NBK Insider October 2010 Issue 28

The Race to

Score in 2022

Qatar is racing and so we are… Does the Middle East deserve to host the world's

most beautiful game for the very first time?

Dear Colleagues,

Twelve months ago, the State of Qatar joined the bid to host history's biggest and most sought-out Sports event – the FIFA World

Cup.

Here it is, a little Peninsula in the Arab Gulf whose name has been closely linked to Oil & Gas for decades. So how come it is now

racing to stage Sports' most beautiful game, football, and competing against the traditionally football-famed countries of the

world?

"For the Game; For the World" – A FIFA slogan which has embedded each and every decision made every since the very first

World Cup has been held. The World Cup has toured the expected and exotic corners of the globe and is yet to grace the football-

passionate land of the Middle East, which buzzes with Sport frenzy.

This has lead Qatar's visionaries to take a bold step forward and invest all efforts to build world-class capabilities and infrastruc-

ture in order to make this dream come true for the millions of Arab fans across the 22 Arab nations. In its decision to bid, Qatar

has been backed with young, talented and professional Bid leadership and a core, multi-national team that brings together scores of

highly qualified experts that feel deeply-rooted to the country and the region and that are eager to see a World Cup in the Middle

East.

At NBK, we have always been devout supporters of Sports and therefore, providing our corporate support as an active corporate

citizen is our duty towards Qatar.

This month, we'll wrap ourselves with the Bid branding and themes in our pledge and commitment to walk hand-in-hand with the

courageous bidding team who is saving no effort to bring a mind-blowing spectacle to the ME for the very first time!

The Arab World deserves it – It is an historical choice – Voice out your support!

Hussein Siddiqi

COO (Non –Auto)

NBK IN THE NEWS

Meet the new Head for Training and Development

Mr. Lance Rooney

Lance Rooney has been recently appointed at NBK to lead our Training

and Development department to new horizons.

Rooney will be tasked with conducting Training Needs Assessments with

the objective of compiling a Training Plan to provide training and develop-

ment solutions for all staff at NBK and designing and delivering training

lectures and procuring training providers when needed. Rooney will also

be responsible for establishing, maintaining and updating the database of

such training providers and ensuring the training materials are kept up-to-

date. Additionally, Rooney will work on developing testing and evaluation

procedures and devising feedback and measurement mechanisms so that

NBK has the means to measure the success of training programs and other

developmental solutions

On his appointment Rooney says: " Our role will zoom in on assisting our

colleagues to be the best that they can be professionally and personally, I

recommend that we all take a quick look at a book that helps capture the

details of our role. The book is called There’s a train coming: Let us help

you on board."

October 2010 Issue 28

QATAR AUTOMOBILES COMPANY SPONSORS THE QTF AND INTERCONTINENTAL DOHA TENNIS OPEN 2010

For the second year running, QAC sponsors the Qatar Tennis Federation and Inter-

continental Doha Tennis Open 2010. The tournament will run from the 4th till the

18th of October and will see the participation of 400 tennis athletes in 20 different

categories. The matches will be held in two venues at the Tennis courts of the In-

tercontinental Doha and Khalifa International Tennis Stadium.

Yanna Lassade, General Manager of QAC said: "The business and brands that we run spread beyond the realm

of the automotive industry to become deeply entrenched in the interests and aspirations of its community.

Qatar's name is closely linked to some of the most recognized global Sports events and the country has proved

its capabilities to host prestigious international tournament and championships. It is only natural for QAC to

tie-in and support the activities that aim at supporting and boosting growing and existing talent, hence our con-

tinued sponsorship of this Tennis tournament."

Please email us with your thoughts and comments at nbkinsider@nbks.com

In The Spotlight

October 2010 Issue 28

Willkommen an Board NBK! (Welcome on Board NBK!)

Volker Schmidt is our new NBK CFO. With over two decades of international experience in Finance, Schmidt brings to the table considerable experience and expertise in the field. This month, we sit with Volker to speak about all that is non-finance related to add a fresh start to his appointment at NBK!

