NBK Insider December 2011

CEO’s Corner

It is the junction between a year’s end and a New Year; first I’d

like to wish everyone a very happy New Year full of prosperity

and success.

2011 was another challenging and successful year; we achieved a

new Group structure which reflects the shareholders’ vision of

the future of the Group.

We also worked hard with all our principles to maintain the

strong relationships that we established for ages and we achieved

high recognition on regional levels with most of them.

In 2011 we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the relationship

with Daimler as being the General Distributor of Mercedes Benz

cars since 1961 in Qatar. This relationship is going from one

height to another. This year is a landmark year for Mercedes

Benz passenger cars sales and we achieved another new record as

the market leader in the luxury sector.

Our other automotive businesses were just as great; however it

still faced challenges as the construction sectors in the country

still didn’t evolve well.

Our contracting and constructions sector performed significantly

this year and again it proved that it is a core business for our

Group; the future is promising and we are strengthening our presence in this field.

Other businesses varied between outperforming its expectations and struggling to achieve their targets; and as a result of the

restructure that took place; we are reviewing all our business operations and taking straight decisions on the continuation

with underperforming businesses.

2012 is the year of restructuring and consolidation. We are very excited with the goals and targets that we set for ourselves as

we can see an interesting challenge ahead.

We have set practical targets for our businesses; we challenge ourselves; as the management; towards rationalizing our cost,

ensure the efficiency and proficiency in delivering support services to our operations and to move gradually to build strategic

business units fully self-dependent. This year will introduce service level agreement for all our centralized services with all

our subsidiaries.

Governance and compliance is becoming a very demanding and alerting issue; we are decisive to implement clear and strong

regulations to ensure compliance to the corporate governance that we will shortly announce the formation of a committee

from top management to set the tone for the compliance and to closely monitor the sincere implementation of all governance

issued by the management.

In 2012 we will also announce the Group Strategy for the coming 5 years in light of Qatar vision 2030 and Group vision

which we declared in June 2011.

2012 will be full of interesting times; globally and regionally, again we believe it will also be an interesting year for us all at

NBK, one that is full of challenges and changes and we will move forward regardless of any natural or manmade obstacles.

We have accepted the challenge and NBK team is ready for it.

Let us together get ready for another great year in 2012. Happy New Year!

Ayman Al-Abbasi

December 2011 Issue 41

NBK IN THE NEWS Sheikh Nawaf bin Nasser al-Thani hands over a memento to a German delegation representative

The Qatar Germany Partnership (QGP), which seeks to further boost the bilateral relationship between the two countries, was launched recently in Qatar. The launch co-incided with the Qatar visit of a high-level German delega-tion, which was hosted by the Qatari Businessmen Associ-ation. The delegation headed by Dr Alexander Tettenborn, senior legal secretary, Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology comprised more than 50 companies. The event was attended by QBA chairman Sheikh Faisal bin Qassem al-Thani, Sheikh Nawaf bin Nasser al-Thani , QBA Board Member, Nasser Sulaiman al-Haidar Maqbool Habeeb Khalfan and representative of Sheikh Ali bin Ab-dullah al Thani and all the QBA members.T The Qatar Germany Partnership (QGP) was launched with the view to develop a “comprehensive and long-term stra-tegic partnership” between Germany and Qatar. The part-nership will be built on highly-skilled German expertise that will contribute to the economic, social and environ-mental development of Qatar.

These will strongly support Qatar in imple-menting its National Vision 2030. The launch event of QGP was organised by the German Industry and Com-merce Office Qatar (AHK), Dr Philipp R?sler; German Am-bassador, Anne Ruth Herkes, Honorary Member and chairwoman of QGP board of trustees; Martin à Porta, chairman of the Executive Board; Sheikh Nawaf Nasser bin Khalid al-Thani, member, Board of Trustees, Sultan bin Rashid al- Khater, Abdulrahman bin Mohamed al-Khulaifi, Qatar Ambassador to Germany. Sheikh Hamad bin Nasser bin Hamad al-Thani and Dr Peter Gopfrich were also present. Our Chairman Sheikh Nawaf said, “We are eager to fur-ther our friendship with Germany and sustain Qatar’s pro-gression and expansion at the highest standards.”

