Corporate Values
Ahlan Wa Sahlan We welcome customers as guests in our own homes, making them feel special, seeking to understand and meet their expectations, acting as ambassadors of our company.
One Team, One Family We believe in working together, building strong relationships, celebrating diversity in business and culture; respecting each other, contributing positively to the society we live in.
Our Word is Our Bond We believe in honest and open communication, doing the right thing, taking responsibility for our own actions, delivering as promised, on time, every time.
Our Company and Us We are the face of our company, what we do and say and how we behave directly impacts our company. We are conscious of our company’s reputation and its status.
Our Customers and Us We put customer first, we think from customer’s perspective, we help customer make informed decision and we strive to create a complete ‘customer experience’.
FROM MANAGING DIRECTOR’S DESK
IN-HOUSE NEWSLETTER OF SUHAIL BAHWAN GROUP VOLUME 02 | ISSUE 05 APRIL/JUNE 2015
Dear Colleagues Welcome to the fifth edition of Suhail, our family newsletter. As you browse through the pages of this edition of Suhail, you will see how our Group companies have been working towards improving their performances as well as strengthening our brand presence in the market through various campaigns/ marketing initiatives such as Ramadan campaign by BMart and Bahwan Home Design, Titan /Toshiba summer campaign by Bahwan Electronics. On the Corporate Social Responsibility front, we continued to be quite active with events such as blood donation camp, breathe easy campaign for employees, supporting Oman Diabetics Association in setting up Insulin Pump Club… just to name a few. My heartiest congratulations go to the SBGH Football team who successfully took part in the Ramadan Football tournament with a scintillating performance by finishing runners-up. As we celebrate two grand occasions - Eid ul Fitr and the 45th Renaissance Day let’s make a commitment to continue to work together professionally and diligently with renewed dedication for the benefit of our Group, our families and live up to the SBGH 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
motto of “One Team …One Family.”
Wishing you all a very happy Eid Ul Fitr and a joyous Renaissance Day!
Ms. Amal Suhail Bahwan
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
04 Saudi Arabian Airlines Senior Official’s Visit
07-08
Know Your Colleague
MD Visits Europe
11 20 25
BHC’s Blood Donation Camp
SBGH Bids Farewell To Ajay Talwar
Down the Memory Lane….
14 10
19
BTA-Holiday Souq Raffle Draw
Managing Director Takes A Business Tour of
Ideal
Standard
Company…
05-O6
|
Distinguished Employees of the Month... 0910 | BE’s Titan Ramadan Campaign - A Great Success ...13 | Bahwan Tourism Wins Loyalty Award at Arabian Travel Mart…14 | MD Holds Review Meeting with BHC Team …16 | Ministry of Health Honours Suhail Bahwan Group… 19 | Senior Officials from PDO Appreciate Bahwan IT’s Capabilities… 21
| BEC Celebrates His
Majesty’s Return… 24 and Much More…
SBGH at
27-28
Ramadan Football 2015
33-34
INDIAN AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH CHAIRMAN ON HIS DEPARTURE His Excellency Mr. J S Mukul, Indian Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman, recently visited our Headquarters and met with Chairman Sheikh Suhail Bahwan to say goodbye on his departure at the end of his tenure as ambassador to Oman. Mr. Mukul recalled the friendly association with our Group, particularly his own interaction with the Chairman and the Managing Director, and long business relations with India.
JAPAN TIMES INTERVIEWS MANAGING DIRECTOR Recently senior officials from Global Insight, representatives of Japan Times, one of the most widely read publications in Japan, visited Oman as part of their Oman supplement coverage. Mr. Lucius Daniels, Project Director, had an hour-long interview with Ms. Amal Suhail Bahwan, our Managing Director. The interview topics ranged from Oman’s private sector growth and its contribution to national economy, the Oman-Japan relationship particularly with Suhail Bahwan Group, which has been representing Japan’s leading brands such as Toshiba, Seiko etc, and the role of women leadership in Oman’s business scenario.
03 | Suhail 2015
SAUDI ARABIAN AIRLINES SENIOR OFFICIAL VISITS AL RAWAQ Mr. Abdul Kareem Al-Robayan, General Manager - Middle East & Gulf, Saudi Arabian Airlines, one of the long standing travel partners of Bahwan Travels, recently visited our headquarters. During his visit, he inspected the upcoming Arabian Airlines’ office on the BTA premises in Al Rawaq. Later he also met with Ms. Amal Suhail Bahwan, our Managing Director, and held general discussions on the travel industry. Ms. Amal Bahwan presented a memento to Mr. Al-Robayan in appreciation of our longstanding business relations with the airline.
BAHWAN LOGISTICS’ GLOBAL TRADE PARTNER VISITS HQ A high level business delegation from M/s Panalpina, a global logistics company, whom Bahwan Logistics represents in Oman and works closely on international freight movements and on-shore activities, visited Muscat and met with Managing Director Ms. Amal Suhail Bahwan to apprise her on the impending and future projects.
Marketing & Sales- Middle East, Africa & CIS (MEAC), and Mr. Cyrus Soonawalla, Regional Trade Lane Development Manager – Middle East, Africa and CIS, held discussions on strengthening business relations and greater participation with Bahwan Logistics in terms of projects management, freight management and warehousing in Oman.
