Khalid al Suleimany, Managing Director, Nawa International has successfully made the transition from a professional manager to a successful entrepreneur .
Can you give us an insight into Nawa International, its operation and business?
Nawa International is an investment company started in 2010. It’s main objective is to align itself with the five year plans of Oman and to invest in areas that are of importance to the Sultanate. We started with a small construction division and have capped it at a million rials. We formed a company called Nawa Engineering and found that there was a gap in the windows fabrication space as out of 5,000 construction companies in the Sultanate, there were only seven UPVC fabricators that did windows, so we embarked on that and formed another company called windows international and this company has been one of our success stories. Nawa Pool’s is another division, which was established when we found that there was a lack of quality swimming pools in Oman. We tied up with a few international brands from Spain, UK and the US to add value to the Omani market and started Nawa Pool’s. We along with our partners are setting up a school called Al Ruwad International School, in Al Khoud. The school will be operational by September 2013. It will be the first school in Oman to be based on a Canadian system.
Can you tell us something about your education and professional background?
I did my schooling at Sultan School and passed out in 1999, I then went to the University of Salford in Manchester, UK and did my degree in finance and accounting. I got a scholarship and continued by doing my masters in International Banking and Finance in 2004-05. Thereafter I joined Bank Muscat, where I started-off in the internal audit department for three and a half years. From there I moved into corporate banking and then to customer service. I was with Bank Muscat for seven years and these were the best years of my life as it proved to be a great learning experience. The bank sent me to Perth, Australia for a secondment programme with the internal audit department and I did a four months programme. In February 2012, I joined Nawa International as a full time employee and took over the company as a managing director. I started this business in 2010, but as I recruited more people I felt that it would be unfair for me to do two things at the same time.
How has your experience been as an entrepreneur?
As an entrepreneur I have realised that discipline is the most important thing in business. Apart from that one needs to understand how to create jobs, the structure and hierarchy of an organisation. You have to be self motivated to start something. One of the things that I miss as an entrepreneur is having an appraisal, because right now I am the only one appraising myself.
Are you happy with the progress that Nawa International has made since its inception?
We are on the right track and things are moving in line with our vision for the business and we have been able to achieve this despite going through a slow-down and global recession.
What are your strengths as a manager and as a leader?
I am good at people skills – understanding people’s goals and what they really need. As a manager I have learnt that you need to manage everyone as an individual and not as a group.
Pursuit of excellence

Haider Al- Lawati, Senior Expert – Radio Access Network, Nawras, refuses to be contented with his educational and professional successes, setting his ambitions and goals far ahead
Haider AL- Lawati has been an outstanding performer both in his education and career. After completing his schooling in 2000, he obtained a government scholarship to do his Bachelor’s from Canada in mathematics and engineering with specialisation in control and communication. This was followed by another government scholarship coupled with a fellowship from the same university to do his Master’s, while pursuing which he also worked as a teaching assistant in his department. After coming back to Oman, since he started up his career with Nawras as a graduate trainee in 2008, Haider has made a steady and rapid jump up the ladder within a short span of time serving in different important roles. Currently he works as senior radio access network expert in the company.
But Haider refuses to be contented himself with all these remarkable success stories, as he sets his ambitions and goals far ahead. Alongside his professional progress, he aspires to do something bigger, smarter and more significant. In the long term, he wants to concentrate on running a technology-related business with a focus on developing new products and brining out innovative solutions. He feels that at a time when technology is revolutionising our life at a rapid pace, we need to produce and develop our own innovative products and solutions to meet the increasing demands. He thinks that the region desperately requires more investment and focus on technological entrepreneurship. “Although we have a lot of IT experts and engineers, there is hardly any product or solution developed in our region. Technology is definitely an area where we can bring out more innovative ways to serve our society in a better way.”
Haider feels that only a focused approach will eventually pay off. He highlights the importance of setting a goal in life and pursuing it passionately. “One has to identify one’s areas of strength and competencies and capitalise and build on them. Nobody will come to you to help achieve your goals and dreams as much as yourself,” he adds. He also calls on young people to give back to society from where they take a lot in terms of knowledge and skills. “We should also work for the betterment of society. We should focus not only on gaining but on giving back to society also. I hear people complaining that things are not moving or that the government is not doing enough etc. But what have we done to solve it? Let’s be part of the solution and not a part of the problem,” he avers.
He says he enjoyed working with and learning from a lot of people including his professors in Canada and his managers and colleagues in Nawras. But asked about his role models and people who have inspired him, he says, “It was not the people but their finest qualities and attitude that have inspired me a lot.” An ardent football lover and player, he earlier used to play for the youth team of the erstwhile Al Bustan Club. He also spends his spare time reading books on various topics.
