Saturday 20 / April / 2024
Muscat: Pankaj Khimji, director, Khimji Ramdas gave a highly empowering and motivational speech to the newly inducted Omani management trainees encapsulating KR’s rich cultural and business heritage.
Speaking at the event held at Khimji Training Institute, Azaiba recently, he spotlighted the group’s illustrious journey built on decades of Trust, Care and Commitment towards the people of Oman. Pankaj acquainted the young audience to Khimji Ramdas’ entrepreneurial bent of mind combined with sincere social investments, which has made it one of Oman’s revered success stories.
Welcoming the 42 bright Omani men and women he said, “Today, KR is an ingenious modern enterprise that strongly believes in People Power. Our employees have made us who we are today and continue to remain our strongest source of inspiration. Moving forward, together we will build the new history Khimji Ramdas.”
Highlighting the key achievements of Khimji Ramdas under the benevolent leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, he mentioned KR’s support towards the development and growth of socioeconomic prosperity of local communities. He said, “I vividly recall the journey of Khimji Ramdas Group in the early years; my great great grandfather Ramdas used to travel from Kutch Gujarat in India on the spice-route and it was much later that his son Khimji established the first business base in Sur in the 1880s. Gokaldas his eldest son took over the reins and was able to swiftly establish long-lasting relationships. One such example was the first water supply channel to Sur; it was the first public-private partnership with Said bin Taimur Al Said. My grandfather was open to new ideas; his adept approach to social commitments was accepted and appreciated by all. He opened the first school in Jalan in the 1970s. Later he had an opportunity to open a clinic in the Wilayat of Ibra and brought an ambulance to support the local needs. That was the first Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiative of KR in the yesteryears when such facilities were sparingly available across Oman.”
On the business front, He said, “Over many decades our alliances have helped inspire sustainable development beyond borders. Today those very bonds have helped us build on strategic partnerships with leading global corporations to invest in Oman. We were the original sponsors of shell in Oman. Shell became the partner of PDO and PDO was formed. Our lasting relationships with our partners helped us start as a construction company, we helped build the extension to the first airport in Bait Al Falaj; the first fort near the southernmost border of Yemen was built by Khimji Ramdas in the 1960s,” he added.
As he welcomed the Omani management trainees into the KR Family, he said, “We are a family of around 5000 people now. Like a little Kabila. We have the unique privilege of having many of our staff, their family members still working with us. It is the Care for our employees, our customers, our partners that have made us what we are today. Another important thing is the trust that people place on us in the business dealings. Trust and care combined with business ethics is the way forward to a successful enterprise.”
Pankaj Khimji encouraged the management trainees to be multi-faceted in their approach and emphasised learning and attitude as the two most important assets that would help them shape their careers at KR and beyond.
Khaid Nasser Al Mashari, management trainee who was selected from over 1,000 aspirants who applied for various positions in one of KR’s four groups namely - Consumer Products, Infrastructure, Lifestyle and Projects and Logistics said, “I am confident to learn and adapt to the diverse culture of KR. The company has a vision for us and as Pankaj Khimji was inspirational in his approach and recommends us to have work-life balance. I am sure to enhance my skills and lead from the front.”