The team consisting of Mr. Patrick Richardson, Regional Business Development Manager - EPC and Power (MEAC), Mr. Peter Verner Kristensen, Regional Head of
Mr. Ajay Sachdev, General Manager, Bahwan Logistics, accompanied the team and took part in the discussions.
04 | Suhail 2015
MANAGING DIRECTOR TAKES A BUSINESS TOUR OF IDEAL STANDARD COMPANY As part of strengthening relationship with our business partners as well to engage in various business discussions, our Managing Director Ms. Amal Suhail Bahwan paid a visit to one of our key principals M/S Ideal Standard’s facilities in Athens, Greece and Sofia, Bulgaria accompanied by Mr Ahmed Safah, Head of Bahwan Building Materials. In Athens, MD was welcomed by Mr.Ahmed Hafes, CEO of Ideal Standard MENA region, Mr.Tony Mourikis, Director of Sales, and Mr.Nikiforos Vichos, Area Sales Manager, and was taken on a tour of their state-of-the-art showroom. Later they discussed various business issues relating to distribution and marketing. Our MD was also invited to visit their biggest manufacturing plant located in Sevlievo, Sofia, Bulgaria. Mr.Radosiav Tzankov, Brand and Product Educator, took her on a factory tour and explained various production procedures including certain unique features of Ideal Standard production techniques.
05 | Suhail 2015
06 | Suhail 2015
MD VISITS PRINCIPAL’S FACILITIES IN EUROPE Managing Director Ms. Amal Suhail Bahwan recently travelled to Germany and Austria to visit the manufacturing and assembling facilities of BBraun – one of the key principals of Bahwan Healthcare Centre, accompanied by Mr. Madhur Bomb, General Manager. She was particularly impressed with the use of robotics in healthcare manufacturing facility at their plant in Melsungen, Germany. She also visited the assembly unit of BBraun Hemodialysis Machines & Syringe Pumps. This was followed by discussions on business strategies and synergies with BBraun for the Oman market. She also visited the BBraun’s private dialysis patient treatment facility in Nenzing, Austria, where she saw how BBrauns’ revolutionary technology was helping patients with dysfunctional kidneys to lead a healthy life. She also met Mr.Christian Braun, a member of the BBraun family, who is also a member of the BBraun Board.
07 | Suhail 2015
08 | Suhail 2015
Distinguished Emp
MARCH 2015 1] Abdullah Mansoor S Al Jabri, Senior Executive Sales, Bahwan Travel Agencies LLC | 2] Sudesh Kumar, Senior Customer Engineer, Bahwan IT LLC | 3] Ahmed Ali Salim Al Himali, Forklift Operator, Bahwan Furnishings and Trading LLC | 4] Kawther Said Mubarak Al Battassi, Senior Accounts Assistant, Finance and Accounts Division | 5] Bilal Abdul Hameed Tambe,Foreman, Internal Audit Division | 6] Haifa Khamis Saleh Al Zadjali, Senior Commercial Assistant, Bahwan Electronics LLC | 7]Chundayil Madhavan Murali Madhavan, Deputy Manager - Pre Sales, Bahwan Building Materials LLC | 8] Lakshmi Balasubrahmanyam, Assistant Manager - Sales, BahwanProjects and Telecoms LLC | 9] Rawiya Ayoob Yaqoob Al Raisi, Assistant Manager - Sales, Bahwan Logistics LLC | 10] Dinesh Kumar Karuthedath, Executive - Warehouse, Bahwan Electronics, Furnishings and Trading LLC | 11] Abdullah Saif H Al Shekaili, Junior Officer Pharma Sales, Bahwan Healthcare Center LLC | 12] Amar Zein El Abdein, Admin Executive, Human Resources and Administration Division | 13] Vivek Vasant Nair, Warehouse Executive, Bahwan Steel and Trading Comapny LLC | 14] Manu P. Mathew, Junior Supervisor, Bilad Oman LLC | 15] Wilson P Varughese, Assistant Foreman, Bahwan IT LLC
APRIL 2015 1] Vinod Kumar P J, Senior Executive- Commercial, Bahwan Steel & Trading Company LLC | 2] Mahmood Abdulrahim Rahmi Al Bulushi, Site Supervisor, Bahwan Project & Telecom LLC | 3] Balamurugan Ramalingam, CNC Operator, Bilad Oman LLC | 4] Khalifa Nasser Khalfan Al Fahdi, Office Clerk, Bahwan International Properties LLC | 5] Varghese K Skariah, Assistant Manger-Audit, Internal Audit Division | 6] Sayyed Abid Ali, Accounts Executive, Finance & Accounts Division | 7] Raqiya Said Hilal Al Hosni, Accounts Assistant, Bahwan Travel Agencies LLC | 8] Ketan Durlabhbhai Patel, Assistant Manager-Networking, Information Services Department | 9] Karima Mansoor N Al Farsi, Senior Executive-Sales, Bahwan Electronics Furnishing & Trading LLC | 10] Ahmed Abdullah Ali Al Qartoobi, Helper, Bahwan Electronics LLC | 11] Mohammed Issa Mohammed Al Azri, Sales Officer, Bahwan Building Materials LLC | 12] Sactivel Sadagopan, Service Engineer, Bahwan Healthcare Center LLC | 13] Vinod Kumar V C, Technical Consultant, Bahwan IT LLC | 14] Supriya Natarajan, HR Executive, Human Resources & Administration Division | 15] Jibin Peter, Senior Executive-Commercial, Bahwan Furnishings and Trading LLC | 16] Saju Kumar K, Deputy Manager-Sales, Bahwan Logistics LLC | 17] Gulam Husain Behlim, Technical Assistatnt, Bahwan Projects & Telecom LLC
09 | Suhail 2015
loyees of the Month
