Oman Air has announced the appointment of Saleem Bin Amanullah Bin Abdul Hussain to the new role of General Manager Customer Services. He will be based at the airline’s headquarters in Muscat and will spearhead Oman Air’s drive for the highest quality in all direct customer contact.

Mr Amanulla was appointed following a 23-year career in aviation, most recently as Chief Executive Officer – Cargo for RAS-ENT, a Canadian GSA based in Toronto. Prior to this, he held a number of positions with Gulf Air, including Head of Airports. In addition, Mr Amanulla holds Airline Pilot and Flight Dispatch certification from AFDTC in Dallas.

On taking up his appointment, Mr Amanulla said:

“I am delighted to be joining Oman Air and to be taking on such an important role at a time when the airline is attracting such widespread acclaim. Effective Customer Services are a vital part of any successful organisation and this is especially the case for airlines.

“I look forward to bringing my extensive experience of the aviation sector, my commitment to delivering a seamless passenger experience and my dynamic approach to management to Oman Air and to playing a role in the airline’s continued and growing success.

Having travelled the world and worked in so many different locations over the years, I am also looking forward to once again working in Oman – it is great to be coming home!”

Don Hunter, Oman Air’s Chief Officer Airport Operations, added:

“We are pleased to be welcoming Saleem to the Oman Air team and to be benefitting from his knowledge and proactive approach. His long experience, both within the Gulf region and beyond, together with his commitment to the highest standards of customer service make him a great choice for Oman Air.”

Saleem Bin Amanullah Bin Abdul Hussain’s appointment comes at the end of a 21-month period in which the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman has received 21 awards, including ‘Best Business Class Seat in the World’ and ‘Service Excellence, Middle East’ (World Airline Awards), ‘Airline of the Year’ (Laurier d’Or du Voyage d’Affaires) and ‘Best Luxury Airline, Middle East (Business Destinations Awards). Oman Air’s focus on the quality of its passenger experience has been accompanied by the introduction of new Airbus A330 and Embraer E175 aircraft, the pioneering of complete inflight mobile phone and wi-fi connectivity and the expansion of its network to include 41 destinations worldwide, the latest of which, Zurich, was launched on 2nd December 2011.

Abu Dhabi, UAE; October, 2011: LeasePlan Emirates, a vehicle leasing and fleet management specialist based in Abu Dhabi, has announced the appointment of Mr. Ajay Narain as General Manager of the company,.

A self-starter who rose through the ranks of LeasePlan Corporation, the world’s leading fleet management company, Mr. Narain has last held the position of Financial Director at LeasePlan India since July 2005, playing a key role in successfully developing the company as a market leader in fleet management. Holding graduate and postgraduate degrees in Economics and an MBA from the UK, Narain joined LeasePlan Corporation in 1999 as Senior Analyst and worked for several years in the Corporate Strategy and Development Department in the group’s Headquarters in Almere, Netherlands.

Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Laurent Depolla, Chairman of the board of Directors of LeasePlan Emirates: “The appointment of Mr. Narain as General Manager is an important milestone in the company’s growth journey. The Board is confident that together with the entire LeasePlan Emirates team, Mr. Narain will successfully lead the company’s operation to the next level and to a market leading position in the UAE.”

LeasePlan Emirates is a joint venture between Mubadala Development Company and LeasePlan Corporation.

Waleed Fatani Photo

Deutsche Bank announced today the appointment of Waleed Fatani as General Manager of its branch in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Fatani joins Deutsche Bank from Banque Saudi Fransi (BSF), where he served for 17 years. Most recently, Fatani headed BSF’s Group Treasury and was a member of the Bank’s senior management serving on various committees.

As General Manager of Deutsche Bank’s branch, Fatani has oversight over all SAMA (Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency) regulated activities.

Ashok Aram, Deutsche Bank’s CEO for the Middle East and North Africa region said “We are extremely pleased to have Waleed onboard in Saudi Arabia. His immense experience and insight into the Saudi market will be a great asset for Deutsche Bank and for our enterprise in the Kingdom.”

