SOHAR Port and Freezone has announced that Neelima Vyas has stepped down from her role as Director International and, as of May 6, has been appointed as the CEO of SV Pittie Sohar (the ShriVallabh Pittie Group) Oman, the company responsible for the establishment of a USD 300 million cotton yarn manufacturing plant within the SOHAR Freezone.

Commenting on Neelima’s departure, Mark Geilenkirchen, Chief Executive Officer of SOHAR Port and Freezone said, “I would like extend my sincere thanks and appreciation for all the hard work and professionalism with which Neelima Vyas carried out her duties. She has been an invaluable asset to the team and contributed to the immense growth of SOHAR. We wish her every success in her new role as CEO of SV Pittie Oman.

“The establishment of the SV Pittie Cotton Yarn Plant is the first step in establishing downstream industries in the textile sector. The new plant, coupled with our highly competitive logistics facilities, energy rates and a young, well-educated local workforce, opens up a number of future opportunities for investments in knitting, weaving, spinning, and fabric manufacturing, which could in turn create a thriving industrial cluster providing substantial new job opportunities within the local community. With Neelima Vyas at the helm, the company will see great success here at SOHAR,” added Jamal Aziz, Chief Executive Officer of the SOHAR Freezone.

The USD 300 million ShriVallabh Pittie Group (SV Pittie) cotton yarn manufacturing plant, to be located at the SOHAR Freezone, is expected to begin commissioning later this year with commercial operations following early 2019. The plant is expected to import 100,000tpa of cotton through SOHAR Port, from the USA, Australia and India. It will produce finished yarn which will then be exported to textile markets such as China, Bangladesh, Turkey and Pakistan. The high precision plant and machinery will result in the first of its kind state of the art facility in the region.

“I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to everyone at SOHAR for all their support and hard work. Having been with the port and free zone from almost its inception as Executive Manager Finance and Strategy, and then Freezone COO, the association has been fulfilling and enriching. The leadership team have successfully established SOHAR as one of the fastest growing hubs for logistics and industry in the region. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to work alongside such a professional team through its development to an economically vibrant hub. I now look forward to taking up my new position as the CEO of SV Pittie Oman,” said Neelima.

Commenting on Neelima’s appointment, Mr Chirag Pittie, Managing Director of the Group said, “We are pleased to welcome Neelima Vyas, who brings with her vast experience in the sector and the region. We are confident that she will successfully drive the Company’s strategy forward and achieve its objectives in the coming years. Furthermore, through her close ties, we are looking to further strengthen our existing relationship with SOHAR and foster new ones with other companies based both here in Oman and internationally.”
For more information on SOHAR Port and Freezone, visit soharportandfreezone.com