MAY 2015 1) Nandakumar P, Accounts Executive , Finance and Accounts Division | 2) Ravichandran S, Assistant Manager-Warehouse, Bahwan Building Materials LLC | 3) Yaqoob Khasib Rashid Al Sheidi, Senior operation assistant, Bahwan Logistics LLC | 4) Izz Eldin Abd Alla Mohamed Ali, Assistant manager, Legal department | 5) Salima Salim Ali Al Mahrouqi, Secretary, Bahwan Healthcare Center LLC | 6) Mohammed Zameer, Sales Officer, Bahwan Electronics, Furnishings and Trading LLC | 7) Mohammed Faheem Firdous, Assistant Manager, Bahwan Electronics LLC | 8) Asma Muftah Marhoon Al Maawali, AutoCAD Draughtsman, Bahwan Projects and Telecom LLC | 9) Shiran M N M, Assistant Manager-Networking, Information Service Department | 10) Soneel Choraria,Assistant Manager-Audit, Internal Audit Division | 11) Devassy P V, Executive, Bahwan Steel and Trading LLC | 12) Yousra Zahran Shaikhan Al Busaidi, Inbound Tour Operator, Bahwan Travel Agencies LLC | 13) Rajeev Sankar, Deputy Manger -Sales, Bahwan Furnishings and Trading LLC | 14) Belgi Hassan Shabber, Head Cook, Human Resources and Admin. Division | 15) Sivannarayana Uppalapat, Planning Engineer, Bilad Oman LLC
SBGH BIDS FAREWELL TO AJAY TALWAR Mr. Ajay Talwar, General Manager Finance and Accounts, retired after 22 years of exemplary service with our Group. In a ceremony held in the presence of management and senior staff members, Managing Director Ms. Amal Suhail Bahwan recalled his association with the group particularly working with her closely on several financial matters. Thanking him for his contributions over the years, she also presented him with a memento.
10 | Suhail 2015
Know your Colleague Faiz Bin Salem Bin Bilal Al Husani Assistant Foreman, Al Asala Manpower and Services.
Meet Faiz Bin Salem Bin Bilal Al Husani, who is humble and likes his profession to the core. 1] Please tell us about yourself. I was born in 1979 at Al Qasf village in the Wilayat of Al Khabourah. I have five brothers and three sisters. My father was working in the palace of Sheikh Zaid in the United Arab Emirates, he returned to Oman after Sheikh Zaid passed away. I married recently and now I am awaiting the arrival of new member of my family. 2] Brief us on your educational background and career? I completed my primary education from Al Farouk School in Al Khabourah. Then I started my career with Suhail Bahwan Group at the age of 20 at Bahwan Clinic. It is more than 16 years with SBGH now and since then I have grown professionally with the Group as I have been promoted as an assistant foreman. 3] What is your functional role? I am responsible for inspecting and supervising cleaning workers. I schedule monthly visits to many buildings and companies belonging to SBGH and residential buildings of SBGH employees. I supervise and follow-up cleaning works to ensure quality. I also visit other facilities within Muscat limits including Delta warehouse in Jifnain, BFT factory in Rusayl Industrial area, and others. I also coordinate transport of workers and cleaning materials to different facilities. 4] How has been your work experience so far? I did not have any experience when I started at Bahwan Clinic. But over the years, I worked hard and learnt to handle different tasks. With my vast experience, I became accustomed to the materials and methods that are used for cleaning certain places. For example, cleaning a hospital is not like cleaning a residential building or a warehouse. 5] Which project/assignment has given you immense job satisfaction? Since my job mostly involves keeping premises clean, I get satisfaction when I see every nook and corner is spic and span, which in turn helps all employees to work in a comfortable
11 | Suhail 2015
manner. I fully appreciate the management which believes in investing to keep all its premises clean and tidy to live up to the Group’s reputation. Due to my nature of work I am always very active and fast in completing tasks on time. I start my day at 6am and at times much earlier which gives me ample time to schedule and finalise my daily tasks. My managers and staff always praise me for doing my job perfectly. 6] Any suggestions for improving the work environment. As everybody knows cleaning is basic in any facility, and with SBGH being a progressive company which adopts best practices, I think there is no adequate cleaning staff when compared to the volume of work in the group. So I suggest the management to increase the intake of cleaning staff so that they can do a better job within the set time frame. 7] Your ambition in life…Future Plans? Personally, I feel I have a happy family, as I always ask Allah the almighty to give me good children. I hope to own a house. I will ensure my children get the best education. Professionally I would like to get promotions so that I can scale new heights, and be able to meet my family’s requirements but with hard work only!! 8] How have your parents influenced your life/career? My father was the one who always encouraged me to work hard, advised me to respect my profession, managers and colleagues. He will always remain my idol. He also used to tell: “Good chracter is the recipe for success. My mother always advises me to stick to duty hours, as her prayers have also helped me much. 9] How do you spend your leisure time? What are your interests/ hobbies? I like walking. I also spend time with my family and parents.I would like to thank Sheikh Suhail Bahwan and Managing Director Amal Bahwan for their continuous employee-oriented initiatives. I read the Holy Quran.
