Issue No: 11
Message from Group Managing Director
My Dear Family Members,
We have just completed the first half of 1999 and are proud to state that the Al Ansari family has worked its way through the storms of our region’s economic conditions bravely. We were rather concerned at the beginning of the year, but the improved oil prices since then have made all the difference to the
later period of the first half of the year. We are proud of all of you for acting in the right spirit that was called for.
It is our pleasure to make an important announcement and with pride too. Mr. Yusuf Nalwalla, Director – Contracts, has been admitted as a shareholder of Al Ansari Trading Enterprise LLC and has been designated as the Joint Managing Director of the Company.
“Yusufbhai” as popularly known by all, has been with us for over 17 years and is instrumental in the success story of our Al Ansari Family. He has played a pivotal role in the diversified and innovative growth of the institution. A warm Welcome to him and looking forward to scaling greater heights and quality growth and prosperity for years ahead. Good wishes to you Yusufbhai!
During this period as usual, we celebrated our workers day as well as Annual Day for staff, with improvements in its arrangement, quality and performance. The change of venue was also an added excitement. Our Congratulations to the Organising Committee members. You may find more details of this on our entertainment fields as you browse through this update.
We are glad to mention that our Contracting Division under Mr. Yusuf Nalwalla has plunged forward towards entering alliances with various renowned international companies by signing MOUs with them, with an intention of establishing joint venture institutions. This step will make us a GLOBAL INSTITUTION in future and thus enable us to bid for large complex turnkey projects.
We wish Good Luck to our UAE outfits Akar & Kimoba as they are almost ready for ISO 9000 accreditation before the year-end. We look forward to this wonderful gift from them to the family at the beginning of the next millennium.
Our Marketing Division is busy renovating its Wadi Kabir Showroom and looking forward to its official inauguration also during the early part of the new millennium. Our IT and Financial Wizards are busy ensuring we enter the year 2000 without any Y2K hiccups !! We are confident as well as prepared for the same. Thanks to our alliance with MBT !
(Mahindra – British Telecom – India).
I am pleased to announce that our Mr. Zohair Sheikh Hassan Ali has recently been bestowed the title of “Sheikh” by the Bobra Head Priest. We at Al Ansari Heartily Congratulate Mr. Zohair on this happy occasion.
It is sheer coincidence that our family is also entering into an important milestone during the year 2000. It is the greatest event for Al Ansari as far as the new millennium is concerned.
Al Ansari completes 25 years of its operation in the Sultanate of Oman and thus have decided to celebrate the entire next year as Silver Jubilee Year: We plan to come out with a special logo as well as organize various events during the year. More details of the same in the next Update. We wish the celebration organizing core committee good luck and promise our wholehearted support to make the event an unique one.
Let us put our acts together for the remaining part of the present year and surpass our targets set for the year and feel a sense of satisfaction as well as feel great about the efforts put in. Always remember one thing that “Greatness is not found in possession, power, position or prestige. It is always discovered in Goodness, Humanity, Service and Character”.
We wish everybody a happy and prosperous festival of lights (Diwali) and the holy month of sacrifice – Ramadan as well as Christmas, as all are round the corner.
May Allah bless us all and show our family members the right path.
MAA SALLAMMA !!
See you in the next Millennium!
TRADING DIVISION HIGHLIGHTS
Nearly half the year has gone by and the marketing team manages to keep holding “The Bull by its horns”, despite the murky and slippery terrain. Business has been tough to come by and the predominantly “Buyers Market” environment has put relentless pressure on margins.
Trading division recently bagged one of its biggest orders for the supply of luxury sanitary ware & fitting / swimming pool equipments for diwan’s prestigious guest palace at bait al barakah.
The Refurbishment work for the new look Wadi Kabir Showroom is on in full swing. The renovated Wadi Kabir Showroom is slated for opening on the eve of the millennium.
A pump assembly workshop with improvised facilities has been set up with the co-operation of the Engineering Division, to carry out our jobs in a quick and precisionary manner.
EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS
The 7th Al Ansari Annual Day for staff was held on 6/5/99 at Muscat Holiday Inn. The format of the programmes was different this time as the participating members were picked from all divisions and performed collectively in each separate item. An ‘Antakshari’ was staged for the first time on the lines of the popular Zee TV show. An unique feature was that an Omani employee Adnan Ahmed won the best actor trophy.
We plan to have the next Annual day organised in a grand manner as it is the Silver Jubilee year of our company and the beginning of a new millennium.
The 7th Annual day for Workers was held on 23/4/99 at the Ghala labour camp. The workers including Omanis performed with a lot of enthusiasm and gusto. Mr. Kiran Asher, Mr. Yusuf Nalwalla and Pran Kanath spoke on the vital issues concerning workers and applauded their role in the growth of the company.
The Annual “Thanks -Giving Mass” organised by the Christian employees of the group was held at Ruwi church on 27.8.99. Staff and family members attended the service to receive the blessings of the Lord.
Al Ansari has been extending its support to the ” Love All & Serve All ” service group to conduct free “Health Check-up & Medical advisory” camps at the Recreation Hall in the staff camp at Ghala for the last 6 months.
The aim of this camp is to help the lower income group avail of elementary medical advisory services.
This Health Awareness programme has benefited not only the staff of Al Ansari but also many people from other companies.
GENERAL NEWS
It was a matter of pride for our MD when his extensive write up along with an interview was covered in the July ’99 issue of BUSINESS TODAY- A prime commercial magazine in Oman. The write up covered the success story of the group and focussed on Mr.Kiran Asher’s personality.
Al Ansari SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS
01: Kalpesh Ashar received the trophy at the Prize Distribution Ceremony from H.H. Sayyid Haitham Bin Tarik Bin Taimur Al Said for winning and becoming the champions for the 2nd time in 3 years of the ‘B’ Division of the Oman Cricket Club league for the 98/99 season.
02: Mr. Rajan Menon received the sponsorship trophy from H.H.Sayyid Haitham Bin Tarik Bin Taimur Al Said for sponsoring the ‘E’ division of the OCC League for the 98-99 season. We thank our principals A.O.Smith-manufacturers of Glass lined Water Heaters for Co-operating with us in Co-sponsoring this event for the past 2 years as well as for the coming years tournament.
Blood Donation Camp!
A Blood Donation Camp was organised recently at the Ghala Staff Camp.
The camp was conducted by Ministry of Health – Department of Blood Services, Bausher. A total 74 units of blood were collected from the employees of the group.
This was in response to an appeal made by the health authorities to help the replenishing blood reserves.
“Greatness is not found in possession, power, position or prestige. It is always discovered in Goodness, Humanity, Service and Character”