Intisaar Al Kindi
Exploration Director, Petroleum Development Oman
Leadership skills
As exploration director for PDO, Intisaar has been instrumental in leading and delivering an Outstanding HSSE track record with 10 years LTI free operations. The exploration team also continues to deliver impressive business results. Intisaar promotes a multi-disciplinary approach focused on value delivery through alignment, pragmatism, knowledge sharing and continuous improvement in key processes. Following a Master’s of Science in petroleum geology from the Imperial College, University of London, Intisaar joined PDO as a trainee in the exploration department where she spent six years learning the tools of the trade and developing her skills in three exploration evaluation teams. In 1997, she was cross-posted to Shell Expro in London, returning four years later to PDO for a brief stint as an exploration portfolio analyst. She was assigned to her first leadership role, heading what was then the exploration government gas team. She later took on the role of exploration manager of North Oman Oil Team before being cross-posted to Shell to manage the Jordan Oil Shell project. Intisaar was later appointed as general manager and country chair of Shell Jordan. On her return to PDO, she was appointed as the exploration director, a role in which she is accountable for all of PDO’s oil and gas exploration activities.
Jannat Moosa
Marketing Director, Bin Mirza International
Tapping potential
A marketer of masterful proportions, Jannat Moosa specialises in the introduction and cultivation of internationally celebrated F&B brands within the Omani market. As marketing director of Bin Mirza International (BMI), she has successfully utilised her marketing expertise in establishing Bin Mirza International as a respected brand in the Sultanate. Her key achievements to date include the launch and development of BreadTalk, a bustling Singaporean boutique bakery; Nando’s, a South African soirée of PERi PERi Chicken; Second Cup, a vibrant international coffee chain; Steak Escape Sandwich Grill, featuring Philadelphia’s finest fashionable foods, and most recently the introduction of Spun Candy of Covent Garden, the concept confectionists from UK.
Jannat has ensured that each and every brand under the BMI umbrella operates to international standards, delivering a memorable dining experience marked by distinction.
Lamia Al Ansi
Director of Procurement, Omran
Driving best practices
With a career spanning nearly 15 years across three continents, Lamia is applying her extensive experience to help the economic and social growth of Oman. As director of procurement for Omran, Lamia’s role includes tendering, contract negotiation and project budgeting. Her work aims to elevate the important role of procurement governance and processes, including developing new policies, procedures and systems, as well as generating an awareness of the importance of best-practice competencies for procurement across all developments. Lamia is passionate about community growth and SME development and hopes to continue helping shape this space in the years ahead. Highlighting the importance of SME growth across the Sultanate to help diversify the economy, Lamia believes corporate governance and tendering practices must be designed in a way that encourage SMEs and micro-businesses to participate and add value to the economic and social fabric of Oman. According to Lamia, women in Oman are firmly cementing their position in the workforce, and are pushing the glass ceiling across all sectors. “Omani women can be found in top and executive management positions in most organisations,” she adds, “The most accomplished and professional women I have met happen to be from our region, and some of the most exceptional among them are from Oman.”
Lujaina Mohsin Darwish
Chairperson of Mohsin Haider Darwish LLC
Breaking stereotypes
Lujaina works closely with the founder and group adviser of the group Mohsin Haider Darwish and the senior management team in providing strategic direction and vision to ensure the holistic expansion of the organisation. She broke gender stereotypes and acted as a shining beacon for Omani women when she became one of the first two women to be elected to the country’s consultative council, the Majlis A’Shura. Lujaina, who was previously been nominated as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2005, has been identified and ranked 13th amongst 50 most powerful businesswomen in the Arab World by Forbes Arabia in their first-ever listing published in its March 25, 2006 issue. She was ranked 21st amongst the 50 most powerful businesswomen in the Arab World as per the survey conducted by Forbes Arabia Magazine in its May 2008 issue. Further, she was ranked 18th as the Most Influential Arab Women from Government and Family Businesses in a list published by Forbes Middle East in the year 2013 and ranked 24th amongst 200 most Powerful Women in Family Business by Forbes Middle East in the year 2014.
Malak Ahmed Al Shaibani
Director General, National Business Centre under Public Establishment for Industrial Estates
Driving SMEs forward
Malak has been spearheading the SME development in Oman since 2007 as general manager of Sharakah, responsible for introducing new products and restructuring and rebranding the youth fund. She was a member of the executive committee of the high level SME symposium in Saih Al Shamikhat as well as the team leader of the entrepreneur open market and exhibition in 2013 and 2015. Currently, she is the director general of an exclusive national business centre to support the development and growth of small and medium enterprises. The National Business Centre in 2015 signed an agreement to manage the new Riyada incubator bringing the total office space to more than 43. Malak began her career at the Ministry of Commerce & Industry as a market researcher at the industrial development unit and moved on to become the DG of investment promotion of OCIPED. She moved to the private sector in 2005 and was part of the executive management committee of the $2.4 bn Sohar Aluminium smelter in both the project and operational phase. In early 2011, Malak started her own consultancy Creative Links with a specific focus on strategy development as well as human resources consultancy. In 2012, she partnered with Talent2, an international consultancy to introduce learning and development solutions into the Omani market. She holds BSC in business administration from Washington University, St Louis; MBA from Strathclyde University, Glasgow; and diploma in Islamic banking from the Institute of Islamic Banking, UK.
