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On June 21st, Muscat Daily and OABC hosted an insightful webinar on ‘Educating Our Children in the New Normal’. The session discussed the transition of educational teaching methods to online platforms and different approaches to learning from home.

A key theme was to create a routine that suits your lifestyle and to maintain a balance between learning, engaging in physical activity and expressing oneself creatively.

We give special thanks to the panelists and OABC member Sue Groesbeck, Head of ABA, an IB World School for moderating the session and addressing this imperative subject during these unprecedented times.

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A fun evening with our staff, board and members of the OABC — our first-ever virtual cooking class with Chef @ilias_doulamis of the @grandhyattmuscat was a wonderful experience.

Members enjoyed cooking, watching, and learning traits of Italian cuisine while making potato gnocchi with rocket pesto and seasonal vegetables. We thank members for coming on board and trusting our first attempt at a more ‘social’ event — very different to a usual OABC event but we all enjoyed the opportunity to reconnect.

We give thanks to Paul Murphy GM of the Grand Hyatt and OABC Board member for sponsoring the cooking class and a very special thanks to Chef Doulamis for his time and effort in preparation for this evening.

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On June 15th, OABC hosted a Sector Update on Logistics in Oman during and after Covid-19.

Premium Member Companies DHL Express, Port of Salalah and RA Logistics participated a panel discussion moderated by Mr. Warith Al Kharusi, Chairman of Al Safwa Group and Board Member of Oman Logistics Association.

Moustafa Osman, Mark Hardiman and Colin Mckinlay answered questions on the changes and challenges faced by each of their individual businesses and discussed the future of logistical operations in Oman.
We give special thanks to each and every panelist, moderator and our Media partner @imagineOman

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On Wednesday, May 20, the OABC and members of the greater business community gathered virtually for a legal webinar in partnership with Global Advocacy and Legal Counsel (GALC).

The session addressed the following topics:
• Postponement of Tax
• Postponement of Shareholders Annual General Meetings
• Termination of Employment Relationships
• Termination of Tenancy Relationships

The event started with a talk from experts at GALC on the above topics, followed by engaging Q & A’s from members.

Global Advocacy and Legal Counsel Representatives included:
• Abdulredha Al Lawati, Partner, Oman
• Nasser Al Osaiba, Managing Partner, UAE
• Omar Al Shomali, Counsel, Hd of Corporate & Commercial

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On Monday, May 18, the OABC and members of the greater business community gathered virtually for a webinar in partnership with Amcham Bahrain and The Sedge Group.

There is immense interest in doing business with the U.S. Government. The United States government spends, on average, more than $4 trillion on goods and services each year. Everything from food supplies for ships, to office pens, and everything in between are acquired through contracts with global businesses. The session walked members through the various steps to put them on the right path to increasing revenue in this sector. One step included, ensuring one’s company is properly registered in the various government portals so attendees know where and how to bid for service contracts.

About the Author

Michael Sedge, writer, author, producer, entrepreneur and president of The Sedge Group, LLC as well as The Michael-Bruno Group of Companies (USA, Bahrain, Djibouti, Italy). Sedge is a global expert on working with the U.S. government, with 40 years experience. He is a former regional president of AMCHAM Italy, founder of the American Business Council of Djibouti, and a regional director of the Society of American Military Engineers. Mr. Sedge has lectured on doing business with the American government to groups around the world.

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OABC Premium Members attended an exclusive Online Roundtable with the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday, May 12, from 2 pm – 3 pm.

Representatives from OCCI, led by CEO Alfadhal Al Hinai, provided information about the Chamber’s recent work on behalf of the private sector during the COVID-19 crisis, and explained support channels the organization offers to businesses in Oman, with a closing discussion on the OCCI’s new transformation strategy.

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Twenty Northeastern University students representing family businesses from around the world, together with professors, panelists, ABA students, and OABC board members, participated in the Oman Family Business Forum, organized by the Oman American Business Center on March 5. The event was sponsored by the Grand Hyatt Muscat.

Members of the OABC participated a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Greg Collier, Professor of Practice at Northeastern University, and answered questions designed to encourage and impart knowledge to the students, each of whom are about to graduate and possibly enter their own family businesses.

Non-family CEO’s in Oman shared about their personal experience in serving family businesses, from the unique opportunities presented, to the differences between such organizations and other corporate structures. Other CEOs discussed their partnerships or joint ventures with family-run companies, and the importance of shared values and cultural understanding in business.

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Panelists discussed the significance of gaining industry experience upon graduation, before returning to work in the family business, and each left the students with some closing remarks about their futures, regardless of paths chosen.  Mark Rix, CEO of Apex Media, encouraged the students to “Never stop learning, no matter your age or how long you work — there is always more to learn.”

Students from the American British Academy were also invited to attend and benefit from the wealth of knowledge in the room.

