Hosted by the Chairman of Sohar International, Mr. Mohammed Mahfoudh Al Ardhi, Sohar International recently concluded its 9th virtual edition of Viewpoints.  The latest session featured as its distinguished guest speaker Ms. Mary Louise Gorno who is the Managing Director of Ingenuity International LLC and specializes in organizational governance, succession planning, and managing leadership issues. In line with the subject, “Step by Step: A Journey to Now”, Ms. Gorno covered the different aspects of assuming a courageous leadership style in the corporate world and highlighted how it was instrumental in driving progress. She also enlightened the women participants on maintaining a balance between work and personal life, and managing both diligently.

The virtual edition, which was live-streamed via Sohar International’s YouTube channel and Zoom platform, saw the active participation of university students, industry leaders, C-suite executives and professionals from different sectors of society. As with previous editions, the 9th virtual edition of Viewpoints also proved to be a dynamic session where participants got the opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogues with the speaker, and further develop their individual skill sets picking on global best practices. 

Commenting on the session, Mr. Al Ardhi said, “As a bank that has played a pioneering role in contributing to the financial sector, we truly understand the importance of leading with courage. Through our endeavors, we constantly seek to encourage individuals to not just assume leadership roles but spearhead innovative projects that have the capacity to positively impact society at large. The insights provided by Gorno were indeed enlightening, and we are certain that through inspiring sessions like these we will be able to create an empowered workforce that is self-motivated, reserves a progressive outlook and has the zeal to play an instrumental part in shaping the future of any organization.”

Passionate about empowering individuals, Ms. Gorno highlighted the various aspects of the journey towards becoming a leader. After a brief speech on her personal experiences and learnings, she answered a plethora of questions around career development, choices one needs to make as a leader, as well as the options available for young professionals to pursue leadership-oriented programmes. A high level of interest from the audience set the pace for the rest of the discussion, where the guest speaker pointed out that there is no right or wrong time to being a leader – preparation starts from Day 1 of one’s professional journey.

In line with the same, Viewpoints – Sohar International’s Chairman Forum has set a benchmark as a noble thought leadership initiative in the Sultanate, and has been honored with the coveted “OER Business Excellence Award” for creating a world-class knowledge platform, at the recent OER Business Summit 2021. Over the years, Viewpoints has gained immense popularity as a dedicated platform where inspirational global leaders from different industries and sectors share their experiences, knowledge and ideas with a cross-section of Omani society. Through its informative sessions, Viewpoints has been injecting global best practices in the local market while encouraging individuals to think critically and continuously develop their individual abilities. Through thoughtful, community-driven endeavors like these Sohar International has also contributed to enhancing the entrepreneurial landscape in the country while fueling socio-economic change.