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 06 JULY/SEPTEMBER 2015
Dear Colleagues Welcome to the third edition of this year’s Suhail, our SBGH family newsletter. As most of you know, 2015 so far has been a challenging year due to continuous slump in oil prices that have impacted almost every industry. This has also affected the consumer markets in general and we could see that across Oman and elsewhere in the Gulf too. However, despite such challenging environment, some of our companies have been pushing themselves hard to remain committed to our quality, service delivery and brand reputation. Bahwan IT has once again won the Microsoft’s “Country Partner of the Year” award while Bahwan Electronics won two awards from Toshiba- a silver award for its impressive sales performance in Office Automation Products and another award for bagging the largest project in the Middle East, North Africa and subcontinent region (MENA) for VRF system of commercial air conditioners. Bahwan Travels was also honoured with an award by Thai Airways for being the outstanding achiever contributing to the airline’s impressive sales growth in Oman. We have also opened a new state-of-the-art boutique showroom for Seiko and Titan brand watches at the Avenues Mall. All these just prove that challenges can be easily overcome, if we continue with our hard work and perseverance. 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
We hope the rest of the year will be much better than the months passed by and I encourage you all to continue with your good work.
Enjoy reading Suhail…..
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
03 Sabre Travel Network’s CEO Visits Headquarters
04
Know Your Colleague
MD Receives Italian Guests
07 20 24
BIT Receives Microsoft Award
BE Opens Boutique at Avenues Mall
Down the Memory Lane….
12 09
Bahwan Mart Awards Raffle Winners
Sixt Rent-A Car Senior Officials Meet Managing Director… 03 | Distinguished Employees of the Month... 05-06 | Bahwan Tourism Hands Over Prizes to Holiday Souq Raffle Draw Winners ...12 | Bahwan Projects and Telecom Organises Advanced Training for Ooredoo Staff on Leica Products…15 Refinery
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Sohar
Improvement Project Achieves Another
Milestone…16
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Bahwan Healthcare Introduces
I-Port Advance® New Patient-Friendly Injection Device… 18 | Bahwan Healthcare Organizes Dental Cross Infection Control and Hygiene Workshops… 19 | BEC Does a Hat-Trick!… 21 and Much More…
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27-28
SBGH EMPLOYEES’ IFTAR
31-32
SABRE TRAVEL NETWORK’S CEO VISITS HEADQUARTERS Mr. Daniel Naoumovitch, Chief Executive Officer of Sabre Travel Network Middle East, along with his colleague Ramzi Al-Qassab, Regional Commercial Director GCC & Global Partners Middle East, accompanied by Mr. Gururaj, General Manager, Bahwan Travels, visited our headquarters recently and met with Ms. Amal Suhail Bahwan, our Managing Director and Board member. Discussions focused around the company’s long standing relationship with Bahwan Travels.
SIXT RENT-A CAR SENIOR OFFICIALS MEET MANAGING DIRECTOR Mr. Detlef Krehahn, Senior Vice-President and Director, International Franchise, Ms. Kristina Lochmann, Project Manager, Business Development International Franchise, and Mr. Sebastian Szautner, International Franchise Junior Manager, Middle East & Africa, from Sixt Rent-A-Car, Germany, recently visited Oman and met with our Managing Director Ms. Amal Bahwan. They were accompanied by Mr. Gururaj, General Manager, Bahwan Travels, and Mr. Manjunath, Manager, Sixt Rent-a Car.
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At the meeting they discussed ways of further strengthening the long-standing franchise partnership between Bahwan Travels and Sixt.
MD RECEIVES LEADING ITALIAN FURNITURE MANUFACTURER Mr. Massimo Grassi, Managing Director of Matteograssi, Italy, visited Oman recently and held discussions with Ms. Amal Bahwan, Managing Director and Board Member. He was accompanied by Mr. Rakesh Valsaraj, Head of Projects, Bahwan Furnishing and Trading. Discussions focused around potential tie up with the Italian
company for some of the upcoming projects in Oman where both could work together. Matteograssi is the leading manufacturer of airport seating and has supplied airport seating solutions for Dubai International Airport, and the passenger terminal in Al Maktoum International Airport, in addition to executing first and business class lounges in Paris, Frankfurt, Athens, Rome, Beijing, New Delhi, Mumbai, Jakarta etc.
