Muscat: OMRAN Group, the executive arm of the Sultanate for tourism development, appointed Mr. Hashil Bin Obaid Al Mahrouqi as new CEO, replacing the former CEO, Mr. Peter Walichnowski.

The appointment reflects the belief in empowering national competencies to lead the next stage of the Group’s journey. Al Mahrouqi was selected after he passed the professional tests and job interviews conducted for various candidates for the position.

Hashil Al Mahrouqi’s experience spans 20 years in managing real estate projects investments and commercial contracts, and he held a number of positions, the last of which was Senior Manager of Investment Real Estate at the Oman Investment Authority (OIA), Chairman and CEO of Yiti Tourism Development Company, Chairman of the Executive Committee and a member of the Board of Directors at ASAAS Company.

In addition to his membership in a number of boards of directors and associated committees in the Oman Investment Authority’s real estate investments in both the United Kingdom and the Republic of Germany.

This also coincided with other roles that he assumed, including managing local and international real estate investment portfolios amounting to one billion Omani riyals in the sectors of hospitality, entertainment, logistics, retail and multi-purpose projects, as well as leading projects to attract foreign direct investment worth tens of millions.

Commenting on the new appointment, Eng. Mohammed bin Salim Al Busaidi, OMRAN’s Chairman said: “We are delighted to welcome the new CEO of OMRAN Group. His appointment reflects our belief in the young Omani competencies to lead the group towards achieving more accomplishments.

“In the next stage, we are looking forward to expanding the capabilities of OMRAN, its subsidiaries and the wide portfolio of diversified tourism assets and investments throughout the Sultanate, in line with the directions of the Oman Investment Authority, while focusing on maximizing investment returns and achieving in-country value.

“These efforts will contribute to achieving the goals of Oman 2040 Vision, in addition to attracting tourism investments, developing pioneering projects and generating social and economic returns for the Sultanate,” he added.

OMRAN Group’s board of directors also thanked the previous CEO, Mr. Peter Walichnowski for his valued efforts during his tenure.

Hashil Al Mahrouqi holds multiple academic and professional qualifications, most notably the Master of Business Administration from Sultan Qaboos University, the Rising Leaders Program Certificate from HEC Paris Business School, the Real Estate Leadership Program certificate from Harvard Business School, and the Executive Leadership Program certificate from INSEAD International Business School, in addition to many professional and specialized certificates in the fields of investment, real estate and management.

Al Mahrouqi’s appointment comes after a series of developments the group has witnessed since its ownership transfer to the Oman Investment Authority, including the formation of its new board of directors by OIA, whom have taken decisions related to some tourism development projects in the Sultanate, most notably the Mina Al Sultan Qaboos Waterfront development, Yiti integrated tourism project and some other resorts and hotels.

OMRAN Group was established by the Omani government in 2005 to unlock the potential of the tourism industry. According to the Royal Decree No. 61/2020, OMRAN became one of the government companies under the umbrella of Oman Investment Authority (OIA). As part of this affiliation, OMRAN is working in accordance to OIA’s policies to achieve the objectives of Oman Vision 2040, focusing on developing sources of economic diversification, enhancing non-oil revenues’ contribution to national GDP and attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) to the Sultanate.