A befitting recognition

As the countdown to the BizPro Awards 2012, to be held on May 20, 2012, gets underway OER catches up with a couple of winners of yesteryears to get a ring side view on the awards and its salience in promoting and encouraging young Omani’s. A report

Abdulnasir N Al Raisi, Assistant General Manager, Corporate Credit & Marketing, BankMuscat and the recipient of the Young Achiever Award in 2009, shares his thoughts on winning the Award. Excerpts from an interview with Mayank Singh.

You were one of the winners in the Young Achievers category at BizPro Awards in 2009, and since then you have gone onto excel in your job and related areas. Looking back, what were the attributes that enabled you to win this coveted recognition?

I have always believed in doing the best that one can. A person should look around to see what others are doing and then try to better that, because if you are not doing anything differently then it is difficult to stand out in a crowd. I am lucky to be associated with a bank which stresses on local talent, but going up the corporate ladder requires hard work. Success is also the combination of a number of other things like good colleagues, encouraging superiors etc. But it is important to get your priorities straight. Winning the BizPro Young Achiever Award was an achievement for me and a step in the right direction. The testing that you go through makes you aware and think about things differently. The process is pretty intense as there is a written exam and a series of presentations and going through the process opens your eyes to things that you take for granted. It is a good confidence booster and encouragement for people to try and achieve more.

For a young person it is a part of one’s development process. As a recipient of the BizPro Award, NTI funds a training course for you and I used it go to the Creative Learning Centre in Singapore, which was a great opportunity as they put you through an extensive leadership course over a week’s time.

Tell us something about your educational and professional background?
After graduating from high school I went to the US for a Bachelor’s degree in accounting and management from the University of South Carolina. On coming back to Oman I joined BankMuscat in September 1999. I started off as a management trainee in the bank and was put on rotation in various departments. After this I was given a choice to join any department and I choose corporate banking. I have enjoyed working at the bank and have worked in different positions. I have a lot of respect and gratitude for my superiors from whom I have learnt so many things. BankMuscat has grown tremendously in these last 12 years and I along with some of my colleagues have grown with the bank. In between, I also went for a few higher education courses which were supported by the bank. I got a Chevening Scholarship and did a Master’s in banking, which helped broaden my knowledge and horizons regarding the banking industry.

At the end of the day one’s career is not just about titles or economic gain but it is also about self satisfaction, if you are happy and feel that you are contributing to your organisation, family and country then you are leading a good career.

There is a lot of stress on building local national talent in Oman. What would your advice be to young Omanis who are embarking on a career?
My advice to young Omanis is that you should not expect a lot before giving all you can. If you can do your best, think out of the box, be creative and contribute to the organisation that you work for with all your force then rewards and recognition is bound to follow. Most people can do much more than what they think they are capable of. If you can push the envelope then things will look bright automatically for you, but if you sit and wait for things to happen or if you want the company, government or the organisation that you work for to give you everything without reciprocation then you will not be achieving much. First be valuable to the organisation and then value will come to you. Education is very important but it is just a qualification, it only proves your ability to learn, once you are at a work place then you learn everyday and this translates into real experience and value. If you work hard and try to give more than the person next to you, then only will you be appreciated.

Apart from education and intellect, there is a lot of stress on soft skills in today’s management studies. How important is the softer side of business?
Soft skills are extremely important as working in teams and meeting and interacting with customers, suppliers, superiors, peers and colleagues are part of the job. How you use these networks and people in your day to day work is very important. A lot of people think that your job finishes once you reach home at five, but in my view it continues till your day finishes, because after work you network and socialise and at the end of the day it all counts.

Looking at Oman do you feel that there are a lot of opportunities for youngsters who have the right education and are ready to work hard?
Sky is the limit in places like the Gulf, as ours are new economies and there are a lot of opportunities. Our infrastructure is new and there is much more to be built by Omanis and the locals. We need expatriates and appreciate the knowledge and skills that they bring to the table as these are not present locally, but it is the nationals and Omanis who will be taking things forward, by leading and building. No city or country was built overnight, it takes hundreds of years, as a country we are relatively a young nation and there are tremendous opportunities for young Omanis as they are the people who will be building our future.

