Volume 2 - Ali Bin Ali

January - April 2012 - Volume 2
Your Health. Our Priority.
NOW !
Nestle Toll House Cafe
Grand Opening
From the dot Desk
You can enjoy again all those
memorable moments!
5th Olympic
Publisher & Producer
Corporate Communications Dept.
Day
Doha Watches & Jewellery
Exhibition
Logistic’s
Desert T
rip
Contributors
Head Office-HR
Aldrine Fernandez
Ivee Teodoro
Head Office-Fin.
Nighat Ara
Head Office-Legal
Safaa Rasam
FMCG
Sharon Edwards
ABA & P
Nisreen Abdul Wahab
QQP
Lilybeth Celamor
Hiranthi Karunanayaka
IA/PCP
Yvette Fernandes
Jemma Cruz
Logistics
Imam Jill Logmao
Hospitality
Daisy Fuentes
Printing Press
Lara Love Arago
Beverages
Emily Magno
Dinusha Hashanthi
Waleed Abdul Kader
Digitek
Laarni Francisco
ICT Liza Guzma
Luxury
Ann Wenamy Guevarra
Fauchon
Jovy Garado
Travel
Anil Varghese
Property
Regi Oomen, Vivian Cuachon
ARTICLe CONTRIBuTOR
Printing Press
Mahalakshmi Ramasubramanian
PRINTING
Ali Bin Ali Printing Press
Finance Get Together
Log on to
ICT Staff Award Ce
remony
https://intranet.alibinali.com
click Photo Gallery & share all events’ photos with
your colleagues, friends and family!
THANK YOu NOTe
“the Dot” wishes to thank all
members of the Ali Bin Ali family
for contributing to this publication.
We highly value your contributions
and look forward to your
continued input.
One way to measure the internal health and well being of a company is to keep
a watchful eye on its calendar of activities. Going by that definition, just a
fleeting glance at this edition of the dot will confirm that Ali Bin Ali Group is
indeed a robust organization with a pulsing calendar of happenings. Look
through these pages and you will find an exciting array of activities that brought
our people together at work and play, to enjoy interacting with each other. To us
at CorpComm., this dynamism not only symbolizes the strength and unity that
lies at the heart of our Group, but it is also something we can truly be proud of.
On a separate note, I would also like to say that we are delighted with the
variety of contributions the dot continues to receive from our readers. We can
see that you have truly taken over the ownership of your newsletter and you
are using it as a tool to express yourself. Do keep your write ups, opinions,
activities and achievements coming in. This is the kind of engagement that
inspires us to keep moving forward and reaching greater heights!
The dot Editorial Team wishes you every success!
Imad Hashim
Corporate Communications Manager
It happened
Pg 4
Opinion
If you can change one thing in the
world, what would it be?
Pg 14
Management Tips
12 rules for self management.
Pg 17
Interview
The Ali Bin Ali Group
Quarterly Newsletter
ABA Tower, Airport Road
P.O.Box: 75, Doha - Qatar
T +974 4 4469869
F +974 4 4433778
E [email protected]
Catching up with the senior
Manager HR & Admin.
Pg 24
Dot Recommends
Warren Buffet
Pg 27
CONTENT
Lunch with the COO
Pg 11
Contribution
Self Motivation.
Where self meets the identity!
Pg 16
Green Dot
Gardening in small places.
Pg 18
Dot Trotter
Top 5 tourist attractions in New Delhi
Pg 26
Health
Health tips for Spring
Pg 29
All Rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of Ali Bin Ali Group.
3
it
Happened
Ali Bin Ali Luxury Division presented
five new luxury brands at 9th Doha
Jewellery & Watches Exhibition
Ali Bin Ali Hospitality Opens
1st Nestle Toll House Café!
4th February
On the 4th of February 2012 Ali
Bin Ali’s hospitality division
celebrated the grand opening
of Qatar’s first Nestle Toll House
Café located at Doha’s City
Centre Mall. The Café is located
on the 1st Floor of City Center.
The the inaugural event was
attended by Ali Bin Ali’s Senior
Management, representatives
from Nestle Toll House, invitees
and members of the media.