Nasser Bin Khaled Powered Sports -

Kawasaki Launches the all new 2012 Z1000SX

Nasser Bin Khaled Powered Sports Division Kawasaki Show-room located in Ras Abu Aboud Street Doha launched the new Ka-wasaki Z1000SX Ninja on Satur-day 10

th December 2011 .The

event was not only the launch of the new bike but also our existing customers enjoyed a selection of merchandising and apparels. The event was attended by bike enthusiast and aficionados, which was a great opportunity to intro-duce our new relocated showroom in Doha and present the new 2012 motorcycle lineup. The Z1000SX was unveiled at 7pm by The Sales Team Manager, Paul Menuge, Nasserallah Kreeshan and the General Manager Abdel Kader Ghalaieeny.

The new Kawasaki Z1000SX Ninja is the latest new motorcycle from Kawa-saki for Qatar in 2012. Mr. Abdel Kader Ghalaieeny, General Manager, said that Kawasaki Motorcy-cles, ATV, Jet Skis and Utility vehicles models have enjoyed strong presence in the Qatari market with extreme per-formance and reliability. While Mr. Paul Menuge, Sales Manag-

er has emphasized that the new 2012

models have the most stylish stunning

lines and body shape. The pricing of

the new models are very attractive,

while the build of Kawasaki quality

and legendary performance are se-

cond to none. There are finance

schemes available that will make it

easy for our customer to purchase

their Kawasaki dream machine. “Let

the Good Times Roll!”


NBK IN THE NEWS

Your Car, Your Canvas Nasser Bin Khaled Automobiles held its “Your Car, Your Canvas” campaign at the Villagio Mall next to the Mercedes stand from the 13th till the 20th of De-cember 2011. To take part in the campaign, passersby need to use the iPads located in the booth to color the exterior of the digital models of one of two models, the Mer-cedes Benz GL 500 or the Mercedes Benz C coupe 350. Once their car is colored, they would have to click “like” the Nasser Bin Khaled Facebook applica-tion and load the picture of their design onto their personal Facebook profile. Not only do the partici-pants get to share their designs with their friends but they can to witness their creation come to life as it is magically projected onto the existing module cars next to the booth. Khaled Shaa’ban, General Manager of NBK Auto-mobiles said: “This campaign allows our clients to interact with the brand at a creative digital level. By

entering the competition they get in touch upon their artistic senses while choosing their favourite color schemes” “The world is rapidly evolving with new technologies and we pride ourselves at Nasser Bin Khaled in be-ing up to speed and engaging our customers on a digital level to help personalize their experience with our brands. This has not been our first digital and social media initiative, and we commit to deliver more interactive experiences which will resonate with the shoppers and trend setters in Doha”

Mercedes-Benz Field Force Team’s Mobile Workshop

in all conditions.”

Shaa’ban added: “Our very own global experts from Germany joined the Field Force team to offer expert advice on parts in addition to carrying an overall inspec-tion of the vehicle.”

The Mercedes-Benz Field Force team went to various areas in Qatar and met with customers residing in as far as Dukhan, Ras Laffan, Messaid etc. The team per-formed mobile workshop services offering customers free vehicle inspection checks and diagnosis, driver training, maintenance and repair technical advice and tips, service repair packages for 2011 and competitive prices on spare parts packages.

The Field Force team also offered complimentary oil services and tyre checks for selected customers and took care of the majority of inspections and repairs on-site at the customer’s premises. The Driver Training Program helped to educate drivers on two core compe-tencies: defensive and economic driving, in order to en-sure the vehicles are operated at their optimum efficien-cy with upmost safety.

The launch of the Mercedes-Benz Field Force further verifies NBK Automobiles’ commitment to providing su-perior services that exceed expectations.

