism. To promote Oman as a destination in Chinese market Bahwan tourism has recently appointed a representative in China and also organized a familiarization tour for a group of major Chinese tour operators. The operators were amazed at the beauty and the variety of Oman’s nature and culture.
..........................................................................................................
Bahwan Tourismís pavilion at Japan Tourism Expo creates huge interest among Japanese travelers Bahwan Tourism participated for the first time at Tourism Expo Japan 2017 held at Tokyo International Exhibition Centre during the last week of September. The Bahwan Tourism stand showcasing various stunning landmarks of Oman created huge enthusiasm among Japanese visitors. Mr. Soumava Mukherjee and Mr.Ibrahim Rashid Sulaiman Al Kharusi represented Bahwan Tourism at the expo while Mr. Mohammed Al Riyami from Oman’s Ministry of Tourism was also present, which was an added advantage. Most visitors to the Bahwan Toursim stand, for whom Oman was a new destination, liked the landscape of Oman mixed with deserts, mountains and wadis and sought more details to visit the country. Some of them, who have heard about Oman, enquired visiting Salalah, Khasab and Zighy Bay. For Japanese, who are generally known as frequent travelers and high spenders, this was a good opportunity to explore a new destination like Oman. Most of the Japanese tour operators also evinced keen interest in organising group tours to Oman. Congratulations to Bahwan Tourism for exploring new territories!
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
SUHAIL | 21
SUHAIL | Company news
Bahwan Tourism India rep. attends Sales & Destination Promotion Meeting Clique India, Bahwan Tourism’s representative for South and West India attended a sales meeting and destination promotion event in Hyderabad to promote Oman as a destination among the agents in the state of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. There were 50 to 60 important agents with whom Clique India rep met during the meeting and elaborated on Bahwan Tourism’s packages.
..........................................................................................................
Bahwan Travels participates in UKís Middle East tourism event The Unite Middle East event is one of the popular events to promote the Middle East in the western market. Bahwan Tourism’s UK Representative M/s SUPEREPS took part in the event and met potential tour operators that showed particular interest in Oman. Bahwan Tourism showcased several tailor-made packages at the event which has generated lots of enquiry among other tour operators. Omani lunch was organized during the event which was appreciated by the participants.
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
SUHAIL | 24
SUHAIL | Company news
Swimming with sharks Bahwan Tourism along with Sea Oman promoted Swimming with Sharks event in September. Mr. Pierre Frolla, a free-diving world record holder, guided several groups of divers near to Damniyat Island to get a thrilling experience of swimming with whale sharks in close proximity.
..........................................................................................................
Skysouq.com participates in harvest festival ĂŹ OnamĂŽ Our online travel portal Skysouq.com recently took part in the Onam celebrations organized by the Malayalam Wing of the Indian Social Club, in September. The Skysouq team interacted with the guests creating an awareness about Skysouq.com portal and encouraged them to register for special offers.
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
SUHAIL | 23
SUHAIL | Know your colleague
expectations of the group. My love for the work has increased and changed my life to aspire for the best.
Which project / assignment have given you immense job satisfaction? What have you learnt on the job? When a colleague in the shipping department submitted his resignation, the management needed someone in his place to take care of the person’s job. Despite the pressure in my current job, I asked my superiors to give that responsibility so that I can gain more experience and learn new skills. I encountered many difficulties in the beginning but I overcame all challenges. I managed that job very well and earned the trust of my superiors.
What is your suggestion for work improvement? We need to attend several accounting courses because this field requires being precise in numbers and more focused. The courses and training will help employees to improve their work performance and achieve customer satisfaction.
What is your ambition in life/ future plans? My aspiration is to continue my studies and get a bachelor’s degree in accounting in order to move up in my career ladder and reach higher positions. I believe success in life is achieved only by ambition but reaching the goal is not easy and it requires more efforts and time. But nothing is impossible if you have the determination and will power.
How have your parents influenced your life / career? After the death of my father, my mother took care of me and my sisters and I was supporting her by working in temporary jobs. She has been a great inspiration to me and my sisters. Thankfully I have a good job at Suhail Bahwan Group to continue supporting her.
How do you spend your leisure time? My favorite hobby is to organize family trips. I also like cooking and reading stories and novels because it brings comfort and reassurance to me.