“We are thrilled with the willingness of our members, each of whom are busy executives, to offer their time and support during a critical point in these students’ lives,” says Rebecca Olson, Executive Director of the OABC. “Providing a space for the exchange of ideas and the building up of understanding is a key objective of the OABC. We are grateful for the opportunity to host these students from a top U.S. university, and also to discuss a topic of such great importance and interest to the Oman business community.”

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OABC member Mr. Sadiq Al Lawati, local entrepreneur and restauranteur, took time out to chat over coffee with Omani entrepreneurs who are participants in the Wasel program @omifco_sme_prog.

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The entrepreneurs all have existing restaurant and retail stores throughout Oman and are in the process of franchising in Oman and the GCC. As the franchisee of successful local venues such as Slider Station, Shaabestan, b&f diner and Haagen-Dazs, Mr. Al Lawati shared his insights and experience in the areas of demographic analysis and site selection, product development in Oman, and general franchisee-franchisor relations in Oman and the region.

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The Wasel program is financed by the Oman India Fertilizer Company (OMIFCO) and is managed by OABC member firm, Inspired Solutions. The program targets existing Omani SMEs which are seeking growth capital and prepares them to become investment ready.

 

 

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An event on Wednesday brought together youths, SMEs, environment groups and the business community with the common goal of sharing ideas on how to protect the environment.

Participants said that as Oman is endowed with pristine natural beauty, everyone needs to play their part to protect it. A call was made for people and businesses to care about the environment.

Oman American Business Center (OABC) and Apex Media organised Sustainability Fair at Grand Hyatt Muscat to raise awareness by bringing together different communities.

Awareness is the key
“Awareness starts at an early age and we can learn from the creativity and ideas of younger generations. Global Shapers Muscat helped to organise this event. Established through the World Economic Forum, it is a network of future leaders of Oman under the age of 30 working together with young people to explore how they can change their communities for the greater good,” Marla Valdez, member of OABC, said.

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Many of the participating organisations were legacies of the Late Sultan Qaboos bin Said’s vision for Oman. This included The Oman Botanic Garden which is a word-class development project to cultivate study and conserve Oman’s rich native flora, Oman Animal & Plant Genetic Resources Center established to protect Oman’s globally significant genetic diversity of animals, plants and micro organisms and be’ah, whose mission is to work towards sustainable waste management practices.

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Marla said that, ‘we are blessed to live in a country with such beautiful oceans, deserts, mountains and natural habitats’. “We hope that by bringing together various disparate members of the community in Oman it will generate dialogue and hopefully inspire further collaboration on common cause initiatives.

We believe that we are stewards of the environment and by raising awareness we can, as a community, help protect Oman’s environment. We also believe that everyone in our community has a role to play, and no contribution to the preservation of our environment is too small or insignificant.”

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Responsibility to protect environment
H H Sayyida Tania bint Shabib al Said, president of Environment Society of Oman (ESO) was the guest of honour at the event.
ESO, a non-profit organisation was established to protect and conserve Oman’s natural heritage.

“As a founding board member and president of ESO, I am hugely supportive of today’s agenda, which aims to raise awareness about the importance of sustainability in Oman and to explore ways in which we can all work together to foster a culture of sustainability,” Sayyida Tania said.

She stressed that the responsibility of protecting our environment is with all of us and ‘encouraged everyone to think about the lifestyles they lead and the decisions they make as consumers’. Sayyida Tania highlighted the important role that students must play as environmental campaigners for a sustainable future. “You are the future custodians of our planet and it is your ideas that will shape what our future looks like.”

Apex Media was the media partner of the event because of its commitment to the environment through initiatives such as the ‘Bitter About Litter’ and recycling campaigns.

Find more pictures on our Facebook page.

 

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OABC’s first networking event of 2020 ‘New Year, New Opportunities’ was sponsored by Qatar Airways. The event was held at the Crowne Plaza Muscat on Monday, February 24th. The evening brought together over 120 members of the Oman American Business Center (AmCham Oman), from member executives to Oman’s decision-makers. The evening shared great moments of connection with members of the OABC, old and new, over canapes, drinks and the most spectacular view in town.

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Members and executives from the business community were joined by Stephanie Hallet, US Deputy Chief of Mission to Oman as a special guest of honour.

Emmee Haun, OABC Co-Founder highlighted the company’s growth over the past years, she also thanked Qatar Airways for their membership, support towards the OABC community and their generous sponsorship of the event. Qatar Airways gifted two raffle tickets to the US and provided branded giveaways to all of OABC members.

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Qatar Airways’ Beyond Business program was highlighted and OABC members learned of ways to receive greater benefits through the unique rewards program.

The evening was also complete with a jazz band and lots of nibbles. As always, we also give thanks to our beverage sponsor, OUA, for providing the drinks for the evening.

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As all OABC’s events, the night was a huge success for executives and decision-makers from all nationalities to meet, build relationships, learn and discuss key matters of interest to the business community in Oman.

Find more pictures on our Facebook page.