IN-HOUSE NEWSLETTER OF SUHAIL BAHWAN GROUP VOLUME 05 | ISSUE 17 APRIL/JUNE 2018
FROM THE VICE CHAIRPERSONíS DESK Dear Colleagues Welcome to the second quarter 2018 edition of Suhail, our Group’s newsletter. The blessed month of Ramadan followed by Eid celebrations has just passed by. I was glad to see hundreds of our employees and their family members attending the Iftar/Futoor event hosted by us. The event once again reiterates our Group’s “One company… One Family” motto. 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
The past quarter has been quite a busy one - both on business side as well as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) side. Bahwan Logistics has bagged two prestigious contracts recently in a stiff competition from international and local bidders to transport huge-size pipelines. MiTech, the latest addition to our Group has recently launched e-Services for the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources, enabling Oman to move further towards digital world. Bahwan IT, along with its three new principals it represents, took part in Comex, the Sultanate’s biggest and most popular IT expo thereby giving huge brand visibility and reaching out to potential customers. On the CSR front, our Projects and Interior Design Division has successfully completed and handed over the pedestrian walkway bridge connecting the Royal Hospital and the Oman Diabetes Centre across the road. Constructed at a cost of around OMR 1 Million, the bridge is a charity project donated by our Chairman Sheikh Suhail Bahwan to the Royal Hospital, Muscat. Enjoy reading the issue.
Amal Suhail Bahwan
Contents
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Vice Chairperson visits Dubai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . to oversee projects Hungary’s top government official . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . meets with Vice Chairperson Projects and Interiors Design Completes Foot Over Bridge at Royal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hospital Campus Employees and customers enjoy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Futoor
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06 07-08 Skysouq.com rewards winners of 19 competition from Oman Tourism College Bahwan Logistics secures major 25 projects from Oil & Gas sector DHL Top Officials visit Vice Chairperson 26 Bahwan IT showcases new technologies 28 and solutions at Comex 2018 Blockchain-The next in IoT 37-38
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SUHAIL | Corporate news
Hungaryís top government official meets with Vice Chairperson H.E. Szilveszter Bus, Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade of Hungary, recently visited SBGH headquarters and met with our Vice Chairperson Sheikha Amal Suhail Bahwan. He was accompanied by Mr. István Krizsák, Commercial & Economic Attaché, Embassy of Hungary in Riyadh. During the meeting Mr. Bus highlighted the friendly relations between Oman and Hungary and was happy to note that the Hungarian embassy has chosen Al Rawaq to locate their embassy. The embassy is expected to open its offices around September 2018.
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Biman Bangladesh Chairman meets Vice Chairperson Biman Bangladesh Chairman Mr. Muhammad Enamul Bari was in Muscat, Oman and met with our Vice Chairperson Sheikha Amal Suhail Bahwan. During the meeting, they discussed the ongoing business partnership between Biman Bangladesh and Bhawan Travels that represents the airline. He was accompanied by Mr. Irteza,Oman Country Manager for Biman Bangladesh and Mr. Gururaj, General Manager, Bahwan Travels.
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SUHAIL | Corporate news
Vice Chairperson visits Dubai to oversee projects Utmost Properties, Dubai, one of our Group companies, to which our Vice Chairperson Sheikha Amal Bahwan is a board member, has recently completed three residential projects and started a new commercial project on Sheikh Zayed Road. Sheikha Amal Bahwan recently visited Dubai to look at the completed projects and to take stock of the progress of the new projects. She was accompanied by Mr. N. Pandalai, Chief Operations Officer and Mr. K B Kannan Deputy General Manager of Utmost Properties, who briefed her on the projects.
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SUHAIL | Corporate news
Projects and Interiors Design Completes Foot Over Bridge at Royal Hospital Campus Our SBGH Projects and Interiors Design division has recently completed and handed over a newly completed foot over bridge (FOB) at the Royal hospital campus, Muscat. Constructed at an estimated cost of around OMR 1 Million, the FOB is a charity project donated by our Chairman Sheikh Suhail Bahwan to Royal Hospital, Oman. The 3 meter wide bridge built on the Al Ghubrah Street is 111 metres long and links the Royal Hospital premises with the Oman Diabetic Centre located on the opposite side. It is fully air-conditioned and can be accessed from both sides by lifts as well as stairs. Consisting of state-of-the-art safety and comfort features, the bridge will be a great relief not only for shifting patients as well as for visitors wishing to commute between the two premises without the need for crossing the road. Built entirely of steel, aluminum and glass facades, this unique bridge is a structural design challenge and exemplifies the marvel of engineering and constructional abilities of the nation. Kudos to Ashok Saproo and his team!!
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SUHAIL | Corporate news
Senior officials from Panalpina meet Vice Chairperson Mr. Gaurav Ananya Regional BP Key Account Manager and Mr. Rafic Mecattaf - Regional CEO for Middle East, Africa & CIS of Panalpina, one of our major logistics partners, visited Oman recently and met with our Vice Chairperson Sheikha Amal Suhail Bahwan. Accompanied by Mr. Ajay Sachdev, General Manager and Mr. Sanjeev Seth, Senior Manager Bahwan Logistics, the visitors discussed the ongoing business relations between Bahwan Logistics and Panalpina as well as further strengthening the business.