NBK Automobiles hosted the official Mercedes-Benz Field Force Team’s Mobile Workshop in Doha earlier this November. The mobile workshop offered a roaming vehi-cle checkup and training service for customers nation-wide. Khaled Shaa’ban, General Manager of NBK Automobiles said: “We understand the limitations our working sched-ules upon each and every one of us and therefore we have called upon our Mercedes-Benz Field Force team of highly qualified experts to come to Qatar and provide efficient and convenient service and check-up for all our customers as we place very high importance on ensuring that vehicles are properly maintained and safe and that every driver is capable of handling the car effectively and


FASHION NEWS Azza Fahmy Pharaonic Collection Azza Fahmy’s lat-est collection rep-resents Love and Wisdom in ancient Egypt, evident in her art, symbolic and Hieroglyphics references. Some of her designs are inspired by the Middle Kingdom Jewelry- from the tomb of princess Khnumet at Dahshour (19th century B.C.) and the art and archi-tecture of the New Kingdom (15th-14th century B.C.). However there is a special focus on the ‘Amarna’ period (circa 1352-1327 B.C.), when love of the natural world (nature) was most el-egantly expressed. The sage Ptahhotep wrote in the late 3rd mil-lennium B.C ‘Follow your Heart’. The designs of this collection are inspired by this maxim. The heart was the seat of intelligence. The quintessence of Man was his Ka (the spirit of sustenance), Ba (soul of mobility), Akh (transfigured spirit), his shadow, and his name.

Body Amr Fall/Winter 2011-2012 Collection now at Zai BodyAmr gives a touch of sensuality which is tan-gible, summarizing the overall collection. The fe-male body and her curves are highlighted by stretch tunics with glossy reflections, shimmering satin gowns with a draping clear-cut, tops decorat-ed with crystals and chiffon super-lucent dresses. An important role is played by the transparency of the clothes that wrap around the graceful female form, and drapes that cascade over the body giv-ing it an extreme awareness of sensuality and ele-gance. This collection enhances the art of seduction within a range of suitable evening gowns: the jersey is draped artfully over long dresses that caress the body and focus on asymmetries which always make any collection unique and discover legs with strategic amazing slits. The colors are varied in their simplicity and shine feature. An elegant collection, to be worn on special and unique oc-casions. MW by Matthew Williamson Matthew Williamson launched his new contemporary diffusion line, MW by Matthew William-son Key focus on the collection are color, pattern and print – areas synonymous with the brand – encapsulate a youthful energy, modernity and urban spirit.

VENEXIANA Venexiana 2011 Fall collection is a perfect blend of class, luxury, elegance and also fun. Fur, metal, silk and wool is used with distinct color combinations to create eye-catching dresses. Metallic gold and silver, bright colors are also designer’s favorites.


Destination Report By : Tyrone Lanaway

NBKS– Qatalum

Wales

On the south coast of Wales (Wales is the size of Qatar, but in contrast to Qatar, it is home to moun-tains, 700 year old castles and miles of fabulous shore lines), facing the Atlantic sea, Tenby has the most wonderful beaches, natural fishing harbour, cliff top walks and local ice-cream. Neighbouring Penally and Saundersfoot share the same breath taking shoreline. The wonderful thing about this 9th Century town is

that it still retains its 13th Century medieval castle walls and 15th Century Church. Un-spoiled by the commer-cialisation of MacDon-ald’s, KFC and other franchises that are con-suming such popular

tourist places of the world. This leaves the local fish and chip shops and bric-a-brac shops to flourish as they always have since the 1800’s.

Home to the red dragon and the glamorgan sausage

Tenby has a strong connection with English Royalty, since the 13th Century castle was built, being the hiding place of King Henry VII in 1471 during the War of the Roses. Unfortunately the English civil war and the plague of 1650 killed half of the population and the town was deserted and left to decay.


In 1802 Victorians of Britain saw the potential for Tenby as a new tourist attraction as the Napoleonic wars prevented rich Victorians travel to Europe. The influence of this era can still be seen today, intermin-gled with the medieval remnants of 700 years ago. To get there - the nearest airport is Cardiff, then it is still a 2 hour drive to this wonderful place. From Heathrow Airport London you can catch a train straight into Tenby - a little expensive at £75. Especially when you can rent a car for the week for £37, then drive 4 hours (226 miles) to Tenby. This way you will also have transport to go exploring, whether its other local castles (Pembroke, Dynfwr, Llansteffan, Kidwelly), trek across the green country side of Wales or visit the capital of Wales - Cardiff. You could stay (as we did) in a holiday home on a safe Holiday Park (Ideal for kids) whilst your there (7 nights for a family of 4 - £399), with access to the local beach. Alternatively tour the area and take advantage of the local bed and breakfast establishments (£30 per per-son per night). My family and I have visited all these places all with-in a 20 minute drive - Oakwood theme park with roll-er coasters for all ages, whether its Megaphobia, Treetops, Drenched, Bunny Rabbit Ride, Speed or Vertigo. As well as go-carts, pedal boats, baby rides and indoor bowling.

