04/04/2026
A Conversation That Mattered
The 15th OER Business & HR Summit 2026 brought together an inspiring cross-section of business leaders, HR professionals, students, and industry veterans at the Intercity Hotel, Muscat on March 31st.
What made this gathering especially meaningful was the context.
In a time shaped by ongoing geopolitical shifts and economic uncertainty, the conversations were not just reflective—they were forward-looking.
It was a moment for the Omani business community to pause, recalibrate, and reimagine how challenge can be converted into opportunity.
Ou Director Venkatesh Palakkad had the privilege of moderating the HR plenary panel on:
“Building Capability Pipelines: From Workforce Planning to Leadership Readiness”
An incredibly relevant theme—because today, organizations are not short of talent initiatives… but often lack alignment between strategy, capability, and performance.
🔹 Panelists Who Brought Depth & Real Insight
It was an honour to engage with an exceptional panel of leaders:
Atia Hanif Assoc. CIPD Head of HR, Dhofar Insurance
Arshad Nadamal Co-Founder & Partner, Towers Training
Mutheer Al Kalbani Head of HR in Business, Oman Arab Bank
Al Julanda Al Aghbari, CIPD Head of HR & Administration, Taageer Finance
Maryam Al Shabibi (EMBA) Founder, Green Umbrella Recruitment
Each brought practical, experience-driven perspectives—moving the discussion far beyond theory.
Questions That Sparked Real Thinking
The discussion was shaped by some powerful and honest questions:
“What are the biggest capability gaps in Oman today that could impact business performance in the next 3–5 years?”
“What does strategic workforce planning actually look like beyond headcount forecasting?”
“Many organizations have succession plans on paper—how do we make them translate into real leadership readiness?”
“Are HR functions truly enabling business strategy, or are we still largely managing processes?”
“How do we measure the ROI of capability building?”
“What is the one thing CEOs must do today to build tomorrow’s leaders?”
These are not just HR questions.
They are business survival questions.
Key Takeaway
Capability building is no longer an HR initiative—it is a business imperative.
Organizations that will win in the coming years are those that can connect workforce planning, capability development, and leadership readiness into one integrated system.
Oman HR leaders need to move into contributing strategically in organisations to be seen as adding value to business rather than just being process focused
We are Grateful to be as contributing partners of a platform that is shaping such important conversations for Oman’s future.
Dhofar Insurance Oman Arab Bank Taageer Finance Green Umbrella Mayank Singh Lasya Bonaventure Lamiya Yousuf Azzan Moghrob Asmi Antony Kallukaran Sunil Kohli
