Work hard and never give-up, and when the chance is given to you never say no; take the risk and enjoy the challenge, says Ahmed Al Lawati, Senior Cost Engineer at Omran
He is among the two Omanis, who have obtained the chartered status from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), UK. Meet Ahmed Al Lawati, senior cost engineer at Omran.
As a result of his impressive performance in high school in which he got an overall 98.5 per cent making him the topper, he received a full scholarship from the government of Oman to pursue his studies in Australia. Ahmed holds an honours bachelor degree in Quantity Surveying and Construction Management from the University of Melbourne, Australia, where he learnt a lot about life. In addition, he obtained chartered status from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), UK in 2013. “Obviously, I am proud to be one of two Omanis to get the chartered status (MRICS).”
His life philosophy is simple. “Work hard and never give-up, and when the chance is given to you never say no. Take the risk and enjoy the challenge,” he says. Hard work and focusing on targets and more importantly seeking help and support whenever needed to learn and obtain experience from the experts are necessary to get ahead in life. I do accept challenges when I get the opportunity and I always learn from my colleagues and my mentors. We aren’t born knowing everything but we are born with abilities to learn and develop.
His family has been a big influence on his life. “My mother and my wife have been my inspiration. Whenever I face a new challenge, I can immediately feel the faith they have in me which motivates and gives me more confidence in myself. I don’t have a role model as such but I do like to learn good things from successful people around me,’’ he avers.
On his work portfolio, the biggest achievement to date is being part of the construction of the prestigious project of Mohammed Al Ameen Mosque, Bausher in which he was working as a full-time project quantity surveyor from the cost consultant team at Majan Engineering Consultants. This project meant a lot to him, as he had the chance to experience construction from inception
until completion.
“This was the project which was showcased by me in my submission for obtaining my chartered status. Currently, I am enjoying my time in Omran because I love construction field and in Omran I have got the opportunity to work on some of the best tourism projects. Omran is the Omani Government arm for tourism development and some of the very prestigious projects are in the pipeline. I like to dig into details of project finishes and the final delivery of the product.”
He adds, “Over the years, I have learnt to follow the rules and procedures and avoid conflict of interest. Moreover, I do speak frankly when things are not done properly. Finally and most importantly, I do appreciate the efforts of colleagues and do encourage people to participate and share. Open discussion with the team members help to strengthen the relationship between the members and open-up the doors for new ideas.”
Ahmed says youth currently face numerous challenges at the workplace. They include (a) the underestimation of their abilities whihc can be addressed by higher management giving more opportunities for young Omanis to be part of the decision making process and (b) unfairness of individual assessment, which can be solved by having the annual assessment structured and monitored by the HR department directly. Moreover, HR has to undertake workshops with the mentors and managers to make sure that they will deliver the assessment in a fair way.
Ahmed has a variety of interests and hobbies. “I love playing football and swimming. But my interest lies in the construction field. Also, I have a keen interest in enhancing my culinary skills in the near future.”
On his future plans, Ahmed says he has plans to obtain a recognised certification or a Master’s degree in Project Management. “I would like to enhance my overall project management skills and experience in order to meet the goal of leading a prestigious development project in the near future,” he added. Moreover, he wishes to have the chance to experience working in the oil and gas industry, the major industry driving the economy of the Sultanate.