Rapping to a new tune
From being a techie to a marketing honcho, Nawras COO Khalid Al Mahmoud has done it all, and yet believes there’s more, reports Sunil Kumar Singh


If you ever happen to meet him, at first glance he would appear just like any other topline corporate. But as you get to know him better, you’ll discover the string of success stories behind this personality. “I believe there is always a shortcut to success and that is to work smart. It means building synergy among team members and to get the best out of each person,” says Khalid bin Ibrahim A Al Mahmoud, sharing his mantra of success.

In his more than 16 years of well-rounded experience in the telecom sector, Khalid has held various positions of increasing responsibility, in fields ranging from IT, ISP and data management to product management and marketing. His knowledge spans product/service management, marketing, project management, strategy development and execution. “I have always tried to be abreast of useful information, specially in my field and market. It pays to be conversant with the world around you, enabling you to make the right decisions. Moreover, the key to success is to draw a balance in life, balancing your personal and professional life, balancing your short-term and long-term goals, ensuring that each part gets its due,” he rejoins.

Working smart
A graduate in electrical engineering, with a major in computer engineering, from Pennsylvania in 1988, Khalid is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Nawras since February 2005. Nawras is the brand name of Oman’s second mobile operator – the Omani Qatari Telecommunications Company SAOC – which launched its operations in March 2005. The majority shareholder in the company is Qatar Telecom (QTel), the exclusive telecommunications provider in Qatar.

An ardent advocate of hard work, Khalid, however, feels that this alone is not enough. Also, it is not the volume of workload that one can manage, but how smartly one does it. And his successful stint with QTel, the holding company of Nawras, speaks louder than his words. Khalid joined QTel as a computer programmer just after his graduation and has not looked back ever since, moving up through the company, holding different portfolios and managing different profiles. In fact, as information technology (IT) divisional manager at QTel, he was responsible for laying down and managing the company’s IT strategy, which resulted in several significant improvements in critical IT areas, such as billing and customer care.

After 10 years in QTel’s information technology department, Khalid was re-designated to lead the company’s data and internet business unit in Qatar, with the responsibility of improving the internet services and overhauling data network operations.

In 2003, his career took a big turn, when he was appointed senior manager, product management and marketing at QTel and was in-charge of overseeing management, development and marketing of all wire-line services, including international and, national calls, data, internet and many other ancillary products. After a successful two-year stint heading QTel’s marketing unit, Khalid was seconded to Nawras as Chief Operating Officer.

Home is where the heart is
Originally from Qatar, Khalid has been living in Oman ever since he joined Nawras. Asked how did he find settling in Oman as compared to Qatar, he replied: “I never thought that Oman could be so beautiful. Unlike other GCC countries, Oman is different in terms of landscape, people, culture, etc. Such diversity is its strength. It has been a very enriching experience for me to work in a competitive environment and lead the team.”

Khalid finds Oman’s telecom market to be a very challenging one as well as one having tremendous growth prospects. “I’ve been working in an exciting and dynamic environment. In my more than two-year spell in Nawras, I feel as if I have got 20 years of experience because of the volume of challenges I face regularly in putting into place a world-class telecom infrastructure.”

Learning from experiences
On his ability to productively manage different fronts, Khalid reasons, “I always had the inspiration of leading the people and having a strong influence on the direction of the company. The biggest strength I have is being internally focussed. Before joining QTel’s marketing department, I was keen on acquiring experiences of different departments, such as customer service, systems and product development, and this gave me the perspective on different aspects of the business.”

Khalid believes that the success of any corporate hinges on its people and the relationships among them as well as with the management. “What makes an organisation successful are its people. This is why I put special focus on people. If they are happy, they’ll go the extra mile to achieve the targets of an organisation.”

As his profile warrants more and more time on work, Khalid finds it difficult to find time for leisure and to unwind. But whenever he finds the time, he never misses out on his passion for flying light aircraft and fishing. Besides, on weekends, he ensures that he spends some time with his family in Doha. “Being close to aircraft has enchanted me all along. Flying gives me the inspiration to move higher and higher in life, and the realisation that there is always scope to learn and grow.”

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