What do you think about the BizPro Awards and in what ways is it beneficial in promoting national talent?
BizPro Awards is a very good initiative and being a part of it I appreciate the efforts that goes into putting up such an initiative. There is a need for more such initiatives; it is also a friendly competition amongst the young and it encourages them to push and do more. It’s a recognition for people, who need to be recognised in different ways. There is probably a need to grow such an initiative by adding different categories, or different things and probably it is time that other organisations started doing something on similar lines. I also feel that BizPro Awards should not be limited just to the private sector but should also include the government and semi government companies. I think some public sector companies like PDO, Oman LNG etc are participating but I am not sure about the participation of the ministry staff which is important.

Push yourself to the limits

Khalid M Al Barwani, Team Leader –General Trading, Corporate Banking, ahlibank and one of the winner of BizPro Awards Young Achiever Award in 2011, speaks to OER.

You were one of the winners in the Young Achievers category at BizPro Awards 2011. What were the factors that helped you win this award?
It is nothing magical, but the result of hard work, commitment and endeavouring to do my best. Education helps us having a good foundation and academic background sets you off on a sound footing. At the end of the day, you are as good as the work that you put in.

You have done very well at a young age, what would you suggest or advise young Omanis who are looking at embarking on a career?
It’s more or less the same as I have done in the beginning of my career. Apart from that try and push yourself to the limits and do not be afraid of taking risks. Never stop learning and educating yourself as this is very important.

What do you think about the BizPro Awards and in what ways is it beneficial in promoting national talent?
Definitely the BizPro Awards is a good programme to promote young Omani talent. NTI should continue and expand BizPro Awards and there should be more such initiatives in Oman. There are a lot of talented Omani youth who should be recognised and highlighted, sometimes by their own organisations but BizPro is one step above and it provides motivation and encouragement for recipients to do more and similarly it encourages other youngsters to strive harder and to get recognised. I used the scholarship given by BizPro to attend an Executive Development Programme in Dubai and it has helped me. The process of selecting the BizPro winners is quite enriching itself as it gives you a chance to challenge yourself, as one competes against many talented people. One is taken through various assessments like a written test where your language and quantitative skills are tested followed by a check of one’s logical reasoning. After this you are put through various scenarios where your leadership skills and ability to work in teams is analysed. Finally, there is an interview and a presentation on a given topic in front of a KPMG panel and based on these tests the winners are chosen.

What do organisations or companies expect from fresh graduates in today’s working environment and how can youngsters equip themselves with the requisite skillsets?
Organisations expect people to have a lot of soft skills like an ability to work in a team, attitude, willingness to learn and develop. Constant learning is crucial and this can be done in various ways like keeping oneself upto date with your area of expertise and global events and happenings. Part of this is also based on an organisation’s willingness to support its staff by providing them with training and development opportunities, but the willingness and initiative needs to come from the individual.

How important is training for someone to get acquainted with global cross currents and to grow, and are there enough training opportunities in Oman?
It depends on the industry, in banking there are enough opportunities as the College of Banking and Financial Studies (CBFS) setup a few years ago provides a range of courses and training related to the sector at various levels. CBFS also has tie-ups with external universities and third parties who come in and conduct training. There are a lot of conferences and seminars that happen, but more can be done as there is always room for improvement and programmes like BizPro can help in highlighting such needs and giving it more significance.

In today’s demanding corporate culture how can executives strike a work-life balance?
Time management is extremely important. At the end of the day we work to live and do not live to work. So striking a balance and getting the right support from one’s family members is important as there are times when you may have to stay back late at work or not get that intended leave. But at the end of the day one needs to devote time and attention to one’s family. 

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