Specialized advisory

Dr Rashid Ali Ibrahim Al Balushi has 26 years of solid experience in investment & financial management of strategic projects and development of companies with solid leadership skills.

Dr Rashid started his career in 1994- after graduating from University of Louisiana with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering- at Muscat Municipality as Structure Engineer then moved up to Director of Projects & Maintenance.

Dr Rashid currently serves as the Managing Director of Iskan Oman Investment Company SAOC, a private equity investment company that was established in 2008. Earlier he was Chief Investment Officer in Oman Investment Corporation SAOC and before that he worked in Omantel as Head of Corporate Development. He is a practicing consultant engineer in his engineering Design & project management consultancy Office – www.pmcoman.com.

Dr Rashid has served in Boards of several government, private and professional bodies as listed below:

• – Professional Member of Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
• – Member of the Association of Project Management (APM).
• Member of PMI (Project Management Institute), and a founding Member of PMI Oman Chapter, served as a member in the PMI-Arabian Gulf Chapter Board of Directors, from 2002 to 2008.
• – Member of Board of Governors of Sohar University.
• – Member of the Board and Vice Chairman of Duqm Quarries SAOC.
• – Chairman of Tawasul Social Development Foundation, SEZAD.
• – Member of the Board of Enhanced Fixed Income Fund – Bank Muscat SAOG.
• – Member of Economic Committee, Oman Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
• – Member of the Board of Tatweer Al Duqm, a wholly owned subsidiary of SEZAD.
• – Member of the Board of Pak Oman Asset Management Company.

In addition to his BSc. Civil Engineering, He holds MSc. Construction Management & PhD in Strategic Project Management from UK. He is a certified Project Management Professional.

From his early years Majid Al Amri was inspired by the limitless possibilities offered by computers, innovative software platforms and emerging technologies. Guided by his spirit of innovation, Majid enrolled with Sultan Qaboos University and graduated as a Computer Engineer in 2003. He has since been using technology to augment and improve every facet of his daily life, be it personal or in the workplace. From the very beginning of his career, Majid quickly earned a reputation as the “go-to” person for tech advice, and how to best implement new systems and solutions.

An individual of deep experience gained in roles across numerous sectors, Majid Al Amri has fulfilled roles in Sales, Business Development, Finance, and Accounting; beginning in the Oil and Gas industry, with companies such as Schlumberger and PDO. In addition, he has been involved in the start-up and establishment of several businesses in the past prior to setting up Thawani and taking up his position as Managing Director at the company.

Citing his personal motto; “Challenges are the real opportunities”, Majid has continued to push his limits at every opportunity and has undergone intensive training sessions on soft skills, sales, and management. He participates as a voluntary adviser for SMEs at Zubair SEC; supporting aspiring entrepreneurs in areas of business modelling, feasibility studies, opportunity identification, problem solving and financial projections. Furthermore, Majid has participated as a keynote speaker at several forums touching on subjects such as business challenges, attracting investors, overcoming challenges and working with regulatory authorities.

Mr Mohammad started his career in 1997. In 2003 he was responsible for establishing Oman’s leading marketing communication group, ZEENAH GROUP (formally Zeenah), and manage its international and local teams. In the capacity of Managing Director, he has played an active role in both launching and marketing of many international and local brands in the Automotive, Telecom, Hospitality, Education, Culture, Airline, IT, FMCG and Banking sectors.

In a separate capacity, Mr Mohammad also manages other leading businesses involved in the FMCG and Retail.

Mr Mohammad completed his education in Business Management from the United Kingdom in 1999 and currently is pursuing his Executive MBA (EMBA) from the London Business School.

Mr Janardhan started his career as an Engineer in a heavy engineering and automobile company called Escorts Limited. His introduction to the world of FMCG came while he was working at Hindustan Unilever Limited in various capacities for over a decade in various posts some of which include Industrial Engineer, Production & Maintenance Manager, Product Development Manager and Manufacturing Manager.