Having landed in Qatar for the very first time, how does it feel? If have to correct you already at your first ques-tion. I have been to Doha and the region many times. But now I came to Doha to stay. And that feels different. It is like to start a new life.

In terms of corporate practices, what are the differences that you have noticed? I have been not long enough with NBK, but so far I realized that some processes are more complicated and time consuming.

Career Highlights

How are you adapting to your new life in Doha? How has this affected your lifestyle? Even this question would be easier to me to an-swer after a certain period of time. My family has not yet arrived and so I have time to fully concentrate on my new job. But in the evening I love to run at the Corniche a few kilometers and after this experience and the whole day behind I only want to go to bed. What are the angles that have attracted your attention the most in this country? We are talking about a small country, but all the projects they have in mind or already completed tells you something different. Here are people working focused on their goals. Big thinking and acting but on an realistic platform. What are the new challenges that this new job brings to your table? I think as always when you enter a new country there are more or less cultural distinctions. You

have to learn and adapt yourself but not com-pletely. I will bring my experience and my know-how into the company and hope that we all can benefit. Have you had the chance to tour Qatar and how do you spend your leisure time? Sure, first what I did at the weekend I drove around 400 km within Qatar. I discovered the desert, found several nice beaches, went to the Museum of Islamic Art, tried a Shisha at the Souk, but above all I learned a lot about Rama-dan. Any last message? I am proud to be part of this great company now, a company with long history and fantastic reputation far beyond Qatar.

Volker Schmidt is the Chief Financial Officer of Nasser Bin Khaled. Prior to joining NBK in 2010, Schmidt was the Executive Partner of PTK In-vestment Services in Berlin in 2008 where he worked on investment policies in Europe focus-ing on an integrated approach of consultation, realization and support services designed to give clients investment portfolio targeted devel-opment. Between 1992 and 2008, Schmidt held various positions at Daimler AG and Daimler Export and Trade Finance also in Berlin where he was a member of the management board and COO, responsible for all Daimler Group export finance activities worldwide; later, he was appointed as Managing Director and member of supervisory boards and CFO, responsible for accounting, controlling, treasury, risk management and hu-man resources. From 1992 till 2004, Schmidt was Head of Fi-nance and Accounting/ Logistics at Debis In-dustriehandel in Stuttgart, a 100% subsidiary of

Berlin-based DC ETF, where he handled the spin-off of the countertrade business area as an independent company before being promoted to Managing Director. Between 1988 and 1992, Schmidt held various corporate-level positions at CTM Com-putertechnik Müller in Konstanz where he worked as a Commercial Head of CTM Com-putervertrieb Hannover, a Controller for invest-ments in subsidiaries and associated compa-nies of CTM and as Product Manager and Head of Sales for UNIX-Computer systems. In 1984, he conducted a trainee programme in the area of office information system sales at Standard Elektrik Lorenz AG in Stuttgart before moving to the position of Executive Assistant to Hans-Joachim von Ludwig, board member of SEL AG. Schmidt was born in 1957 and holds a Busi-ness Management degree from the German Army Higher Education Institute in Munich.

HR NEWS

Training Needs Analysis Process

NBK’s new Head of Training and Development, Mr. Lance Rooney, has put in place a Training Needs Assessment (TNA) proc-

ess in order to assist all NBKS Divisions/sub-Divisions/Companies to meet the training and development needs of their staff from

this point forward. The TNA process comprises three phases: a preliminary training needs assessment (Phase 1), data capture by

Divisional Manager/sub-Divisional Manager/Company (Phase 2) and compilation of the training plan itself which will be an 8-

month cycle between November 2010 and June 2011 (Phase 3).

Phase 1 is already underway and Lance

has met with many GMs, COOs and their

key managers already to establish initial

training and development requirements

and very provisional numbers of staff

who will either require direct classroom

training in specific technical and non-

technical courses or who will need other

developmental approaches which will

include on-line courses, computer-based

training, one-on-one coaching, mentoring

etc.