BE’S TITAN RAMADAN CAMPAIGN - A GREAT SUCCESS Bahwan Electronics, in association with its long time major trade partner Titan Watches, launched the Ramadan campaign with some fantastic offers on a range of watches along with an attractive free USB on every purchase. The multimedia media campaign – print, social media and Point-of-Sale (POS) promotions – resulted in dramatic increase in footfalls in outlets, marked increase in sales and great mileage on brand presence in consumers’ mind for both Titan and Bahwan Electronics.
BAHWAN ELECTRONICS LAUNCHES “CELESTIAL TIME COLLECTION” BY TITAN WATCHES In another first, Titan watches, represented in Oman by Bahwan Electronics, have curated a collection of exclusive watches for men that feature a unique moon-phase movement. Launched during the Holy month of Ramadan, these designer watches celebrate the various phases of moon. An exclusive collection of four models of watches are available in gold, rose gold, steel and black. The watches are best worn with crisp formals and on social occasions adding up to the owner’s personality.
13 | Suhail 2015
BAHWAN TRAVELS HOLDS HOLIDAY SOUQ RAFFLE DRAW TO CHOOSE WINNERS The raffle draw to select the winners from among customers, who bought packages at the recent Holiday Souq event was held at the Bahwan Travels office in the presence of an official from Ministry of Commerce & Industry and SBGH Legal department. Ten lucky winners won exciting prizes like packages for two people to destinations such as Vienna, Prague, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, India and Abu Dhabi. The prizes will be presented to the winners at a function to be held soon.
BAHWAN TOURISM WINS LOYALTY AWARD AT ARABIAN TRAVEL MART
BAHWAN TOURISM WINS BERGER PAINTS BUSINESS TOUR Every year Berger Paints take its top dealers on an incentive trip abroad orgnised by a travel company. This year Bahwan Tourism won the contract to organize the trip for them. The 4 nights/5 days Morocco tour covered Casablanca, Marrakech and Rabat, where the guests were treated to 5-star accommodations, luxury local sight-seeing tours and fabulous cuisine, in addition to team-building activities, an award ceremony and a gala dinner - all meticulously organized by Bahwan Tourism. Obviously Berger Paints’ management was very pleased with the arrangements and has promised to come back to us for their next tour.
Bahwan Tourism has once again won the Loyalty Award from Royal Caribbean Cruise Liners (RCCL). Bahwan Tourism LLC was the only travel agent to have received this award from Oman for its consistent support for the past few years. The award was presented at the Arabian Travel Mart held in Dubai recently by Dr. Abdulaziz Aloshban, Principal & Managing Director, RCCL Middle East, and Abraham Jose, Sales Manager – RCCL GCC. Mr. Nadeem Ulde, Head Leisure and Enterprise, received the award on behalf of Bahwan Tourism.
14 | Suhail 2015
SOUTH AFRICAN DELEGATION VISITS SBGH TO EXPLORE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES A high-level delegation from South Africa recently met with Bahwan Projects and Telecom (BPT) team headed by Mr. Yasser Mohammed Kheir, General Manager, BPT. The purpose of their visit to the Sultanate of Oman and SBGH was to explore potential business opportunities jointly in Oman and South Africa as well as investments, which will benefit both the countries in general and SBGH in particular.
BAHWAN PROJECTS & TELECOMS DOES IT AGAIN!
Bahwan Projects & Telecoms [BPT] has won again the Best Contractor of the Month Award from Omantel, its major partner and customer for several years. In a recent ceremony held at Omantel Headquarters the award was handed over to BPT. Omantel evaluates its major contractors on several key metrics that results in on-time project completion. Bahwan Projects and Telecoms was able to meet all the metrics and standards set by Omantel.
15 | Suhail 2015
MD HOLDS REVIEW MEETING WITH BHC TEAM As part of team-building and performance recognition efforts, sales heads of Bahwan Healthcare Centre’s various divisions, viz, Pharma, Surgical, OTC, Medical Equipment, Dental, Lab & Biomedical Service individually presented their 2015 first quarter sales results of their respective division in an exclusive review meeting with the MD. They also shared their strategies that would eventually help them achieve their sales objectives for 2015.
After listening to the presentations, she observed that Bahwan Healthcare is on the right track and was glad to see a motivated team in place that would ensure BHC achieves its sales objectives for the year 2015. She also shared her views and offered valuable tips to boost business.
BHC SUPPORTS PATIENT-GATHERING EVENT FOR PAEDIATRIC PATIENTS BHC sponsored a patient-gathering event for paediatric patients of National Diabetic Centre using Insulin Pump for their medical conditions. Dr.Aiasha Al Senani, Head –Paediatric department, National Diabetic Centre, inaugurated the event in which around 25 children took part. Held as as part of the recently–launched Insulin Pump Club activities and supported by BHC’s business partner Medtronic, the event gave a good opportunity for paediatric patients to share their experience of insulin pump and its awareness. The event also included some educational activities, children games and painting completion, etc.
16 | Suhail 2015
BHC SUPPORTS INSULIN PUMP CLUB LAUNCH Bahwan Healthcare Centre (BHC) has been working closely with Oman Diabetic Association (ODA) for quite some time supporting its various activities. In another such proactive gesture, BHC rendered full support to the setup of “Insulin Pump Club” under the patronage of Oman Diabetic Association (ODA). This included helping them with creating a logo and a dedicated website. The Insulin Pump Club was officially launched in April at the National Diabetic Centre by Dr. Noor Al Busaidi, President – ODA.
