Muscat: A much-anticipated event that has witnessed the participation of key industry leaders in the past years, Sohar International is all set to conduct the 12th session of Viewpoints – Sohar International Chairman’s Forum, on September 15, 2021. Slated to be live-streamed via Zoom app, the event will start at 7:30 pm encompassing an insightful knowledge sharing session with a speaker of international acclaim. The upcoming event will host Mr George de Lama, who is a prominent international journalist and the President of Eisenhower Fellowships, and will deliver inspirational messages using his vast experience and extensive subject know-how.

“Viewpoints is an industry first and one-of-its-kind initiative, seeking to provide a unique opportunity for the youth to gain insights and engage in dialogue with inspirational personalities in key sectors. This is an event which I take pride to host as it aims at bringing the best global learnings to the local population of Oman and build leaders of tomorrow,” said Mr. Mohammed Mahfoudh Al Ardhi, Chairman of Sohar International. 

Viewpoints – Sohar International Chairman’s Forum, is a dedicated platform where inspirational global leaders from different industries and sectors share their experiences, knowledge and ideas with a cross-section of Omani society. With a special focus on youth, the platform aims to connect global leaders to inspire and motivate collaboration. Anyone interested can register for the upcoming virtual session free of cost simply by visiting Sohar International’s website (www.soharinternational.com) or the bank’s official social media pages and follow the registration post/link. The session will provide opportunity for participants to engage with the guest speaker with their valuable inputs and questions. 

“We are indeed delighted to have George De Lama as our distinguished speaker in the upcoming session of viewpoints. Drawn from personal experiences, the guest speaker will highlight important life lessons as a prominent American journalist, an international civil servant and a creative entrepreneur and he holds prestigious titles with a distinguished career as at the Chicago Tribune,” said Mr. Mohammed Mahfoudh Al Ardhi. 

As an editor, De Lama has overseen foreign and national reporting that won journalism’s top honors, including two Pulitzer Prizes. After making his mark as a journalist, De Lama headed the Office of External Relations at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington as he led the multilateral organization’s strategic communications in support of development operations and strategic initiatives across Latin America and the Caribbean.  

Dedicated to making a difference in the lives of the people, De Lama assumed the role of president at Global Development for Answers Media LLC in Chicago and launched a startup firm, Answers Learning LLC, to produce education solutions for parents, students, educators and public and private organizations. Today, he is also a proud member of the Advisory Board of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University and was twice elected to the Board of Governors of the Overseas Press Club of America. 

Ever since the event took a virtual form, a few of its recent distinguished guests included public figures such as Ms. Mina Al-Oraibi, Editor-in-Chief of The National newspaper, Dr. Reinhard Christian Zinkann, a fourth-generation Executive Director and Co-proprietor at the 121-years old Miele Group and Sir Ranulph Fiennes, explorer and motivational speaker.   

Through various leadership initiatives like these, Sohar International has not only been encouraging the community to enhance their professional skills but has instilled a positive mindset that revolves around sustainable growth and pioneering change while encouraging them to become key representatives of the country on international platforms