The Nestle Toll House Café was
inaugurated by Mr. Nadim
Hajjar, Business Development
Manager of NTH at a creatively
managed event where he
broke a large sized cookie
thereby declaring the café
open. Celebrating the spirit of
family fun, a Nesqcuik Bunny
added an element of
entertainment and encouraged
those present to participate in
a contest under the theme of
“What will your Cookie Cake
Say?”. Families took part in it
and decorated cookies
reflecting their personal style
and flavours with the most
creative cookie winning a
valuable gift voucher.
Commenting on the strong
partnership built with Ali Bin Ali
Mr. Nadim Hajjar said “ I am
very pleased to celebrate the
inauguration of Qatar’s first ever
Nestle Toll House Café. Nestle
Toll House has built a solid
reputation of consistently
delivering high quality products
and enjoyable moments for
families. So to be here at this
grand opening and partner with
Ali Bin Ali & Partners
sponsor a creative art &
colouring competition
20th January
Ali Bin Ali and Partners in association with BIC
Middle East was happy to sponsor a first of its
kind creative, Art and Colouring Competition,
organised by Tulu Koota Qatar (TKQ), the
melting pot of Tulu culture and traditions and a
banner that brings together all Tulu-speaking
expats in Qatar. The contest took place on
Friday the 20th of January 2012 at the Indian
Club of Qatar. Ali Bin Ali & Partners were
pleased to support the activities by extending
its sponsorship in aid of activities that promote
4
one of Qatar’s leading
conglomerates, the Ali Bin Ali
Group, is something NTH
considers a special privilege
because it not only cements a
valued partnership, but it also
paves the way for families in
Qatar to enjoy a greatly loved,
internationally sought after
brand.”
Mr. Hashem Melhem General
Manager of Ali Bin Ali’s
Hospitality Division said “ Ali
Bin Ali hospitality is dedicated
to bring the best hospitality
experiences and the highest
quality food and beverage
products from around the world
into the Qatar market. With the
opening of the Nestle Toll
House café we know that
families in Qatar can experience
a world-class product in a
relaxed atmosphere. What we
can promise our customers who
will visit the café is an
opportunity to enjoy the
ultimate dessert experience
through unrivaled service,
superior performance and a
positive impact on our
community. Ali Bin Ali is proud
to be associated with the NTH
brand. Starting with one
location in 2000, Nestlé Toll
House Café by Chip currently
has 93 locations in 24 US States
and three new International
locations in the Middle East.
This is the first outlet in Qatar
and we hope to open more
outlets in other malls in Qatar.”
Ali Bin Ali’s Luxury division, renown
for introducing exclusive, high end
luxury merchandise to Qatar’s
growing base of fashion
Ali Bin Ali and Partners in association with BIC had
a vision to work together and foster community
projects that were engaging and interactive and
this was one such event that yielded successful
results. BIC being a popular stationary brand was
happy to extend its base via activities of this
nature. The contest had three categories of
participation; Colouring for juniors, Drawing for
Juniors and Paintings and Clay Modelling. Among
the 250 strong crowd who attended the event Ali
Bin Ali & Partners was represented by Chief Guest
Mr Pavanarama - Senior Sales Manager, ABA&P
who also addressed those present. He also took
time to introduce the BIC Brand to those gathered.
Mr Ramachandra Shetty President Tulu Koota was
also present at the event. Adding an element of
entertainment to the day’s proceedings the “BIC
Boy” was busy handing out Free Give-aways to all
participating children.
Chanel Fine Jewelry, Buccellati,
Stephen Webster, Hulchi Belluni &
Romain Jerome.
While ABA Watches & Jewellery
currently carries over 33 brands the
featured brands at the exhibition
included Arnold & Sons, Bertolucci,
Azzaro, Hermes, Ralph Lauren, Mont
Ali Bin Ali Group
launches New Intranet
The new Intranet for the entire Ali Bin Ali Group
was launched on Thursday, 9th of February 2012
by Ali Bin Ali’s Information Technology &
Corporate Communication Departments. In order
to maintain the spirit of connection and introduce
an element of interactivity and fun into the
launch a successful teaser campaign was run
throughout the Group. The campaign was spread
across 4 days and grabbed the attention of the
entire Ali Bin Ali staff family. A soft launch of the
new Intranet took place on the 2nd Feb 2012
enabling our IT experts to introduce the new
intranet and its features to the Group General
Managers. The Intranet is fully operational now
and has been functioning smoothly, helping the
entire Ali Bin Ali Group to connect, providing a
versatile, internal communication platform.