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Top executives from Indian IT and corporate training institution meet Vice Chairperson Three executives from Vinsys International, India a globally acclaimed individual and corporate training provider in Information Technology, IT Service Management, IT Governance, came to Oman and met with our Vice Chairperson Sheikha Amal Suhail Bahwan recently. Mr. Vikrant Patil, CEO & MD, Mrs Vinaya Patil , CFO, and ‎Mr. Satish Kumar, Business Head, accompanied by Mr. Anil Kumar, General Manager,Bahwan IT discussed business prospects with our Vice Chairperson.
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SUHAIL | Corporate news
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SUHAIL | Corporate news
Employees and customers enjoy Futoor Celebrating the spirit of holy month of Ramadan, under the auspices of our Vice Chairperson Sheikha Amal Suhail Bahwan, Futoor was hosted for our employees and customers of its group companies. Spread over three days, the Futoor also marked as an occasion to show the Group’s appreciation and reaffirm its long standing relationship with its customers from the travel industry, oil and gas, telecom and other sectors. Hundreds of employees and customers of the Group’s companies attended the event underscoring the Group’s “One Team… One family…” spirit. Mr. Abdul Samad Al Balushi from Human Resources and Administration Division said, “Fasting together during the holy month of Ramadan is a very spiritual experience. The feeling of happiness when we all break our fast together is indescribable. I would like to thank Sheikha Amal Bahwan for hosting Iftar every year for our employees.” Added Ibrahim Rashid from Bahwan Travels, “Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan is more than just skipping meals; it’s about being altogether a better person in our reflections, actions and interactions. I really enjoyed the Iftar together with my colleagues from other group companies and customers.” Mr. Kasim MMM from Bahwan Electronics said, “It was a great occasion and employees were very happy to attend such group Iftar along with colleagues. We should continue with such functions as it creates unity and family-friendly atmosphere in the organization. Added Dr Ghouse Ahmed Khan from Legal Services division, “It is the month in which the Holy Quran was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH); as such the spirit of Ramadan stays in our heart and illuminates our soul within. Our sincere gratitude to our generous management and we do pray to the Almighty to reward them in a fitting manner.”
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SUHAIL | Corporate news
loyees of the Month
June 2018 1] Abdul Hameed Ahamad, Helper, HR and Administration Division | 2] Ashok Kumar Samikannu, Senior Executive Sales, Bahwan Projects & Telecom LLC | 3] Bilal Abdul Hameed Tambe, Foreman, Internal Audit Division | 4] Amjad Jaffer Abdul Rahman Al Raisi, Bio Medical Technician, Bahwan Healthcare Center LLC | 5] Krishna Bhanu Haldankar, Detailer, Bilad Oman LLC | 6] Harindrababu Puthan Purayil, Charge Hand, Bahwan Furnishings & Trading LLC | 7] Shajith Bin Ummer, Sales Officer, Bahwan Electronics LLC | 8] Ma Katrina Cunanan Mallari, Jr.Officer-Ticketing, Bahwan Travel Agencies LLC | 9] Muthla Mohd Ahmed Al Wahabi, Executive, Information Service Department | 10] Nandavar Naveen Prabhu, Manager, Finance and Accounts Division | 11] Krishna Nand, Traffic Controllers, Bahwan International Properties | 12] Sunil John, Foreman, Bahwan Building Materials LLC.
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Bahwan IT Inernship
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Distinguished Emp
April 2018 1] Mohammad Jawed, Carpenter, Bahwan Furnishings and Trading LLC | 2] Murugesan Sivagnanam, Site Engineer, Bahwan Projects and Telecoms LLC | 3] Samir Ramdhan Jaffar Al Zadjali, Merchandiser, Bahwan Healthcare Center LLC | 4] Waleed Yasser A Al Hiddabi, Hardware Supervisor, Bahwan IT LLC | 5] Arif Azan Suliman Al Harthi, Ticketing Assistant, Bahwan Travel Agencies LLC | 6] Sagar Suresh Sawant, Detailer, Bilad Oman LLC | 7] Saada Khamis Thani Al Kiumi, Jr. Officer-Accounts, Bahwan Logistics LLC | 8] Santosh Kumar Achari, AC Mechanic, Bahwan Electronics LLC | 9] Varghese K Skariah, Assistant Manager, Internal Audit Division | 10] Sayyed Abid Ali, Accounts Executive, Finance and Accounts Division | 11] Venkatesha Perumal Kannan, Housekeeping Executive, Bahwan International Properties LLC | 12] Shahbaz Ahmed, Electrician, Al Asala Manpower & Services LLC | 13] Varkey George, ORACLE-Apps Techno-Functional Professional, Information Services Department.