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT DIVISION ORGANIZES SALES SKILLS WORKSHOPS Suhail Bahwan Group Holding’s training and development department division recently organised a series of training workshops on ‘Selling skills’ strategies to strengthen the staff capabilities recently. Fifty four employees in sales function from various group companies attended. The employees interacted positively with the topics discussed through the workshops as the discussions included different views on how to develop the Group’s business and promote sales in light of the latest developments and the competition between different companies in market, as well as the latest global financial crisis. The employees thanked and appreciated the training and development division for its efforts to improve the performance of Group employees.
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Distinguished Emp
JUNE 2015 1] George Varghese, Accounts Executive, Finance & Accounts Division | 2] Ashraf Ibrahim Ebd Elghany Salama, Senior Admin. Executive, HR & Admin. Division | 3] Ayman Hassan Ali, Senior Software Developer, Information Services Department | 4] Mohammed Salim Mohammed Al Hadhrami, Tours Supervisor, Bahwan Travel Agencies LLC | 5] Abdul Hameed, Foreman, Internal Audit Division | 6] Sherif Mohamed Ali Elnifili, Sales Executive, Bahwan Electronics Furnishing And Trading LLC | 7] Rasheed Said Rashid Al Dahawi, Sales Officer, BahwanProjects and Telecoms LLC | 8] Mohammed Hashem, Foreman, Bahwan Steel & Trading Company LLC | 9] Rafat Ali Khan, Assistant Manager - Warehouse, Bahwan Building Materials LLC | 10] Suresh Kumar Pillai, Commercial Executive, Bahwan Healthcare Center LLC | 11] Soni Mahendra, Senior Purchase Officer, Bilad Oman LLC | 12] Sajeev Kumar B, Junior Officer, Bahwan Logistics LLC
JULY 2015 1] Deepak Kumar Singh, Senior Engineer, Bahwan Projects and Telecoms LLC | 2] Shikabba Podiya, Site Supervisor, Helper, Bahwan Steel & Trading Company LLC | 3] Hussain Malang Haroon Al Balushi,Warehouse Executive, Bahwan Healthcare Center LLC | 4] Anwar Juma Abduallah Al Ghawi, Accounts Assistant, Bahwan Logistics LLC | 5] Awedesh Prasad, Carpenter, Bahwan Electronics Furnishing And Trading LLC | 6] Fahad Zafar, Senior Sales Executive, Bahwan Building Materials LLC | 7] Laji Martin Thomas, Sales Officer, Bahwan Electronics LLC | 8] Anuraj Rajendran, Executive - Estimation, Bahwan Furnishings and Trading LLC | 9] Nehal Mohammed Said Al Rawahi,Accounts Assistant, Finance & Accounts Division | 10] Hanan Rashid Saud Al Khanjari, Call Co-Ordinator, Bahwan IT LLC | 11] Balajee Duraiswamy, Assistant Manager Credit Control, Bahwan Travel Agencies LLC | 12] Raghavendra Murkumbi, Manager Properties, Bahwan International Properties LLC | 13] Salim Obaid S Al Sharji, Assistant Manager Audit, Internal Audit Division | 14] Chandra Shekhar Prasad, Network Engineer, Information Service Department | 15] Mohammed Moosa Harib Al Balushi, Junior Officer - HR, HR & Admin Division | 16] Faiz Bakhit Obaid Al Masoudi, Machine Operator, Bilad Oman LLC | 17] Mohamed Abbas El Sayed El Shahhat, Manager, Legal | 18] Anandha Krishnan, Customer Support Engineer, Bahwan IT LLCDepartment | 19] Issa Salim Marhoon Al Salhi, Watchman, Bahwan Furnishings and Trading LLC
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loyees of the Month
AUGUST 2015 1) Jainallabid, Senior Sales Executive, Bahwan Building Materials LLC | 2) Thomson C Kunju, Deputy Manager - Operations, Bahwan Logistics LLC | 3) Srikanth Sreedharan, Secretary, Bahwan Electronics Furnishing and Trading LLC | 4) Talib Ibrahim Said Al Hamdani, L.V. Driver, Bahwan Steel & Trading Company LLC | 5) Mohammed Abdullah Rashid Al Shahi, Assistant Technician, Bahwan Electronics LLC | 6) Rakshitkumar S D, Service Engineer-Biomedical Equpmt., Bahwan Healthcare Center LLC | 7) Sandeep Kurup, Senior Executive Sales, Bahwan Furnishings and Trading LLC | 8) Sajan K Sarasan, Security Consultant, Bahwan IT LLC | 9) Margaret Emmanuel, Technical Staff-Cabling, Bahwan IT LLC | 10) Nasser Ali Saif Al Dughaishi, L.V. Driver, Bahwan Projects and Telecoms LLC | 11) Abdullah Mohsin Saif Al Fahdi, Junior Officer - Sales, Bahwan Travel Agencies LLC | 12) Sakthivel Sundaramoorthty, Detailer, Bilad Oman LLC | 13) Faiz Salim Bilal Al Hosni, Assistant Foreman, Hr & Admin Division | 14) Narjis Nasser Abdullah Al Saadi, Senior Audit Assistant, Internal Audit Division | 15) Sridhara Gopal Amin, Junior Officer - Accounts, Finance And Accounts Division | 16) Gautam Medappa, Pr Exec/Secretary, Media & Communication Division | 17) Mohammed Manjur Morshed, Secretary, Information Services Department
INTERNSHIP AT BAHWAN TRAVELS
Aida Liyaqat Wali Mohammed Al Balushi | Fatma Samir Lal Bakhsh Al Balushi | Hana Malang Shah Al Balushi
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Know your Colleague Trevor Antony Fernandes Assistant General Manager, Bahwan Healthcare Centre