The new intranet now provides access to
corporate information and places it at the
fingertips of our approximately 2500 staff
members, via a single point of contact. Our IT
department has ensured that the new intranet
can be accessed internally as well as externally
enabling wider usage of the material including
company policies and forms, presentations,
videos, a photo gallery, employee birthdays,
weather forecast etc, to mention a few. The
Intranet will be updated by Ali Bin Ali Group’s
Corporate Communication and IT Departments.
interaction among expatriate communities.
The Colouring competition had wide age groups
of participants and drew an enthusiastic response
from spectators as well as contestants. Those who
were at the event were treated to an amazing
array of drawings and art produced by the
participants.
February 2012 at Doha Exhibition
Center and drew close upon15,000
local and international visitors.
Commenting on the success of the
year after year.”
Having built a steady reputation as a
market leader for offering Qatar the
highest level of luxury bands “Ali Bin
Ali’s Watches & Jewelry” division set
up a well attended stall, showcasing
a distinct collection, that enthralled
visitors. The presence of professional
models, who elegantly
carried the collections
displaying the
Ali Bin Ali Group’s ICT
Division holds staff
award ceremony for
2nd consecutive year.
20th February
20th - 26th February
connoisseurs, created a outstanding
impression at the 2012 Doha
Watches & Jewellery Exhibition.
Celebrating the spirit of luxury and
paying homage to beauty and
stunning craftsmanship Ali Bin Ali’s
Luxury division unveiled an exquisite
range of items at the event.
The Doha Watches & Jewellery
Exhibition (DWJE) which now a
prestigious annual fixture on Qatar’s
events calendar, was inaugurated
this year by the Prime Minister and
Minister of Foreign Affairs His
Excellency Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim
Bin Jabor Al Thani. The exhibition was
held from the 20th to 26th of
DWJE and focussing particularly on Ali
Bin Ali Group’s presence at the event
Mr. Nabeel Ali Bin Ali, Executive Vice
Chairman of Ali Bin Ali Group said, “
We are extremely pleased that the
Ali Bin Ali’s Luxury Division made a
memorable showing at the Doha
Watches and Jewellery Exhibition.
The DWJE has now become the fifth
biggest Jewellery and Watch
exhibition in the world. Ali Bin Ali
Group believes passionately in
bringing in the world’s best
collections, unifying both beauty and
craftsmanship, and placing them
before the growing audiences we are
seeing here, in Doha at this event,
On the 20th of February 2012 Ali Bin
Ali’s Information & Communication
Technology Division celebrated their
annual staff awards ceremony for
2011. Launched under the theme “Go
Beyond Success”, the awards evening
recognized the contribution of staff
members and gathered to express
their appreciation for the services
rendered by chosen individuals
towards the success of the company.
The gathering took place from 3 to 9
p.m at Al Sharq Village & Spa. The
event featured presentations, a
speech by the division head, the
award presentation and interactive
games followed by dinner. Ali Bin Ali
Group’s ICT division is formed by the
Group’s IT Department, ABATS, iSpot
and Columbus IT. The Awards Function
was attended by around
200 staff of Ali Bin Ali
ICT Division which also
included the Senior Staff
from the Head Office.
Commenting on the
event Mr. Mohamad Al
Ebrik, Chief Operating
Officer for ICT said “Ali
Bin Ali’s ICT Division is
staffed by professionals
who achieve remarkable
results in their field of
work and ICT believes in
honouring these
contributions. We are
happy to have
magnificence of stunning,
artful sequences set in
precious metals and
stone added to the
ambience of the Ali Bin Ali
Group’s pavilion.
The exhibition saw more than 300
international and local exhibitors
showcasing the finest jewellery and
watches in the region, with the total
amount on display topping $US1
billion.
During the 9th Doha Jewellery &
Watches Exhibition “Ali Bin Ali
Watches & Jewelry” presented a
number of new brands. The new
brands displayed at the event include
conducted this event for the second
consecutive year. This gathering is
symbolic of our commitment to
applaud achievers while challenging
and encouraging everyone to reach
for higher goals that I am confident
we are all capable of.”