Throughout his career, Fatani had assumed several leading roles that have helped support the growth of the Saudi financial markets.

Deutsche Bank opened its Riyadh branch in 2006.

Industry veteran brings more than 30 years of strategic expertise in international business

LINTHICUM, Md., U.S.A. and Abu Dhabi, UAE – May 19, 2011– Ciena® Corporation (NASDAQ: CIEN), the network specialist, today announced the appointment of industry veteran Ed McCormack as vice president and general manager of international accounts and submarine systems. In this role, he will be responsible for strategic partnerships, business development and customer support for Ciena’s submarine business.  He will be based out of Ciena’s Abu Dhabi office in the United Arab Emirates, further strengthening the company’s commitment to one of the fastest growing regions in the global submarine networking market.

Today, resilient and high-capacity submarine links represent the critical connections enabling globalization of the world’s networks. Ciena is leading the industry in high-capacity networking with more than 80 customer deployments to date for its 40G/100G coherent solutions, which provide significant CAPEX and OPEX benefits for both terrestrial and submarine applications. Ciena also provides field-proven packet-optical switching equipment and control plane technology for mesh networking to maximize the survivability of submarine networks from natural and manmade disasters.

“Underscored by our recent significant wins with Reliance Globalcom and SEA-ME-WE 4, we’ve quickly established a position in the submarine market with solutions that address the two highest priorities in submarine networking today – delivering additional capacity over existing cables and providing maximum resiliency through intelligent mesh networking,” said Mike Aquino, senior vice president of Ciena’s global field organization. “Ed’s appointment highlights our increasing focus and investment in this segment. His strong expertise, coupled with relationships in this unique community, will accelerate our ability to further contribute to this key strategic market.”

Regarding the appointment, Mr. McCormack said, “Ciena has quickly established a successful track record in the submarine segment through its industry-leading 40G/100G and mesh networking technologies. I look forward to building on our early success, and to delivering critical networking technologies to this market to help customers competitively build resilient, high-capacity global networks.”

Prior to joining Ciena, Mr. McCormack held a number of advisory roles with international telecommunications operators. He worked for FLAG Telecom Limited (now Reliance Globalcom) for 12 years in a variety of senior executive roles, including as a member of its board of directors. He also played a key role in the development of the company’s subsea systems, in which he worked extensively with international operators and built a series of strategic partnerships. Previously, Mr. McCormack spent 17 years with Bechtel.

Abu Dhabi Ship Building’s Board of Directors has named General Manager Mohammed Salem Al Junaibi as acting CEO effective January 1, 2011. He will take over incumbent CEO Bill Saltzer who will step down at the end of 2010 but will remain a member of the Board.

Al Junaibi was appointed General Manager of Abu Dhabi Ship Building in 2005 and has been providing exceptional leadership across the company and all of its projects ever since. He is highly respected for his creative problem-solving skills and willingness to engage in measured risk-taking to achieve bottom-line improvements.

“Mr. Saltzer has been exemplary as our CEO and I intend to carry on with his good work. There are a lot of opportunities in Abu Dhabi Ship Building’s pipeline which I look forward to pursuing in my new position next year. I thank the Board for their confidence and support and appreciate Mr. Saltzer’s assistance in the transition process,” said Al Junaibi.

The incoming CEO, who is also a board member of Gulf Logistics and Naval Support LLC (GLNS), and Abu Dhabi Systems Integration (ADSI), served the UAE Navy in various key positions prior to joining the ship builder, including as Head of the Technical Department. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Engineering University in the US and has obtained several certificates in Weapon Engineering, Combat System Management and Ship Building / Program Management from various institutions in the US, UK, Germany and Holland

Dubai, UAE June 28, 2010 – HP today announced the appointment of Diaa Mohamed as General Manager- Human Resources for HP Middle East, Mediterranean and Africa (MEMA).

In his new role, Diaa will oversee the development and implementation of a robust people strategy that will strengthen hp’s position as a preferred employer of choice for the best available talent in the MEMA region, which covers 71countries.

