Muscat: As part of its strategic approach to strengthen its leadership structure, Bank Nizwa remains committed to its vision of harnessing the skills of its top-notch Omani talents. The bank has announced the elevation of Haifa Al Lawati to take on new responsibilities as the Assistant General Manager, Chief Human Resources Officer. Haifa Al Lawati is presently Bank Nizwa’s Head of Human Resources, and will pursue her new role w.e.f. January 2022.

With over 17 years of experience in the field of human resources management, Haifa has been with Bank Nizwa since its inception and has held the position of Head of the Salaries, Wages, Compensation and Benefits Department earlier.

“The bank will continue its march towards excellence and innovation by hiring, retaining, and developing a highly-qualified and well-versed national workforce. We believe that our people are our greatest assets. Such assets will contribute to the bank’s development, strengthen its leadership in the Islamic banking industry and enhance its growth, ultimately achieving the bank’s desired objectives locally and internationally. We believe that by recognizing outstanding employee performance and providing them with newer opportunities and higher responsibilities, we are able to move forward with a team which is highly motivated and passionate of their association with Bank Nizwa,” said Mr. Khalid Al Kayed, CEO of Bank Nizwa.

“Haifa Al Lawati is a valuable resource for us. Her numerous skills, including leadership, team building, project management, strategic thinking, problem-solving and creativity, negotiation and decision-making, have brought in great ideas, mentorship and a structured roadmap to the Bank’s personnel management department,” added Mr. Al Kayed.

Haifa has started her career in Petroleum Development Oman, then Occidetal Oman she is holding several important positions including Secretary to the Board of Directors at HRC, and member of the Human Resources Committee at Oman Banks Association. Her contribution to Oman’s HR industry has brought her several coveted awards, such as, GCC Best Employer Brand Award 2020, GCC HR Leadership Award 2020 and Wowani Most Influential Women award in Islamic Finance 2020 amongst others.

Haifa holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Sultan Qaboos University and an MBA from the University of Bedfordshire in the United Kingdom. In order to enhance her skills, Haifa attended several courses and workshops on human resource, leadership and Islamic Finance, from the University of Houston in the United States of America. 

To raise the skill levels and empower Omanis for middle and senior management positions in the private sector, Bank Nizwa had enrolled its select employees in programs like the National Leadership Programme called ‘Etimad’ while supporting others to pursue academic and professional qualifications that have helped them add to their educational degrees and enhance their competency and overall professional development. 

Since its establishment, Bank Nizwa continuously took various initiatives to encourage the growth of its assets as it focused on empowering them to make their mark on various global platforms. The bank will continue to work towards empowering the Omani workforce with skills, knowledge and experience in the Islamic banking sector and enable them to contribute to the country’s economy and Oman Vision 2040. The bank is committed to supporting the national priorities of generating jobs opportunities for national workforce and creating a pool of qualified talents that lead the Sultanate toward a bright future.