Many prominent awards were
distributed during the event to iSpot,
IT Department and ABATS. This year’s
winners are All iSpot Team – Team
Growth; Tarek Halabi – Division
Achiever (iSpot); Mohammed Saeed
Raza – Spirit of IT (IT Dept); Ayham
Subhi Taha – Customer Service (IT
Dept.); Youssef Farajallah Mahmoud
– ICT Leadership (ABATS); Dounia
Marei (ICT) and Yenumula Visnu
Murthy (ABATS) – Passion, Dedication
& Commitment; Walid Morcy Ali –
Project Excellence (ABATS);
Mahmoud Farag Stohy - QPP Extra
Mile Services (ABATS); Raymond
Magbitang – Apple Extra Mile Service
(ABATS); Qandeel Ali – ABA Group
Extra Mile Service (ABATS);
Mohammed Azeez Pasha – QNB
Blanc, Richard
Mille, Panerai,
Audemars Piguet,
Ulysse Nardin,
Graham, Dewitt,
Rama Swiss
Watch, Kern, Ralph
Lauren, Urwerk.
Separately, the
Jewellery Section
houses premier
international
brands in the likes
of Pomelatto, David Morris, Hulchi
Belluni, RCM, Verdi, Mikimoto, Van
Cleef & Arpels, Respossi, Schreiner,
Messika, Aaron Basha, Leo Pizzo,
Garrard, Prologue, Mimi So &
Pichiotti.
Like every other year Ali Bin Ali
Group hosted a Gala Dinner for its
suppliers and business partners as an
appreciation for their support on 23rd
February 2012 at Sheraton Doha.
Extra Mile Service (ABATS).
The recognition certificates went to
Tony Shibly - Extra mile (CIT), Abdul
Ghaffar - Customer Management
(CIT), Ghassan Debss - Extra mile
(iSpot), Radwan ebrik -Extra mile
(iSpot), Omar Kasha - Extra mile
(iSpot), Hussein Mahir - e-learning
champion (IT), Mohammed
Benmassoud - e-learning champion
(ABATS), Mukath Moosa - Extra mile
(ABATS), Menatalla Mansour - Extra
mile (ABATS), Mohammed Zubair Extra mile (ABATS), Tamer Mustafa Growth (ABATS), Mohammed Imran
Khan - Customer Retention (ABATS ),
Mustafa Khan Mohamed - Customer
Retention (ABATS ).
The awards evening also marked
another key milestone for Ali Bin Ali
ICT. It coincided with the 10th
anniversary of ABATS. ABATS
launched operations 10 years ago
with a staff of 2 and has now
expanded into a versatile
organization with over 150
employees.
5
it
Happened
especially pleased with how Ali
Bin Ali’s ABATS stall has been
received at the exhibition. The
concept of ‘mobility’ really
captured the attention of the
many visitors we had to our stall.”
Ali Bin Ali Technology Solutions stall
at Qitcom 2012 a resounding success
Ali Bin Ali Technology Solutions’
presence at QITCOM 2012 was a
resounding success. As silver
sponsors of Qatar’s premier
Information Technology event and
exhibition QITCOM, Ali Bin Ali
Technology Solutions (ABATS) set
Hicham El Kik, SME Team
Manager was on hand to guide
the media and visitors
through the stall and
describe the mobility
solutions on display.
Francesco Mascolo, Head
5th - 7th March
up an interactive stall, which
drew the interest of many visitors.
The theme chosen by ABATS for
this year’s exhibition was
“Mobility.” ABATS recorded an
impressive showing at QITCOM
upholding the chosen theme and
showcasing the company’s
leading technology driven,
Mobility solution products.
Commenting on the success of
QITCOM Mohammad Al Ebrik,
Chief Operating Officer of Ali Bin
Ali ICT said “ It has been our
pleasure to contribute to the
success of QITCOM by being a
Silver Sponsor of it. I am
of Sales who handles Enterprise
Solutions was also at the event to
describe the enterprise level
mobility solutions showcased at
QITCOM. Both Hicham El Kik and
Francesco Mascolo confirmed that
among the ABATS stall had
attracted senior decision makers.
At the ABATS stall were senior
partners who had flown down for
the event. Commenting on their
association with Ali Bin Ali Diana
Perry, Managing Director of
Intelligent Counting of Redding UK
said “ We are delighted with our
partnership with Ali Bin Ali. We
have discovered here at QITCOM
that Ali Bin Ali is a greatly trusted
name here in Qatar and we are
very pleased to be entering the
market here with a partner of
that calibre.”
