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Team excellence

Cohesive groups took home the glory and trophies at the Oman Awards for Excellence 2006  
BusinessToday reports

Rhythmic drum beats that involved audience added style and charm to the Oman Awards for Excellence 2006. But without doubt the flavour of the evening was collaboration. Winner after winner stressed the contribution of colleagues and team members working at offices, factories and outlets across the sultanate at that very moment as they collected their awards. But let us start from the beginning. The awards that brought together the brightest stars in Oman's business world for the ninth consecutive year unfolded at the Grand Hyatt's Afrah Ballroom, with a monologue both topical and witty that gave a hint of things to come. Master of Ceremonies Philip Stanton touched upon everything from rising rents that had become the bane of tenants to the tsunami that never was. But he stressed that the focus was on the audience, a group comprising representatives from the best performing companies in Oman.

Encores and achievements
The first award of the evening went to the day's big winner – Oman Cables Industry (OCI). OCI took home the Exporter of the Year Award for the second year running. A visibly thrilled Mohammed al Lawati, assistant general mana-ger, OCI, accepted the award from sponsor NBO's general manager for organisational excellence, Taqi Sultan. Lawati said the award showed OCI's consistency and reinforced its goals. "We aim to become one of the top ten power cable makers in the world." He added that the award recognised the commitment and enthusiasm of OCI employees. OCI, which customises its products and services to meet requirements of utilities in the GCC, European and other international markets, even prov-ides door-to-door delivery to its customers. In 2005, the company also entered the Australian market, where it found a niche in the mining industry where copper power cables are used. In real terms, OCI achieved almost 100 per cent export growth in 2005, vis-à-vis 2004.

As Zahara Tours was declared the winner in the Tourism category, it was yet another double triumph. Zahara, one of Oman's leading destination and leisure management companies, had won the award the previous year as well. Abdul Wahab al Balushi, director on the board of Zahara Tours, who accepted the award sponsored by Omantel, said that teamwork, professionalism and the vision to be a tourism leader gave the company an edge over the strong competition. "Success is management. It is about meeting challenges as a dedicated group. We always see ourselves at the forefront in our field. And we hope to exceed expectations in the future as well." 

Among other areas, Zahara Tours has been involved with creating awareness about Oman as a cruise destination and attracting more cruise ships to the country. In the past year, the company handled the tours for Costa Classica, the luxury liner operated by international cruise operator Costa Crociere. The ship’s regular weekly calls, which began in December 2006 and continued till April 2007, marked the introduction of regular calls to the Arabian Gulf by an international cruise operator.

Holistic winners
Oman Refinery Company (ORC) took home the Environmental Award sponsored by Oman Wastewater Services Company. Salim al Rubkhi, manager, administration and PR, ORC, who accepted the award, said that the company considered expenditure on state-of-the-art, environment-friendly technology and equipment, as a worthwhile investment. The company's new diesel hydro de-sulphurisation project is among several others aiming at ensuring development without damaging the environment. Added Rubkhi, "We are happy about this award as it underlines our comm-itment to the environment."

The People Development Award sponsored by TheWeek recognises companies that empower their staff to grow their productivity. Pizza Hut, which won the award this year, demonstrated the winning quality with its evolved training and HR practices, and a credo that goes, ‘Only happy employees can keep customers happy.’ Vivek Pande, general mana-ger, Lifestyle Group, Khimji Ramdas, and Yogesh Shah, senior divisional manager, Khimji International, who accepted the award, dedicated it to their crew, who were, ‘serving great pizzas and delighting customers at this very moment’. Said Pande, “We have won restaurant awards in the past but this is special because it is across industries.” Added Pankaj Khimji, director, Khimji Ramdas, “For us, people come first. So we feel honoured by this award because it shows our commitment to people development. We do not mind that others treat us as a nursery for talent, so long as such awards keep coming our way."