The Insulin Pump Club gives an opportunity for insulin pump users to share their experience among users and bring interactive consultations between users and ODA. One more great initiative by BHC!
BHC LAUNCHES “BREATHEASY” CAMPAIGN FOR EMPLOYEES In its continuous focus on employee engagement and welfare, Bahwan Healthcare Centre recently launched “BreathEasy” Campaign for its employees at the Bahwan Medical Centre, Al Khuwair. Organised in association with Cipla – a global pharmaceutical manufacturing company. The campaign aims at checking how well a person breathes in and out and diagnosing various lung conditions through a simple Spirometry test.
17 | Suhail 2015
The test is particularly useful for chronic smokers, persons having troublesome cough at night, wheezing or cough after exercise, chest tightness or cough after exposure to pollutants or persons with a family history of asthma. The campaign will be conducted at periodic intervals to cover all employees over a period of time.
BHC JOINS HANDS WITH MINISTRY OF HEALTH ON COAGULATION WORKSHOP Bahwan Healthcare centre (BHC) in association with the Ministry of Health organized the First National Laboratory Symposium and Workshop on Coagulation in April 2015. Apart from the speakers from the Ministry of Health who spoke about the basics of coagulation tests, subject experts from Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Products Germany conducted several sessions on the topic. About 85 key customers from the government and private sector from across Oman attended the programme.
The presentation included an introduction about coagulation and detailed explanations on various topics like precautions to be taken, interpretation of results, importance of performing quality control checks , basic maintenance and trouble shooting.
BHC PROMOTES LIBERO BRAND ACROSS HYPERMARKETS Bahwan Healthcare Centre, the exclusive distributors for Libero baby diapers in Oman, actively promoted the brand through a targeted marketing campaign at several hypermarkets/supermarkets across Oman such as the Muscat Grand Mall, Oman Exhibition Centre and Al Meera Mall. The campaign included in-store promotions, creative displays, sampling and product demos, branding in the baby category and overall branding in the hypermarkets/supermarkets.
anchor, photo-shoots of baby with parents, cartoon characters mascot for kids amusement, and kids play area. Supported by a talented team of sales promoters and merchandisers, the campaign, needless to say, created a buzz in the market and Libero is set to make a big impact.
The key features of the campaign were attractive branded kiosk, product introduction video, consumer interaction activity through promoters and
18 | Suhail 2015
BHC’S BLOOD DONATION CAMP PROVES A BIG DRAW ONCE AGAIN Bahwan Healthcare Centre’s annual blood donation camp held recently at the Bahwan Medical Centre in Al Khuwair was a big draw once again. Organized in association with the Central Blood Bank, Department of Blood Services, Ministry of Health, the camp was inaugurated by Ms. Amal Suhail Bahwan, Managing Director in the presence of Central Blood Bank officials. A part of our Group’s ongoing Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, the camp saw several donors from all walks of life, including working professionals, housewives, youngsters and employees of SBGH companies, donating over 135 units of blood in a span of five hours.
Al Kharousi, who has donated blood more than 100 times, with a memento in appreciation of his selfless act. Volunteers from Bahwan Healthcare Centre and staff members from Central Blood Bank ensured that donors were taken through the process of basic medical check-up and blood collection in a seamless manner. BHC had also made arrangements to serve light snacks to the donors after blood collection.
Ms. Amal Bahwan also honoured Mr. Ahmed
MINISTRY OF HEALTH HONOURS SUHAIL BAHWAN GROUP Appreciating our Group’s Corporate Special Responsibility activities such as annual blood donation camps by Bahwan Healthcare Centre, the Ministry of Health honoured our Group at a function held on the occasion of World Blood Donors Day. Mr. Abdullah Al Araimi, Deputy General Manager, Human Resources and Administration, received the memento at the function held at the InterContinental Hotel.
19 | Suhail 2015
Know your Colleague Amer Bin Salem Bin Amer Al Abri Showroom Manager, Bahwan Mart, Ibri
Amer strongly believes that “Success is never a destination but a journey by itself.” 1] Please tell us about yourself. I was born in 1978 at Al Iraqi village in the Wilayat of Ibri. I have three brothers and five sisters. My father was working in Zaid Military Hospital in the UAE but passed away in 2007. I am happily married and have a son and daughter. 2] Brief us on your educational qualifications? After completing my basic education in Zarar Bin Al Azwar School in Ibri, I joined Saif Bin Sultan Secondary School and secured the general certificate in 1997. Then I joined Vocational Training Institute in Ibri where I was awarded a talented worker certificate in the electrical supplies specialisation in 1999. 3] Can you brief us on your career so far? After a short-stint of eight months at International Marble Company and a couple of years at Oman Gulf Company, I joined the Bahwan Electronics showroom in Ibri in 2002. Since then, I have grown professionally with the Group as I have been promoted as manager of Ibri showroom. 4] What is your functional role? I am solely responsible for managing Bahwan Mart showroom in Ibri. I supervise and follow-up all sales-related issues, purchases and staff affairs. I ensure all my staff are fully knowledgeable of the products sold at the showroom. I am also involved in training showroom employees to be able to sell different products to customers, how to deal with customers and how to provide better after-sales services. 5] How has been your work experience so far? I started as a salesman at the showroom but over the years, I have equipped myself to handle major tasks such as assessing supply and demand, evaluating products that move fast and placing orders at the right time as the demand varies from time to time in a year. With my vast experience I have learnt to retain a strong customer base through transparency and trust, which ensures customers that Bahwan Mart is the best destination for purchasing their electronic gadgets. I must commend the management for embracing change and technology in a big way. 6] Which project/assignment has given you immense job satisfaction? What have you learnt on the job?