Folly Farm adventure park and zoo, where you can milk goats, feed baby animals by bottle, ride the under cover funfair rides and see all the animals in the Jolly Barn. Plus a new ferris wheel to see the country side.

There is also the Blue Lagoon, a huge indoor water park for days when the weather is not so good. With indoor slides, wave pool and slides that take you outdoor... would you dare? There is also an adven-ture centre there. Manor House is a wildlife park close by where you can go and sit with the wallabies, gibbons and deer. You can also see many other animals - a good day out, take a picnic. So you can plan a really good week or two, relaxing or running around the local places with things to see and do.


HR NEWS

The months of November and December have seen the successful delivery of training programs offered in the

January 1st – June 30th Training Calendar as well as some new courses. They were as follows:

A 1-day ‘Business Writing Skills’ (Effective E-Mail Writing) program designed and delivered by our Head

of Training and Development, Lance Rooney, attended by 10 staff.

Two 1-day ‘Customer Database Management’ courses designed and delivered by QAC’s CRM and Certi-

fied Trainer (CT), Hussein Abdullatif, attended by 12 employees.

One 1-day ‘Excel Beginner’ program designed and facilitated by the IT Department’s Applications Analyst

and CT, Firas El Zaknoun, attended by 8 staff.

One 1-day ‘PowerPoint Beginner’ course attended by 8 staff and one 1-day ‘PowerPoint Intermediate’

course attended by 8 staff, both of which were also designed and facilitated by Firas.

One 2-day ‘Time Management and Stress Management’ program designed and facilitated by HR Officer

and CT, Eric Calderon, attended by 8 employees.

One 2-day ‘Advanced Selling (Business-to-Business)’ course designed and facilitated by Heavy Equip-

ment’s General Sales Manager and CT, Samuel Zidan, attended by 9 staff.

Two half-day ‘New Hire Orientation’ workshops delivered by HR Training Officer, Lucya Abraham, at-

tended by 33 new employees.

HR (Training and Development) will be offering one final and new program, ‘Counselling Skills for Better

Work Performance’, on the last working day of this year. However, we would like to take this opportunity to

thank those managers within our departments and subsidiaries who worked so hard to identify the training

needs of their staff, enrolled them on the right programs from the multitude of courses offered this year and

then followed up to ensure the post-course assessment items were completed.

We look forward to continuing to serve the training needs of all our customers in the next training cycle and

will be offering some new courses and initiatives in 2012.

Training & Development


HR NEWS

EMBRACING CHANGE IN TURBULENT TIMES (By Lance Rooney, Head of Training and Development)

As we all know, change is a normal aspect of everyday living, whether in our personal or working lives. Ma-

jor changes in our personal lives include our children moving from teenage years into adulthood, and then

leaving home and getting married, us moving house and sometimes country, suffering ill health, and reeling

from breakdowns in our relationships. NBK has been no stranger to transformation over this past year, with

major changes to job titles and accompanying pay scales, organizational re-structuring with the dissolution of

some departments and the creation of others etc. This is, of course, completely normal in the corporate world,

but the question is how effectively we respond to the changes which come upon us as our success and fulfill-

ment - our emotional, mental, spiritual and physical well-being - depend on how well we adapt to change.

The creators of ‘The Change Cycle’ suggest that

people react, respond and adjust to change in a se-

quence of six predictable

stages. The Change Cy-

cle model below identifies

the thoughts, feelings and

behaviors associated with

each stage of change

and they believe that

there is no better map to

assist you in navigating

through the changes in

your life. In order to better

explain their model, I will

give examples of the

Change Cycle as it ap-

plied to my wife, Yas-

mine, and I when we left

England for Turkey when

I took up my first job as an English Language teach-

er on September 1st 1985.