Optimism galore 
Quality education, hard work and relentless pursuit of excellence are the mainstays of success, according to Imaan Muhammed Al-Mahruby, Assistant Manager-Private Equity, Bank Muscat
Belonging to a family where values of education and learning are deeply embedded is a great privilege. It makes you easily connected to the superhighway of success. Imaan Al Mahruby has no qualms about admitting that her family background has greatly contributed to her educational and professional achievements. As the granddaughter of Sheikh Amor Al Marhuby, the great educational visionary of the Sultanate who was also the secretary general of the Foundation Committee of Sultan Qaboos University and subsequently its first vice chancellor, Imaan firmly believes that education is the one and only means to success. “Education, hard work and relentless pursuit of excellence are the mainstays of success; and without them you cannot reach anywhere. These days, you cannot stop your education by merely obtaining a Bachelor’s degree, if you really want to excel in a highly competitive job market,” she says.
Imaan considers her grandfather as a beacon of light whose life and mission always inspired her to excel in her education and life. Her father has also been a great source of encouragement for her to do well both in her studies and profession.
After completing her Bachelor’s degree in accounting from SQU, Imaan worked for two years at the tax department of Ernst & Young. Then she joined bank muscat, her current employer. Meanwhile she was granted the coveted Fulbright scholarship to do her Master’s in Business Administration from Brandeis University in the US. Coming back she continued in the bank as a relationship manager at corporate banking for three years. This was followed by a short stint in Dubai at Bank Muscat’s representative office where she worked for three years at the equity research department. Coming back to Oman in January 2013, she is now working as the assistant manager, private equity at the investment department of the bank.
Imaan considers it a great privilege to be selected as one of the semi finalists at NTI-Bizpro awards 2013. “It was a great honour to be one of the 10 because I have been selected out of over 130 highly competitive contestants. It is a great thing to be recognised as a young Omani executive because it reflects our potential and capability. These days we see a lot of talented young Omanis proving their mettle in different fields. It holds good for the future of the country,” she avers.
She observes that prospects are bright for young Omanis. “Although they confront a lot of challenges, they are the future of the Sultanate and can contribute to the development of the country in a big way,” she adds.
Imaan is so ambitious about her career growth that she visualises herself sitting in the chair of her boss. She aspires to excel in a leadership and managerial role in the bank. “Bank Muscat gives us a lot of opportunities to develop ourselves. I am part of the bank’s development programme where we go through extensive training and undergo one or two courses every month. It helps us develop our career at a rapid pace,” she explains.
A mother of two, she devotes much of her spare time to look after the kids. Although she travels occasionally, having been away from home for the last three years, she now prefers to spend most of her free hours with her family.
Building a strong foundation
Ahmed Barwani, Training Specialist, Oman Oil Company Exploration & Production, feels that the big challenge is to ramp up the workforce education and training opportunities to fill the skills gap
Ahmed Barwani is arguably casting himself in the mould of his father, Mundhir Al Barwani, whom he considers as his mentor and role model. Ahmed followed in his father’s footsteps by carving out a career in Human Resource (HR) management and now spends his leisure time playing golf, a game to which his father has lost his heart so much so that he currently heads the apex body of golf in the country, Oman Golf Committee.
After completing his Bachelor’s in Business Administration specialising in HR management from Majan University College in 2009, Ahmed worked for a brief period with National Bank of Oman as a call centre agent. In 2011, he moved to Oman Oil Company Exploration and Production (OOCEP) as HR administrator and was promoted as training specialist in 2012.
Ahmed keeps himself updated on the latest training initiatives around the industry, which in turn helps him to identify the competency and the skills gap of the staff at OOCEP. He proactively advises the employees, especially fresh graduates, on the appropriate training courses that help them to improve their knowledge and skills. He also comprehends that the big challenge is to ramp up the workforce education and training opportunities to fill the skills gap. “Students must undergo training while they are still at the University, as it will help them understand how an organisation works and to get hands-on experience on their prospective jobs,” says Ahmed.
He thinks the rigorous tests and evaluation process at NTI-Bizpro awards help the candidates understand their strength and weakness. “It was a good experience as it enabled us to share knowledge and exchange experiences. The test was a real eye-opener for me. I have not gone through similar assessment earlier so it made me aware of where I hit or miss the mark and where I need to improve more.”
Ahmed says he is looking to sharpen his leadership and management skills. He also wants to develop essential HR skills and to become a CIPD Certificate holder in HR management which will provide him a firm foundation in all areas of HR. “I am looking to enhance my knowledge and skills in the HR domain. I want to become a competent HR professional,” he says. In addition, in the long run he wants to excel as an entrepreneur by setting up his own business.
Ahmed opines that the young generation has to develop a positive attitude towards work and profession in order to excel in their respective fields. Hard work and dedication are the fundamentals of success, he adds. “Focus on education is essential; and scoring good marks is the key to success. But we have to learn from experiences also. The young generation should come forward to grab the opportunities without being embarrassed about making mistakes. They need to learn from mistakes instead of taking shortcuts to achieve their goals,” concludes Ahmed. Apart from sports, Ahmed has also developed a passion for photography and travels a lot.