ABA Group co-sponsors
Gulf Traffic Week
Nick Brazelton, Training and
Solutions Manager for File Trail
said “ I am extremely pleased
with the response we have
received at QITCOM. It was a
pleasure to work hand in hand
with our partners Ali Bin Ali. We
are happy to have encountered
senior decisions
makers and higher
ups who are
seriously looking
into the
possibilities of
using our
solutions. That’s
very exciting.”
With an
undisputed
position as Qatar’s
leading Apple store iSpot also
made its presence felt at QITCOM
and used the opportunity to
display the latest models of Apple
technology and related solutions.
Being a popular brand the iSpot
segment also had a considerable
number of interested visitors.
Lufthansa honours Ali Bin Ali Travel &
Cargo with top agent award
19th February
6
11th March
The Ali Bin Ali Group was happy to come
forward as a Co-Sponsor of Gulf Traffic
Week, which started on Sunday, March 11,
2012 at Doha Exhibition Centre ground.
The event took place under the patronage
of the Minister of State for Interior Affairs
His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser
bin Khalifa Al Thani. The Director General
of Public Security (DGPS) Staff Major
General Saad bin Jassim Al-Khulaifi
inaugurated 28th Gulf Traffic Week
celebration held under the theme
'Together to Reducing Traffic Accidents.'
Gulf Traffic week is celebrated annually to
spread traffic awareness and it unifies the
efforts Traffic Departments in all GCC
countries under a unified slogan.
Being an organization that promotes
health and safety the Ali Bin Ali Group
offered coordinated support to the event
by bringing together a number of
companies under its umbrella to assist
with the events scheduled for Traffic
Week. As a whole the Ali Bin Ali Group
gave away numerous gift vouchers from
different divisions in the likes of Ali Bin Ali
Watches & Jewellery, Travel Bureau,
Fauchon, iSpot, Digitek, Crepaway and
Nestle Toll House. The Ali Bin Ali Group
was pleased to contribute to this valuable
community effort, which brought together
58 entities in support of promoting safety
in the GCC.
Ali Bin Ali Travel & Cargo was
delighted to receive a coveted
award from Germany's National
Carrier Lufthansa. Lufthansa,
honored Ali Bin Ali Travel & Cargo
as the Top Agent for the year
2011 at a specially hosted dinner
preceded by cocktails.
The event took place on the 19th
of February 2012, at Doha's
leading Four Seasons hotel. The
award ceremony recognized
services rendered by industry
leaders who have displayed the
highest levels of professionalism,
successfully promoting both the
airline and the travel trade.
Mr. Saeed al Hajri, General
Manager Ali Bin Ali Travel &
Cargo, received the Top Agent
Award, on behalf of the company.
The Award was handed over by
Lufthansa's Regional Director Mr.
Peter Pollak. Also present at the
gathering to felicitate Ali Bin Ali
T&C was Lufthansa's Passenger
Sales Manager Mrs. Randa El
Massry, Account Mangers Mr.
Omeir Khan &Mr Majd Avari, Ali
Bin Ali T&C Sales Manager Mr.
Chandana de Silva and Senior
Supervisor Mr. Feroze Mahamood.
16th March
gathering had around 300 people
who spent time with each other
relaxing and engaging in some
ABA Group Finance
Community hold
Annual Get-together
for 2011/12
On the16th Mar 2012, Sealine
Beach Resort came alive with
an Ali Bin Ali Finance
Community event. The
finance division staff
numbering around 160 members
got together for an interactive day
of team building and fellowship
with families.
Along with family members the
entire Ali Bin Ali Finance Team
creatively organized team building
exercises. 28 volunteers from 16
divisions, worked closely under the
leadership of Menino, Sukanta and
Philip for almost 25 days, planning
the smallest detail of this event. The
results of their excellent planning
skills were evident. As every
member of the Ali Bin Ali Finance
Community can confirm the air was
filled with excitement and
camaraderie. Among other things,
the event helped all employees
meet and relate with one another,
cutting across nationalities and
hierarchies, in a relaxed fun filled
environment. The bonding feeling
was – “ONE ABA FINANCE
FRATERNITY”
The day ended on a highly positive
note affirming the experience and
the opportunity given to the Finance
Family to unite, foster trust and
respect for one another.
21st March
Fauchon adds another
feather to its cap!
17th March
Ali Bin Ali & Partner’s
Tobacco Division enjoys
a Family Excursion
On the 17th of March 2012 ABAP Philip
Morris Tobacco Division celebrated a day of
fun and fellowship at the Umm Said Desert.