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
SUHAIL | 26
SUHAIL | Know your colleague
Know your
Colleague ‘‘ Success in life is achieved only by ambition and nothing is impossible if you have the determination and will power.‘‘ Saada Khamis Thani Al Kiumi
Please tell us about yourself and your educational qualifications? I was born in Muscat Governorate; I am the first child in our family of five sisters. My father passed away and my mother is working in a private company. I did my primary education at Darsait Primary School and completed preparatory and secondary education at Nusseibeh Bent Ka’ab School. After my secondary education, I pursued degree programme in computer skills and later stared working with Polyglot Institute.
Can you brief us on your career so far? I joined Suhail Bahwan Group on 4 May, 2011 in the accounting department of Bahwan Logistics. It was a good opportunity for me to acquire new skills and experience. I am enjoying my every day work.
What is your functional role? My work in the accounting department involves preparation of data for the invoices submitted by suppliers and check documents submitted with invoice for purchases and expenses, such as the origin of purchase invoice and copies of the supplier’s delivery authorization. I review and reconcile documents in full by checking and comparing each document to ensure the integrity of documents and present them with attachments to the accountant for review once again. The deputy head of accounts checks and forwards to head of accounts for authorizing cheque issuance. Once the cheques are ready I communicate to suppliers to collect the same.
How has been your work experience so far? After I joined Suhail Bahwan group I learned that a person should always aspire for better. Since I was the first woman employee to work in Bahwan logistics I was very shy and it had an impact on my job initially. But now, thanks to God and the encouragement of my colleagues, I managed to overcome shyness soon and I am very good at my work now. This has also earned me the best employee award in 2015. This recognition has encouraged me to continue to succeed and achieve the
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
Saada Khamis Thani Al Kiumi Junior Officer, Accounts, Bahwan Logistics
SUHAIL | 25
SUHAIL | Company news
Bahwan Projects and Telecoms provides training to clients Bahwan Projects and Telecoms who are the exclusive representative for Leica products in Oman, recently conducted a training on Leica Viva GS14 GPS systems to M/s Serka –MSF, a Turkish company, for Duqm Port project and infrastructure. The three-day operational training, given to consultants and surveyors in the Duqm port area, covered various applications using the GPS systems and equipment at site.
..........................................................................................................
Bahwan Projects and Telecoms engineers undergo training by NEC NEC, an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) leader, recently conducted a Certified Training Course for BPT engineers on high end IP PBX UNIVERGE SV9100 –a Unified Communications engine at SBGH. The training was provided by NEC experts from Netherlands to BPT’s engineers, who had already cleared Level1 test conducted online by NEC. Normally the 5 days certified class room training is conducted only at Netherlands Training Center. Our engineers successfully completed and passed the exam and got certified on UNIVERGE® SV8900 – a Unified Communications engine and a key component of NEC’s UNIVERGE architecture, supporting the widest range of state-of-theart applications that enables us to implement business strategies.
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
SUHAIL | 28
SUHAIL | Company news
BPT completes major projects for Oman Broadband Company on time Bahwan Projects Telecoms recently completed three major projects on time for Oman Broadband Company (OBC). The projects involved broadband infrastructure and network installation in Azaiba , Madinath Al Illam and Wadi Adai areas covering 18240 users and another 20600 users progressively, as per stirct OBC standards and QHSE plan. Oman Broadband Company is the specially-created organisation to deploy broadband in the Sultanate of Oman for a full coverage of broadband networks by 2020. The entire country will be covered by broadband by 2040.
..........................................................................................................
Bahwan Projects and Telecom undertakes test and survey at PDO contract sites As part of its contractual obligations, Bahwan Projects and Telecom conducts survey of all its Oil and Gas projects before and after the award of the contract. Professional engineers and technicians from BPT conducted detailed testing of fiber optic cabling, splicing and the termination of the telecom system at a PDO site recently. The BPT team also does installation supervision, pre and post installation for all telecom systems before handing over to clients.
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
SUHAIL | 27
SUHAIL | Company news
Bahwan Building Materials launches Asala brand sanitaryware and tiles Bahwan Building Materials (BBM) frecently launched a new brand of sanitaryware and tiles in the Omani market. Titled Asala, the product range includes water closets, wash basins and sanitary ware for special needs. The high quality vitreous sanitaryware, manufactured in Sohar, comes in six variants with simple, yet elegant and highly functional designs, and most importantly stands for durability at affordable prices. The Asala brand tiles range include 60*60 mm Digital Porcelain Floor Tiles in Glossy and Matt Finish and are available in as many as 18 simple and elegant designs to choose from. The highly durable, quality products conforming to international standards are manufactured in the state-of-the-art factories in Oman and India and are very affordable. Congratulations BBM team!!