Work satisfaction is insatiable and if we get more and more orders and meet our monthly targets, I am happy. Success is never a destination but a journey by itself. At Ibri showroom, we always exceed the set target and at times achieved 20% more sales. The management honoured me with the Employee of the Month award in March 2014 that gave me the much needed boost. The award reflects the strong ties between the SBGH management and the employees. I was also rewarded with a trip to Thailand as an appreciation for the efforts in the sales in last February. At SBGH I learnt what is commitment and how to gain trust of customers. 7] Any suggestions for improving the work environment. As a progressive company adopting best practices, I would be happier if there is more interaction between employees to ensure more conducive and effective work environment. Speaking about the Ibri showroom, if we get a bigger showroom space it will help us sell more products and also help us to display more products. This will also make customers more relaxed and comfortable with their families while shopping. 8] Your ambition in life…Future Plans? Personally, I want to own a house and I am working in that direction. I am determined to provide the best possible education to my children. I want to give them better than what I have got in terms of everything. Professionally I would like to take up more responsibilities so that I can scale new heights, and be trusted by the management. 9]How have your parents influenced your life/career? My late father encouraged me to work hard. I owe my interpersonal skills to him. He taught me how to deal with people; he used to visit me in the showroom and kept saying two things to me which are “commitment at duty hours and faith in work”. My mother’s prayers have also helped in shaping up my career. 10] How is Ramadan for you this year? With the reduced working hours in Ramadan, I make use of the time for praying Asr and read the Holy Quran. I also spend quality time with my family and friends during this time of the year.
20 | Suhail 2015
MICROSOFT CONFERS TECH MASTERS 2014 TOP SCORERS AWARD TO BAHWAN IT
Microsoft awarded the Tech Masters 2014 Top Scorer award to Bahwan IT recently. Tech Masters is a technical skill-up program to select Microsoft’s best partners in the Gulf region. Bahwan IT was the only partner in Oman who won this award. BIT employees Santhosh Sivaraman, Murali P. Vishnu Prasad and Syed Nister Khan participated in this programme and won the award.
SENIOR OFFICIALS FROM PDO APPRECIATE BAHWAN IT’S CAPABILITIES Senior officials from PDO IT Operations & Sub-surface team consisting of Mr. Alan Hart, Head of IT Operations, PDO,Mr. Majid Bahri, System Engineer, Mr. David Chong, System Engineer, and Ms. Khadija Al Aisari, Sr. System Engineer, subsurface Department visited Bahwan IT office recently to see and experience our new office setup and the infrastructure capabilities to support PDO for their on-going projects.
21 | Suhail 2015
Mr. Janakiraman, General Manger, and his team took the visitors on a tour of Bahwan IT’s data centre, help desk, test & repair centre, support areas, training room facilities and corporate lounge. The team appreciated the support facilities and the overall infrastructure of Bahwan IT.
BAHWAN IT HOLDS TECHNICAL WORKSHOP Bahwan IT conducted a technical workshop in May at Muscat focusing on how the world is moving rapidly towards a New Style of IT that will leave behind any business that doesn’t adapt even more rapidly. The workshop introduced HP 3PAR StoreServ Storage - the only primary storage architecture that any IT company needs- regardless of whether it is a midsize enterprise experiencing rapid growth in virtualised environment or a large enterprise looking to support IT as a Service (ITaaS), or a global service provider building a hybrid or private cloud. A large number of BIT clients from the government and private sector attended the workshop.
BAHWAN IT HOLDS SEMINAR ON DATA CENTER INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT FOR SOHAR CUSTOMERS Bahwan IT, along with its partner Athenta UK, organized an event for its Sohar-based customers in April on sensitizing the audience on the concept of IT-OT Management and ‘Data Center Infrastructure Management’ – this is the direction that the world is moving in and organizations in Oman need to leverage the same. The seminar focused on four key asset classes in a Datacenter (DC) – power, building infrastructure, physical safety & security
and IT. Each asset class is typically managed in silos, using different products – Energy Management Systems, Building Management Systems & Network Management Systems respectively. Athenta shared with its audience how they could view all aspects via a single screen and the immense benefits of doing the same – specifically in terms of reducing business risk and reducing opex & capex.
22 | Suhail 2015
SHARAKAH DELEGATION APPRECIATES BAHWAN IT’S SERVICES A delegation of senior executives of Sharakah – an Omani company that encourages and supports the development of entrepreneurs and SMEs in the Sultanate - visited Bahwan IT recently. The delegation led by its General Manger Mr. Abdullah Al-Jufaili, met with Mr. M.K. Janaki Raman, General Manager, Bahwan IT, congratulated Bahwan IT and the
team for the successful implementation of the Microsoft Dynamics AX for Sharakah. Bahwan IT implemented and customized Microsoft Dynamics AX to meet the complete operational needs of Sharakah.