As you read through our experiences, consider your own

thoughts, feelings and behaviours towards the major per-

sonal and profession-

al changes that you

are encountering now

and plot where you

are on The Change

Cycle. If you are in

any of the stages

before the Danger

Zone, do not despair:

it is just part of the

change cycle and

things will get easier

if you have the

awareness of the

stages which lie

ahead of you and the

courage to work to-

wards them.

(Taken from www.changecycle.com)


http://www.changecycle.com

CHANGE CYCLE STAGE THOUGHTS, FEELINGS, BEHAVIOURS

STAGE 1: LOSS (AUGUST 1985) In Stage 1, you admit to yourself that regardless of whether or not you per-ceive the change to be good or 'bad" there will be a sense of loss of what "was."

Although I was looking forward to a new job in a new country, Yasmine and I were still leaving behind our family and friends. Our baby son, Zak, was only 3 months old so we were leaving behind a good family support structure too. And of course, we were moving away from British culture and traditions that we had both grown up with since being children our-selves.

STAGE 2: DOUBT (SEPTEMBER) In this stage, you doubt the facts, doubt your doubts and struggle to find information about the change that you believe is valid. Resentment, skepti-cism and blame cloud your thinking.

The first month in Turkey was really hard: new culture, new language, new home, new job etc. Questions of ‘Is this really worth it?’, ‘Have we made the right decision to come here?’, ‘Why wasn’t an English teaching job available for me in England’? start to surface. We did not make an effort to learn Turkish because that would have symbolized a commitment to stay-ing. Even Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher’s educational policy of pro-moting teaching jobs in the sciences was blamed “for getting us into this situation in the first place!”

STAGE 3: DISCOMFORT (OCT-NOV) You will recognize Stage 3 by the dis-comfort it brings. The change and all it means has now become clear and starts to settle in. Frustration and leth-argy rule until possibility takes over.

This was another tough couple of months for the Rooneys. The salary was half what I was told at the interview and the cost of living was double. Therefore, Yasmine had to get a job just so that we could have one or two treats at week-end and find a baby-sitter (definitely not part of the plan!). Both mother and son battled stomach aches from the unfamiliar food. The weather had turned bitterly cold and the air pollution in Ankara was so bad from the coal used for heating that people were walking down the streets with face masks on!

DANGER ZONE (DECEMBER) The Danger Zone represents the pivot-al place where you make the choice either to move on to Stage 4 and dis-cover the possibilities the change has presented or to choose fear and return to Stage 1.

The change had been so difficult to adjust to that we decided to go back to England for the Christmas holiday. We were so desperate to get back ‘home’ that we even borrowed some money from one of Yasmine’s work colleagues to pay for the airfare! However, for the two weeks that we were there, we realized that no-one was really interested in some of our nice experiences in Turkey, we were not missed as much as we missed friends and family, and everyone was simply getting on with their own lives. May-be we should too!

STAGE 4: DISCOVERY (JAN-MAR 1986) Stage 4 represents the "light at the end of the tunnel." Perspective, anticipa-tion, and a willingness to make deci-sions give a new sense of control and hope. You are optimistic about a good outcome because you have choices.

To say that we were in a completely different frame of mind on our return flight to Ankara is a huge understatement. Yasmine and I had agreed that we would make a real effort to get the best out of the country. This meant making Turkish friends which was easy because we were both English teachers so met the locals on a daily basis in class and as colleagues, and because Turkish people are so hospitable themselves anyway. We also started going to Turkish language classes and planning our first short break in beautiful Antalya on the Mediterranean coast once the winter turned to spring.

STAGE 5: UNDERSTANDING (APRIL-JUNE) In Stage 5, you understand the change and are more confident, think pragmat-ically, and your behavior is much more productive. Good thing.

After a wonderful break in Antalya where we stayed in the apartment of one of my students while she was in Ankara, we were much more positive about the future. I had also done well in my first six months teaching at my language school and so had been asked to be part of a teacher-training program for English teachers at a local private school. I, therefore, felt more confident in my new job and we were both starting to really embrace this new change.

STAGE 6: INTEGRATION (JULY) By this time, you have regained your ability and willingness to be flexible. You have insight into the ramifications, consequences and rewards of the change -- past, present, and future.

