National data centre launched
The National Data Centre (NDC) designed and set-up by the Information technology Authority (ITA) was officially inaugurated on the May 3, 2009 under the auspices of HE Ahmed bin Abdulnabi Macki, Minister of National Economy. After the formal launch key dignitaries toured the data centre facility to witness a demonstration of services provided. The contract to build this centre was finalised in January 2008, in the course of realising the Digital Society of Oman to secure e-government services while assuring business continuity. The National Data Centre was designed to provide a multi-tenant high availability Data Centre for all government ministries to host their data as well as disaster recovery solution, with the objective to achieve improved business continuity for their various IT systems. The National Data Centre currently hosts national level projects such as the Government e-Services Portal, eTendering system and ITA’s internal infrastructure projects and systems. “This national data centre of the Sultanate of Oman is built as a state-of-the art facility to achieve the required level of redundancy at all stages, and will soon be certified for highest availability. The centre facilitates the integration of governmental systems seamlessly within the government network,” said Dr. Salim Al Ruzaiqi, CEO of ITA.
 

Oman Mobile education ministry tie up
The Ministry of Education and Oman Mobile Telecommunications Company (Oman Mobile) have signed a partnership agreement, by virtue of which Oman Mobile would provide text messages (SMS) service to the educational portal. H E Mostafa Bin Ali Bin Abdullatif the ministry’s Undersecretary for Administrative and Financial Affairs signed the Agreement on behalf of the Ministry of Education, while, the CEO of Oman Telecommunications Company Dr Amer Al-Rawas signed the agreement on behalf of Oman Mobile. By virtue of the agreement, Oman Mobile would provide education related SMS services to parents, through a bi-annual subscription fees. This service would enable parents to enquire about the progress of their kids in school through text messages. This would save their effort, time and money. HE Abdullatif said that the fees for this service was minimal as they do not exceed RO 1.5.
 

The Wave Muscat hands over home to first Omani family
The Wave, celebrated a new milestone with the hand-over of homes to the first Omani family thereby highlighting its commitment to making the project a truly multicultural community. The keys were handed over to the Omani family, who will be part of a thriving neighbourhood featuring varied lifestyle amenities, in the presence of the senior management. Commenting on the event, Abdulla Al Shidi, Deputy CEO, The Wave, Muscat said: “This is a proud moment for The Wave, Muscat, as we are lending further momentum to the evolution of the first multicultural community in the Sultanate. The on-schedule completion of the various milestones of The Wave, Muscat is a reiteration of our commitment to delivering on our promise.” The new families, joining more than 35 other families already living at The Wave, Muscat, expressed their happiness to be part of community which has indeed become a referral point in the development of integrated lifestyle communities in the Sultanate.
 

Al Wisal from Salalah
Al Wisal radio station organised an event at the Intercontinental Hotel, Muscat on May 11 to end its series of events on the occasion of its 1st anniversary. Chairman of Sabco Group, Sayyid Khalid al Busaidi, announced during the event that Al Wisal has now began its broadcast from Salalah. He added, ‘’The role of media channels is getting more and more important, and at Al Wisal we are trying to reach to all segments of the society.’’ Eihab Abutaha, General Manager of SABCO Media stated, “The group aims to support media innovation in Oman and broadcasting from Salalah is a milestone in the station’s plan to expand its coverage to all places in Sultanate in which Al Wisal will reach every home and little town in Oman.”
 

Bank Sohar and OCC sign agreement
Bank Sohar and Oman Cement Company have signed an agreement for a term loan facility for RO20mn to part finance the company’s expansion projects. Oman Cement Company’s team led by HE Sayyed Qahtan bin Yarub Al Busaidi, Chairman included its directors Ali Mohammed Redha Al Haj Jaffer, Hamdan Mohamed al Wahaibi, CEO Jamal Bin Shamis al Hooti and CFO Deepak Dikshit. The Bank Sohar team was represented by Chairman Sheikh Salim Said al Araimi, Deputy Chairman Abdullah Humaid al Mammary, CEO Dr Mohamed Abdulaziz Kalmoor and members of the senior management team. “It is an honour and a privilege for Bank Sohar to be signing this Agreement with Oman Cement Company today. This agreement brings together one of the oldest companies in Oman working together with the newest bank in the country,” commented Dr. Kalmoor.
 

