The Oman Business Forum is a professional platform for dialogue and communication where leaders from the public and private sector can come together to advance key issues and uncover new opportunities. Its aims are to provide value-added networking, exposure to business opportunities and knowledge sharing. It also seeks to develop and adopt initiatives supporting Sharaka.

What does this mean? It means providing OBF members with the insights and information on relevant global and industry-level trends that are shaping the future of different markets, it means access and exposure to global speakers and leaders that are driving major collaborations, and it means increased business opportunities through a better-connected network, made possible by building collaborative partnerships with regional and international forums.

Dr. Ali Qassim Jawad
Chairman, Oman Business Forum

The Oman Business Forum offered on May 3rd its members a chance to meet representatives of the Mittelstand, Germany’s economic backbone, to foster their mutual acquaintance and explore reciprocally beneficial business opportunities, particularly around business applications of artificial intelligence.

The working lunch, organised in close collaboration with the Omani office of the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce, was moderated by Sharifa Al Barami, Managing Director of the Oman Technology Fund. Delegates of three Bavarian Mittelstand companies, led by Dr Dalia Abu Samra-Rohte, Representative of the State of Bavaria Emirates Office, gave brief presentations of their companies and products to a select group of OBF members and invited guests, representatives of Omani businesses and technology-investment institutions.

Dr. Stefan Kaneff, Managing Director of Euros Embedded Systems, described his company’s systems for secure cloud connectivity for industrial Internet of Things and his highly advanced, AI-driven translation software for natural languages, as well as portable real-time operating systems. He also offered apprenticeships for Omani youths in his company in Germany. Dr. Maria Athelogou presented Definiens’s Cognition Network Technology, which makes it possible to extract knowledge from histological images. Powered by artificial intelligence, the system can be used to detect prognostic biomarkers in personalised medicine. Iris Meinl offered her consultancy services to help companies adopt artificial intelligence in their products and processes.

Germany’s Mittelstand can offer Omani companies a wide range of opportunities. Defined loosely as small and medium-sized companies that are either family owned or run under a family-like corporate culture (and therefore include such large companies as Bosch), they account for 99.98% of the 3.7 million companies in Germany. The remaining 0.2% are the internationally better-known giants such as Siemens, BMW, Daimler, BASF, SAP, Volkswagen, Allianz and Bayer, amongst others. Intent on learning to do one particular thing really well, which makes them focus on innovative and high-value manufactured products, many of the Mittelstand companies have come to dominate up to 90% of the global market in their respective niches. Their emphasis on long-term profitability translates into a cautious, long-term-oriented approach to business.

Today, the Mittelstand is faced with questions about how it will adapt to the digital revolution of the 21st century, which it is tackling head on in order to stay relevant. It is not surprise that it was Germany, through its National Academy of Science and Engineering, that introduced the concept of "Industrie 4.0", back in 2013. With Oman now also engaged in gearing itself for the 4th Industrial Revolution, there is great potential for extended collaboration between local companies and the German Mittelstand’s hidden champions. The Oman Business Forum will endeavour to capitalise on these opportunities more easily and make them available to our members, to the ultimate socio-economic benefit of the Sultanate.

Name: Dr. Yousuf AI Balushi
Position: Head of Science, Knowledge & Technology Transfer Office
Company: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Phone: +(968) 24634151, +(968) 99338707
Email: yousuf.albulushi@mofa.gov.om

Yousuf joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in May 2015 to lead Oman’s Science and Technology Diplomacy, and helps to contribute in developing Oman’s transformation process towards innovation-based economy as well as shaping the national innovation ecosystem through international transfer of advanced science and technology. Prior to joining MOFA, he was serving as an International Innovation Advisor at the University of Oxford - Oxford University Innovation - from September 2012 to May 2015. With his experiencein developing market entry strategies, marketing and product development and developing technology-based enterprises, he also helped the University of Oxford to transfer technology to the Middle East.

Name: Talal Hasan
Position: Manager
Company: IDO Investments
Email: talal@ido.om

Board Member at Voltea, 2017, Board Observer at Locum’s Nest, 2017. Former Associate Counsel at Oman Oil Company, Former Commercial Director at Al Barij International LLC. Studied at University of California Berkeley - Haas School of Business.

Name: Hilal AI Busai
Position: CEO
Company: Gulf Energy SAOC
Phone: +(968) 99418471
Email: hhbusaid@mubbadrah.com

CEO and Co—founder of Gulf Energy. He graduated in Petroleum Engineering from Sultan Qaboos University and began his career as an International Field Engineer with Schlumberger, and spent time in the Middle East and Asia. In 2003, he co-founded Falcon Oilfield Services, followed by Gulf Energy.

 

 

Attendees

Sharifa Muslim AI Barami
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Sharifa Muslim AI Barami

Managing Director Oman Technology Fund, Muscat Lead OBF Member
Amer Awad Al Rawas
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Amer Awad Al Rawas

Chief Investment Officer Oil and Gas Technology Equipment Manufacturing Company OBF Member
Firas Ali Al Abdwani
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Firas Ali Al Abdwani

Chief Executive Officer Hussam Technology Company LLC OBF Member
Fatma Yousuf AI Ibrahim
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Fatma Yousuf AI Ibrahim

Executive Director Dolphin International LLC OBF Member
Hassan Fida Hussain Al Lawati
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Hassan Fida Hussain Al Lawati

Director General of Digital Society Development Information Technology Authority OBF Member
Abdulmalik Abdulkarim AI Balushi
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Abdulmalik Abdulkarim AI Balushi

Chief Executive Officer Oman Post OBF Member
Dr. rer. nat. Maria Athelogou
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Dr. rer. nat. Maria Athelogou

Principal Scientist & Scientific Alliances Manager Definiens AG Speaker
Iris Meinl
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Iris Meinl

Freelancer Speaker
Dr.-lng. Stefan Kaneff
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Dr.-lng. Stefan Kaneff

Managing Director EUROS Embedded Systems GmbH CampestraBe 12 Speaker