So, the first year of my contract came to an end and we returned to Eng-land for the summer vacation, but in a completely different frame of mind than at Christmas. We had made some good Turkish friends and could not wait to return in August to visit the resort of Fethiye on the Aegean coast. I also knew that new classes and groups of students awaited me upon my return and so I was committed to doing as good a job in my second year as I had in my first.


And finally, to share with you some more light-hearted, though important, views on change and your response to it:

Change may be great or small: It may be imple mented at the speed of

light or take forever to be implemented.

However, you always have the choice of how to

respond to it. You can DENY it;

You can RESIST it and

MOAN about it;

And you can even allow

it to make you PHYSICALLY ILL;

Or you can EMBRACE it as an inevitable aspect of a dynamic organization

and be GRATEFUL for it.

So, let us all work together to embrace the changes that have occurred this year and will continue to come at us in 2012 because, as Dr. Andrew Grove (Founder of the Intel Corporation and Time Magazine’s ‘Person of the Year’ in 1997) said, A corporation is a living organism; it has to continue to shed its skin. Methods have to change. Focus has to change. Values have to change. The sum total of those changes is transformation.

In The Spotlight


In Anna’s own words: “I’ve been married for a little over two years and looking forward to starting a family of my own. I graduated from the Notre-Dame University in Lebanon with a B.A in International Business Manag-er and I have just started my MSc Strategic Planning at Edinburgh Business School. I joined Nasser Bin Khaled in 2006 and this is my very first pro-fessional experience but one which I feel very privileged to have. I was appointed as as Quality Manager Secretary ; then after passing the Lead Auditor Exam and was later promoted to Quality Internal Auditor after passing the Lead Auditor Exam and now I hold Quality Assurance Officer title .

During my studies, I used to work as a front-desk receptionist in a hotel in Beirut on a part-time ba-sis and I was an active member in a highly recognized dancing group in Lebanon, the Afrah Group. To me, dancing was a strong form of expression!

Shopping is one of my favorite things to do. I think all girls would agree with me here! However, I do place very high importance of financial planning and manage-ment. I enjoy reading Fashion blogs from time to time and I think fashion is a great form of art. It's a way of showing people who you are, without actually tell-ing them. It's another way of ex-pressing yourself. Some people may like your style, other people may hate it, but in the end it's you and how you perceive yourself.

In life, I prefer to be a "losing player" rather than a "losing-nothing" or "winning-nothing" pas-sive watcher since we are born to live our life, try, fall and raise.. lose and win.. laugh and cry.. and not to wait our lifetime fade away like a dying flame or even live it afraid of actually living it then let-ting the beauty of it slip out of our fingers when it would unfortunate-ly be too late. My favorite quote: "Nothing in the world is ever completely wrong. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day." Paulo Coelho

My favorite singers: Shania Twain, Julio Iglesias, Demis Roussos, Fairuz

It’s hard for one to describe him or herself. Perhaps I have trouble doing this because I see myself

as being multidimensional, and I don’t want to label myself as something in specific when I feel like I only own that quality under certain instances. I feel like there are a lot of pieces that put me together, and trying to narrow it down to several is hard. I also am very aware of the things that I’ve accomplished and I am proud of myself, but “bragging” about the things I’ve done or put-ting myself in the spotlight is not something I’ve ever been com-fortable with. But I still appreciate people who describe me as intelli-gent –funny- friendly-smart and crazy. My greatest strength : flexible to handle changes, I am a quick learner. I have problem-solving skills and am willing to learn new things to get the job done. My greatest weakness: Tend to go to any limits while helping my friends and I am very emotional.

Anna Bou Diab is our Quality Assurance Officer at NBK. Of

Lebanese and Russian origins, her business title speaks for

itself! Anna joined NBK to support our Quality Assurance

Department in their mission to ensure the highest standards

of service, workplace culture and business across our various

divisons and subsidiaries.

A Quality Talk with Ana December 2011 Issue 41

NBK Street

Back home with my

own family busi-

ness. Or in Canada,

forging a new life!

(I would rather

choose the latter. )

I am proud of

who I am now.

Best of 2011

“I always make

sure that I am

always fully re-

charged at the

beginning of

every work

week.”

