Women form almost half of the population; however, they contribute the most to the society. In addition to being the truth, this statement actually extends well beyond and touches on various aspects including the workplace. At Omantel in general, and the Wholesale Business Unit in specific, we strongly believe in the importance of the role and contribution of women in our organization. We are proud to see our female colleagues occupying such critical roles and leading various fronts of the Wholesale business and operations. This is a true reflection of the confidence shown in women and how important they are to our success.
Omantel started its Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) journey back in 2018. The beginning was through the Women Empowerment (WE) program in collaboration with Zain Group, which is a subsidiary of Omantel. It was later extended to a wider initiative with the vision of supporting a diverse and inclusive workplace and leveraging the effects of diversity to achieve a competitive business advantage. This culture-change program has been quite successful and increased the overall engagement level in the organization. By focusing on the WE aspect over the last years, Omantel has witnessed a substantial growth in the contribution of women in terms of leadership, management and functional responsibilities. The organization continues to march into this journey to further achieve its mission.
It is worthwhile mentioning that the empowerment and success of women in Omantel is an outcome of a wider national initiative which is the Omani Women’s Day. In 2009, the Late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said declared the 17th of October as the Omani Women’s Day, making Oman the first country in the region to have a designated day and national occasion to recognize women. The occasion is celebrated every year in various ways such as holding appreciation events, announcing achievements and launching new initiatives to further support women in Oman.
We strongly believe in the importance of the role and contribution of women in our organization. One-third of the staff in Omantel’s Wholesale are women and 44% of the Omantel’s Wholesale management team is formed by women, which is one of the highest in the region. These are quite remarkable statistics given the fact that the Wholesale domain is very niche and requires specialized knowledge and skillset to excel and shine.