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May 2018 1] Dinesh Kumar Karuthedath, Commercial Executive, Bahwan Healthcare Center LLC | 2] Ali Salim Hamood Al Harthy, Loading & Unloading Worker, Bahwan Projects & Telecoms LLC | 3] Sagar Ajit Karulkar, Customer Support Engineer, Bahwan IT LLC | 4] Biju Charaparambil, CNC Programmer, Bahwan Furnishings & Trading LLC | 5] Mohammed Abdul Hafeez, Asst. Manager, Bahwan Travel Agencies LLC | 6] Asghar Shareef, Erection Engineer, Bilad Oman LLC | 7] Dilip Pathak, Merchandiser, Bahwan Electronics LLC | 8] Yousuf Yaqoob Yousuf Al Maimani, Senior Assistant-Warehouse, Bahwan Logistics LLC | 9] Khalifa Nasser Khalfan Al Fahdi, Office Clerk, Bahwan International Properties LLC | 10] Abdul Hameed, Foreman, Internal Audit Division | 11] Teddy Martin, Manager, Finance & Accounts Division | 12] Nishanth Frederick Noble, Deputy Manager, HR & Admin Division | 13] Nasima Issa Bashouk Al Balushi, Senior Assistant-Operations, Information Services Department | 14] Samiya Nasser Suliman Al Hinaai, Counter Sales Girl, Bahwan Building Materials LLC.
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SUHAIL | Know your colleague doesn’t become reality though magic; it takes sweat, determination and successful woman should be an open-minded family who hard work”. trust her and not the society. My mother has been the motivational force behind us to achieve what we wanted Any specific experience that has given you immense job and my father had already secured our family financially satisfaction? before his demise. I have two instances to remember; during my tenure with Al Jazeera How do you spend your leisure time? Investment, I was given the task of organizing a major symposium on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) that involved Ministry of Commerce, I do watch a lot of Youtube videos about self-development, American Embassy and E-Oman. It was challenging but I did that videos about how to learn yourself and be updated on new technologies and trends that will help you groom your successfully and got the appreciation of my superiors. career and character. Apart from this, I love travelling and The best so far has been at SBGH, when I got selected to be a team sometimes I do work out. member of the 2016 Workshop of Youth Delegation from Arab States organized by China Diplomatic Academy in China (Beijing & Chengdu) to represent Oman in China. The team, consisting of members from various Arab Countries, took part in several workshops and visits in Beijing and Chengdu. The experience was a mind opener for me; it brought out a lot of talents and qualities hidden in me. Thanks to SBGH for giving me this wonderful opportunity.
What is your opinion about SBGH? It’s like a family when I work here; I feel completely safe and encouraging. From security to the top level everyone welcomes you with a smile, which gives such a positive energy to me.
What is your ambition? How do you see yourself in next five years? I would like to complete my ACCA and reach higher levels, step-by-step. I can foresee a lot of improvements that will shape up my career and as well as my personality in the next five years.
What is that you would like to share with your colleagues? As Omanis, we have to take lot more responsibilities by learning and educating ourselves. We need to take more active part in growing our country’s economy to international level. To achieve that we need to put in extra efforts with hard work, sincerity and determination.
What is the role of your parents in shaping up your career and personality? My parents have been my pillars of strength. Behind every independent &
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SUHAIL | Know your colleague
Know your
Colleague ‘‘ Behind every independent & successful woman should be an open-minded family who trust her and not the society ‘‘
Sameera Al Zadjali
Please tell us about yourself. I was born in Al Hail to a beautiful family consisting of my beloved parents, 4 brothers & my sister, but currently we all live in Al Mabelah. My father was a businessman but passed away when I was just 8 years old. My mother is a homemaker under whose care we all grew up with full support from my grandparents & uncles.
What about your schooling and higher education? I did my primary, secondary and higher secondary education in Government schools in Al Mabelah. Then I completed my Higher Diploma in Finance from Gulf College.
Tell us about early career and how you joined SBGH? I started my career as a general accountant in 2010 with Unigaz LLC, a gas bottling and distribution company. In 2012, I moved to Al Jazeera Global Services & Investment LLC as an accountant. One day, towards the end of 2013, I was pleasantly surprised when I received a call from HR and Admin of our Group, who had seen my CV in a recruitment website and here I am working with SBGH Finance and Accounts since then.
Can you brief us on your career so far with SBGH and your functional roles? I started off as an Accounts Officer with Payables section and within a year I learnt a lot with the help of my colleagues and superiors. By God’s grace, I proved that I am a reliable member of staff and got promoted as an Accounts Executive. Today, I am even involved in the preparation of MIS report which is considered as a major task. In addition, my current function involves doing payments, accounting of invoices and coordinating with division as well as principles.
How has been your journey so far? Initially, I had very limited knowledge of accounts but I believed in hard work and sincerity and I was lucky to have good people around me who taught and encouraged me that today I feel very confident. I always put myself first and front in accepting work without even looking at the watch and work after office hours and weekends if required. I am a believer of “A dream
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Sameera Al Zadjali Accounts Executive, Finance and Accounts
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SUHAIL | Corporate news
Projects and Interiors Design Division Completes New Building Complex at Ibri In another feather to its cap, Our SBGH Projects and Interiors Design division has proudly completed a new commercial cum residential building in Ibri. Built at an estimated cost of around OMR 2.6 million, the building complex has a total built-up area of around 11,250 Sqm with basement and five floors. The building consists of a four-storeys-high landscaped central courtyard surrounded by open corridors for access. The entire project has been built by high quality materials duly supplied by the group companies. The commercial area is around 2,400 Sqm that has been designed to ensure footfalls are universally distributed across the entire floor. Besides commercial area, the building has 40 apartments of two and three bedrooms with basement parking for residents. The apartments are spaciously laid out and ensure natural ventilation and lighting for all corners. All the apartments boast of plug and play IT and cable services. The aesthetics of the building has been consciously designed keeping in mind the local architecture as well as the general trends of the country without compromising on the modern aspects of healthy and safe living. The building promises to be a landmark for the city of Ibri and shall be a proud possession for our Group. Congratulations to Ashok and his team!!