His journey in the FMCG world continued with Coca-Cola India in both Technical and Sales and Marketing functions. Currently, Mr Janardhan is the Chief Operating Officer for the Manufacturing Sector of The Zubair Corporation comprising of Bottled Water, FMCG Trading, Confectionery, Plastics, Meat Products, Mining and Abrasives businesses.

He is a Gold Medalist in Industrial Engineering from the College of Engineering Guindy, Anna University, India and has an MBA from the Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, UK.

Mr Laksh started his career in the Indian operations of the German multinational BASF, handling the taxation and legal functions. He then worked in the French multinational Rhone Poulenc as its Company Secretary and a member of its Executive Committee, working alongside the Board of Directors. He was an active member of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Associations, representing the interests of the private sector and industry.

After 15 years of working in senior positions in Mumbai (India), Mr Laksh decided to move to Muscat in 1993 and joined The Zubair Corporation as the Corporate Secretary. He is presently designated as Chief Legal Officer based at the Corporate Office, overseeing the legal and taxation functions of the entire Group, and is a key member of the senior management team.

Mr Laksh holds a graduate degree in both Commerce and Law, with a post-graduate degree in Management from the University of Mumbai. His professional qualifications include being a long-standing member of The Institute of the Chartered Accountants of India, The Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India and The Institute of Company Secretaries of India.

His areas of specialisation include Corporate, Commercial and Labour Law, Taxation, Legal Structuring and Documentation.

Fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, an Associate Member of the Institute of Cost & Works Accountants of India, and an Associate Member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India. Retired as Senior Partner of BDO Oman in 2013 – 5th largest accounting firm in the world – having performed the role of Partner since 1988. Before joining BDO in 1981, Mr Mehta associated in various capacities with several large international companies in India and in the Sultanate of Oman.

Presently Managing Director of Keynote Services LLC, a privately owned organisation rendering business advisory services to various companies and families in Oman.

Over 39 years of experience in providing auditing, tax and advisory services of which over 31 years have been in the Sultanate of Oman. The stay in the country has provided Mr Mehta with extensive commercial knowledge in all aspects of business and decision making. As the Partner in charge of Risk Advisory and Internal Audit, Mr Mehta represented BDO on 14 SAOG and LLC companies; invaluable exposure to audit committee functioning and its roles and responsibilities.

Managed numerous projects involving strategic business restructuring, preparing business plans, assessing organisational strategies and preparation of policies and procedures manuals. Also involved in providing consulting services to various ministries, government organizations, insurance companies, banks, investment companies and other big private companies for development of business strategies, process improvement, benchmarking and privatization studies etc.

Mr Mehta carried out several business valuation assignments in relation to proposed acquisitions, disposals of several organisations and these included insurance, IT and industrial companies. He has expert knowledge in liquidation and administration and has advised on turnaround of companies which were on the brink of insolvency.

He has vast experience in teaching finance related subjects and represented Oman in the management challenge an annual management competition organised by Benson and Hedges.

Mr Mehta has also been the Chairman of the Muscat Chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Also been in the forefront in the social life in Oman, having been the President of the management committee of the Indian Schools in Oman and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Schools. Presently holding the position of the Election Commissioner for Indian Schools in the Sultanate of Oman.

Mr Shekhar is an executive who has been working at Business International Group LLC for over 20 years. Currently he holds the post of GM. Since its inception in 1978, Business International Group (B.I.G.) has developed into a leading organisation, providing a wide spectrum of products and services to the Education and later Hospitality sectors. The range includes highly specialized and service oriented engineering and training equipment, lab equipment, complete lab furnishings, material testing equipment, general lab equipment, storage shelving, seating systems, etc. B.I.G. was fully incorporated into The Zubair Group in 199.

Pandit has a masters in Chemistry from Mumbai University and is well known in the organisation to have solid skills in General Management, Business development, Sales and Marketing, and Strategic Planning.