“One must be passionate about his/her job; it makes it easy to achieve the set goals and enjoy your work. Achievements don’t come single handedly. They are best achieved with team work.” 1] Please tell us about yourself. I am a Science graduate with a Post-graduate Diploma in Marketing Management, both from Mumbai University, India) I started my career with Unichem Labs, Mumbai, as a medical representative. Over the years, I was promoted as district manager, product manager, regional manager and reached the level of Manager Marketing Services. During my stint in Unichem, my job responsibilities covered almost whole of India, Africa and Singapore. I came to Oman in 1994 to join the Suhail Bahwan Group. 2] What was your initial functional role? I joined SBGH as sales manager of the Pharma Division (then Ebin Rushed Pharmacy). In those days, pharma marketing was in its infancy as the focus then was on marketing surgical & medical equipment. Soon after joining, I took up the challenge of establishing a full-fledged pharma division. The responsibilities involved working with government authorities, expanding the pharma network, registration, establishing an Omani sales team etc. To register quick sales increases, I used to take purchase orders in the morning and ensure supply of goods the same evening. This was followed by working late into the night doing the paper work for registration. I enjoyed the challenges of achieving against all odds at that point of time. 3] How has been your work experience so far? The SBGH management supported me in all possible ways. I was recognized for my work and promoted as Senior manager and later as Assistant General Manager. Over the years, I learnt a lot from Sheikh Suhail Bahwan, whom I admire and who selected me for the job in Mumbai. Our Managing Director Madam Amal Bahwan’s qualities of perfectionism, aesthetic taste, persuasive qualities and vision have been an inspiration and guiding force to achieve even the most stretched targets. I also thank my superiors, colleagues and customers for the success achieved.
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4] Which project/assignment has given you immense job satisfaction? What have you learnt on the job? I was instrumental in bringing several agencies to SBGH including Unichem, where I worked earlier. I evolved a strategy for rural and interior marketing by launching products in places such as Sohar, Sur, Nizwa, Salalah etc. This interior marketing strategy was very successful and the results surprised competitors who always concentrated in the comfort of the cities. This strategy was successful to a large extent as many global firms adopted the same marketing strategy for their products later on. 5] Any suggestions for improving the work environment. I can see lots of opportunities all over. We just need to go out and get it … 6] What are the factors that have influenced your life and career? The policies of the companies I worked for, my superiors and customer interaction have shaped my career till date. Right from the day I started to work, I strongly believed that I should always give back to the company that has recruited me and recognized my work. This has kept me going even today. I also believe that more than ‘cash’ one must have ‘KASH’, which I call as Knowledge, Attitude, Skill and Habits. Achievements don’t come single handedly, but are best achieved with team work. 7] Tell us about your family and your hobbies. Working with SBGH was enjoyable for me and my family. We have two daughters who are settled in India. Now we have grandchildren and the best part is that the whole family is always kept abreast of my achievements and progress at work. On the hobbies front, I am a toastmaster and was the No. 2 in Oman. I also have plans to set up the toastmasters club at SBGH. I love painting and I am a landscape painter myself.
BE OPENS NEW BOUTIQUE FOR TITAN AND SEIKO WATCHES AT AVENUES MALL Bahwan Electronics’ latest addition- a swanky showroom at the newest shopping destination in town, the Avenues Mall opened to the public recently. The boutique showroom with stunning interiors in a sprawling 105 square metres of space, showcases two of our prestigious brands Seiko and Titanexclusively. The project was executed by our Projects and Interior Design team. Mr. Mitsuru Suda of Seiko Japan, who visited the boutique recently congratulated the Bahwan Electronics team on the new Bahwan Boutique in such a luxurious shopping mall and said, “I would like to thank Ms Amal Bahwan, who visited our Tokyo office and promised this project with our Seiko management, and completed perfectly. I also would like to thank Mr.Parasuram Iyer for successfully completing the showroom on time. I’m sure that the boutique will increase the Seiko brand value in Oman market. We would like to continue our maximum support to upgrade the boutique gradually.”
