The aha! moment came about within two years of starting his career, and he has been riding on the crest of realisation and self-belief the moment instilled in him since then.

Murtadha Al Lawati began his career at a financial consultancy firm and moved to trade finance and corporate banking when he stumbled upon his eureka moment.

“During the first few years of my career I had some great bosses who were technically adept but I comprehended that oftentimes people with great technical skills reach a point in their careers where they are no longer promoted because of their inability to communicate effectively.

I think that is where my love for communications really started. I realised that I actually had the ability to help people communicate better.”

Murtadha Al Lawati

It should come as no surprise that Murtadha is an expert in his field. Yet, it is not communications that he studied in college.

He graduated with a degree in economics and political science from American University of Sharjah. Murtadha’s first job in communications was with the Oman Football Association.

“I did everything from design to PR to direct translation during press conferences and events on both local and international levels. That experience cemented the realisation that communications was my professional calling,” says Murtadha.

The winner of the NTI BizPro Award for Oman’s ‘Young Business Leaders and Super Achievers’ for 2012, Murtadha played an important part in the rebranding process of two major projects in Oman.

He was involved in leading and overseeing the rebranding projects that transformed The Wave, Muscat to Al Mouj Muscat and Nawras telecommunications to Ooredoo.

Among the major accomplishments of Murtadha’s career is the US State Department’s Edward Murrow Program for Leadership grant which allowed him to spend time working at the US State Department.

He also worked at the Oman Environmental Services Holding Company as the Head of Corporate Affairs before moving to Alizz Islamic Bank in November 2017. Murtadha’s proficiency lies in creating innovative, simple and creative communication and marketing tools that venture into technology-driven marketing activities.

An advocate of digital efficacy, Murtadha says: “A digital presence is essential in the current business world and is also in alignment with the Sultanate’s vision for a sustainable economy that is fully digitalised and electronic.

It’s therefore my aspiration and passion to raise the digital profile of Alizz Islamic Bank and ensure that it is at the forefront of regional and international business trends with regards to online presence, big data, and data analytics.”

Murtadha understands that his customers are all online now. And by not maintaining a strong online presence, a business is at the risk of losing to competitors. He is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that Alizz Islamic Bank stays ahead in the digital marketing universe.

“As a small bank in a market with larger banking entities that have been in the market for decades, the importance of digital marketing is crucial so that your business can effectively reach interested leads with the same methods as a larger corporation.

If you can create content that is more relevant to the digital audience than your corporate competitors, no amount of money or size will enable them to outrank you. I’m extremely proud that Alizz Islamic Bank is becoming the benchmark for digital marketing success,” says Murtadha