Keeping in line with their ‘winning’ work culture and their vision of becoming a world-leading Omani Services Company, Sohar International recently organised a felicitation ceremony for its employees who had undergone the ‘Erteqa Plus’ Training Program – an leadership training program organised in association with Harvard Business Publishing.

With over 100 enrolled candidates, the program was a 6-month training course with various modules and workshops held to develop leadership skills and qualities in employees. Upon completion of the programme, all participants were felicitated at a graduation ceremony held at ‘W’ Hotel, Muscat on the 15 December 2019 in the presence of Mr. Ahmed Al Musalmi, Chief Executive Office of Sohar International and other senior officials of the Bank.

The programme was tailored for different employee grade levels with each grade level based on the candidate’s years of association with the organisation. The programme ran across 4 levels including Supervisor Level, Managerial Level, Senior Management and Executive Level.

Stressing upon the importance of such programmes, Mr. Ahmed Al Musalmi, Chief Executive Officer of Sohar International, said: “With the rapidly changing work environment, it is essential for organisations to continuously acquire new knowledge and skills while enhancing competencies of employees to cope with dynamics of the ever-changing market. Today, with the government’s agenda of Omanisation and building the in-country value, we as an organisation have aligned ourselves to introduce such programmes for our employees that benefit our employees in unleashing their leadership potential and help them become leaders of the future.”

He further added, “Developing such training environments in an organisation is the key to creating a ‘winning’ culture. These training environments work as tools to enhance performance, whether it is an individual, a team, or the whole organization which has an impact on the way we serve our stakeholders”.

The graduation ceremony initiated with a welcome note by a representative of the Bank followed by a video showcasing the various editions of the program held over the years. The attendees were then addressed by Mr. Ahmed Al Musalmi, Chief Executive Officer congratulating the graduating candidates. His speech was followed by Mr. Mutheer Al Kalbani, Head of Learning and Capability Development at Sohar International highlighting the benefits Harvard Business Publishing is bringing to the company with such leadership programs. The Harvard Business Publishing Representative, Mr. Stefaan Van Waes, Head of the Middle East region for Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning also spoke at the occasion, highlighting on the importance of developing competencies of employees.

The event then proceeded towards the felicitation ceremony where the graduating candidates were handed over certificates having successfully completed the training program. Following the felicitation ceremony, the Bank presented a token of appreciation to the representatives of Harvard Business Publishing. The event concluded with a group photo followed by dinner.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Stefaan Van Waes, Head of the Middle East region for Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning said, “We are glad to partner with Sohar International for this employee leadership training program. With the changing landscape, only leaders can leverage these changes and turn them into growth opportunities for positive, beneficial progress of the company. Organisations that envision such opportunities are the ones that embrace our training programs prioritising leadership as a crucial element for employee development. These programs also encourage employees to achieve their highest levels of innovation and creativity.”

Such training programs emphasize on the robust human resource initiatives Sohar International takes for upgrading employee skillset to keep up with the market dynamics. The bank’s vision, strategy and brand revolves around innovative and disruptive thinking to fundamentally transform the way banking was done. With a new vision, strategy and purpose in place, the bank is implementing all of these components, rethinking business models, improving competitiveness, and creating newer products. Sohar International challenges conventional thinking and innovatively uses its resources to drive a positive change in the lives of its employees, customers and communities by helping them ‘Win’.