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BAHWAN ELECTRONICS LAUNCHES SONATA BRAND WATCHES IN OMAN Bahwan Electronics added one more brand to its portfolio by introducing Sonata watches- a well-known brand from Titan. At a launch function held recently in the presence of a large number of watch dealers, Mr. Dwaraknath Mopuri, Head of Sales, Middle East and Africa, Titan Company Limited said, “We are happy to introduce Sonata in Oman with Bahwan Electronics with whom we have decades of business relationship. Sonata is India’s largest-selling watch brand from Titan Company Limited, bearing the hallmark of trust from the house of TATAs. With a wide range of watches, Sonata has something for everyone – sporty watches for the adventure enthusiast, glamorous and finely crafted watches for special occasions and traditional “hand ornament” (haathphool) watches for weddings.
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BAHWAN ELECTRONICS RECEIVES KUDOS FROM TOSHIBA FOR BAGGING THE LARGEST ORDER IN THE MENA REGION Bahwan Electronics’ Toshiba Air-conditioning division recently won praise from the Toshiba management for bagging the largest project in the Middle East, North Africa and subcontinent region (MENA) for VRF system of commercial air conditioners.
Present during the award ceremony were Mr Tsuru, Managing Director of Toshiba Thailand factory, Mr Ajit Chandraraj, General Manager, AHI Carrier Sharjah and Mr Jafar, Deputy General Manager, AHI Carrier, Sharjah
At a recent award ceremony held in Las Vegas Mr Kondo, President of Toshiba Air-Conditioning division and Mr Inoue, Advisor Toshiba Air-Conditioning division, presented the award to Mr. Parasuram Iyer, General Manager, Bahwan Electronics.
Bahwan Electronics recently bagged a huge project order from Royal Oman Police to intall VRF air conditioners in one of their largest development projects. Incidentally, this was the largest VRF order in Oman in recent times.
BAHWAN ELECTRONICS WINS TOSHIBA’S AWARD Bahwan Electonics won a silver award recently from Toshiba for its impressive sales performance in Office Automation Products. Mr Prasanth Ravindran –Manager Sales (Office Automation Products), received the award from Mr Yoshida, head of Toshiba Business Solution Division –Toshiba Singapore, during the regional distributor meeting held in Dubai in September. Toshiba Singapore office handles the Middle East, Africa, Indian subcontinent and Far East country markets excluding China.
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BAHWAN MART DISTRIBUTES PRIZES TO RAFFLE DRAW WINNERS Bahwan Mart recently distributed prizes to the winners of “Sizzling Summer Promotion” following the raffle draw held recently. A total of 104 lucky winners from across Oman were picked up from the draw. The first prize of three gift vouchers worth OMR 1000 each, went to Mr. Juma Al Haimali of Samad Al Shan, Mr.Bakeeth Al Marri from Salalah and Mr. I.A.H from Muscat. The second prize was IPhone-6 to 10 lucky winners while other prizes such as home theatre systems and watches went to rest of the winners of the draw from various towns across Oman.
BAHWAN TOURISM HANDS OVER PRIZES TO HOLIDAY SOUQ RAFFLE DRAW WINNERS Following the huge success of the Holiday Souq, Bahwan Tourism, held the raffle draw in the presence of an official from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to select the winners Ten lucky winners, who won exciting prizes like packages for two people to destinations such as Vienna, Prague, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, India and Abu Dhabi were presented with the prizes on various dates at the Bahwan Travels Head Office recently.
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BAHWAN TRAVELS’ LOCAL TOURS FOR SBGH EMPLOYEES AND FAMILIES DRAW HUGE SUPPORT Recently Bahwan Travels organized several local tours with special offers exclusively for SBGH employees and their family members. The tours held on various dates included a Muscat city tour, Dolphin watch tour and a sunset cruise. Employees had a great time on these tours enjoying the trips along with colleagues and their families.
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BAHWAN TRAVELS SUPPORTS TRAVEL TRADE SEMINAR IN SALALAH Bahwan Travel Services recently supported a seminar for the travel trade in Salalah, attended in large numbers by representatives from travel agencies and tour operators .
map of the world and highlighted the E-visa service for Omanis and foreigners visiting India that can be obtained online in less than 15 minutes.