BAHWAN LOGISTICS ACCOMPLISHES SUCCESSFUL TRANSPORT OF HEAVILY OVER-SIZED CARGO Bahwan Logistics has once again demonstrated its expertise and experience by transporting an oversized cargo from Oman to the UAE and back by road. The cargo movement involved the return transport of an 85-tonnes Motor Skids heavy-lift cargo to L&T Hydrocarbon, Oman for their ongoing project at Sairawhl in Oman to Abu Dhabi that involved a range of complex procedures and formalities. Bahwan Logistics team established full interface with all stakeholders in the offshore logistics solutions and successfully demonstrated the special expertise in handling overdimensional cargo, which has been appreciated by L&T management. Great job Bahwan Logistics team!
23 | Suhail 2015
BAHWAN LOGISTICS BAGS MAJOR TURNKEY CONTRACTS Bahwan Logistics has recently been awarded three major turnkey projects viz. movement of two Rigs from Germany to Nizwa, a Solar Turbine from US for BP via Sohar port and a prestigious contract of pipes movement from China to BP via Duqm port.
The movement will be done in association with M/s Panalpina, a global logistics company, whom Bahwan Logistics represents in Oman and works closely on these international freight movements and on-shore activities,
BEC CELEBRATES HIS MAJESTY’S RETURN Bahwan Engineering Company employees celebrated the return of His Majesty at their Head Office in Muscat. Mr. Mohammed Rouaihi expressed joy that lives in the heart of every Omani citizen and the residents of Oman on the return of His Majesty. Ms. Mona Qasimiyah, in her recital said, “The celebration is a translation of feelings of love and loyalty to the great leader of Oman and its builder”. During the celebrations, Omani poet Mohammed Al Brikie, recited a poem expressing love and affection to His Majesty and the nation, wishing him good health and wellness.
24 | Suhail 2015
Know your Colleague Khalifa Bin Saleh Bin Mubarak Al Jaradi Assistant Accounts Manager, Bahwan Logistics
Khalifa works very hard and does his best to make an impact with his work while recognised and remembered by colleagues. 1] Please tell us about yourself. I was born in Al Maragha village in the Wilayat of Al Musannah in 1976. I am the third child in our family of seven brothers and six sisters. I am married and have four girls and a son, and my wife is the real support system for me in my life. I always pray to Allah the almighty to help me to keep my family happy. 2] Brief us on your educational qualifications? I completed my basic education from Kaab Bin Sor School in Al Musannah, and my secondary education from the Secondary Commerce School in Muscat. In 1997, I joined the College of Technology in Musannah, but I did not complete the course, Without wasting time I joined the Suhail Bahwan Group in 1998. Now, I recently joined Mazoon College to complete a course in finance. I wholeheartedly thank our management for helping me to complete the course. 3] What is your functional role? I started with Bahwan Logistics Company (formerly MESTT) and I thank God I am continuing till date. Though I work in accounts department, we all work as one team, and I would like to thank all my colleagues for their continuous support and cooperation. As an assistant manager, I am responsible for preparing as well as supervising expenses and revenue, following-up transactions related to sales. I also ensure that other group divisions and customers get required financial data on time. I work closely with other divisions to prepare MIS reports. 4] How has been your work experience so far? Joining SBGH was the real start to my carreer. I have worked with three different managers at Bahwan Logistics. In the first stage, I was doing financial data entry, preparing statements of expenses and related jobs for seven years. During this period, I worked hard and , in addition to attending to my regular work, I also put in additional efforts to understand and familiarise with necessary software (Legacy Apps) which are used for data entry work, and now I am well versed in that software. In the second stage of my career from 2005, my managers put more trust on me and my professional skills. I was
25 | Suhail 2015
doing specialized accounting tasks related to accounts receivable and accounts payable. In 2014, I started managing certain tasks independently and now I can take some decisions based on my vast experience in SBGH for which I get support from my managers and colleagues. 5] Which project/assignment has given you immense job satisfaction? What have you learnt on the job? I always get satisfaction when I manage to finish any job on deadline. In January 2014, I won the Employee of the Month award, which made me feel proud and gave me more confidence to perform better. During my 16 years stay at SBGH, I learnt how to be patient and to take advantage of any opportunity available to hone my skills. 6] Any suggestions for improving the work environment. Human Resource is the main element in any system and so HR development is the real vehicle of any development. I hope the SBGH management gives them more training, time and training to improve their abilities. I advice my colleagues to work hard and be patient and concentrate on only doing their job and achieve their set goals. 7] Your ambition in life‌future plans? My ambition has no limits. Securing a doctorate degree is my first goal, but on the other side, I want to be a useful citizen to my country and serve Oman and the society. 8] How have your parents influenced your life/career? Without doubt, my parents have been a major influencing factor in my life and they will continue to be a guiding source.My father passed away in 2014, and I feel that I became nearer to him after his death. My grandmother and my mother have a major influence on me as they taught me how to be patient and face the life’s difficulties with courage. They are like precious jewels and may Allah the almighty help me to serve them and make them happy. 9] How is Ramadan this year with you? Ramadan is always the month of worship, but this year I feel I am not praying enough and reading the Holy Quran well as I have no enough time thanks to work and study. So I ask Allah to forgive me.
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.
27 | Suhail 2015
In this issue, we present you with a set of rare photographs of our Chairman Sheikh Suhail Bahwan with dignatories on various occasions.
