OITE appoints Amr Abdullah Baabood as new CEO

Business Monday 24/September/2018 15:02 PM
By: Times News Service
OITE appoints Amr Abdullah Baabood as new CEO

Muscat: Amr Abdullah Baabood will replace Nick Hodge as head of the OITE Group, while Hodge will remain on the board of directors to assist with the strategic management process, as part of the group’s intention to reposition itself and build on its former success.
Prior to his appointment as CEO, Baabood held the position of Legal Director of the OITE Group. Before joining the OITE Group, Baabood was previously positioned as a UK qualified commercial lawyer at the Adecco Group’s UK headquarters in London, a Swiss-owned Fortune Global 500 company.
Commenting on the appointment, Hodge said, “Amr has the perfect combination of skills, qualifications, character and determination to lead the company in its next phase of development. The board of directors are confident of his ability to work closely with the management team, clients and stakeholders to realise the company’s strategy and objectives going forward.”
‘’I will continue to build on the achievements made in the past few years and ensure our leadership in the events and market research industries in this next phase. I would like to add that the board of directors wishes to record their appreciation for the efforts made by Nick during a very critical period for the company in putting the company’s key events back on track, which led to enhancing investor confidence and the critical success of OITE’s events during tough market conditions,” Baabood said, commenting on his appointment.
“OITE Group's companies are some the first and largest to be formed in their respective fields in the Sultanate. In keeping with our founding vision, OITE, Intevents and Arabian Research Bureau (ARB) have played and will continue to play a pivotal and driving role in the continual development of our country within the region. Innovation is key and this will feature heavily in our future plans in delivering valuable market insights and continuing to act as a gateway to investments in our economy,” OITE Group’s new CEO added.
By investing in the group’s human resources and harnessing technology, Baabood looks to upgrade the events industry and develop solutions to help clients more efficiently leverage their events, while enhancing the overall customer experience.
“Events are becoming an influential tool around the globe to introduce products, create brand loyalty, and generate revenue for businesses. Innovation in the events industry has been stagnant and it has only recently begun to engage with new technologies to help meet the demand of a more tech-aware audience," he said.
Launching five new events by 2020 and increasing the ratio of international participation are among the opening goals during Baabood’s tenure. “One thing we’re very good at, is really looking at introducing future trends ahead of competitors,” he said.
ARB, the market research arm of the group, looks to turn their market analysis into market action. “Finding insights is only half the solution that organisations require, the other half is ensuring that insights are acted upon. I expect our organisation to develop several new applications to allow our partners to implement findings from our research,” he added.
As part of its expansion plans into new industries, OITE Group has announced that it is proudly introducing F45 Training as a new brand to its portfolio. F45 is a fitness concept, which is set to revolutionise the sector, based on the principles of motivation, innovation and results. Baabood didn’t want to give away too much at this point, but stated that “we are delivering the ultimate fitness studio which everyone will soon be talking about”.
The OITE Group consists of Oman International Trade and Exhibitions (OITE), Intevents, ARB and now F45. OITE and ARB were among the first exhibition management and market research companies in Oman. The COMEX and GHEDEX exhibitions are the brainchildren of OITE and are among the country’s longest-running and most significant events. Intevents is a full service professional conference and events organiser with over 15 years of experience. ARB’s leadership in the market research industry is derived from their expertise in designing and executing objectives-based research that allows their clients to make better informed and strategic decisions. F45 is the most innovative, challenging and systemised team-training workout in the world, combining elements of High-Intensity Interval Training, Circuit Training, and Functional Training.