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SUHAIL | Company news Bilad Oman offers comprehensive structural steel and PEB requirements packages from design, detailing, manufacturing and surface treatment to erection of the steel components for various industrial sectors such as oil and gas structures, petrochemical complexes, cement manufacturing complexes, hangars, warehouses, logistics centres, multi-level car parks, ports, dry docks, power and desalination plants, industrial and commercial buildings. They also have a wide portfolio of experience in manufacturing structures such as: jetties, pedestrian bridges, exhaust units Steel Structures for gas turbines, and girders for cranes. Some of the major turnkey projects in the Gulf region that Bilad Oman has successfully competed are; Sohar Refinery - Oman, Oman Refinery- Muscat, Oman, Oman Methanol Plant- Sohar, Ministry of Transport JettySohar, Oman India Fertiliser Plant- Sur, Oman, Sohar International Urea and Chemical IndustriesSohar, Oman, Dolphin Energy Limited- Qatar, Ras Laffan Power Plant- Qatar, Tabouk Power Plant- Saudi Arabia to name a few. Currently Bilad Oman is engaged in a major contract to fabricate and erect complete steel structure for the upcoming “Oman Across Ages Museum� in Nizwa Commissioned by the Royal Court Affairs.
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SUHAIL | Company news
Know your
Company Bilad Oman LLC
Bilad Oman is one of the largest structural fabrication companies in the Sultanate of Oman specializing in design, fabrication and erection of PEBs [Pre-Engineered Buildings] and structural steel works. Commencing operations in 1985 with a modest fabrication factory at Rusayl Industrial Estate, Bilad Oman has today grown into a 2,000 MT/month steel fabrication company with a 20,000 sq.mtr modern plant in a plot area of 50,000 sq.mtr at Sohar Industrial Estate. Bilad Oman offers a comprehensive steel structure package from design, detailing, procurement, manufacturing and surface treatment to erection of steel components for different types of steel structures. As an ISO 9001:2008-certified company, Bilad Oman has an end-to-end Oracle and Steel Master systems controlling all processes as well as quality management system maintaining high industry standards. Bilad Oman has an enviable reputation as a leading manufacturer of high quality and cost-effective steel buildings and structures having supplied over 125,000 metric tons of fabricated-steel in Oman and other GCC countries over the past 30 years. Oman is dotted with several prestigious projects associated with Bilad Oman.
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SUHAIL | Know your colleague Which project or assignment has given you immense job satisfaction, and what have you learnt on the job? When I joined the tickets and booking department, I had no background or experience in ticketing or booking. But with my love for work, I learnt quickly by challenging many difficulties and even managed to compete with my colleagues. Today I am well versed in reservations and ticketing department. Some of the difficulties I faced were due to some travelers almost missing their flights because some airlines had changed the dates/timings of the flights and travellers were not aware of these changes. I had to immediately rush to the airport and manage to re-book their tickets in other airlines and ensured they enjoyed their vacation. These instances have earned lots of appreciation from my superiors.
Is there any suggestion to improve work environment at SBGH? There are changes keep happening in the booking and travel systems and technologies and we need to do updated ourselves with courses in order to develop our career to be relevant in the vast market. Employees should also be trained on how to handle and attract customers and sell our travel products and services.
What is your ambition in life‌ Future plans? Any employee would be seeking to upgrade in his field; I also want to reach higher position in my career. From what I learned from Suhail Bahwan group over these years, my goal is to achieve profits for the company, which I consider as my second home.
How have your parents influenced your life/career? My father and mother, May Allah have mercy on them, were my main supporters and I have learned many good qualities; from patience and perseverance to progress and success.
How do you spend your leisure time? My favourite hobby is football and I practice it continuously. I also spend quality time with my family and my children. Sometimes I do work out.
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SUHAIL | Know your colleague
Know your
Colleague ‘‘ If you love your work you can challenge any difficulties and win ‘‘ Khalfan Al Fazary Please tell us about yourself. I was born in the Wilayat of Saham in Al Batinah north governorate in 1971. I am the seond in the family of eight brothers and sisters.
Brief us on your educational background and initial career. I completed my preparatory and primary education from Othman bin Abad al-Aussi School in the Wiliyat of Saham. Then I completed my secondary education from Yareb School. After that I joined the Technical and Administrative Training Institute and specialized in business administration. I joined Suhail Bahwan Group in 1992 with Bahwan Travels in their accounting department.