BankMuscat wins best employer award
BankMuscat, has won the Hewitt recognition as the Middle East’s Best Employer 2009. Notably, BankMuscat is the only institution from Oman to win the Hewitt award based on a study which identified companies that engaged the ‘emotional and intellectual energy’ of employees. The survey included prominent companies in the Middle East covering a cross-section of employees, CEOs and heads of HR function, complemented by on-site HR audit. The award recognised BankMuscat’s policies and processes that encourage employees to adopt an entrepreneurial approach in running the business, thereby creating a culture, which encourages creativity/innovation, faster decision-making and better utilisation of resources. Abdulrazak Ali Issa, Chief Executive of BankMuscat, commented: “We are greatly honoured to be chosen for this prestigious regional award. Our HR practices have focused on creating, nurturing and supporting people ."

Oman Air deploys A330’s
Oman Air, the National Carrier of The Sultanate of Oman has introduced wide-body A330 aircrafts on their daily London Heathrow and Bangkok services. Every Oman Air passenger will now enjoy comprehensive in-flight entertainment with personal in-seat video screens. Business Class passengers will also have the added bonus of seats that convert to a 180 degree flat bed. Barry Brown, Oman Air’s Chief Commercial Officer said, “The Airbus A330-200 aircraft is a product upgrade that our passengers have been requesting and we have introduced these as an initial step before we take delivery of our brand new wide-body fleet commencing in August of this year. We are the only airline flying non-stop from Muscat to these destinations greatly reducing time and connecting baggage concerns.”
 

KOM showcases Omani entrepreneurs
Five Knowledge Oasis Muscat-based companies pitched their innovative concepts to top executives and investors at COMEX – Oman’s annual ICT exhibition. From concepts designed to help reduce the spread of CDC H1N1 Swine Flu, to building state-of-the-art WiFi networks through to virtual worlds, serious gaming, and GIS and GPS technologies, the five companies pitched technology with market disrupting potential to local and international companies attending the five-day exhibition,” remarks Mohammed Al Maskari, Director General, Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM). “It’s important that we spread the word about tech excellence in Oman,” comments the KOM Director General. “I can say that the talent we have is second to none."
 

150 kms meal showcases local produce
Origin Oman organised the 150 kilometre meal at Knowledge Oasis Muscat recently. The idea behind the effort is to encourage people to buy local products. Says Origin Oman’s Hamida Al Balushi, “Just take a look at the labels next time you go shopping, asparagus from Thailand, chicken from Brazil, milk from Saudi Arabia, bananas from the Philippines, the list goes on.” Al Balushi argues that food production, distribution and consumption patterns have undergone a major transformation over the past 50 years. Just between 1968 and 2008, world food production increased by over 90 per cent. Consumers can make a difference by simply investigating where their food has come from and buying food that has been produced locally. In fact, the Meal clearly illustrated that great tasting food is being produced right on our doorstep and we should be encouraging people to buy it.
 

NPA Wins silver
Oxygen (formerly National Publishing and Advertising) has won a Silver Award in the Consumer Magazine Campaign Category for their campaign for their client ‘House of Prose’ from Summit International Creative Awards recently. Summit Creative Awards drew over 5000 entries from twenty-five countries in this year’s Creative Competition in different categories. “Most of the client’s previous publicity came from word-of-mouth or a few small ads in tabloids and we didn’t have a big budget,” says Anand Bhandarkar, Creative Director, Oxygen. The brief was to stress the fact that House of Prose offers cheap books and that readers receive 50 per cent of the purchase price back if they return the book after reading. “There are people here who love to read, but books are very expensive says Anand. “So we obviously had to communicate both those points to people. But we also saw that there was the opportunity to add another layer: encouraging people to cultivate the habit of reading.”
 

Franchise and retail leaps in Oman
With the GCC franchise market expected to grow to a value of more than $81bn by 2010, with a compounded annual growth rate of 29.9 per cent; and the retail market forecast to continue to grow at a nominal Compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 6.5 per cent, franchise and retail opportunities in the region are projected to have increased consumption in 2009 to 2011. As franchise and retail businesses are picking up in the country and are currently becoming attractive for global players, Oman International Trade and Exhibitions (OITE), is all set for the Franchise and Retail Expo. FRE is scheduled to be held from August 4-6, 2009 alongside two other major events, namely, the Lifestyle Expo and the Heavy Machinery Expo, both events are organised by OITE. A report published by Alpen’s GCC Retail Industry cited that the region’s growing population, rising tourism and huge investments into new retail destinations will encourage greater consumer spending during the forecast period.
 

