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Oman News

TAS ICON 2021 : Dr Shamsa Al Sheibani

TAS News Service

info@thearabianstories.com

Sunday, December 5, 2021

Dream big, climb every mountain and enjoy the journey because you are going to relish the experience when you get to the summit. If you are about to dismiss this with a wry smile, one that smacks of a bit of sarcasm, as the usual, boring stuff dished out by motivational speakers, and ready to move on, wait till you get to read who it is really. Yes, she is a motivational speaker, also. Mind the word ‘also’, for the person we talk about is a motivational speaker too, but that is not what she does for a career.

Meet Dr Shamsa Masoud Al Sheibani, a brilliant banker who says, and proves, women need not be given preferential treatment at the workplace, for they are on a par, or better than, men in terms of drive or diligence.

You don’t need to Google who Dr Shamsa Masoud Al Sheibani is if you want to know about her. A quick glance at her education profile will roll your eyes in admiration. Dr Shamsa is a well-known personality in the field of banking and finance. With over 15 years of experience in the banking arena, she has built her niche securely with a vast experience that ranged over several positions in key banks.

Dr Shamsa began her career at Oman International Bank in 2002 and later on served in various capacities at Alliance Housing Bank, National Bank of Oman and National Finance Company. She joined Ominvest as the Vice President of Economics Research in 2019. “My parents are my biggest inspiration. They taught me the basics of balancing life, family and career,” said Dr Shamsa who earned her PhD in economics from the University of Reading. She is also a member of the main committee for assessing scientific research in the Oman Economic Association.

Dr Shamsa attributed her success to her father, a lecturer in the College of Banking and Financial Studies (CBFS), who opened the world of banking to her. “My father is a lecturer and my mother is an English lecturer. Both of them inundated me with information and inspired me from a young age to study more,” she said.

“In 1996, I attended a training programme at the National Bank of Oman and decided to pick the finance sector as my future domain. I think that was the best decision of my life,” she recalled with a smile.

Dr Shamsa graduated with distinction from the prestigious Sultan Qaboos University in 2002 and was offered a job at the Oman International Bank, purely on merit.  She was an exemplary student and bagged the Ambassadors Award at PhD research level in 2018 and later on the People Choice Award at the University of Reading Annual PhD Conference in 2017. Excelling academically, she even finished her doctoral course ahead of time. “As soon I returned home, I joined Ominvest,” Dr Shamsa said.

“There were many challenges in my work life and studies. But I continued with determination and hard work and managed to achieve a lot of things through sheer dedication,” she added.

“As a country we have made lot of progress in empowering Omani women. Women do not want to be treated differently because they perform on a par, if not better than, with men at the workplace,” she stressed.

A good speaker as well, Shamsa has also received the Blue-Ribbon Award for Toastmasters at the NBO Edition in 2010. “There were many challenges I faced during my initial days at work but that’s part of life. It is all about how well you sustain,” Dr Shamsa observed. She completed her MBA from the University of Strathclyde Graduate Business School in Scotland.

What’s her advice to young Omanis who want to follow her path?

“Dream big and believe in yourself. You are never too young or too old to dream big. Take calculated risks and you’ll be surprised where you end up. Aim for the mountains, enjoy the journey thoroughly well and then getting to the finish line is only a feather in the cap,” .

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