The seminar, organized by India Tourism in association with Air India, showcased India as an exciting tourist destination for Omani nationals and other residents of Oman. Mr. I.R.V. Rao, Assistant Director India Tourism Dubai office, who spoke on the occasion, said that India was uniquely positioned on the tourism
Bahwan Tourism also showcased a range of holiday products for India ranging from beach holidays in Goa, Ayurveda resorts in the backwaters of Kerala, historical journeys in Delhi – Agra to adventure holidays in the Himalayas.
BAHWAN TRAVELS WINS THAI AIRWAYS’ OUTSTANDING ACHIEVER AWARD Thai Airways’ regional management team hosted a luncheon recently to celebrate the outstanding results achieved for the period October 2014 to March 2015 in which Bahwan Travels was honoured for being the outstanding achiever contributing to the airline’s outstanding sales growth in Oman. The occasion was graced by the Thai Ambassador, H.E. Dr. Pornchai Danvivathana along with the Thai Oman team and top supporting travel agents from Oman.
Bahwan Travels has been Oman’s General Sales Agent (GSA) for Thai Airways for decades. Thipkwan Kidakorn (Airport Service Manager, THAI Airways), Gururaj S. A. (General Manager Bahwan Travel Agencies LLC), Thai Ambassador (name mentioned above), Joseph Abi Hanna (District Sales Manager, Thai Airways), Somchai Sukkhasantikul (General Manager – U.A.E & Middle East, THAI Airways)
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BAHWAN PROJECTS AND TELECOM ORGANISES ADVANCED TRAINING FOR OOREDOO STAFF ON LEICA PRODUCTS
as well as on software usage and how to import and export data for analysis.
Bahwan Projects and Telecom (BPT) recently organised an advanced training programme and workshop for Ooredoo technical staff in Muscat, Oman, to introduce and promote LEICA product range.
There were about 15 participants, who were quite enthusiastic to know about LEICA products & solutions. They appreciated BPT team for their support and well organised training programme.
Training was provided on specific products range of LEICA GS14 GNSS as per the application requirements by Ooredoo. BPT also arranged hands on training in the field covering entire features and applications
Mr. Yasser Sayed Abas, Senior Sales & Technical Support Engineer for Leica products, along with his team members imparted the training.
BAHWAN PROJECTS & TELECOMS DEPUTES STAFF MEMBER TO HBL INDIA FOR TRAINING Bahwan Projects & Telecoms recently sent Farhang Radfar, Sales Coordinator, to HBL India to get in depth product technical sales training on battery systems , charging units and solar and wind power generation solutions. The training also included tour to various manufacturing facilities to understand HBL’s manufacturing capabilities and procedures so that he can promote the same among customers in Oman .
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During the training, Farhang also had a meeting with HBL Chairman Dr. A. J. Prasad and HBL director Mr. M.S.S. Srinath discussing the way forward to expand the cooperation between the companies in turn-key integrated hybrid power generation systems implementing solar panels, wind turbine, and LA Gel battery systems in Oman.
BAHWAN PROJECTS & TELECOM LLC TEAM ATTENDS GARMIN WORKSHOP IN DUBAI Garmin, one of BPT’s principals, had recently organized a workshop in Dubai for their Middle East & GCC Distributors and Channel Partners to familiarize their new products launched throughout GCC region. BPT deputed Mr.Waleed and Mr.Nagendran to attend the workshop that focused on new Garmin products such as GPS MAP / Echo Map, GHP Reactor Auto Pilot Series, Radars GMI 20, Fish Finders and Transducers. Participants were given hands on training on installation and fixing of these kits on large and medium sized boats. Lot of boat manufactures and marine companies took part in this event. Garmin took entire team on a medium sized open boat in which all instruments were installed and product demonstration of the working of the auto pilot unit was made.
SOHAR REFINERY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT ACHIEVES ANOTHER MILESTONE BEC’s Sohar Refinery improvement project which involves execution of 37000 M3 of concreting works, 9500 MT of structural steel erection, 440000 inch dia of piping welding works, 26490 MT of equipment erection work, 1056000 mtrs of electrical cabling works and several others, has achieved 3-Million Man hours without LTI (Loss Time Injury). This is a significant milestone considering the size and complex nature of the project. Well done
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BAHWAN HEALTHCARE’S DENTAL TECHNICAL TRAINING PROGRAMME RECEIVES APPRECIATION Bahwan Healthcare along with M/s Adec International Inc. organized a dental technical training programme on Adec dental chairs in Muscat for biomedical engineers. Around 25 biomedical engineers from all the major establishments such as Minsitry of Health, Ministry of Defence, Royal Oman Police, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, ODC, Diwan and Al Nahdha Hospital along with Bahwan Healthcare engineers took part in the training. Mr. Stephen Lawary and Mr. Thaddeus from Adec onducted the workshop, which was well appreciated by the participants.
