The OABC has held an Extraordinary Membership Meeting recently at the Grand Hyatt Muscat to review its annual activities and amend the OABC Charter.
In the past year OABC has grown from a total of 39 members to a total of 94 members and has organized and co-hosted 20 events as more Omani businesses seek to join the growing list of corporate and premium members. In particular, corporate membership has grown from 19 to 44 members, while premium members have increased from 12 to 29 members.
OABC President Ali Daud in a presence of H.E. Greta Holtz, US Ambassador to Oman, acknowledged 12 OABC members with certificates of appreciation for their contribution to the organization’s development in 2014. Representatives from American Express Oman, Bahwan CyberTek, Bank of Beirut, Daud Enterprises, DHL, Dover Middle East LLC, Dentons, Grand Hyatt Muscat, InterContinental Muscat, OCTAL, Park Inn by Radisson Muscat, and Port of Salalah were also recognized for sharing their expertise and client base to benefit other members, as well as encouraging more companies to join and continue strengthening the reputation of the Council.
Ali Kamal Daud, OABC President, said, “We have seen incredible growth in the membership this year, enhancing the reach and influence of OABC and allowing us to expand the range of opportunities for Omani companies to meet senior management from well-known local and multinational businesses. Membership with OABC offers businesses a number of direct benefits and promotes greater private sector cooperation across all sectors by utilizing the Free Trade Agreement between the two countries to increase international trade and bring greater investment to Oman.”
Over the past year, OABC has organized and co-hosted 20 events as more Omani businesses seek to foster commercial activities and mutual interests with counterparts in the United States of America. The Council has also held a variety of recruitment and networking events designed to create partnerships between US organizations and the Omani business community.
OABC has also worked closely with the Ministry of Manpower to conduct a strongly-attended labor law workshop and inform Omani businesses about changes to Human Resources laws and regulations in Oman. OABC plans to further collaborate with the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) on upcoming events in 2015.
OABC is also in full swing of its support of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).Following OABC’s tour of the Information Technology Authority (ITA) SAS incubator, the chairman of the Council Ali Daud on behalf of McDonalds agreed to sponsor the membership of 13 SMEs for one year.
During the past year the OABC has innovated and organized the first ever Speed Networking event which was attended by over 80 individuals and 60 companies. OABC will host its second Speed Networking in upcoming months that promises to surpass the success of the first one.