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Life in positive mode
Nilesh Samani loves everything around him, including his family, friends and
his work, writes Visvas Paul D Karra
 I love to spend time with my soon-to-be five-year-old daughter and take her on
outings,” says Nilesh Samani, general manager of Oman United Agencies (OUA), as
part of his opening remarks when we caught up with him at his office in Madinat
Qaboos. Samani’s office, brightly lit with sunlight pouring in from the large
windows, reflects the cheerful personality who spoke to us about his many
passions in life.
A love for sports
For instance, although Samani was born and brought up in Mumbai, the commercial
capital of India, he loves to tuck into South Indian food, especially idli and
dosa.
 When asked about the cream-coloured cricket hat perched on one of his side desks
with his first name written on it, Samani informs that he loves sports.
Naturally, as an Indian, he loves cricket and is an avid cricketer and a good
all rounder at that. An active sportsman during his stay at Jai Hind College in
Mumbai, he went on to win a gold in chess, and was an ace at carrom and table
tennis. This affable gentleman also loves to hang out with his friends and their
families on the weekends as OUA works on a five-day week. It is more than just a
friendly gathering, as they usually end up cooking and eating some of the
popular Mumbai road-side snacks like ‘vada-pav’, ‘misal pav’ etc. When at home,
Samani likes to laze in front of the television watching news, mostly business
channels, as he dabbles big time in the share market.
Workaholic to the core
At work though there is no compromise and he spends nearly 16 hours at work on
most days. As the general manager of OUA, his business entails frequent
travelling and staying out late hours while in Muscat. So while his colleagues
grumble that he is a workaholic, his wife has figured it out that she is third
or fourth on the list of his priorities. He admits with a gentle smile and a
twinkle in his eye, “I try to balance hard between work and family as I fully
believe in our company’s credo ‘bringing more to life’.”
A firm believer in investing in people, he is quick to point out the virtues of
his colleagues and his employees. He unabashedly confesses that he was the only
one who came in a business suit while all his other Indian colleagues came to
office dressed in their traditional attire on the occasion of India’s
Independence Day.
A positive attitude helps him take on challenges in his stride. “There is
nothing called ‘no’ in my dictionary. With the right attitude and the right
approach you can achieve everything, For example, there are many people who say
that Oman lacks enough events but I hardly find any free time because I have so
many activities to do both at work and leisure,” points out Samani. It is no
wonder then that this go-getter, who came to OUA as a chartered accountant seven
years ago, is now the general manager of the company.
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September
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Cover Story |
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OMAN BECKONS
Robust economic growth and diversification, has
made Oman a destination of choice for a growing number of CEO’s and senior
executives from developed countries. Visvas Paul D Karra reports |
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Other Headlines |
ON A GROWTH TRAJECTORY
HE Anil Wadhwa, Ambassador of India, Sultanate of Oman speaks to OER’s Mayank
Singh about growing trade relations between India and Oman, emerging economic
opportunities and the obstacles holding back trade |
OPENING NEW VISTAS
Having carved a niche for itself with its ERP
solutions, Towell-take solutions is looking at strengthening its market position
with its latest offering TIMICSnXg writes Mayank Singh |
A man for all seasons
HE Nasser Khamis Al Jashmi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil and Gas is
a man whose world view has been shaped by myriad influences, writes Mayank Singh |
Should banks be allowed to take holidays
for more than two days in a row?
Starting this month Oman Economic Review
is introducing a new column called ‘Debate’. In July, there were two extended
weekends with most establishments remaining closed for nearly three days. We ask
Raghavan K Murti and Krishna K Gupta for their opinion |
Union legislation: Positive Pressure
The government’s decision allowing the formation of labour unions strikes the
perfect balance between protection of workers rights and safeguarding the
interest of employers writes Visvas Paul D Karra |
Nice Guy Syndrome
Leading entails a lot of balancing. one should strike a balance between
being a dictator and a doormat |
Entrepreneur Par Excellence
As a tribute to Sheikh Saud Salim
Abdullah Bahwan Al Mukhaini, the visionary and philanthropist who passed away on
August 20, 2008, we reprint an artcle from OMAN 2006 our annual publication in
which he talks about his life and vision |
A bright future
A well planned approach towards our finances can make our children’s journey
to adulthood that much easier and better. Mayank Singh reports |
Global Talent ADVANTAGE
Recruiting and retaining talent have always been a struggle for global
companies. Today, the challenges are larger than ever. With demand rising and
supply dwindling, companies are finding that the talent issue, especially in
rapidly developing economies (RDEs), is one of their most critical challenges.
By Daniel Friedman, Jim Hemerling and Jacqueline Chapman |
FIRED UP
Enterprises, like human beings, have their own metabolic phases: Growth,
sickness, recovery and decay. Majan Glass – the one and only glass manufacturer
in the Sultanate of Oman – was no exception. Ramesh Kumar and Fatma al Arimi
report |
Life in positive mode
Nilesh Samani loves everything around him, including his family, friends and
his work, writes Visvas Paul D Karra |
Upwardly Mobile
I forgot my mobile yesterday morning. It
brought home to me something I already knew: I’m lost without it. It’s no wonder
then that smart marketers are targeting us through our phones, writes Jon Burke |
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THE BULLISH CASE FOR THE US DOLLAR
The rally of the dollar is having aN impact on the macroeconomic indicators of
countries from Europe to the Indian subcontinent. It also puts a spanner in the
works for oil prices and the northward movement of goods |
Investing in one’s future
The growing demand for new skills sets is
proving to be a big business opportunity for vocational training institutes,
writes Mayank Singh |
Oil and a falling dollar?
Over the past few weeks, the dollar has been rising just as the price of oil
has fallen, setting off much speculation about the implications of both in these
interesting economic times. The phenomena are interlinked to an extent, and both
have some ramifications for Oman |
GCC explores novel solutions to food
crisis
As the import food bill of GCC nations climbs rapidly a number of countries
in the region have started exploring a variety of options to ensure food safety
of their populations in future |
KING OF THE FLEET
It seems that Nissan has been listening to its customers and decided to
make sure that the new Armada wins hearts. writes Malcolm Xavier CRASTA |
Building a portfolio
An early start combined with a planned approach to ones finances goes a long
way in securing the future of ones kids |
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