In phase 2, managers will be provided

with a list of training programs divided

into the work areas of Administration,

Sales and Marketing, Finance, Human

Resources, Management and Leadership

and General Soft Skills. There will also

be a section for ‘Other Training Pro-

grams’ not identified in the list. Within

these areas, managers will stipulate the

numbers of employees who require

Higher Priority (HP) training (i.e. needed

because, without it, the employee’s work

performance will continue to be rated as

‘Unsatisfactory’ or ‘Needs Improvement’

in the NBKS Perform-

ance Review) or Lower

Priority (LP) training

(i.e. desired for the per-

sonal and professional

development of the em-

ployee, to maintain mo-

tivation and retain our

talented staff). All HP

training will take place

in the early part of the

training cycle, while all

LP training will follow.

Managers will also be

asked to select an English-medium train-

ing program delivery or, if English is not

of a sufficient standard to enable the em-

ployee to follow the training program,

managers may select an Arabic-medium

training program delivery. Managers will

also receive a ‘Training Program Out-

comes Request’ form so that they can list

any specific content which their identified

courses need to contain so that they fully

meet the needs of their staff.

Finally, managers will provide a name list

of all attending staff per program. Lance

will then meet with a Point Of

Contact (POC) person within each

Division/sub-Division/Company,

collect this data, and discuss and

recommend any non-training de-

velopmental solutions.

In phase 3, Lance will collate the

data and compile the Training

Plan (Nov ‘10–June ‘11). In these

difficult economic times, this will

involve utilising the skills and

knowledge of internal NBKS staff

to deliver the content in some of

the programs requested, for which

they will be compensated. If

needed, they will undergo a

Train-the-Trainer program so that

they have the facilitation skills to

effectively deliver the courses.

However, we will not compromise on

quality and so if highly skilled and capa-

ble internal staff cannot be found to run

the courses, external training providers

Lance has also prepared a timelines docu-

ment to enable the process to be com-

pleted as seamlessly as possible and on

schedule. This document will be e-mailed

to managers as part of their package in

phase 2 of the TNA process.

NBK STREET

“What is that one thing you can’t live without and why?”

October 2010 Issue 28

Celso Bernabe Icasiano II - Customs Clearance

There are actually two things I cannot live without, (and all people in

general too), and these are air and water. Oxygen is essential to breathing

otherwise, we die of suffocation. Not everyone is aware that deprivation

of oxygen intake leads to chronic diseases. We need oxygen to release

those endorphins to the brain for it to function properly. Air is a moment

to moment commodity we cannot do without. It is a fact that we can live

without food for seven days, but 24 hours without water can lead to de-

hydration paving the way to shock or even organ failure. It is always

best to be alive and well, for then we can work, earn, enjoy friends and

family and buy what we need. Sadly, the things we need most are the

things we often take for granted.

Edward Asfour—HR/Training Coordinator

My Mother is a special gift, A special gift that God gave to me. I'd be

lost and lonely without her, I love her so very much, That I couldn't bear

to live without her healing touch. Thank-you God for giving me such a

loving Mother, For I wouldn't want to be a part of no other.

Garry C. Aberion—Field Salesman (Zein Automotive)

I cannot live a life for a day without my iphone since my email and so-

cial networking are installed. Next is my eyeglass because I can't see

clearly.

Zake Estacio— Restaurant Supervisor (Silver Café)

“Subsistence – physically ,emotionally and intellectually our self needs

foods and drinks for survival.

Ronald Lenchico— Service Advisor (QAC)

My i-phone, because it gives me a lot of use aside from calling and tex-

ting. I can browse my e-mail, social networking like facebook and twit-

ter, games, music and any yahoo or google search.

Aimee Yu-Magnipes—Team Leader-Accountant

The one thing I can’t live without is my wedding ring - I wear it everywhere I

go ‘coz it serves as my security blanket and it reminds me of my loving hus-

band. Though we are miles apart, I can feel his presence everywhere I go with

the ring in my hand.

