MUSCAT : Who’s who from the world of Oman’s business, government, health, education and technology converged at the intercity Hotel Muscat to be a part of the prestigious TAS Conclave, which witnessed a lineup of brilliant speakers and panelists who deliberated on topics ranging from ‘Road to 2040’ and ‘Women in Leadership’ to ‘Digital Transformation’ and ‘Future of education.’

Presided over by His Highness Sayyid Kamil bin Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, Secretary General of Oman’s General Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers, the landmark forum featured strategists, policy makers and influencers, all of who congregated to celebrate Oman’s achievements and reflect on the way forward in areas of politics, economy, health, diplomacy, infrastructure, technology, innovation, education, etc.

His Highness also presented TAS Business Awards, the first industry ‘Oscars’ from the stable of The Arabian Stories. 14 top companies received awards for various achievements. They are as follows: Change Maker of the Year – Honourable Lujaina Mohsin Darwish, Chairperson of MHD-ITICS; Business Leader of the Year – Mohammed Ameen, Managing Director of SeaPride LLC; Entreprenuer of the Year – Sheikha Ruaa Salim Al Fannah Al Araimi, Board member of seaPearls Gold & Diamond Jewellery; Excellence in Leadership – George P Rajan, General MManager of Adventz; Most Valuable Company of the Year – MHD-ITICS; Most Innovative Brand of the Year -Vodafone Oman; Best Digital Bank of the Year – Sohar International; Excellence in Quality and Patient Safety – NMC Healthcare Oman; Best Fashion and Lifestyle Retailer of the Year –Centrepoint; Best Affordable Luxury Brand of the Year –Changan; Most Innovative Agency of the Year – Dentsu M21; Best Jewellery Brand of the Year – seaPearls Gold & Diamond Jewellery; Most Enterprising Business of the Year – Masdar Global Solutions; Best Omani Start-up of the Year – IDENTITY; Best Retail Destination of the Year -Markaz Al Bahja; Best Luxury Destination of the Year – Jumeirah Muscat Bay; Best Digital Company of the Year – Mesdac Solutions; Best Community Leadership of the Year – Knowledge Oman.

Following the Award ceremony, His Highness Sayyid Kamil launched the first edition of ‘BusinessPlus’ magazine, which features the best of business and lifestyle worlds, with information on topics ranging from food to fashion, travel, automobiles, technology and health, among others. The magazine was also available for subscription at the Conclave venue.

Held under the theme of ‘Aspirations, Ambitions & Approaches’, the Conclave fielded a host of speakers and panelists, beginning with Amit Narang, Indian Ambassador to Oman, who spoke on Building Relations. Speaking on the occasion, he said, “There are over 6000 India-Oman joint ventures and I see a major growth for more ventures… Oman has a very mature policy for green energy and I am very optimistic that this will further enhance our bilateral relations.”

In his address on ‘Leadership and Crisis Management’, Dr. Ahmed Al Saidi, former Health Minister, stated: “I had a dream, and my dream, unlike Martin Luther King, was to become a doctor; this dream was initiated by the suffering I witnessed around me.”  

Explaining further, he said, “When I was growing up, infant mortality was as high as 25%; many people before 1970 did not see their fifth birthday. Today, our life expectancy is better than most countries. We have a good health sector, and this is thanks to the team that is part of the industry.”

He affirmed that the health care sector will continue to grow and added that he wants to see the private sector partnering in this growth. “I want to see Oman becoming a hub for vaccine production,” he said.

Talking about ‘Inspiring a Nation’, racing champion Ahmad Al Harthy, said he is proud to represent Oman and highlighted the abundance of talent in the country. He said, “I am, generally, introduced as Oman’s first and only circuit racer, but I am not the only one. I am proud to say that today we have so many young circuit drivers.”

The panel on ‘Women in Leadership’ was graced byHer Highness Sayyida Basma Al Said, Founder of Whispers of Serenity, and Khaula Al Harthy, CEO of Injaz Oman. “There is no one clear definition for leadership; but I know you cannot become an effective leader if you are not a good team player,” said Her Highness Sayyida Basma. Reiterating similar thoughts, Khaula Al Harthy, CEO of Injaz Oman, said, “Leadership has a lot to do with your attitude towards life; it’s your qualities – of listening to others, understanding people around you – that makes you a good leader.”  

The next panel on ‘Road to 2040’ featured Abdullah Al Kharusi, Chief Investment Officer, MHD-ITICS; Dr. Shamsa Al Sheibani, Chief Risk Officer and Vice President of Economics at Ominvest; Dr. CK Anchan, Vice Chairman and Managing Partner of Royal Business and Investments; Davis Kallukaran, Managing Partner of Crowe Oman; Saied Al Lawati, Director of Business and ICT Solutions at Ooredoo Oman; Harssha Shetty, CEO of Jindal Shadeed; and Laila Al Hadhrami, Smart cities expert.

Speaking on the topic, Mohammed Abudullah Al Kharusi said, “Oman has a very healthy economic environment for foreign investments and I am very optimistic for the future and the Vision 2040.” Similarly, Laila Al Hadhrami said, “Oman 2040 is all about each one of us; we are all part of it. It is a responsibility we all have to share in, particularly students, who we are counting on.”

 The panel on ‘Digital Transformation’ included Kawthar Al Hinai, Digital Transformation Leader at Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology; Malik Al Wahaibi, Vice President of Huawei Oman; Tomy Bosco, Partner, Business Area Director at Nortal; Robin Sebastian, Director of Mesdac Solutions; and Mayan Asfour, Country Manager of Beehive Oman.

“We aim at digitalizing 80% of government services in the coming five years and the five years after that in digitalizing the economic sector as a whole,” stated Kawthar Al Hinai.

The last panel of the Conclave – ‘Future of Education’ – featured Dr. Yasmin Al Bulushi, Senior Consultant at The Royal Academy of Management and Chairperson of Knowledge Oman; Nabila Al Macki, Chairperson of the Oman Association for Quality in Higher Education (OAQHE); and Sumaiya Al Siyabi, innovator and winner of ‘Stars of Science’.

The packed hall of Intercity Muscat Hotel was a testimony to the success of the second edition of TAS Conclave.

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