Habib Hanna
General Manager, NCR Corporation- Oman
As the new general manager for NCR Corporation’s branch in Oman, Hanna will be responsible for driving the overall strategic development of NCR in Oman and managing the NCR branch across all its business units. Hanna has an impressive track record in sales and business management with different organisations, with the last five years spent with NCR, leading its payment systems division for the Middle East and North Africa region. Commenting on his appointment, Hanna says, “I am delighted to take over this position since Oman is evolving as one of the most important markets in the area. My focus will be to continue the success and growth that we have achieved so far, work very closely with our customers to build on the existing relationships and partner with them to achieve their business objectives and to deliver great value to the market by taking Oman to the forefront of technology.�

Manmohan Singh Rehsi
General Manager
Computers, Office Automation and Telecommunications Division, MHD
Singh held the position of director, customer support services in Brightpoint India, before his move to Oman. Brightpoint is one of the largest distributors of mobile phones in the world, and provides solutions, including customised services to network operators and device vendors. Singh, who has an MBA from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, in marketing and technology management, has always been interested in telecom, IT and innovation management. He has worked with Hutchinson Telecom, among several other multinationals and Indian companies in the course of his career. He is particularly interested in Information Communication Technology (ICT) in the SME sector, which he believes can be a powerful growth driver for the economy.

Annurag Chawla
Brand Manager �Mazda and Mahindra, Towell Auto Centre
Annurag Chawla has joined Towell Auto Centre as a Brand Manager - Mazda & Mahindra. He has over 12 years of experience in communications, brand building, market research and event management. Out of these, six and a half years have been spent with National Publishing & Advertising (NPA), giving him a good understanding of the local market in Oman. He has worked with an array of brands ranging from automotive, banking, hospitality, retail and the electronics industry. He has a master’s in Marketing and Sales Management from American Management Association (New York University), and post graduate diploma in Public Relations and Communication Management, in addition to a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Commerce from Delhi University. Says Annurag, “It’s a new challenge for me and I will strive to add value to the current brand efforts and gain valuable lear-ning for myself in the process.�He looks forward to playing the role of a catalyst in enhancing the market share and consumer loyalty for two of the world’s fastest growing automotive brands. He will also be the main interface between Towell Auto and the principals in Japan for Mazda and Mahindra in India. Says S Kasthurirengan, gene-ral manager, Towell Auto Centre, “Annurag will be responsible for overseeing the brand building efforts and offering strategic inputs at Towell Auto Centre and thereby driving the brands to dominant market shares in their respective segments.�His knowledge of the local market and brand building experience is sure to help Towell Auto.

Syed Sohraab Hasnain
Brand Manager, Volkswagen, Wattayah Motors
The new brand mana-ger of Volkswagen is excited about ‘Jetta��the company’s new offering. With the Touareg doing well and a strong presence in the commercial range, Hasnain is looking forward to pressing on the advantage. He started his career with Al-Futtaim Auto, Dubai, in 1984 as a sales executive rising through the ranks to become the executive branch manager for Volvo and Honda. In 1997 he joined Zubair Automotive as its assistant marketing manager and looked after a number of brands like Mitsubishi, Chrysler and Aston Martin. In 1999, he rose to become Mitsubishi’s retail sales manager. This commerce graduate from Karachi University has spent 22 years in the automotive industry and sees sales as his main strength.   

Paul Pinto
General Manager �Operations, Al Bustan Bakery
Having done a course in hospitality with the Taj Group, India, Pinto joined the Taj group of hotels in Mumbai and went on to work with the group for 18 long years. He served as the restaurant manager at Zodiac, a continental restaurant in Taj, Mumbai. Zodiac went on to be voted as the best restaurant in Asia. He came to the Middle East in 1996 as the food and beverage manager of Princeton, a Taj group owned boutique hotel in Dubai. The 50 room hotel was the only boutique hotel in the Middle East in those years. After a two year stint he went back to India. With the multiplex business taking off in a big way in the late 1990s, he joined INOX, a company with interests in the retail business as its general manager. He helped INOX set up a multiplex �E-Square in Poona. E-Square soon became the number one retail outlet in the city with footfalls of over 5,000 on weekends. He hopes to do the same with Al Bustan Bakery �“taking it to new heights in a big way.