Against all odds
Dr Nasser Zaher Nasser Al Mauly, CEO, A’Saffa Poultry Farms, stuns you with his never-say-die attitude both professionally and personally. He believes in and has immersed himself in the maxim ‘living life to the fullest’

There are two things on the desk of Dr Nasser Al Mauly which pretty much sum up our ‘Beyond Boardroom’ story – a small yellow fluffy chicken and a golf ball. But there is no need to ask the question – what came first the chicken or the egg? Because, as Chief Executive Officer of A’Saffa Poultry it is certainly the chicken that matters most for Dr Mauly, come what may.

For someone who chose to pursue agriculture for his studies and later having his own private farm, it was a natural progression to take up the yeomen responsibility of setting up A’Saffa Poultry Farms, Oman’s first ever fully integrated poultry project producing broiler chickens. Prior to this, he worked in the department of animal wealth in the then ministry of agriculture and fisheries for a total of almost 19 years and took early retirement to join the private sector.

Staying alive
The turning point of his life came when he suffered two heart attacks and still survived. His joie de vivre is evident in the fact that despite the doctor’s warning him that he may suffer another heart attack, Dr Mauly is undaunted. “I have had two heart attacks and then I had another one. Despite all the bypass surgeries I only have one main vein going to my heart. But I run and I can do everything and I continue to play golf. But if my health permits I still see myself working for the company, it is a big challenge in this company and I am really enjoying it,” Dr Mauly says. His greatest achievement, personally, was getting A’Saffa Poultry off the ground against a lot of challenges at a time when there was a lot of competition from Brazil and other parts of the world.

Sportsmanship
Dr Mauly is a sportsman. His main passion being golf. “I like sports in general, including cricket (laughs) but unfortunately I have never played it. The Twenty20 matches – I watch them all the time. But golf is my passion and now I am building up another passion which I had left off when I started golf and that is fishing. I am in the process of buying a small boat as I intend to start going fishing every now and then,” Dr Mauly informs. He also plays tennis and squash. And he is eagerly looking forward to the number of new golf courses coming up in Oman amidst all the new residential and tourist projects.

Though despite his demanding schedule and social pursuits, Dr Mauly is a complete family man so much so that he had to make some sacrifices on the professional front to be close to them. “I love my children (two boys and two girls) and I love spending time with them and my wife. We travel a lot together and recently returned from a holiday in Zanzibar – it was my first time back there since I left 35 years ago. It was an amazing experience. So I feel that I balance work and family life fairly well,” he states.

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