28 | Suhail 2015
Say Goodbye to
diabetes
Diabetes has become one of the most challenging chronic diseases that are increasingly impacting most countries in the world today. The Arabian Gulf countries are no exception; in fact the Gulf counties are witnessing a rapid increase in the number of people affected by diabetes. This has also thrown a big challenge to governments imposing a heavy burden on their healthcare systems.
Dr. Noor Al Busaidi
According to a study by Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, “The burden of diabetes has increased sharply in Oman over the last decade, rising from 8.3% in 1991 to 11.6% in 2000 among adults aged 20 years and older. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicted an increase of 190% in the number of subjects living with diabetes in Oman over the next 20 years, rising from 75,000 in 2000 to 217,000 in 2025.”
Background During the past four and half decades of blessed Renaissance, Oman has seen rapid socio-economic changes including the establishment of an excellent healthcare system. However, with rapid social and economic growth, the lifestyle of people have also changed; food and eating habits particularly have tremendously changed with increasing number of people consuming junk food and high-calorie, sugary drinks and eating at odd hours. In addition, the sedentary lifestyle with lack of exercise is also affecting the body metabolism of most people. The best example of wrong food habits is little or no breakfast, eating heavy lunch with high carbohydrate content (that leads to a high blood glucose levels) and late dinner. Aptly so, the Type 2 diabetes is often called “Lifestyle Disease”
29 | Suhail 2015
Symptoms We spoke to Dr. Noor Al Busaidi, National Diabetes & Endocrine Centre, Royal Hospital, Muscat, “Type2 diabetes can be a silent killer until it is at an advanced stage. Frequently people get diagnosed only by chance or after developing some complications, so I strongly advise most people, who are at risk, to check their blood sugar annually with the rest of other physical examinations. For those, who are 40 years and above there is a special programme by the Ministry of Health at most healthcare centres, where they screen them for chronic diseases and provide referral to specialists if needed.�
Treatment and Management of Diabetes Diabetes can be treated and managed by a combination of two ways- through medical care and self-care. While several medications are available in hospitals and healthcare providers, it is crucial that patients ensure a change in their lifestyle by making smart, healthy choices every day. This involves simple but key decisions such as what to eat, when to eat, how and when to be physically active, when to take medications, to name just a few.
OMAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION The Oman Diabetes Association has been active in the last ten years particularly on patient screening, health professional education and training. The association is actively engaged in spreading awareness through community screening campaigns on different aspects of diabetes, holding periodical educational meetings to promote a better understanding of diabetes among various members of the society, providing medical support and appropriate solutions for diabetic patients, supporting scientific research on diabetes, holding periodical training courses for doctors
working in the field of diabetic healthcare, encouraging junior doctors to participate in medical conferences in the field of diabetes, making available diabetic diagnostic tools such as glucose meter and strips easily available and engaging in fundraising activities to offer financial support to diabetic patients with special needs. The association recently established an Insulin Pump Club, with the help of Bahwan Healthcare Centre, to bring together users of insulin in Oman so that they can interact, consult and care for each other.
30 | Suhail 2015
SBGH IN THE
NEWS
SBGH FOOTBALL TEAM MAKES A SPECTACULAR MARK AT RAMADAN TOURNAMENT SBGH Football team made its debut with a stunning impact at the recently held Ramadan Football Tournament for electricity sector organized by Al Ghubra Power and Desalination Company. Held for the sixth year successively, the tournament is one of the popular ones in Oman in which most corporate sector teams take part. The SBGH football team displayed a scintillating performance by finishing “runners-up� in a keenly fought match against the Muscat Electricity Distribution Company (MEDC). Both the teams were goalless at the end of regular time and it finally went down to penalty shoot-outs where SBGH team failed to score thus missing out on the title. Congratulations SBGH Team!
33 | Suhail 2015
�أداء م��شرف لفريق جمموعة �س��هيل بهوان لكرة القدم بالبطول��ة الرم�ضانية ظهر فريق جمموعة �سهيل بهوان مبظهر م�رشف نال ا�ستح�سان كل متابعي البطولة الرم�ضانية لقطاع الكهرباء والتي تنظمها �رشكة الغربة للطاقة والتحلية لل�سنة ال�ساد�سة على التوايل ،حيث تعد تلك البطولة واحدة من �أ�شهر البطوالت الرم�ضانية التي ت�شارك فيها خمتلف ال�رشكات بال�سلطنة. وا�ستطاع فريق جمموعة �سهيل بهوان لكرة القدم ،ب�أدائه املتميز خالل مباريات البطولة الرم�ضانية التي ي�شارك فيها للمرة الأوىل� ،أن يح�صل على املركز الثاين بعد الو�صول للمباراة النهائية ليالقي فريق �رشكة م�سقط لتوزيع الكهرباء ،حيث انتهى الوقت الأ�صلي للمباراة بالتعادل ال�سلبي ليتم االحتكام ل�رضبات اجلزاء الرتجيحية والتي منحت املناف�س لقب البطولة. وات�سم �أداء العبو فريق املجموعة بالروح الريا�ضية العالية والأداء الرجويل واحلما�سي ،وكانت الندية هي �شعار تلك املباراة التي فاز بها فريق م�سقط لتوزيع الكهرباء. نبارك لفريق جمموعة �سهيل بهوان!
| 33
�سهيل2015