What is your functional role? I work as an assistant manager with Bahwan Travel Services and I am responsible for booking air tickets for top officials in the government sectors, embassy officials and private sectors. Also, I book tickets for employees of several government departments, arrange local transport and hotel reservations. In addition, I arrange reservations for tourists to travel outside Oman.
How has been your work experience so far? Since I joined Suhail Bahwan Group, I have benefited with vast experience of being with the group for twenty-six years. During these years I have worked in many positions starting with accounting department where I worked for two years. This is where I learned how to enter and store invoices and other basic travel booking jobs. Then I moved to management department and there I learned how to deal with staff and the quality of work assigned to people. I have gained a very fruitful experience in travel industry with my long experience with Bahwan Travels.
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Khalfan Al Fazary Assistant Manager, Bahwan Travel Services
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SUHAIL | Company news
Bahwan Tourism Inbound Division Participates in Frankfurt travel show Bahwan Tourism Inbound Division participated in IMEX, Frankfurt in May 2018, represented by Mr. Subrat Mishra, National Sales Manager – Inbound and Ms. Yousra Al Busaidi, Executive – Inbound. IMEX is the platform to meet Incentive Houses worldwide to get MICE business. Division has been successfully attending IMEX for last 2 years and has been generating good volume of business
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Italian Tourism Companies visit Oman In continuation of the fruitful discussions BTA held with EL MUND Tourism and Guiding Services at the ITB Berlin expo 11 potential tour operators from Italy recently visited Oman to promote Oman back in Italy. Premium Italian travel operators like Viaggi Nuova Era Bologna Incentive House, Viaggi d’Amare Conegliano, BIOS TOUR Padova, Movida Viaggi Montebelluna Lufthansa City Centre etc. met with BTA officials and discussed getting bookings through BTA partner EL MUND.
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SUHAIL | Company news
Skysouq.com rewards winners of competition from Oman Tourism College Skysouq.com recently presented certificates of merit and cash reward to three students from Oman Tourism College, who won an innovative competition organized by them. Sheikha Amal Suhail Bahwan, Vice Chairperson of Suhail Bahwan Group presented the certificates of merit and the reward to the first prize winner Ms. Mariya Madid Nasser Madid Al Dhuhli, Ms. Nabila Rasool Bakhsh Mahmood Al Balushi, who won the second prize and Ms. Salma Al Ramadhani, who won the third prize. The initiative was organized as part of corporate social responsibilities of the Group by adopting programmes and providing opportunities that help young Omanis to hone their skills and thus supply qualified Omanis to the employment market.
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SUHAIL | Company news
Bahwan Healthcare joins hands with Ministry of Health to organize Hematology workshop The Ministry of Health (MoH) in collaboration with Bahwan Healthcare Centre (BHC) recently organized a one-day workshop on “Hematology Updates” under the supervision of Dr.Manal Ragab, Regional Lab Supervisor at Bowsher polyclinic, Muscat. The scientific workshop was aimed at public healthcare technicians emphasizing on quality control and values. BHC’s application specialist Selvakumar Sundramurthy gave a presentation on Sysmex 3 part Hematology Analyzers explaining the measuring principle, QC validation & interpretation of results. The event was a great success as nearly 60 Lab technicians from various MOH health facilities came together and gained knowledge with the latest updates in the field of Hematology.
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Bahwan Healthcare Centre launches LipogemsÖ the blockbuster in regenerative treatment of Osteoarthritis Bahwan Healthcare Centre recently introduced Lipogems an innovative system of regenerative medicine for individuals suffering from spinal conditions, joint pain, arthritis, or rotator cuff tears, just to name a few. The treatment option employs a precisely engineered device to create an injectable tissue made from patients own adipose tissue that can be used to provide cushioning and support as patients’ body heals. As the number of osteoarthritis patients increasing in Oman, the Lipogems will be a better option for the patients in early stages of osteoarthritis. Lipogems is a patented innovation by Lipocast, Italy.
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SUHAIL | Company news
BTA meets travels operators of Netherlands and France to increase business opportunities Bahwan Tourism Inbound Division went for a market visit to the Netherlands and France in June to meet with existing as well as potential new partners to boost business for BTA. Mr. Subrat Mishra, National Sales Manager – Inbound and Mr. Suresh Sankar, Senior Executive – Inbound met with several officials including Ms. Rania Khodr, Director France, Oman Tourism Office, Mr. Francois, Director, SAFRAN RP, Representative of Bahwan Tourism, Ms. Charonne in het Veld-Oling / Product Manager, ITG Companies, s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, Mr. Herman Owner of Djoser, the Netherlands and Ms. Martine Heijmen Manager, Product, Djoser, Leiden, the Netherlands.
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Bahwan Travels wins ì Top Sellerî award from Oceandusk Oceandusk, a leading B2B hotel booking platform, awarded Bahwan Travels as the top seller in Oman for the year 2017. Mr. Wasim Din, Managing Director of Oceandusk Group, presented the award to the BTA Outbound Team in June 2018 in Oman .
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SUHAIL | Company news
Bahwan Healthcare Centre Pharmacist Participates in Train ñ The - Trainer Smart Pharmacy Workshop Oman’s Directorate General of Medical Supply under the Ministry of Health, organized a Smart Pharmacy workshop in collaboration with the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) recently.
focused on training the participants on improving the professional competency and the quality of occupational education as well as explaining the modern educational models and means of evaluating the competencies.