The floors aren't

always spot less

and there's often a

laundry basket

filled with clothes,

but we're happy

and that's what's

most important.

I believe both gen-

ders should have

equal chances

based on their

qualifications and

competencies.

I dream about

Santorini a mil-

lion times al-

ready.

Believe me it’s not

the place, it’s the

company that makes

the place be a place

to remember…

It feels great at

the end when

we achieve our

goals.”

Never presume

that you are going

to be around for

the next Ramadan.

"Leaving it until

next year" is not an

option. Remember

if you fail to pre-

pare, then prepare

to fail.

My measure of

success is not

within the terms

of acquiring

wealth, accom-

plishing goals,

attaining pres-

tige, obtaining

status or arriving

at a certain level

of power

I am thankful

& fortunate to

have my wife

who under-

stands me for

who I am and

values my

strengths.

The opportunity

of change

Carmela Barles Zulfa Al Disi May Sheqem Cleofas Nebre

Jamal Sidani Wael Khairy

NBK Insider gathers the best answer from NBK staff who took their time to share with us

their innermost feelings and thoughts. Their answers gave us a glimpse of themselves and

had left remarkable inspiring statements! Here are the top 12 best answers for the year 2011:

Leslie Cleofe Inas Bahtity

Sajilmon Makkar Itty Cherian Jean-Paul Abbosh Celso Icasiano


EMPLOYEES OF THE MONTH

QAC– Showroom (October)

Hisham Hanna, Husam Chreif, Ayman Mohamad Ali, Ihab el Feky

Khaled Al Jarro


Hazem Kontar, Mohammad Abdul Hak

Pierre Saade

Lyra Bautista


QAC– Showroom (November)

Mutaz Dwedari

Mutaz Al Hams

Haitham Ebef


Mustapha Madathur

Kariman Atweh


Service Center—QAC

Mohammad Hossain Sonny Padilla


Allan Inventor Lovely Reyes

What are the functions of Credit & Collection? The Department, as the name carries; has two main functions, first is to review and assess credit risks and ensure that Credit Policy are in place for effi cient and effective management of the company’s credit portfolio. The second main function of the department is to Monitor the company’s collection portfolio, likewise manage and coordinate collection issues.

How many are you in a team? At present, the team is made-up of 4 Credit Offic-ers, 2 Credit & Collection Accountants, 4 Field Col-lectors, Collection Team Leader, Administrative As-sistant and Credit & Control Supervisor.

What are the major challenges that you are facing when dealing with internal customers? The Department is in close coordination with the Sales Team and it is a fact that Sales would have a

NBK Environment

Credit & Collection

different view or take on things especially with re-gards to compliance to procedural matters, manag-ing of customer’s expectations and assessment of credit risk. In order to manage such obstacle, the Department has made a concerted effort to brief the Sales Team about the Department’s procedures and how credit applications are reviewed and evaluated. How about when dealing with external customers? The Department has always adopted a polite and friendly culture of customer service. In occasions when customers would make unnecessary pressure to accommodate their request, it has been the train-ing of the Department to explain to customers the procedure and offer alternatives that would not compromise the interest of the Department and the Company as a whole.


Joint Venture

The Lagoona West Bay Plaza consists of:

A professionally planned high end 2 level shopping centre

Over 53,000 sq. m of shopping area

5,000 sq m of upscale restaurants overlooking the water-

front

20,000 sq m of landscaped European styled Piazza.

Lifestyle shopping center with over 170 Retail shops with a

unique offering of Fashion, Food and Gifts.

Lagoona West Bay Plaza (Mall)

Services provided:

Comprehensive Facilities Management services which include:

Performance Audits

Operations

Maintenance and Repairs

Cleaning

Security

Tools

Equipment and Material Control

Landscaping

Project Management

Realty Services

Recycling

Emergency Response

Preventative and Scheduled Maintenance

Occupational Health and Safety Materials and Supplies

Al Maha Academy for Boys & Girls (Ta’allum Group)

Description:

The Al Maha Academy is the Premier Educational Institution in

Qatar which stands for dedication to education, a state of the art

school with exceptional facilities.

