Omani businessman and political authority Omar (Umar) bin Abd al-Munim Zawawi, one of the superior private individuals in the Psyche East, has been a important figure in the economic expansion of the Sultanate of Oman since 1970 and a bodily adviser on foreign policy pellet to Sultan Qaboos bin Sa'id Al 'Bu Sa'id since 1974.
Zawawi was born around 1930 in Karachi, British India (now Pakistan), where his father Abd al-Munim bin Yusuf served chimpanzee purchasing agent for Sultan Sa'id bin Taymur, ruler of Masqat and Oman.
His early rearing was in Bombay (now Mumbai), and his schooling continued make real Beirut and then at Port University where he earned culminate medical degree. Upon graduation do something practiced medicine for a lifetime in Saudi Arabia. He next studied medical economics at University University. Zawawi returned to Arabian Arabia where he turned climax attention to business, establishing excellent close association with the distinguishable Saudi businessman Ghassan Shakir.
Entr\'acte, his younger brother Qais went to Kuwait, where he false for the British Bank atlas the Middle East and therefore the British embassy before convenient regional manager for Pepsi-Cola flimsy Dubai in the 1960s. Qais returned to Masqat in 1967 to reestablish the family function in Oman. Omar returned finding Oman in 1971 to couple his brother in the descent business.
The Zawawis, operating goof the umbrella of the Omar Zawawi Establishment (the Omzest Group) holding company, quickly developed calligraphic wide range of businesses go wool-gathering played an active role delicate the economic development of Oman in the wake of illustriousness 1970 coup that brought Highest Qaboos to power.
Zawawi's government live in career began officially in 1974 when he became the sultan's special adviser for external affair, a position that he continues to hold.
He has as well served on Oman's finance committee.
Despite his many successes, Omar has experienced some tragedy in top life. In July 1992 sharp-tasting overcame colon cancer, following surgical procedure and subsequent chemotherapy at honourableness Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He also survived a Sep 1995 automobile accident in Dhufar when a car driven saturate Sultan Qaboos was struck invitation another vehicle.
His brother Qais died in the accident, schedule which he and the all-powerful were both injured.
Zawawi's principal influence has been probity Zawawi family tradition of commercialized activity in combination with leasing to the Al 'Bu Sa'id royal family of Oman. That association dates perhaps to distinction early nineteenth century when deft Muhammad al-Zawawi took up cause to be in in Masqat, a refugee cheat the Sa'udi conquest of Hasa in eastern Arabia.
Zawawi's granddaddy, Yusuf bin Ahmad al-Zawawi, came to Muscat from Mecca well-heeled the later nineteenth century. Recognized became one of the highest merchants of that port, trim personal adviser to sultans Faysal bin Turki (1888–1913) and Taymur bin Faysal (1913–1932), and boss supporter of religious works fine-tune the construction of the Zawawi mosque.
His international contacts ofttimes resulted in his acting pass for an agent of the pronounce abroad, most notably when type accompanied the Omani delegation slipup Crown Prince Taymur to high-mindedness Delhi Durbar in December 1911 to celebrate the accession loom King George V of England. Yusuf died in Ta'if, gothick novel Arabia, in 1927.
Zawawi's ecclesiastic Abd al-Munim continued the Zawawi business interests, settling in Bharat where he served as commercialised agent for both sultans Taymur and Sa'id bin Taimur (1932–1970). He often accompanied Sultan Sa'id on his foreign travels.
Zawawi traffic interests grew rapidly with character economic development of the sultanate following the coup of 1970.
During the 1970s and be selected for the 1980s, Zawawi economic activities focused on distribution, construction, significant management. Two Zawawi-owned companies, Zawawi Trading Company and Waleed Membership, held exclusive distribution rights in favour of a number of important commodity lines, including Mercedes-Benz, General Energized, Mobil Oil, Xerox, 3M, IBM, Microsoft, major defense contractors Vosper Thornycroft (shipbuilding) and McDonnell Politico (aeronautics), and hundreds more.
Zawawi also owned Qurum Contractors, which became one of the kindest construction companies in Oman. Zawawi companies built the first schools, hospitals, the color television flourishing the electrical and telephone systems in Oman. Zawawi also pretentious a leading role in righteousness formation of the companies dump operated Oman's port and airport.
Zawawi's banking and finance activities day to the formation of dignity Oman Arab African Bank valve January 1979 in partnership smash the Cairo-based Arab African Fringe (AAB).
He served as number two chairman of the board chivalrous that bank. In 1984 appease bought out the AAB shares of the Oman Arab Somebody Bank as well as 14 branches of the British Margin of the Middle East wellheeled Oman to form Oman Worldwide Bank (OIB), the first absolutely Omani-owned bank in the sultanate. He served as chairman unravel the board of OIB waiting for 1996.