Jaison Devassy—Parts Sales Consultant Al Mana Branch

FRIENDSHIP. The meaning of friendship lies within the hearts, because

True friendship can only be felt and not expressed. something so pure and

Essential is not always visible to the eye, but it is felt by the heart.

Lance Rooney—Head of Training and Development

In his song, ‘Blood Brothers’, my favourite musician, the American Bruce

Springsteen, writes these words:

Well I don’t know how I feel. I don’t know how I feel tonight

If I’ve fallen ‘neath the wheel. If I’ve lost or I’ve gained sight

But the stars are burning bright. Like some mystery uncovered

I’ll keep moving through the dark. With you in my heart

My blood brother

Your blood bother can be your best friend, sibling, parent, partner, or spouse

but, ultimately, they are people with whom you have a deep spiritual connection

and who you can always turn to for emotional support when you need it the

most. There are always times when we find it difficult to cope with what life

brings us and so feel we have ‘fallen ‘neath the wheel’ and other times when

we’re unsure if we’ve ‘lost or gained sight’ from our experiences, but your

blood brother is the person who is always there to support you during those

times. They are the ones who help you ‘keep moving through the darkness’ and

they do it because they love you, and so, corny though it sounds, love is the one

thing I can’t live without.

Mohammad Irdris Chowdhury— Departmental Manager – Banking Rela-

tions

That one thing is “ company”,. by the word living, I understand decent living

with mental peace.

A lonely human being cannot get peace of mind and happiness. You see, when

God created the father

of mankind “Adam”, He (God) created mother of mankind, ”Eve” in order to

give company to father Adam.

Because God knows better than any human being that man cannot live alone.

The reason loneliness makes a man melancholy.

Roel Anzures—Cashier

The one thing that I can’t live without is that . Words that come from God Al-

mighty.

EMPLOYEES OF THE MONTH

Month of August

October 2010 Issue 28

Alaa Hassan

Abdul Kalam

Alejandro Narboneta

Amal Hussein Asmaa Al Salman

Bertilito Manuel

Christopher Vallance

Efren Dischoso

Hebatallah Mazhar

Joel De Guzman

Ponciano Alvarez

Rochdi Saadaleh

Ruwani Weerage

Samer Antepli

Samuel Ngingi

Tajul Islam Shamsal Hoque Wahid Bakhsh

EMPLOYEES OF THE MONTH

Deonald Beren

Nishantha Nuwan Perera

Hetti Arachchillage

Amina Abdelrahman

Ronnie Llonard Von Giese

Month of August

October 2010 Issue 28

Get Inspired

October 2010 Issue 28

Ten Quick Tips to Improve

Your Self-esteem

1. Do what you love. Everyone loves to do something, when you indulge

yourself in your love you improve the way you feel

about yourself. You improve your self esteem.

2. Help others out. Nothing makes you feel a warm glow than when you

unselfishly help others. of course you can argue that

this in itself is selfish, but if you take that line of

thought you must think that existence is selfish. For-

get that. Just do a good deed, help someone out, does-

n’t have to be big and it doesn’t have to cost any

money.

3. Acknowledge your strengths There is no one who has no strengths. Everyone is

good at something, know what your good at and give

yourself a pat on the back. Do things that bring this

quality out into the open. Excercise it, make it

stronger.

4. Don’t put up with crap. There is no reason you should tolerate other people

being mean to you. Even if they say they are doing it

with love. Make sure people know they should be

nice to you and if they refuse, walk away from them.

5. Drop your negative friends. Hang out with people who are positive and support

you. It may be fun to bitch and moan but if you hang

out with these types of people you will eventually

become one of them. You may have noticed that peo-

ple who bitch and moan are never happy.

6. Do your research A lot of self help books are a waste of time in the

sense that the only person who can change you is

you. Reading even this blog post will not change you

unless you get emotionally involved with the infor-

mation. Which is really hard as it’s really dry and

boring. Go read biographies of people you respect,

people who do positvive things and attain huge suc-

cess. Learn from the master not the self help guru

who is always in debt.

