The 16th Edition of OER Business Summit, a flagship event by the Sultanate’s premium business magazine, with a special HR focus, was held at Sheraton Oman on April 30.
His Highness Sayyid Mohammed bin Thuwaini Al Said was the Chief Guest at the Summit. Held under the auspices of His Excellency Shaikh Salim bin Mustahail Al Mashani and organised by UMS Events, the Summit explored the roadmap to achieving the Sultanate’s medium to long term economic and HR goals in-line with His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik’s Vision.
Under His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik’s Visionary Leadership, Oman has taken remarkable strides in economic development, social betterment and robust bilateral ties. The country has also been instrumental in addressing structural challenges, fostering fiscal responsibility and setting the stage for a more diversified and resilient economy. According to the National Center for Statistical Information (NCSI) Oman’s GDP growth is expected to be 1.9 per cent at constant prices by the end of Q3 2024. Further, the preliminary results of 2024 show an increase in total revenue that led to a surplus than the deficit that was estimated in the 2024 budget. Total revenue for 2024 is projected to reach RO12.67bn and increase of 15.1 per cent compared with the budgeted figure of RO11.01bn. (up by 15.1 per cent). Overall, the budget is expected to generate a surplus of RO0.54bn compared with the 2024 budget deficit of RO0.64bn.
The Summit had keynote presentations by Alkesh Joshi, Tax Partner, EY Oman and MENA, Sustainability Tax Leader, EY and Reem Al Taie, Investor Relations Associate, Oman Investment Authority and presentation by Wisal Al Rashdi, Human Resources Manager, WUJHA Development.
The Summit deliberated on the topic, “Unlocking the Potential of Oman’s Renewed Renaissance.” Panelists included Dr Firas Al Abduwani, Director General, Renewable Energy & Hydrogen, Ministry of Energy & Minerals, Essam Al Sheibani, VP, Sustainability, ASYAD, Omar Al Harthi, Business Development, Invest Oman, Harssha Shetty, CEO, Jindal Steel Sohar and Karl Jackson, Partner-ESG, Crowe Oman. Mayank Singh, Group Editor, UMS moderated the session.
The Summit was endorsed by Advantage Austria from Embassy of Austria and Embassy of Tanzania, Muscat. RAB Consulting was the Knowledge Partner, while ZiBi (Zanzibar Investments & Business Insights magazine) the Zanzibar Media Partner, Daily Tribune newspaper, the Bahrain Media Partner and Qatar MirchiOne 89.6FM, the Qatar Media Partner. Alam Al Iktisaad was the Arabic media partner and OERLive.com, the Online Media Partner.
The Summit brought together government and business leaders to brainstorm and share their experience on leading the country and companies into an uncertain future. Senior government officials, C-Suite executives discussed a roadmap for building a responsible and resilient business. OER Business Excellence Awards were presented to Companies, CEO’s and senior executives in recognition of their path breaking efforts and success.
The Summit also had presentations by Venkatesh Palakkad, Director & Principal Consultant, Reem Al Bawadi Business Solutions and Technologies LLC and Dr. Manish Dhameja, Strategic Leader and Senior Banking professional. The HR edition of the Business Summit deliberated on ‘Developing & Nurturing Internal Talent.’ Panelists included Hamza Al Lawati, HR Director, Infoline, Wisal Al Rashdi, Human Resources Manager- WUJHA Development, Atia Ashfaq Rasool Muhammad Hanif, Deputy Head of HR, Dhofar Insurance, Fahad Al Jabri, Learning Design Advisor, PDO and Ritesh Arora, Head, Human Capital Development, Bank Muscat. Venkatesh Palakkad, Director & Principal Consultant, Reem Al Bawadi Business Solutions and Technologies LLC moderated the HR Session. In addition, there was an interactive workshop on the theme- Fostering Workplace Mental Wellbeing presented by Roula Saba Mouhanna, Executive and Leadership Coach.
