Ali Al Lawati is Cisco’s general manager for Oman

Muscat: Cisco on Monday announced the appointment of Ali Al Lawati as its general manager for Oman. In his new role, Al Lawati will work closely with public and private sector organisations to help enable their digital transformation journeys.
“Ali’s appointment reflects our commitment to developing local talent regionally, particularly in leadership roles, wherein qualified professionals are able to bring to bear their experience and acute understanding of market dynamics,” Shukri Eid, Managing Director, East Region, Cisco Middle East, said. “The high calibre of Omani human capital available is a testament to the Sultanate’s ability to link the educational system to the growing requirements of a modern labour force,” he added.
As general manager of Cisco’s Oman operations, Al Lawati will drive Cisco’s support of the Digital Oman Strategy, which aims to further the development of the ICT industry. Its key pillar is the development of human resources, the national digital infrastructure, and governance. In his role, Al Lawati will use the growing Cisco® portfolio of solutions to strengthen collaboration with the Omani government and Cisco’s partner network to make sure it remains the partner of choice for digitisation.
Commenting on the development, Al Lawati said: "I am excited to join the Cisco team. As a global technology company, Cisco has well-tested practices in enabling digital transformation. As organisations in Oman seek to optimise costs and drive efficiencies, there is immense potential for growth in areas such as mobility, security, cloud, big data, and analytics. With our expansive portfolio of smart solutions and outcome-based approach, Cisco is better-placed to support businesses in implementing their digital roadmaps.”
Echoing the sentiment, Eid remarked, “Oman is currently undergoing a significant transition, with technology playing an increasingly important role as an enabler to the Sultanate’s economic diversification. As a technology leader with a longstanding presence in Oman, Cisco will continue to contribute its digital transformation expertise to support the country’s journey to transform into a sustainable knowledge-based economy and digital society.”
Oman’s growing number of mobile and fixed Internet subscriptions, combined with its young population, offer significant opportunities for development of a vibrant digital economy.
Over the last decade, Oman has made significant advancements in developing its technology infrastructure and capabilities in both government and private sectors.
“Combined with its strategic location on regional and international communication grids and easy access to emerging markets, the Sultanate’s dynamic business community and progressive, business-oriented government make it an ideal market to reap the benefits of digitisation,” Fady Younes, deputy managing director and Operations Director for the East Region, Cisco Middle East, said.
“Ali’s appointment comes at an exciting time as the Omani government prioritises technology as a key contributor to the Sultanate’s long-term prosperity and a main driver of growth across key sectors,” he added.
With more than 20 years of experience in the Omani ICT market, Al Lawati has held various roles within the sector, including as CEO and Consultant and Head of Projects, in addition to having served on the Board of Directors for a commercial data centre entity. Prior to joining Cisco, Al Lawati was the CEO of Nasma Telecommunications and the Head of IT and Telecommunications Projects at Petroleum Development Oman. His depth of knowledge is reflected in his diverse background, which spans across the ecosystem with positions held at multinational vendors, system integrators, and Cisco customers. Ali’s vast experience with service providers and other key market segments will help Cisco customers embrace the most suitable digital technologies enabled by Cisco's global experience.
Ali holds a double master's degree: one for communications systems and signal processing from Bristol University in the UK and the second in business administration (MBA) from the Strathclyde University, also in the UK. He earlier received his bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronics engineering from Sultan Qaboos University in Oman.
The rapid growth of the ICT industry in Oman is creating demand for digital, networking, and cyber security skills. Narrowing the IT skills gap is an area where the Cisco Networking Academy® has been contributing significantly over the years by nurturing and developing talent for the digital era and driving initiatives to attract more young Omani students and graduates to pursue careers in technology.
At present, there are more than 3,000 students enrolled with the Cisco Networking Academy in Oman, which has trained more than 15,000 students since its inception. With 71 per cent of the enrolled students being women, to date, Oman has the highest women participation rate in Cisco’s global IT skills and career building programme.
"Oman is considered a regional leader in the development of e-government and e-services, with a comprehensive program that aims to simplify government processes, enhance service delivery and accessibility, and bring services closer to citizens. We are committed to supporting Oman’s digitisation agenda in line with the government’s vision of enhancing government services and public sector efficiency toward a smart future,” Al Lawati concluded.
Oman’s government departments and businesses are on a drive to evolve the way they serve citizens and customers. The country-specific role amplifies Cisco’s commitment to supporting the development of the Sultanate’s digital ecosystem and technology infrastructure to meet the demands of the digital era. Over the years, Cisco has been collaborating with multiple stakeholders to help boost Oman’s digital transformation and contribute to Oman's Vision 2040 objectives.