7. Learn to accept compliments. It’s hard to accept a compliment and not to dismiss it

as being ridiculous. Someone has an opinion and it

should be respected, even if you do not argree with it.

If people think good about you then maybe you

should too.

8. Include positivity in your life. I’m not talking an airy fairy chant in the mirror whilst

naked. I mean take a positive slant on everything

automatically. The meat pie you just bit in to may

contain maggots, but maggots contain a lot of protein.

OK that’s a bit extreme but you get the point.

9. Compare yourself against yourself. If you look at how you were yesterday and how you

are today and there is an improvement then that is

great. If there is no improvement then you know you

need to improve your efforts. Don’t start comparing

your self to other people. Saying you are poor com-

pared to D. Trump is just going to make you miser-

able.

10. There is no need for you to put yourself down. Seeing yourself in a negative light only reinforces

your low self esteem. If you want to improve your

self esteem. Ask yourself, how can I improve my self

esteem. The answer will always be, find one positive

thing about yourself and that will do it.

September 2010 Issue 27

Chef’s Corner

Mougrabieh

Meet the Chef! Housam Joumaa, the Executive Chef of Silver Café in Alsaad Branch shares

with the NBK Insider the recipe he is known for. With over thirteen years of

experience as Chef, this 30-year old from Lebanon has indeed mastered the

art of cuisine!

Prior to joining NBK in 2007, he became the Personal Chef of the Lebanese

Ambassador for three years and worked in Diplomatic Club as Executive

Chef.

His favorite dish? It’s barbeque Mixed Grill!

Ingredients

200 gram Mougrabieh

2 pcs onions

100 gram cheak peas

250 gram chicken

150 gram lamb meat

75 gram Butter

500 ml chicken stocks

500 ml lamb stocks

Salt

Cinnamon

Caraway

Seven Spices

Preparation

Boil the mougrabieh then sauté with

butter. Add the salt, cinna-

mon,caraway then add a little of

chicken and lamb stocks. Gently sim-

mer until mougrabieh is cook.

To make the sauce, fry the whole

peeled onion until it becomes brown

then add the remainder of chicken

and lamb stocks, salt, cinnamon,

caraway and seven spices and the

boiled cheak peas.

Serve the mougrabieh with chicken

and lamb on the top then the sauce on

the side.

Housam Joumaa

Health News

4 Things Apples Can Do for You

Radiance booster

Treat your skin to a refreshing at-home green-apple mask. The fruit helps replenish mois-

ture, and its acids smooth fine lines, explains Karen Behnke, founding partner of Juice

Beauty in San Rafael, California.

Her recipe: In a blender, puree 1 chopped green apple (skin included) with 1/2 cup sliced

green grapes; add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/4 cup aloe vera, and continue blending

until you have a thick paste. Apply to face, neck, and décolletage; wait 15 minutes, then

rinse with warm water.

Note: Before you apply, test on a small area of your face or neck to ensure that none of the ingredients react adversely

with your skin.

Breathing aid

Think twice about peeling your next apple—the skin is jam-packed with an antioxi-

dant called quercetin, which may protect your lungs from pollutants.

A study from St. George’s Hospital Medical School in London found that people who

eat five or more apples a week have better lung function than those who don’t. So slip

one into your lunch bag today.

Scalp rejuvenator

Say good-bye to pesky flakes with apple cider vinegar, which is believed to nix the

bacteria that may contribute to dandruff, says Cal Orey, author of The Healing Powers

of Vinegar.

Try this remedy: Massage a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar directly into

washed scalp; leave on for 1 minute, then rinse.

Waistline shrinker

Substitute unsweetened applesauce for half the butter or oil in cake recipes, and you’ll

get a naturally sweeter, moister dessert with much less fat, says Samantha Heller, RD,

author of Get Smart: Samantha Heller’s Nutrition Prescription for Boosting Brain

Power and Optimizing Total Body Health. The sauce is fat- and cholesterol-free, and

1 cup has almost as much filling fiber as 1 cup of brown rice