New Leadership
In a free-wheeling interview, Faisal Al Hashar, the new Managing Director, Shell Oman Marketing talks to Ramesh Kumar and Sunil Kumar Singh about how he leverages his experiences to make a difference in the company

New leader means new agenda. What is your agenda?
My agenda is to develop an environment where people within the organisation prosper with sustainable growth. It also involves developing opportunities for them within the Shell global network. The belief is that when you have people of the right calibre, it means a better working environment as well as better business for the organisation.

How do you differentiate yourself from the competition in this market?
We differentiate ourselves in a number of ways. The first is that we have a leading global brand – Shell – that is measured in terms of brand loyalty and brand preference. One of the parameters attached to a good brand is the service to customers, which we always maintain at highest possible level in order to live up to the standards. The other thing that differentiates us is the innovative products that we offer.

Is the gap between you and your rivals – Al Maha, Oman Oil – narrowing down?
If you look at our network in terms of the number of sites, then we don’t necessarily have the largest network; but we do have a network at strategic locations. We make sure that whatever network expansion we do in terms of sites, it is something that is profitable and gives good business returns to our partners and dealers. That’s why our sites are strategically located.

Finance and marketing rule the roost in most organisations. Until recently, you were the GM Retail for Shell Oman. Can you describe one of such initiative that you consider a crowning glory?
Two years ago, I was heading a regional team that managed regional corporate identity programme. The programme has been designed to help strengthen Shell’s reputation in the Arab world. Based on the successful global Corporate Identity model, it aimed to reach out and engage with the key stakeholder audiences, ensuring their interaction and involvement; rather than presenting a simple, one-way message. Whilst previous communications have tended to focus on Shell’s sustainable development and community activities, the regional CI campaign focused on Shell’s core themes and told the story of its technical achievements and business results, positioning the company as the top choice for host governments and national oil companies looking for an international oil company as a business partner. The programme was later awarded with a Shell EPM – EVP Award for Excellence (Shell Exploration and Production Middle East – Executive Vice President Awards).

Since you operated on the retail level – as heading a retail project in Pakistan ­– what did you learn from the experience?
I was looking after the operating platform, which was basically a review of the work practices we were operating under. It also meant ushering in the best global practices in the retail business by taking into consideration the legal aspect, the contractual aspect, the operating aspect, etc.

What post-Gonu crisis management initiative Shell has taken?
We’ve already had a crisis management system in place before Gonu struck. As a pre-emptive response to the cyclone, our crisis management team swung into action to ensure uninterrupted supply of products across the country, especially in areas where people were evacuated from and in areas where people were evacuated to. In this task, we got tremendous cooperation from Royal Oman Police and other concerned authorities. For instance, on Masirah Island, we made sure that our service station was operating and providing support, products and services to the affected until the last moment. Even when the cyclone struck, we made sure that our people were safe and that they were in contact. On the very second day after the Gonu, we resumed the operation and made sure that our sites were ready for business and products were available to customers. We also worked with authorities to restore electricity at some sites.

To what extent do the fluctuations in global oil prices impact your business?
Pump prices in Oman are regulated and fixed across Oman. However, there are products such as base oil, lubricants, etc. which are directly linked to global prices and thus our finished products such as blended lubricants get impacted by price fluctuations.

Generally, oil companies are at the receiving end on the environment front. What is Shell’s contribution to environment protection in Oman?
We’re conscious of our environmental obligations and therefore we do business in an environment-friendly way, making sure that there is no negative impact from our operations. For instance, our loading and unloading facilities are completely environment-friendly. Further, the underground tanks where we store the fuel are double-skinned and are equipped with sensors to detect any possible leakage into the ground. We also work with authorities on environment protection activities such as cleaning of beaches, underwater reefs, etc.

How Omanisation is helping you in qualitative improvement of your organisation?
We believe that Omanisation is not a target nor is it an agenda. Rather, it’s a way of life. It’s the way we work and we always promote it. There is no doubt that it is making a qualitative change to the organisation.

Last year Shell reported shortage of heavy vehicle drivers. What is the situation now and what are the trouble areas in terms of HR?
There are no trouble areas in terms of HR as such. Rather, there are concerns more in terms of the availability of heavy duty drivers in the market. There has been an increase in demand of heavy duty drivers in the market due to all round growth in the economy. The availability of experienced, trained drivers is not matching the demand. We’re tackling this by bringing in expatriate drivers temporarily, until we have ample supply. We’re getting cooperation from the Ministry of Manpower also in terms of training more Omanis.

With access to Shell parentage, product innovation should not be a big problem for you. What can we expect?
As I said earlier, in 2005 we had launched quality fuel which gives better mileage and which we’re very proud of. The product has got a very good response from the market and is very popular with our customers. There are other products which we’re working on. But at this moment, I can’t divulge more.

Convenience store business is not a money spinner. When do you reckon you’ll really turn the corner in this area?
Our convenience store is more of a value proposition than a money-spinner. A convenience store like Select adds value to the Shell site, to the retailer as well as to the customers who drive in. Though these convenience stores do not contribute much in terms of revenue, but their role lies in attracting more and more customers to Shell sites and that is our goal.

How is your export business doing?
Our export is mainly focussed on the lubricant segment and it’s doing very well. We’re working with our colleagues within Shell to have access to markets in Africa and other countries in the Middle East. By collaborating with them, we export large quantities of lubricants that are made here in Oman.

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