When Khaula Hamood Abdullah Al Harthi declares “success has no gender” and encourages Omani women to believe in themselves, step in and play the role they must and are expected to, towards shaping up the future of this nation, we need not hesitate to nod our heads in agreement for she practises what she preaches.

Khaula, an eminent business personality with 15 years of corporate work experience, took up the helm of her family business Lima LLC in 2004. Her father the late Sheikh Hamoud bin Abdullah Al Harthy, who was the former Chairman of the State Council from 1997 to 2003 and has served this country through several ministerial positions, has played a major role in shaping her personality and instilling patriotism in her.

“It wasn’t a smooth ride for me. But I decided to make use of every learning opportunity that came around,” she says.

A Business Administration graduate from Yarmouk University, Jordan, the turning point in Khaula’s life was when she was selected as a member of the National Youth Commission in 2012.

As a youth leader and an advocate for innovation and entrepreneurship, she took part in the design and planning of the Sultanate’s youth programmes and has played an active role in representing the youth in the National Programme for Enhancing Economic Diversification (Tanfeedh).
“Working with the Omani youth continues to be an amazing and eye-opening experience for me; they are talented, ambitious and full of energy. I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to empower, develop and engage them to contribute better to the progress of our country,” Khaula says.

She was instrumental in setting strategic goals for the National Youth Commission, developing a youth plan for innovation and socio-economic development of Omani citizens and identifying and supporting the existing initiatives across the country.

Khaula also contributed to several initiatives to enable the private sector to play an active role as a social and economic partner in the development of the nation during her time as a member of Sharaka, the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Taskforce under the Diwan of Royal Court.

The PPP aims to enhance co-operation between public and private sectors, identify opportunities for collaboration, as well as work towards the diversification and development of the National Economy.

In 2016, she was appointed as the CEO of Injaz Oman, an organisation that empowers youth to succeed in a global economy, and has been heading several efforts for youth empowerment ever since.

Injaz Oman recently won the Youth Excellence Award and was honoured by HH Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham Al Said, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth for its contribution to the youth sector in the field of Entrepreneurship.

Khaula currently sits on several boards including Ominvest, one of the oldest and largest investment companies in the region, Tanmia’s Al Kawthar fund, NBO’s GCC fund as well as the Oman-Turkey Friendship Association under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“Serving and giving back to the community has helped me grow as a person. I continue to volunteer and work alongside people and organizations who care about bettering their communities, she says.

“Women have a great role to play in shaping the future of Oman. Women are now becoming more economically active; they have the knowledge, skills and qualifications to take it all up. I see a better future for them.”

Khaula Al Harthy

“Success has no gender!”, she affirms with conviction.