In keeping with the spirit of the brand, the
much-anticipated 2011 year-end party was
celebrated in a unique way by those
gathered.
While the success and achievements of the
year gone by called for much felicitation the
team decided to share the day with their
families, giving them an opportunity to get
to know their team and colleagues. Choosing
a venue on the outskirts of Doha, bordering
Sealine Beach Resort the group spent the
day enjoying the beauty of the desert,
making excellent use of the cooler climate.
As part of the day’s festivities the Philip
Morris Team’s achievements for 2011 were
cited and celebrated. Over 40 staff
members were joined by the Division’s
Country Manager Noman Nasir Ali, Senior
Sales Manager Nery Alphonso and Wadih
Antoine Kazan, General Manager of Ali Bin
Ali & Partners ensuring that the gathering
brought together all contributors, who made
the year 2011 a success. Those present
commended and inspired each other to raise
the bar higher in the year ahead and set
their sights on achieving even greater results
with team work and collaboration
underpinning the expected targets and
milestones.
The group enjoyed desert safaris, beach side
volleyball, tug of war, and many other
community games complete with prizes. A
delicious buffet lunch and other
refreshments were served to round off a
perfect day.
Fauchon is happy to let all readers of The Dot know
that we recently opened another Fauchon outlet at the
Royal Plaza Mall. We opted to coincide our opening by
celebrating one of the most valued people in the
world; Mothers! The new outlet located on the first
floor of Royal Plaza was opened on the 21st of March,
Mother’s Day. Our opening was held amid fanfare and
French contemporary luxury food.
We were honoured by the presence of members of
the Qatari royal family including Sheikha Al Anoud Bin
Suhaim Al Thani and Sheikha Roda Bin Suhaim Al
Thani, and a number of other prominent Qatari ladies
who graced the occasion. Several ambassadors’ wives
and members of many Expats Women’s Associations
also attended the event. We are proud to let our
readers know that Fauchon products now available at
Royal Plaza include Pastries, Chocolates, Confectionery
and Groceries. Also, we would love to share more
good news with The Dot readers! Fauchon was listed
as one of the winners of Lifestyle Awards 2011 at the
sixth International Hotel, Restaurant and Food
Exhibition in Qatar. And we delighted and honored to
have won the BEST CHOCOLATE AWARD!
7
it
Happened
Celebrating the Success of
our 5th Group Olympic Day
Friday, 23rd March 2012 was a special day for the
Ali Bin Ali Group. Members of the ABA Group
family gathered together at Qatar University
Stadium for the 5th Olympic Day. We are
delighted to report to The Dot that the Olympic
Day was very well attended, participatory and full
of fun. The festivities began at 2.00 p.m. and the
day’s programme ran up to 8:30 p.m.
As a Group we firmly believe in promoting a
healthy lifestyle and sports is a key aspect of the
approach we take. Hence the Olympic day was
organized with a view of encouraging all our staff
members and their families to invest in an active
lifestyle. Qatar is a nation that is committed to
develop the field of sports and at ABA Group we
fully support this nation’s ambitions and goals. By
participating in sports and encouraging it we are
making a positive statement and telling our
community that we uphold the value of
sportsmanship and believe in taking time off to
participate in sports.
The organizers of the Ali Bin Ali Group Olympic
day ensured a fun-filled programme for the staff
members and their families by delivering an
event that was enjoyed by all. The planned
events encompassed activities for all age groups
and included community games, children’s
games and family competitions. For those with
a more serious interest in sport the Group had
organized Shot Putt, Long jump and an Open
Marathon.
Mr. Iftekhar Ahmed, Chief Financial Officer of the
Group started off the day with an Opening
Speech welcoming everyone and declaring the
games open. The official opening of the Olympic
Day was followed by an attractive parade by all
participating Divisions within the Group who
were joined by the winners of the 2011 games.
Ali Bin Ali Group’s Olympic Day drew together
staff members from all divisions belonging to the
Group, giving them an opportunity to mingle with
each other. The event drew close to 1200 staff
members along with their families. To add further
excitement to the day’s proceedings divisions
within the Group had put together a series of
valuable give-aways and gifts to all the
participants, which were distributed during
various stages of the event.