BAHWAN HEALTHCARE SUPPORTS ADVANCE PERITONEAL DIALYSIS PROGRAMME Bahwan Healthcare along with one of its principals Baxter recently organised a peritoneal dialysis programme conducted by Nephrology department of Royal hospital. Around 30 participants including doctors and para-medical staff from the region attended the programme that focussed on Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) therapy including principles, clinical approach and safety aspects presented by Baxter representatives. The programme was aimed at increasing the awareness among healthcare professionals on PD therapy.
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BAHWAN HEALTHCARE INTRODUCES I-PORT ADVANCE®
NEW PATIENT-FRIENDLY INJECTION DEVICE Bahwan Healthcare, true to its pioneering spirit, has recently introduced I-Port Advance, a new patient-friendly injection device from Medtronic, which allows diabetic patients take their insulin injections in single prick (single insert) enabling insulin delivery multiple times per day for three days without having to puncture the skin for each shot. Diabetic patients who are on insulin therapy have to live with getting syringe injections on a regular basis undergoing pain and discomfort every time. Children in particular hate needles, and most adults can’t stand poking themselves several times a day. With I Port Advance multiple injections are possible with a single prick. For instance, if a physician prescribes for a patient 4 injections per day, the patient has to make 120 skin punctures in a month; by using I-Port Advance he will only make 10 punctures in a month. It’s easy to wear and easy to use. It can be worn for up to three days during all normal activities, including showering, bathing and exercising. It is available only upon prescription that can be used by patients of all ages. I-Port device is a patented product of Medtronic- a wellknown healthcare company with operations in over 150 countries. Bahwan Healthcare is the authorised distributor for their products in Oman.
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BAHWAN HEALTHCARE SUPPORTS TRAUMA TRAINING PROGRAMME Bahwan Healthcare joined hands with DepuySynthes a healthcare company and AO Trauma,an educational institution that runs Trauma courses in the field of orthopedics across the globe, to conduct a Regional training programme for Orthopedic doctors and nurses. The three day course included lectures, presentations and hands-on workshop on SynBones. During practical exercises, surgeons were trained in the application of different techniques on plastic sawbones, using actual fracture fixation tools and implants. Interactive case discussions in small groups helped the participants to evaluate their decision making and management skills. At the end of the course, all the participants received an AO Certificate from DepuySynthes Switzerland, which will make them eligible to enroll for advance course.
BAHWAN HEALTHCARE ORGANIZES DENTAL CROSS INFECTION CONTROL AND HYGIENE WORKSHOPS Bahwan Healthcare along with M/s Durr Dental Hygiene, Germany, organized a series of events for three days across Oman to create awareness on dental hygiene. Mrs. Daniela Schloegl, Dental Nurse and Scientific Speaker for Durr Dental Hygiene, visited Oman and gave lectures and conducted seven workshops for the Ministry of Health in Ibra and other private dental hospitals in and around Muscat.