Prior to this role, Diaa was the VP of Human Resources at BP overseeing Middle East, North Africa & South Asia.  His past work experience also includes successful stint at Motorola where he was the regional director of Human Resources for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region.

Mohamed’s appointment will provide further momentum to HP’s existing recruitment and development programme which will enable HP to achieve its ambitious growth plans and contribute to the development of local talent across MEMA.

“Diaa Mohamed’s past experience and proven track record in leading Human Resource functions across diverse markets will prove to be an asset. We welcome him onboard and with his insights we are confident to further attract and retain our most important resource – our employees and strengthen our leadership position in key growth markets across MEMA”, said Santiago Cortes, HP MEMA MD and EB VP. “Diaa is the first person from the region who leads the HR function for HP in MEMA, and this is a clear example of HP’s commitment to this strategic region”

Diaa holds a degree in Systems and Industrial Engineering, and has spoken at many international HR and business conferences across Middle East, Asia & Europe. He has received the HR Leadership Award by the Asia Pacific HRM Congress in Feb 2007 and Global HR Award by Rapport Bangladesh Limited in July 2008.

Dubai, UAE; May 17, 2010: Emaar Hospitality Group’s five star premium hotel brand, The Address Hotels + Resorts, has appointed Mr Thomas Norberg as the General Manager of The Address Dubai Mall. 

An experienced hospitality professional, Mr Norberg will be responsible for further strengthening the hotel’s brand attributes in line with the philosophy of The Address Hotels + Resorts to ensure tangible benefits for guests.

Mr Marc Dardenne, Chief Executive Officer, Emaar Hospitality Group, said: “The Address Dubai Mall redefines hospitality standards with its unique location, attached to the world’s largest shopping and entertainment destination, and focus on customer service. Thomas is a hospitality veteran with international experience, and will bring to the hotel new benchmarks in quality, service and excellence.”

Mr Norberg said: “The Address Dubai Mall is an outstanding property set amidst the chic and vibrant Downtown Dubai community. Its direct link with The Dubai Mall makes it an unparalleled hospitality and shopping location for the discerning travellers. We will further focus our energies on establishing the hotel as a preferred venue for leisure and business guests, offering them value added experiences.”

Throughout his career Thomas has held various senior management positions with renowned hospitality brands, this includes: New York’s ‘The Plaza Hotel’ and the Ritz Carlton, in addition to managing the transition of four resort properties as the Director of Operations for the Fairmont East Africa.  With over 20 years of solid hospitality experience, Thomas has a proven track record in enhancing the overall guest experience and achieving optimum financial results

Thomas, an American National, has chosen to settle in Dubai, having worked with the finest luxury brands across the globe. He sees the city as an exciting venture and believes Dubai offers a unique lifestyle, diverse experiences and a professional work culture.

Other hotels in The Address Hotels + Resorts portfolio include The Address Downtown Dubai, The Palace – The Old Town, The Address Montgomerie Dubai and The Address Dubai Marina

Mr. Ashwini Kumar, General Manager of the Hyatt at Capital Centre

Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) and Hyatt International Corporation have announced the appointment of highly experienced and respected hotelier, Read the full story

• Ayman Arafeh brings 22 years of experience in the IT sector

Ayman Arafeh as the new General Manager of Global Technology Services (GTS), the information technology (IT) subsidiary of ENOC

Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) has appointed Ayman Arafeh as the new General Manager of Global Technology Services (GTS), the information technology (IT) subsidiary of ENOC.

Arafeh brings in over 22 years of experience in the IT sector having held different positions in software development, sales, operations and general management.

Read the full story

Al Majid Motors Co, the UAE’s sole distributor of Kia motors, has appointed Mohammad Abdulla Rafiq Al Khader as its new General Manager

Al Majid Motors Co, the UAE’s sole distributor of Kia motors, has appointed Mohammad Abdulla Rafiq Al Khader as its new General Manager. Read the full story