Riding the technology wave
Charbel Fakhoury, general manager, Microsoft Gulf

Charbel Fakhoury, general manager, Microsoft Gulf, was in Oman recently to inaugurate Microsoft’s new office at KOM. Fakhoury joined Microsoft Corporation in December 1998 as the business development manager for the Levant region. The man has been instrumental in Microsoft’s growth in Jordan, Malta and Cyprus. Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft Corporation, conferred a special award on Fakhoury in 2001 in recognition of his efforts. Having witnessed double-digit growth in the last few years, the IT major is confident about maintaining its good run in the sultanate. “With PC penetration being less than two per cent and most of them being in offices we see a lot of growth potential in the country,” says Fakhoury. Microsoft is keen to be a part of the growth story of the country and is working with the ministry of education to promote technology skills in the sultanate. Microsoft has tied up with the Middle East College of Information and Technology (MECIT) to provide certified courses to students and professionals. “Education does not stop once you get a degree. IT professionals need to be on top of the various changes taking place in their industry,” says Fakhoury.

The master number cruncher

Fred McMahon, director, Centre for Trade & Globalisation Studies, The Fraser Institute, was in Muscat last month to release Economic Freedom of the World: 2007 Annual Report. McMahon, citing the example of GCC countries, said while changes in the economic freedom in one country have only a modest impact on neighbouring countries, when multiple neighbours experience simultaneous changes in economic freedom, the impact is much greater. He manages the Economic Freedom of the World Project and examines global issues such as development, trade, governance, and economic structure at the centre. McMahon is the author of numerous research articles and several books including Looking the Gift Horse in the Mouth: The Impact of Federal Transfers on Atlantic Canada, which won the Sir Antony Fisher International Memorial Award for advancing public policy debate, Road to Growth: How Lagging Economies Become Prosperous, and Retreat from Growth: Atlantic Canada and the Negative Sum Economy.

Oiling the wheels

Omer Dormen, lubricants director, Middle East and Iran Regions, BP Middle East, visited Oman on the occasion of the launch of Visco engine oils with CleanGuard technology. While the product was already introduced in the other markets in the Middle East, Dormen said they had to delay the launch in Oman due to the cyclone. However, he was confident that the Oman market would embrace the new offering from BP as it has always done. “BP has made strong inroads by capturing 35 per cent of the market in Oman. The Visco range keeps the car engine cleaner for longer and offers motorists superior protection to reduce oil burnoff and increase car fuel economy.”