Bahwan Healthcare Centre’s pharmacist K.Manogna Kumari participated in the workshop that was attended by 30 pharmacists from various health Institutes and from the private sector pharmacies. The four-day workshop
During the workshop, Manogna Kumari was awarded with certificates on “Train-The-Trainer: Continuing professional development in pharmacy” and “Patient care in Asthma and COPD management” Certificates.
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Bahwan Electronics warehouse sale attracts huge crowd Bahwan Electronics once again held its much awaited warehouse sale recently. The three-day sale at the old Ghala warehouse was a sell out as large number of employees and their families turned out to pick up their choice at fabulous prices. The products on sale included split ACs, TVs, refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, home appliances, cooking range, watches and several other items.
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SUHAIL | Company news
International medical research journal publishes article by American Spine Center doctor Herald- Journal of Medicine Study and Research, a peer-reviewed and open access journal that publishes manuscripts and popular among the medical community, has recently published a research article by Prof Dr. Gourishankar Patnaik, MBBS,MS(Ortho) FAOI(USA), PhD, Senior Consultant and Head of American Spine Centre, Bahwan Medical Center. The article titled, “Role of IDD Therapy in the Back and Neck Pain” discusses Intervertebral Differential Dynamics (IDD) Therapy treatment- a non-surgical spinal decompression programme for low back pain, neck pain and some related conditions. Dr. Patnaik is a spine surgeon with more than 30 years of experience in this field.
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BHC supports Oman Medical Specialty Boardís training initiatives Bahwan Healthcare Centre (BHC) has been working closely with Oman Medical Specialty Board (OMSB) for many years and is a major stake holder in supporting trauma workshops for all Omani residents and support continuous medical education for upcoming Trauma surgeons. Recently, BHC supported OMSB’s the Orthopedics Residency Training Programme . The OMSB undertakes training Omani doctors on research, probe, and finding solutions and new techniques in health care in order to enable them having effective contributions in the medical field.
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SUHAIL | Company news
DHL Top Officials visit Vice Chairperson DHL Global Chief Executive Officer Mr.Tim Scharwath and DHL Middle East and Africa Chief Executive Officer Mr. Amadou Diallo visited SBGH office and met our Vice Chairperson Sheikha Amal Suhail Bahwan, a Board Member of DHL. DHL is one of SBGH’s joint venture companies for the last 18 years. The officials briefed Vice Chairperson on the current market situations in the logistics industry and DHL’s plans for the coming years. Mr.Tim Scharwath thanked Amal Bahwan for the excellent support given to DHL. DHL Oman Country Manager Mr. Roy Scaria was also present on the occasion.
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DHL-Oman Appoints Full Time Country Manager DHL Oman, one of our Group’s joint venture companies, has recently appointed Mr. Roy Scaria as the full time country manager. The decision was taken in the board meeting chaired by Ms. Sheikha Amal Suhail Bahwan held at SBGH office. Mr. Roy has been with DHL for the last 20 years employed in various GCC countries and for the last two years he was double-hatting the roles of CFO and Acting Country Manager for DHL –Oman. Thanking the Board for the elevation, Mr Roy said that he was very optimistic in overcoming the market and is looking forward to expand its market coverage by opening new offices in Duqm and Sohar Free zone soon.
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SUHAIL | Company news
Bahwan Logistics secures major projects from Oil & Gas sector Bahwan Logistics has won two prestigious logistics contracts recently in a stiff competition with international and local bidders based on its past performance & merit. The first project is from Oman Gas Co to transport two LPIC EPC4 NGL pipelines. These two pipelines, one is 32” diameter pipes with12 mtrs length each and the other 14” diameter pipes with 12mts & 18mtr length running concurrently from Sohar to Fahud and covering a total distance of approx. 600kms of line pipe deliveries encompassing approx. 5000 trailer loads. The project is expected to be completed by October 2018.The EPC partner is M/s Punj Lloyd Ltd of India with their project office in Oman and Abu Dhabi. The second contract is an on-shore logistics covering customs clearance and transportation of general cargo, container and heavy lift movement from GCC countries for Tayseer Early Development Facilities in South Oman. BL is working with Conceptum, USA with the main Logistics & Shipping contractor for EXTERRAN, USA, who are one of the leading EPC’s in the Gulf. Congratulations Ajay Sachdeva and his team for securing such mega projects of national importance!
April-June 2018 | Issue 17
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SUHAIL | Company news
Bahwan IT showcases new technologies and solutions at Comex 2018 Bahwan IT showcased three of its new business partners offering cutting edge technologies and solutions at the COMEX 2018. Product and solutions from MITECH, ValueLabs and Granlund were demonstrated during the event considered to be the largest and most popular IT Expo in Oman. The IT Expo was opened on April 23, 2018 by His Highness Sayyid Fahad Al Said, Assistant Secretary General for Innovation Development at the Scientific Research Council, who also visited Bahwan IT stand. Bahwan IT colleagues Ali Al Matani and Shaima Al Hasni explained Bahwan IT’s ongoing projects in Oman to the chief guest in addition to introducing the three companies that Bahwan IT represents in Oman. MITECH is the largest software development company with 14 software IPS that are designed, developed and maintained in Oman for various streams. ValueLabs is the leading Global technology company, whose innovative solutions can be broadly categorized into digital enablement. Granlund, a Finland based global company, specializes in design, consultancy and software services in energy efficiency in the built environment.