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
SUHAIL | 30
SUHAIL | Company news
Bahwan Electronics launches Titanís smart watch in Oman Bahwan Electronics, the exclusive distributor of Titan Watches in Oman, launched Titan’s Fastrack Reflex smart watch recently in the presence of a large number of dealers and traders from across Oman. The Reflex smart watch comes with an OLED screen, which enables users to be notified of incoming calls, texts and lets the wearer keep track of their physical activities and calories consumed. The band can store up to 15 days of exercise data, keep track of sleep patterns, and is fully equipped with a sedentary reminder, which notifies users if they have been stationary for long intervals. The band is compatible with iOS 8/Android 4.4 and above. The Reflex smartwatch comes in three colour variants – Purple, Black and Blue and is available with all watch dealers and supermarkets across Oman.
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
SUHAIL | 29
..........................................................................................................
SBGH in the NEWS
SUHAIL | Kaleidoscope
Old ad -1974
New ad - 2017
Past and Present Our Group has been advertising four the past 50+ years. It is interesting to see how the advertisements have evolved over the period in tune with technology and trends. Here we present you a selection of some old and new advertisements that we published in newspapers.
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
SUHAIL | 33
SUHAIL | Kaleidoscope application that will have an interaction with external world and Internet of Things (IOT) What are the areas that one should focus in terms of ensuring Cyber Security? In an overall perspective, the following are the areas to be focused to ensure appropriate protection from cybercrimes: Application security: These are methods to protect applications from external threats using operational procedures with a combination of software and hardware to avoid any malicious codes from exploiting/disrupting the application. Information security: A set of strategies for managing the processes, tools and policies that are necessary to prevent, detect, document and counter-threat cyber-intrusion to protect digital and non-digital information. Network security: A set of policies and practices adopted to prevent and monitor unauthorized access, misuse, modification, or denial of a computer network and network-accessible resources. Operational security: Any analytical process used to classify information assets and determine the controls required to protect is termed as operational security. End-user education: All end users should be provided with awareness and training on how to handle in case a threat is visible at the end-user level. Disaster recovery / business continuity planning: This refers to a documented, structured approach with instructions for responding to unplanned incidents and a plan-document consisting of critical information an organization needs to continue operating during an unplanned event. Conclusions With the advancement in technology, the presence of hackers and other cybersecurity threats are also on the rise. In order for individuals and corporations to protect their information online, it is important for security precautions to be taken.
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
SUHAIL | 36
SUHAIL | Kaleidoscope
Cybersecurity A Concern of Everybody The ever-evolving digital age poses increasing challenges to cybersecurity more than people realize. Of late, the rate of cybercrimes has grown exponentially in consistent with the growth of technology. As technology expands and develops, so do the cybercrimes; thus the need for cybersecurity. What is Cybersecurity? Cybersecurity is the protection of computer systems from theft or damage to their hardware, software or information, as well as from disruption or misdirection of services they provide. It also includes controlling physical access to the hardware as well as protecting against harm that may come via network access, data and code injection. The increasing reliance on computer systems and the Internet, wireless networks and the growth of “smart� devices are expanding its periphery every day. What are the considerations? The ambit of cybersecurity is literally everything that comes under a computer network wired or wirelessly. However, these can broadly be grouped in a few categories such as Hardware level, Enterprise Application level, End Point/End User level, End Point devices, Mobile devices level, Internet of Things (IOT) When does one need to think about Cybersecurity? Always before deploying any kind of network with any
July-September 2017 | Issue 14
SUHAIL | 35
ذاكرة ال تن�سى...
�شهدت جمموعة �سهيل بهوان ،خالل خم�سون عاما من تاريخها ،العديد من الأحداث واملنا�سبات واللحظات امل�ضيئة التي ال تن�سى مهما مرت عليها ال�سنني ،وكثري من تلك الأحداث مت ت�صويرها واحلفاظ عليها لتكون نربا�سا للأجيال القادمة. ويف هذا العدد من جملتنا نقدم لكم عددا من ال�صور النادرة لرئي�س جمل�س �إدارة املجموعة ال�شيخ �سهيل بهوان �أثناء لقائه بعدد من ال�شخ�صيات العامة يف منا�سبات خمتلفة.
Down the Memory Lane…. During the course of Suhail Bahwan Group’s 50 years’ history, we have come across several events/ occasions and landmarks many of which have been photographed and preserved for posterity. In this issue, we present you with a set of rare photographs of our Chairman Sheikh Suhail Bahwan on various occasions.