Excellence and more
Midwest Oilfield Services' founder Moha-mmed Jahwari, who won the Entrepreneur of the Year Award sponsored by MB Holding Company, was one winner who started his acceptance speech on a different note. "I was not prepared for this," said Jahwari, who dedicated his victory to his people, who give him his drive and dedication. "This award is a recognition of their achievement." Midwest, which started out in 2001 with a capital of RO100,000, is a trailblazer in its field. Jahwari had said in the past that the company could be 100 times bigger, but that he wanted to build it slowly and steadily. In an earlier interview with BusinessToday, Jahwari had explained, “I have never borrowed more than RO100,000 at a time. I have always split the risks in as many groups as possible, like banks, partners and suppliers.”   Jahwari’s company was also one of the finalists in the coveted Flame of Excellence category. And later, the entrepreneur of the year joked that he wanted to trade his award for the trophy which Flame of Excellence winner OCI took home.

OCI vice chairman and managing director Hussain al Lawati accepted the evening's big prize from Abdul Razzak Ali Issa, CEO, BankMuscat, the sponsor of the award. Lawati, who said that the win was an emotional moment for the company, added that talent did not come from a vacuum. "Our success comes from the sweat and sacrifice of our employees in the factory." OCI, a leading manu-facturer of electric cables, building wires, instrumentation cables and overhead transmission line conductors, had won the Flame of Excellence award in 2004 as well. Surrounded by his team on stage, Lawati continued, "Success follows planning, and planning follows vision. At OCI, our vision is our way of life. Excellence has no limitation." As the Oman Awards for Excellence gear up for a decade of recognising the best in the business next year, that is certainly the thought to hold on to.

Judge speak

Abdulaziz al Balushi
CEO, Alliance Housing Bank

THE PROCESS
The executive summaries were very good as they contained detailed analysis of the companies. Also, the judging was completely impartial, as none of us knew the other judges.

THE WINNERS
It is remarkable the way OCI competes with big companies in different parts of the world. Its business model and achievements certainly stand out among the competition. Most of the judges felt that Pizza Hut had consistently promoted excellence amongst its people and so deserved to win the People Development Award. 

THE AWARDS
The concept of the Oman Awards for Excellence is very good. The award is a plaque and does not have any financial value. Yet it carries so much prestige and recognition among the business community that it far outstrips any financial offering.

Tony Kinsman
CEO, Sohar Aluminium

THE PROCESS
The structure, content, and presentation of the proposals were very detailed. There were established companies, who had refined their processes over the years and also newer, growing companies that were challenging the bigger players. Both impressed me. The judging process was also a learning process.

THE WINNERS
The quality of information in the entries merited due consideration. It was clear how
they planned their growth and development. I appreciated and supp-orted all the winners, particularly the ultimate winner OCI. Their presentation was very clear about their focus and their aims.

THE AWARDS
The awards promote good cooperation between private and public entities. It is important that this support between sectors grows. Also, I think there will be room for newer award categories in the future.

Nani Javeri
CEO, Bank Sohar

THE PROCESS
The quality of entrants was of very high order. There was enough information to take a well-informed, educated decision.

THE WINNERS
I enjoyed reading the presentations as I found them to be very interesting. There was also considerable learning for myself from the way companies and individuals had responded to various market challenges. The presentation from Mattrah Cold Stores was particularly interesting. 

THE AWARDS
I certainly see the Oman Awards for Excellence growing from strength to strength with the number of participants increasing. The awards are and will continue to be the most prestigious in the country.

Nasir al Ismaily
General Manager, Export Credit Guarantee Agency

THE PROCESS
The extensive summaries highlighted the abilities that the companies had demonstrated in dealing with the challenges of the market. It showed their innovation as well as their creativity in competing with the best across many different parameters. This helped us in assessing them.

THE WINNERS
The finalists were all outstanding. But excellence is an ongoing process. With globalisation, we now operate in an infinite world. Your products represent not just your company, but your country. They will attract more investment to the country. So you have to keep adding value. There is always room for impro-vement. As the Export Credit Guarantee Agency, it was great to see OCI win the Exporter of the Year award yet again.

THE AWARDS
The awards provide companies with the incentive and motivation to excel. They make the public aware of the companies. We had been associated with the Oman Awards for Excellence, as a winner of the Public Service Initiative Award, and also as a sponsor. Being part of the judging process has added to our experience.

H E Lujaina Mohsin Darwish
Joint Deputy Managing Director, Mohsin Haider Darwish

H E Darwish, one of the judges at the Oman Awards for Excellence, was travelling at the time of the function and over the following period, when this story was being written. She could not be reached for her comments.