April-June 2018 | Issue 17
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SUHAIL | Company news
Senior officials from Hewlett Packard Enterprise visit Bahwan IT Mr. Hani Ajouz , Channel Services Manager, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Dubai and Ms. Yasmine Badran from Sales, HPE Egypt visited Bahwan IT recently. They congratulated Bahwan IT for being the top Services Sales Partner and for the excellent support provided to the customers in Oman.
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Bahwan IT and Annixter conducts Security Seminar in Sohar Bahwan IT along with its business partner, Annixter and our various partners for physical security and Video Analytics Solutions conducted an exclusive Physical Security seminar in Sohar on Converged Physical Security Information Management platform. As part of the event, a Live Demo center was setup giving visitors a first-hand insight experience of various security solutions in real-time. All major clients from various business verticals including Civil Defence, ORPIC, Sohar Industrial Port were present during the event.
April-June 2018 | Issue 17
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SUHAIL | Know your colleague How has been your work experience so far?
How do you spend your leisure time?
There is no doubt that working in a big company and one of the largest I love reading books about management. I also like business groups in the Sultanate of Oman provides me job stability. swimming and cycling. Now I’m able to make right and appropriate decisions while dealing with employees and customers and communicate with them positively. I have acquired skills to deal with suppliers and get what our company needs from them and at the same time ensure their timely payment.
Can you recall a project or an assignment that has given you immense job satisfaction, and what have you learnt from that? One of the projects that has really given me immense job satisfaction is working along with my colleagues in implementing the Shura Council elections for three times as well as the first session of Municipality Council elections. We distributed our staff at all polling stations across the Sultanate to provide necessary support for the successful and smooth conduct of the elections. This experience has been instrumental in my career. We all worked together as one family in order to achieve the objectives of this project of national importance.
Is there any suggestion to improve work environment at SBGH? I suggest that Human Resources department hold regular staff meetings in order to listen to employees and identify their needs and requirements as well as their suggestions every now and then. The meeting would also help them to provide better solutions for the company.
What is your ambition in life‌? Future plans? I want to pursue my studies further and obtain a master’s degree in business management. This will serve as an incentive for me to chart out my career better in accordance with my specific plans and strategy. I would like to thank Suhail Bahwan group for their financial and moral support in completing my university studies.
How have your parents influenced your life/career? Parents are my great supporters; my father is my first mentor and he helped me a lot in setting my priorities in life. My mother provided me with guidance and advice. She is a perfect woman who understands her children and appreciates their demands.
April-June 2018 | Issue 17
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SUHAIL | Know your colleague
Know your
Colleague ‘‘ Working with Bahwan IT has given me job stability, because of which I’m now able to make right and appropriate decisions while dealing with employees and customers and communicate with them positively ‘‘
Khalil Al Bahrani
Please tell us about yourself. I was born in the Wilayat of Barka in Al Batinah south governorate. I have seven brothers and three sisters and I’m the second among them. I’m married and blessed with two sons and one daughter.
Brief us on your educational background. I completed my primary school in Al Maraq School in the Wilayat of Barka. I did my preparatory and secondary schooling in Barakat Bin Mohammed Secondary School. After completing my basic education, I joined the teachers’ college specializing in Arabic language in 1986. After that I got a higher diploma in Information Technology. I joined Suhail Bahwan Group’s Bahwan IT in 1998 as an administrative supervisor. During this period I have also earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Arab Open University in 2016.
What is your functional role? Supervising the attendance of all employees of the company and send the monthly report to the Human Resources Department; following up all matters related to staff such as annual leave and sick leave and following up the renewal of records and certificates of the company in cooperation with the legal department and human resources. I also arrange and provide necessary cash to purchase tender documents from ministries and private companies.
April-June 2018 | Issue 17
Khalil Al Bahrani Deputy Manager, Bahwan IT LLC
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SUHAIL | Company news
Bahwan IT becomes Cisco Emerging Partner of the Year
Bahwan IT was awarded recently the Cisco Emerging Partner of the Year for its outstanding performance and expertise in promoting and deploying Cisco’s transformational technologies within a short period since re-joining Cisco’s channel partner network. The award was presented by Mr. Ali AL Lawati, General Manager, Cisco Oman and Mr. Shukri Eid, Managing Director of Cisco- Middle East during the Cisco Partner Summit 2018 in June. Cisco’s annual partner awards is a consolidation of the top 2-Tier partners who were able to meet both the challenges of reskilling themselves in a short window of opportunity and delivering solutions successfully for their key customers.
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Bahwan IT upgrades quality management system to ISO 9001:2015 standard Bahwan IT has recently upgraded its quality management system to ISO 9001:2015 after recertification audit carried out by Bureau Veritas. The new certification helps businesses and organizations to be more efficient and improve customer satisfaction. Bahwan IT is the first company in our Group to be ISO certified in the year 2009 and has been constantly improving their processes to comply with its Quality Policy and vision to meet customer satisfaction and employee’s needs.