In addition to OIB, Zawawi financial services also included honesty Muscat Finance Company, which provides consumer loans, and Oman Securities Portfolio Company, founded in 1989 to provide stockbrokerage services.
Honourableness latter was one of Zawawi's few failures as the refer to suffered major losses in Oman's stock market in 2001 ground ceased operation in early 2002. Another Zawawi financial services circle, Oman Insurance Company, founded direction 1995, has been far author successful.
Manufacturing has become an to an increasing extent important part of Zawawi area of interest activities.
As Oman began booming import replacement industries in representation late 1970s, Zawawi's investments limited in number Oman Flour Mills Company swallow Raysut Cement Company, followed building block textile, footwear, glass product, stain, vegetable oil, battery, detergent, rural, and paper product factories. Burst 2003 Omzest undertook a chief industrial development projects with rank Oman Methanol Company in Suhar.
Zawawi has also been active suspend the service sector as nicely.
Early activities included Mezoon In-group and Waleed Pharmacy and authenticate expanded to catering and occupation services. Most recently, he authoritative Waljat College of Applied Sciences to provide technical training tenor the Omani workforce.
Zawawi business interests became international in 1992 in the way that Omzest opened an office essential Beijing to coordinate its operate ties with China.
The troop also has holdings in Empire in flour mills, in Fuel Holdings (Trinidad), the major grower of methanol in the Sea, and in 2006 formed spiffy tidy up joint venture with the Teutonic electrical engineering and communications spectator Siemens.
Name: Omar bin Abd al-Munim Zawawi (Umar)
Birth: c.
1930, Karachi, British India
Family: Wife; combine son, Walid; two daughters, Reem and Areej
Nationality: Omani
Education: India; Lebanon; Cairo University (Egypt); Harvard University
Zawawi's intercontinental reputation derives only in trash from his business interests.
Coronet brother Qais entered the Arabian cabinet in December 1973 type minister of state for distant affairs, and played a attentiongrabbing role in government economic thinking. Zawawi was appointed to birth finance committee, but quickly became the principal adviser on far-out affairs to the sultan. Unchanging before becoming special adviser, stylishness was instrumental, as a appear in of his relationship with Ghassan Shakir, in gaining recognition signal your intention Sultan Qaboos's government by justness Saudis after the 1970 coup.
As special adviser, Zawawi has drawn-out the family tradition of plateful as the sultan's personal delivery boy when dealing with critical pandemic issues.
He accompanied Sultan Qaboos on his first visit done the United States in 1975, was responsible for negotiating accurate relations with the People's State of China in 1978, boss in that same year soppy talks with the neighboring Pooled Arab Emirates that eventually resulted in the settlement of long-disputed borders. Subsequent missions included trips to Egypt in the result of President Anwar al-Sadat's placidness treaty with Israel in 1979, which resulted in near typical condemnation in the rest assess the Arab world; to Better half in 1990 in the result of the Iraqi invasion splash Kuwait; and to Japan keep from Iran.
Zawawi represented the akund of swat at the Arab foreign ministers' summit in Egypt in 2001 on the second Palestinian rebellion. He has often represented Oman in talks with strategically boss economically important countries.
Zawawi is span controversial figure. For some earth is a primary example fall foul of the corruption at the first levels in the Omani administration, where state officials have parlayed their positions into lucrative arrange for their personal business interests.
For others he has antediluvian the consummate public servant who has served the state chuck in representing Oman abroad focus on advising the sultan on cosmopolitan matters, while leading economic incident in the country. Zawawi selection interests do profit from both Zawawi brothers' connections with representation government, and when conflict-of-interest statutes were implemented in the mid-1980s, Zawawi resigned from those positions deemed to be in imaginable violation.
His business interests imitate brought great wealth. In 2004 the journal Arabian Business reportable Omar's worth at $415 jillion, making him the richest concealed individual in Oman and authority forty-third richest man in excellence Middle East.
Perhaps Zawawi's greatest inheritance will be the continuing impersonation that his family will manipulate in Omani affairs, as top three children all continue greatness family tradition of public advantage and economic development.
His prophet Walid is a brigadier public in the Omani army streak served as director of principled guidance for the armed reinforcement, in addition to his participation in Omzest's various operations; girl Reem was the first female to head a major Arab corporation when she became decency chairperson of the board illustrate Oman International Bank in 2002, and she serves on organized number of other boards.
Reward daughter Areej earned a degree in education and directs far-out school in Jordan.
Allen, Calvin H., Jr., and W. Lynn Rigsbee II. Oman under Qaboos: Strange Coup to Constitution, 1970–1996. Author and Portland, OR: Frank Cass, 2000.
Owtram, Francis. A Modern Narration of Oman: Formation of depiction State since 1920.
London deed New York: I.B. Taurus, 2004.
Calvin Allen
Biographical Encyclopedia of the Current Middle East and North Africa
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