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Know your Colleague Karima Bint Mansour Bin Naser Al Farsi Sales Executive, Bahwan Home Design
An aspiring Omani woman in pursuit of excellence in professional life 1] Please tell us about yourself. I was born in 1974 at Muscat governorate in Al Khoud region. My father had his own private trade. He is now 74 years old. After completing my basic education from Shamsa Al Khalili School in Muscat, I completed my primary and secondary education in Wadi Kabir School for girls and obtained my general certificate in 1994. 2] Can you brief us on your career so far? I joined Suhail Bahwan Group’s Bahwan International Institute of Technology in 1995 where I learnt basics of sales, computer skills and English language. This was a helpful initiative to develop my professional knowledge. After a year working at Bahwan International Institute of Technology, I moved to Bahwan Furnishing and Trading Company in kitchens department at its Wadi Kabir office. 3] What is your functional role? Now I am working at Bahwan Home Design showroom in Al Khuwair as a sales executive and my job includes meeting and greeting customers, explaining them about our various product range available and the advantages of each product and their prices. I am also responsible for the after-sales services such as meeting the customers, listening to their complaints and finding solutions so that they are completely satisfied. I also process sales invoices as well as coordinate with the stores to finalise the delivery of the product to the client. 4] How has been your work experience so far? It is 20 long years working in the field of sales, in which I certainly gained vast experience and learnt how to deal with different types and nationalities of customers. I am able to speak in an attractive style with costumers, as I speak Arabic, English, Hindi and Baloushi languages. I understand quickly the design, colour and other preferences and tastes of customers and respond fast. I also explain them the price advantages of each product. 5] Which project/assignment has given you immense job
satisfaction? What have you learnt on the job? I get job satisfaction whenever I am able to meet my monthly sales target. The more I win the confidence of customers and managers happier I am. This is an important motivation factor for me to continue working hard and achieve more. Patience and commitment are part of the qualities that I gained from working in SBGH. 6] Any suggestions for improving the work environment. I am working in the company for two decades in sales and responsible for generating revenue to the company. But, these days there is stiff competition in the market and we have to match our rivals in marketing our products. On the other hand, I hope we receive more sales oriented training and modern methods of marketing to improve sales. 7] Your ambition in life‌Future Plans? I hope to gain more experience and secure promotions, which would encourage me to give my best. I am hoping to start my own business in near future, as I am looking to my father and brothers who are my role models.. 8]How have your parents influenced your life/career? My father will always remain my idol as he always advises me to stay as long as I can in one company without changing the career. He also advises me to work with dedication thinking it as my own company and be loyal to my career. I miss my mother’s prayers for me, as she died in 2007 and she was also my close friend. 9] How do you spend your leisure time? What are your interests/ hobbies? I like reading and am fond of drawing; I love knitting and writing various forms of calligraphy, and I enjoy spending time with my family also. Karima concluded her talk by thanking her father, who is always by her side advising her to continue to work very hard. Karima is also thankful to her colleagues and managers for their continued cooperation and support.
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BAHWAN IT RECEIVES MICROSOFT’S “COUNTRY PARTNER OF THE YEAR” AWARD ONCE AGAIN Bahwan IT has once again won the ‘Microsoft Country Partner of the Year 2015’ Award for the Sultanate of Oman. This is the third time Bahwan IT has won this prestigious award from Microsoft. Mr. Sherif Tawfik, Country General Manager for Microsoft in Oman and Bahrain, said: “Bahwan IT was selected based on their commitment to our customers, their solutions’ market impact and exemplary use of Microsoft technologies. We congratulate them on this incredible achievement and look forward to continuing our work with them on technology innovation and business transformation for our mutual customers in Oman.” Congratulations to Mr.Janakiraman, General Manager, Bahwan IT, and his team for the continuous achivement!
BEC Does a Hat-Trick! Bahwan Engineering Company has once again won the “Best MEP Contractor award at the recently held Dossier Construction Award and Summit event. By winning this award consequetively for the third time in a row, BEC has done a Hat-Trick! Congratulations BEC Team !
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SBGH IN THE
NEWS
Know your Colleague Mousa Bin Khalfan Bin Said Al Amri Assistant Executive Public Relations, Bilad Oman
Humble person but a professional to the core and believes only “hard work is the key to success”. 1] Please tell us about yourself. I was born in 1976 at Muscat governorate in Al Hail area. My father worked at the Muscat International Airport and passed away in 2007. I am married and blessed with three sons and three daughters. I completed my basic education from Mousa Bin Nosair School in Muscat, Al Seeb. 2] Brief us on your educational qualifications? Soon after completing my primary education, I started my career with Suhail Bahwan Group in 1998. After nine years at SBGH, I completed my education and secured general certificate in 2007. 3] Can you brief us on your career so far? It has been 17 long years with SBGH. I began my career at Bilad Oman as a driver in the company’s then office at Rusail Industrial Estate, since then I have grown professionally with the Group to become an Assistant Executive Public Relations. 4] What is your functional role? I am solely responsible for managing Bahwan Mart showroom, and I am responsible for finalising the administrative transactions of the SBGH employees with government departments including directorate-general of Immigration and Passports and Royal Oman Police. I sometimes represent SBGH at the Ministry of Manpower in case if there is any complaint from any of the company’s workers in the ministry. 5] How has been your work experience so far? I have gained vast experience after joining the company. The most important thing that I learnt at SBGH is how to deal with various government officials and police departments and get our job done smoothly as well as being punctual to office. There is no doubt that working in a prestigious company such as Suhail Bahwan Group gives me the opportunity to deal with higher officials in different ministries. I also learnt to deal with various legal procedures to solve the problems of the workers relating to residence and visa. I have also become familiar with
following-up and communicate with the employee and the different authorities. 6] Which project/assignment has given you immense job satisfaction? What have you learnt on the job? I get job satisfaction whenever I am able to win the confidence of employees, as my job is related to employees’ visa and residence. I feel satisfied whenever I manage to do all legal work in the set format, which gives satisfaction to the employee and allow him to work with no stress related to his or his family. Among the skills I gained in my work are patience and I always try to find appropriate solutions to any administrative problems relating to employees. When I was asked to move to the company’s branch in Sohar, I moved with my family and I worked for two years there from 2011 to 2013. 7] Any suggestions for improving the work environment. Work environment seems good for me that encourages everyone to put in more efforts to boost the company’s production. I am quite happy doing the administrative tasks as I get cooperation from staff and company management. 8] Your ambition in life…Future Plans? Giving the best of my ability to my children is my ambition in life. I will ensure my children get the best education. Professionally, I would like to get promotions so that I can scale new heights, but with hard work only and be able to meet my family’s requirements. 9]How have your parents influenced your life/career? My father was the one who always encouraged me to work hard. He will always remain my idol as he advised me to respect my profession, managers and colleagues. My mother always advises me to stick to duty hours, as her prayers have also helped me so much. 10] 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 read Holy Quran and attend religious sermons in mosque along with my sons. I go out with my family, as I love swimming.
