MB Petroleum Services helping the leaders of today and tomorrow

MUSCAT: MB Petroleum Services (MBPS) has been one of the fastest growing Omani integrated drilling and oil field services company in the world.

The company which started operations in 1986 has today gone onto become a multinational corporation with over 5,000 employees and spread over 15 countries. Since its inception, MBPS has placed special emphasis in nurturing and developing its employees to assume leadership positions within the organisation.

Prominent among many employees who have grown with the organisation include Khamis Al Hinai — GM, Operations, Hamdan Al Juneibi and Mattar Al Omairi — both Operations managers in MBPS. Khamis joined MBPS when he was 17 years old as a roustabout and today heads one of its important divisions as the general manager, Operations. He says, “I am very thankful to MBPS and to Dr Mohammed Al Barwani, our chairman for making me what I am today.” Khamis’s sentiments are echoed by Hamdan and Mattar who have also been working with the organisation for a long time.

Theirs is a story of perseverance, loyalty and dedication but most importantly a positive attitude and the willingness to work hard. Hamdan started his career as a roustabout with Pool Intairdrill working for Petroleum Development Oman LLC but joined MBPS when his company lost the contract. This shift, he claims, ‘changed his life’. He was one of the first few Omanis selected to work for MBPS under an all expat staff — an experience he feels is absolutely invaluable. He learnt how to work with people from different cultures whilst maintaining one’s distinct identity.

Hamdan reminisces, “It wasn’t easy, but with the support from my fellow colleagues as well as the constant motivation from our chairman with his tool box talks, one-to-one interaction with all the employees and his regular visits it became easy. He made us feel proud not only as dedicated employees of a multinational company but also as Omanis.”

Inspiration

Barwani has been an inspiration to them since they have been witness to the challenges and struggles faced by him first hand.

“When we saw our chairman work hard it encouraged us to do so too. The fact that the owner of the company took such interest even in the minutest details and gave his 100 per cent to any job was definitely inspiring. His attitude and dedication towards work made us believe that it is possible to be diligent and succeed and I am thankful that I reap the fruits of that today,” says Mattar who has steadily risen up the ranks within MBPS through the years.

Dr Mohammed Al Barwani, chairman, MB Group of Compa- nies summarises it best when he says, “By helping employees grow, you create driven, loyal teams that will go the extra mile to help your company succeed. We are fortunate to have such a team in MBPS who over the years through their hard work and dedication have helped script the success story of the organisation.”

Hamdan’s hard work and commitment towards work were noticed early on and he underwent mandatory courses in H2S and fire fighting which were conducted periodically. Apart from that, Hamdan and his team also undertook leadership and competency courses which helped improve their efficiency at work. “Our chairman, emphasised that ‘the way’ to run a successful business is to conduct it in a safe and efficient manner,” he remembers.

While Hamdan credits Barwani to be his biggest motivator, Khamis feels that every individual should be a self-starter. One of the most valuable lessons that he has learnt is self-initiative. “An important aspect of one’s career growth is self-initiative. While the company can only offer opportunities for training and development, it is up to the individual to take advantage of these and grow — be it career or education. For eg. I completed my engineering degree from Caledonian College while working on the hoists but studying during my days off, over a period of five years.

It is important to constantly look for ways to better oneself and in this regard Barwani has been my idol because he also broke out of his comfort zone and laid the foundation of the MB Group.”

Being part of such a large multinational organisation has given them not only exposure and experience but also a chance to prove themselves. “We have worked very hard to get where we are today. At times it was frustrating and we wanted to quit.

But we were taught to view difficulties as bottlenecks and move past it. Today it has helped us emerge stronger, better and more prudent in our career,” explains Mattar, while Khamis and Hamdan nod in agreement.

Developing leaders

MBPS is an organisation that truly believes in investing in its employees. Given the diverse, complex and competitive nature of the business coupled with its expansion plans over the next few years, the company offers the ‘MB Leadership Development Programme’ that aims at developing existing and emerging leaders of its various business divisions to deliver the company’s long term business goals and aspirations.

The company also offers Tatweer — The Graduate Development Programme which is an example of its commitment towards training and development. Tatweer is a two-year programme that provides on and off-the-job learning and development in the technical and non-technical disciplines. The objective of the programme is to enable graduates to quickly develop the required knowledge and skills in the early stages of their career, and that allows them to assume an established role and contribute effectively to the business in the fastest possible time.

Mohammed Al Kharusi, director — Corporate Operations, MB Holding Company, adds, “Employees with leadership potential are developed and groomed to become effective leaders by developing their leadership competencies through the appropriate training, work exposure, self-learning, coaching and a succession plan which will enable them to assume suitable leadership roles over time.”

While Madhusudan Swami, CEO — Oman, MBPS adds, “The company encourages an opendoor policy and employees need to feel they can discuss things with their managers. This culture of the business is hugely important in helping employees believe that they can contribute to the success of the company.”