QUICKLOOKS

Bank of Beirut supports higher education
Salim Sfeir, The Chairman, Bank of Beirut, has granted an educational scholarship to an Omani student to complete his university education at the Lebanese American University in Beirut, under the guidance of HE Afif Ayoub, the Lebanese Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman. The announcement was made at the launch of the Legacy and the Promise of LAU campaign for excellence at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Muscat. The ceremony was under the patronage of the Minister of Higher Education, Dr. Rawya Bint Saud Al-Busaidi and in the presence of the President of LAU Professor Joseph Jabra, as well as a crowd of dignitaries.
 

AhliBank starts it’s operations in Barka
AhliBank has started operations from a new branch in Barka. The new branch has been equipped with modern technologies, which will positively impact the delivery of quality service to its customers. The new branch is another move by AhliBank to efficiently service the needs of its customers throughout Oman, and will showcase all the products and services of the bank. Says Mohammed Al Harthy, Area Manager at AhliBank, “We are steadily moving forward with our expansion plan and growth strategies throughout the Sultanate.”
 

PDO-funded health-centre ward at Thumrait
A new accident and emergency (A&E) ward at the Thumrait Health Centre was inaugurated recently at a special ceremony held under the auspices of the Wali of Thumrait, HE Sheikh Bakheet al Maashani, and attended by local dignitaries and representatives from Petroleum Development Oman (PDO). The new A&E ward, which was funded as part of PDO’s social-investment programme, includes x-ray machines and other equipment with which to provide care to accident victims who previously had been referred to Salalah Hospital.
 

Frontline Oman launched
Until recently it was not normal to think of public sector organisations as having customers, but it is now recognised that the concepts of customer focus and customer care apply as much to government ministries as they do to business. In response to this cultural shift, the Oman Brand Management Unit (OBMU) in partnership with the Royal Oman Police have launched Frontline Oman – a four-day pilot training program we designed by Knowledge Horizon to promote the importance of customer care within the public sector.
 

Nawras recognised by President of Philippines
Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Philippines, recently honoured Nawras with the distinction of being amongst the top 15 employers in the GCC region, for the assistance and care the company has extended to the Filipino community in Oman. A two-day event was held in Dubai entitled ‘Employment and Business Opportunities: the Middle East Forum’, organised by the Philippine government. Nawras was honoured to be acknowledged particularly as the company’s stated mission is to be the best communications provider and employer of choice in Oman.
 

Bank Dhofar gets ISO certification
Bank Dhofar achieved the ISO/IEC 27001:2005 certification for its Information Security Management System (ISMS). The certification aims at providing assurance and confidence to Bank Dhofar’s clients that the confidentiality, integrity and availability of their information are secure in accordance with an internationally recognised standard available from the International Standards Organisation (ISO). ISO 27001 is the formal standard of certification that provides the assurance that the certified organisation fulfils the highest levels of security and has implemented an Information Security Management System (ISMS), which is on par with global standards.
 

Mirbat Beach participates in Cityscape Abu Dhabi
Mirbat Beach, participated at Cityscape Abu Dhabi, held from 19 to 22 April 2009. As the region’s premier real estate investment and development showcase event, Cityscape Abu Dhabi 2009 brought together international and regional investors, to discuss current market challenges and develop cutting edge strategies. “We promoted Mirbat Beach at Cityscape as a world-class real estate destination,” says Osama Mariam, CEO, Dhofar Tourism.
 

NBO credit cards vacation offer
National Bank of Oman’s Credit Card Summer 2009 Promotion, valid from May 1 until July 31 2009, requires customers to just use their NBO credit card to pay for their holidays during the campaign period and thereby avail a whole host of attractive benefits. These include three per cent cash back on all international spends, complimentary travel insurance, great holiday packages from a wide choice of leading travel agencies partnering the bank in this promotion.
 

Oman Air signs partnership agreement with Rezidor Hotel Group
‘Sindbad’, Oman Air’s frequent flyer programme has tied up with Rezidor Hotel Group. Starting from June 1, 2009, Sindbad members will earn miles for staying at any Park Inn or Radisson Blu hotel in Europe, the Middle East or Africa. The agreement rewards every Sinbad member 500 miles per qualifying stay. Says Mohammed Mubarak al Shikely, Senior Manager Marketing, Oman Air, “The Rezidor Hotel Group with its portfolio of nearly 270 hotels in 44 countries compliments our expanding network.”
 

Asha Advertising ties up with ESO
In a sign of growing environment consciousness amongst companies in the Sultanate, Asha Advertising & Marketing has initiated the concept of recycling within its office as a first step towards introducing more sustainable practices to the way it does business. Every employee has been given two wastepaper baskets – one solely for paper and the other for miscellaneous waste.
 

EXECUTIVE MOVEMENTS
 

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