Services provided:

Comprehensive Facilities Management services which in-

clude:

Operations


Tools


Project Management

Emergency Response



Property Description:

Al Rayyan Village is a master-

planned 382 villa community in

the heart of Doha, Qatar. A Medi-

terranean design by acclaimed

international architect with high

end 5 stars quality finishes. Al

Rayyan Village is a gated commu-

nity protected with advanced tech-

nology with inspirational gardens,

soothing water features and chil-

dren’s playgrounds along with

over 10,000 square metres of

sports and entertainment facilities

Al Rayyan Village Services provided:

Comprehensive Facilities Management services which

include:

Performance Audits

Operations


Cleaning

Security

Tools


Landscaping

Project Management

Realty Services

Recycling

Emergency Response



Project Fact Sheets in Qatar

GET INSPIRED

Finding Inspiration: A Year-End Reflection

At the end of each year, I have a personal tradition that I engage in. I spend the last week of the year in quiet reflection of the year that has just passed, and the new year that is to come. I make time in my schedule to be alone, with just my notes from the previous year to keep me com-pany. I gather up all those pieces of paper on which I’ve scribbled ideas for articles, blog posts, or new pro-jects I wanted to take on or complete (yes, I do hang onto them!). I spend time thinking about what I’ve accomplished and what I didn’t get around to doing.

Where will you find inspiration for the coming year? If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking!

I think about which people and what events in-spired me this year, who and what got me fired up, and what did I do about it. Yes I do make some new year’s resolutions – just a few, just personal things. Mostly I make plans and set goals. I think about where I want to go, and where I want to be at the end of next year, what I want to get done and what I feel I should abandon. This year I’ve included something both new and old into my thought process. Years ago I read several books by Robert Ful-ghum, one of my favorite authors. One of his books, Words I Wish I Wrote: A Collection of Writ-ing That Inspired My Ideas, is one I picked up when I was going through a major upheaval in my life, and needed to chart a new path. This particular book is where I found the inspiration to try my hand at writing. Recently, while visiting my parents, my Mom shared with me a few passages from another of Mr. Fulghum’s books – one I’d also read (and loved) – “What on Earth Have I Done?” by Robert Fulghum. As I listened to her read, I was reminded again of the reasons why I loved this book (and of course, how wonderful it is when parents read to their children). I remembered why it was that I

found Mr. Fulghum’s words to be so very inspira-tional when I first read them, and again now as I listened to them.So as I sit down to start thinking this week, my mind is turning again and again to the questions Fulghum opens “What on Earth Have I Done” with – as he calls them, the “Mother Ques-tions“:

What on earth have you done? What are you doing? What will you think of next? Who do you think you are?

These questions are much more than just those a parent would ask a child – they are questions we should ask ourselves. What have I done this past year? What am I doing now? What will I think of/plan for next year? And ‘who do I think I am’ is especially important to think about…..because who we are is wrapped up in all of those questions……because who we are guides us in our personal and professional lives, and colors every decision we make. These questions are helping me form the basis of my planning for next year, both in life and in work. I’ve picked the book back up and am now re-reading it, and finding inspiration again already. Where will you find inspiration for the coming year? If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking!

http://www.travel-writers-exchange.com December 2011 Issue 41

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060932228?ie=UTF8&tag=sunsettravel-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0060932228



LIFE IN MOTION

Mr. Bassel Al-Wazier from Mercedes-Benz

Parts Department got a baby boy on 28/08/2011.

Congratulations

The HR- Immi-gration Depart-

ment celebrating Mohammad Hanafi’s new baby named

Asser

Joni Cabague got a surprise from HR Department during her birthday re-cently

“Our anniversary is a time to look back at the good times and

a time to look ahead to live our dreams together.

A successful married life requires falling in love many times,

but always with the same person.

Love is there when both person are more concerned for the

other than for one’s self.

If I had a single flower for every time I think about you, I

could walk forever in my garden.

Love is the best refreshment in life.”

Edward Asfour HR/Training Coordinator NBK Auto

Bes

t W

ish

es

And others who joined the league: Jamal Sidani—Baby Nawaf Houssam Hindawi—Baby Kareem Mohammad Shafiq— Baby Layan


Documents

NBK Insider December 2011