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Swimming against the tide has been a hallmark of Salmi’s life and has helped him succeed in his endeavours
Mayank Singh

Abdullah al Salmi’s decision to pursue a graduation in commerce in 1983 came as a surprise for his family and friends. Commerce was not a subject to be pursued at a university but a craft that one acquired by practising trade, went the conventional wisdom. Despite such resistance, Salmi stuck to his guns, taking up commerce at Halwan University in Cairo, Egypt. In retrospect it may have been one of the most significant moves he made, as his knowledge in commerce has been put to good use during his seven-year stint at the Capital Market Authority (CMA).

Salmi, executive vice president - regulatory affairs, CMA, has played an important role in rebuilding Muscat Securities Market (MSM) after the crash of 1998 into one of the best-regulated and attractive markets in the region. “In 1999 when I decided to shift from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to CMA, people were surprised that I was joining an organisation at a time when others were too happy to flee,” reminisces Salmi.

Joining the team led by H E Yahya al Jabri, executive president, CMA, Salmi and his colleagues set out earnestly on setting things right. “A number of rules and regulations were changed to bring back investor confidence. We formed a team which had good mutual understanding and set common goals for itself. It has been both an interesting and challenging assignment.”

Initial years
His decade long experience with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry helped him take on the challenges of his new assignment at CMA. Salmi started his career in 1987 as an econo-mic researcher at MSM. In a couple of months he joined the Ministry of Commerce and Industry as the deputy director of the Internet trade department. In a year’s time he became the department’s director.

He fondly remembers his days in the customer protection section (in the Internet trade department), which addressed customer grievances. Any customer who had a grievance against a product or a company could register their complaint with the department. This gave him a window to help distressed customers. “Since companies are powerful while customers have no one to support them, it was our responsibility to help people get their rights.” In the absence of a clear-cut redressal system, Salmi used his good relations with business houses to help customers get their due. “Helping out people made one feel better and it was very satisfying.”

Then he was shifted to the department of commercial registration, perceived to be one of the most influential departments. Any company, which wished to do business in Oman, had to be registered with the department giving it immense clout with business houses. Despite all its trappings of power, Salmi found the job to be a bit of a tedium. He left the department in 1996 to pursue an MBA at the University of Durham in the UK. While he was in the UK, he was posted as the director of Company Affairs. Coming back, he joined his new post only to oversee its merger with the Department of Commercial Registration in 1998.

Single-minded focus
Having spent close to two decades in the corridors of power, Salmi feels that a single-minded focus on one’s goal is an essential ingredient for success. And it has been his constant handmaiden. While working with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, a number of people used to persuade him to start his own business as he could easily get the requisite licences. “I felt that as I was working from 7.30 am to 4.30 pm in the ministry, I would not be in a position to do justice to my own enterprise.”

In addition to being focused, one needs to have a constant desire to learn. “Nobody can say that he is excellent or knows a job entirely. So everyone must learn constantly from others – both colleagues and subordinates.”

Combining one’s knowledge with that of others complement things. In 2005 Salmi attended a nine week advanced management course at Harvard Business School with 150 high-ranking executives from 30 countries. “It is very important to retrain yourself intermi-ttently as one tends to lose touch with certain best practices.”

“Communication has to flow from the top to the lowest rungs of an organisation. We have tried to foster this at CMA so that everyone understands what we are doing.” The flow of communication is not restricted to the confines of CMA. The authority uses a number of channels like its website, personal interactions and the media to reach out to its clients and partners.

Workflow
An average day at work for Salmi starts with 30 to 45 minutes spent checking pending e-mails. This is followed by business meetings. These take up roughly a third of his day at work.

The rest of the time is devoted to office work and correspondence. “I try not to carry office work home, but at times it gets unavo-idable.” Relaxing after a hard day’s work translates into spending time with his family and an hour-long walk on the beach. “I find the sound of waves breaking on the shore to be very relaxing.”

While he finds little time to read, he does keep a few books by his bedside. His choice ranges from business to economics and from history to religious books. “I enjoy western classical music. I also like listening to Arabic singers like Umm Kulthum.”

Vacations are spent travelling with family. “When I get time I like to go to cooler places. I frequently go to the Far East, Europe, Malaysia and Thailand.” Malaysia remains an abiding favourite. Its congenial weather, cultural proximity to the Middle East, appetising food and welcoming people makes it an ideal travel destination for Salmi. While he may prefer visiting popular destinations, he is not averse to discovering little known places. Last year he visited Bora-Bora in the French Polynesia and came back absolutely enchanted.

Strong foundations
Coming from a family of scholars, Salmi grew up in an environment where he was encouraged to acquire knowledge. Having finished his primary education in the Sharqiya region, he moved on to Cairo. His stay in Cairo proved to be a big learning experience. Staying away from home brought its own set of challenges. “I had to take on new responsibilities like looking after the house and cooking. Getting along with people in a new country was an invaluable skill that one picked up.” The Cairo years helped prepare Salmi to take on new challenges in life.

The other big influence on his life has been his uncle Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah. “He was a scholar with an in-depth knowledge of history and politics. I enjoyed listening to him speak on a number of subjects and learnt a lot from his experiences.

It is clear that Salmi’s personality has been shaped by numerous influences. These, combined with his industriousness and vision, helped him achieve remarkable success in a relatively short span.