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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.
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In this issue, we present you with a set of rare photographs of our Chairman Sheikh Suhail Bahwan with dignatories on various occasions.
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TAKE CONTROL OF PAIN BEFORE IT CONTROLS YOU!
Many of us would have experienced it at some point of our daily life- a sudden twitch at the lower back part of our body or a radiating pain that travels through the spine down to hips and below. Low Back Pain or Lumbago, as commonly known, was identified as one of the top three occupational health problems by the Pan American Health Organization. An estimated 62% of young people suffer from Back Pain in the UAE alone, according to a report. Most of the time Lumbago can be triggered by a number of different factors such as poor posture at work, sitting, driving
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or sleeping, overexertion at work and play, pushing, pulling, and lifting heavy items incorrectly or carelessly, bending awkwardly, over-stretching or overuse of muscles, standing for long periods, being overweight (puts pressure on the spine and strain on back muscles), aging, arthritis, stress, smoking and depression. An estimated 65% of Low Back Pain cases in the United States are attributable to the effects of the occupational exposures. Treatment for lower back pain depends upon the patient’s history, type and severity of pain. The vast majority of lower back pain cases get better within six weeks without surgery. A lower back pain exercise plan, appropriate therapy and medication are some of the ways by which the pain can be treated. Low back pain exercise is a key element of almost any lower back pain treatment plan and typically an exercise programme will be developed and taught by a spine health professional or a spine health centre. American Spine Center in the UAE has treated more than 4000 patients suffering from Back and Neck Pain over the last 3 years with a success rate of around 86%. The centre, specializes in providing customized non-surgical solutions to patients suffering from low back pain. The American Spine Center will open soon in Oman under the aegis of Bahwan Healthcare Centre.
Contributed by Dr. Hassan Jabbar Shaikh, Medical Director, American Spine Center, Dubai
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SBGH EMPLOYEES’ IFTAR UPHOLDS THE SPIRIT OF RAMADAN Driven by corporate value of “One Team, One Family”, as directed by our Managing Director Ms. AmalBahwan, Iftar evenings were held for our business units and support divisions during the holy month of Ramadan. Spread over various dates, the Iftar evenings proved to be a happy family atmosphere when colleagues from different business units and support divisions mingled and exchanged greetings celebrating the spirit of the Holy Month of Ramadan.
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جمموعة �س��هيل بهوان تنظ��م �إفطارا رم�ضانيا ملو ظفيها متا�شيا مع قيم املجموعة التي ترفع �شعار «فريق واحد �أ�رسة واحدة» مب�شاركة وت�شجيع املدير التنفيذي للمجموعة ،الفا�ضلة �أمل بنت �سهيل بهوان ،قامت جمموعة �سهيل بهوان بتنظيم عدد من حفالت االفطار الرم�ضانية ملوظفيها من خمتلف ال�رشكات والأق�سام وذلك خالل �شهر رم�ضان املبارك. وكانت تلك الأم�سيات الرم�ضانية فر�صة مثالية للموظفني ،يف مثل هذا ال�شهر املبارك والذي يت�سم بالأجواء الإميانية العطرة، حيث التقى اجلميع ليتعرفوا �أكرث على بع�ضهم البع�ض بعيدا عن �أجواء العمل.
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