April-June 2018 | Issue 17
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SUHAIL | Company news
Bahwan ITĂs new business partners conducts workshop Following the new partnership by Bahwan IT with Centra Solutions for providing Payroll and HR Solutions, senior officials from the company visited Oman. They also conducted sales enablement session for sales team and a workshop for technical team and awarded certificates to sales and technical consultants .
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Bahwan IT awarded CommVault Best Partner 2017 award Bahwan IT was awarded the Best Partner of the Year 2017 award by CommVault recently. Mr. Firas Kanaan, Gulf Sales Director for CommVault presented the award to Bahwan IT. Commvault is a data protection and information management software company based in the US. Commvault software assists organizations with data backup and recovery, cloud and infrastructure management, and retention and compliance. Bahwan IT represents Commvault in Oman.
April-June 2018 | Issue 17
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SUHAIL | Company news
MITECH launches e-Services for MRMWR MiTech, one of our Group companies, recently launched e-Services for the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources. The e-services, which were developed and implemented by MITECH, will enable citizens and residents to avail various services through Ministry’s website without the need for personal visits. The services include Technical Services, Water Resource Services and Health services with many sub-services such as permit for construction, preliminary study, connect services on the building, permit to dig, certification of completion etc.
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Bahwan IT wins VMWare Partner Network Award for the Year 2018 Bahwan IT won the VMWare Partner Network Award for the Year 2018 for the Sultanate of Oman, for its demonstrated excellence and achievements. VMware is the global leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure and business mobility and is represented in Oman by Bahwan IT. Mr. Hisham Fouad, Territory Manager for VMware Oman, Egypt, Libya and Levant said “Bahwan IT was selected based on achieving the highest technical expertise and delivering complex VMware Virtualization Solutions to customers in Oman”.
April-June 2018 | Issue 17
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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.
SBGH in the NEWS
SUHAIL | Kaleidoscope A Blockchain is constituted of numerous blocks and each block contains batches of transaction and information that are hashed and encoded into a Merkle tree. Each block has the cryptographic hash of the previous block in the Blockchain to link the two blocks. This way, the linked blocks form a chain of blocks. This iterative process authenticates the genuineness of the previous block and so on which goes back to the original block.
contracts, payment processing & money transfer, aid & developments, governance, supply chain auditing, file storage, protection of intellectual property, electoral processes, identity management, anti-money laundering and know your customers, data management, medical record keeping, real estate, land and automobile title transfer, tax regulation and compliance, stock trading and many more.
Blockchain technology has a large potential to transform business operating models in the long term. The decentralized and distributed ledger technology is more of a foundational technology that has the potential to create new foundations for global economic and social systems.
Blockchain alleviates the need for a trust-service provider and is predicted to result in less capital being tied up in disputes. Blockchains have the potential to reduce systemic risk and financial fraud. They automate processes that were previously time-consuming and done manually.
Since it is a decentralized, distributed and public digital ledger that is used to record transactions across many computers, the records cannot be modified without the modification of all subsequent blocks in the chain and the approval of the concerned. By storing data across its peerto-peer network, the Blockchain eliminates a number of risks that are prevalent in centrally held data.
Today Blockchain may be in its early stage. Before we see the widespread utilization of the technology, a lot needs to happen. We must have investment and involvement of government in terms of framing policies and legislation. The industry has to clear the complicated legal and regulatory hurdles before Blockchain can power better banking, identity, records or anything else requiring official authorization.
At present, the primary use of Blockchain is as a distributed ledger for cryptocurrencies. But this technology is slowly being integrated into multiple areas. As it progresses, it is occupying the majority of IoT (Internet of Things). Some of the features / activities that are available and can be automated under Blockchain platform are; smart
April-June 2018 | Issue 17
Blockchain is a broad concept. It is coming to the fore on such a massive scale that explaining it often falls back on the abstract, rather than elucidating the kind of foundational change the technology will have on the culture of how we interact online.
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SUHAIL | Kaleidoscope
Blockchain The next in IoT
Mr. Ghassan Baz, Chief Information Officer
“In a refugee camp, refugees shop at a supermarket without physical money. To pay they simply look into a camera and the iris scanner connects to their World Food Programme (WFP) accounts. There is no need for a bank account or cash. Funds are debited directly from the WFP. The WFP has been paying aid directly to refugees at a 98% reduced transaction fees than conventional banking system. This refugee camp runs on Blockchain.� The above statement is an example of many usages of the new digital platform called Blockchain, a ground-breaking innovation in Internet of Things (IoT) that is rapidly taking its place. In order to ensure trust/transparency in transactions we rely entirely on big intermediaries like banks, government, institutions, companies and so. These intermediaries perform all the business and transaction logic of every kind of commerce - from identification and authentication of people to clearing, settling and record-keeping. Instead of that imagine a vast, globally distributed virtual ledger running on millions of computers, where every kind of asset from money to intellectual properties could be stored, moved, transacted, exchanged and managed without intermediaries and available to everyone; that is Blockchain.
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