There were special prizes for “early-birds” who
were the first to arrive in form of souvenirs,
shopping vouchers worth QR.2000 for those who
participated in fancy dress contests. In addition
all winners of sports events received gold, silver
and bronze medals. One of the most popular
events turned out to be a 200 participant strong
tug-o-war, which received enthusiastic cheers
from the crowd. Snacks and refreshments were
made available at the venue for guests and
participants.
The prizes for various sporting events were given
away by Mr. Iftekhar Ahmad - Group Chief
Financial Officer Mr. Wadih Kazan- General
Manager ABAP, Mr. Ganesh P.K – Group General
Manager Finance, Mr. Waqas Hussain Sr. General
Manager HR & Admin, Mr. Sampath Balaji -
General Manager - Finance FMCG, Mr. Adnan
Suleiman - Group General Manager Internal
Audit, Mr. Pierre Michel Eckert - General Manager
Business Development, Mr. Antone Cherfan General Manager ABA Printing Press, Mr. Imad
Hashim - Group Corporate Communications
Manager, Mr. Jon Mayson - General Manager ABA
Logistics, Mr. Andrea Giannini - Restaurant
Manager Sormani, Mr. Christian Kestemont General Manager Monoprix and Mr. Youssef
Moussa - General Manager IT.
Mr. Mohammed Imran - Division Manager ABAP
proposed the vote of thanks. The day’s activities
drew to a close with a celebratory dinner.
The Dot wishes to congratulate the organizers
and winners and thank all volunteers for
making this historic event a successful one.
8
9
it
it
Happened
Happened
Ali Bin Ali Watches & Jewelry
picked as RJ-Romain Jerome
distibutor for Qatar & Saudi Arabia
Ali Bin Ali Watches and Jewelry
has been handpicked by world
renown watchmaker RJ-Romain
Jerome, as a regional distributor
for the iconic brand, covering Qatar
and the Saudi Arabian market. The
Ali Bin Ali Group’s Luxury and
Fashion stream is very pleased to
add RJ-Romain Jerome to our
growing list of glamorous
international brands. RJ-Romain
Jerome, the Swiss luxury watch
company has been seeking to
build high-end partnerships in the
Middle East region. With Ali Bin Ali
Watches & Jewelry steadily
strengthening our reputation as a
strong partner in the luxury
market, and proving our capability
by expanding its presence in Qatar
and Saudi Arabia in the recent
years, the selection was made
easier for RJ-Romain Jerome.
5th April
Ali Bin Ali International
Agencies is bronze
sponsor for Hariharan
live concert in Doha
Ali Bin Ali Group’s International Agencies
was happy to come forward as a Bronze
Sponsor for a live concert featuring
famous Indian artist Padma Sri Hariharan.
The musical extravaganza offered Doha
audiences an opportunity to enjoy the
well-known Indian singer and Ghazal
Maestro. Hariharan has sung for Hindi,
Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi,
Bhojpuri and Telugu films, in his genre as
a Ghazal singer. Hariharan is one of the
pioneers of Indian Fusion Music. The
concert took place on the 5th of April at
the old Ideal Indian School premises. An
audience exceeding thousand fans
attended the event, which happened to
be the singer’s first outdoor concert in
Qatar.
Ali Bin Ali Group’s International Agencies
was happy to be associated with this
cultural event and supported the event as
a Bronze Sponsor. A company
spokesperson confirmed that International
Agencies is an organization that is deeply
committed to upholding community
initiatives and considers music and
cultural events as a platform that brings
people together.
10
Commenting on the valued
partnership a spokes person from
Ali Bin Ali Watches & Jewelry said
“We are delighted with this
development. Our organization is
known for being a company that
values partnerships and we
consider our association with RJRomain Jerome as a significant
milestone in our quest to become
a leader in the Watches & Jewelry
market of the Middle East. “ With
outlets based in Royal Plaza and
City Center Mall in Doha, Ali Bin Ali
Watches & Jewelry hosts
collections that are unique in
design and undeniably desirable in
appeal. Ali Bin Ali Watches &
Jewelry stores carry fine Jewelry
and Timepieces, which are
symbolic of style, status and
sophistication and all outlets are
staffed by an experienced team of
staff members who anticipate
client requirements and advise
them on the perfect purchase.
Ali Bin Ali
International
Agencies consumer
agency wins
excellence award
Ali Bin Ali Group’s International
20th March
Agencies Consumer Agency was
honored to receive the Best Distributor
Award for the year 2012 at the EVX
Convention. IA’s Consumer Agency was
honored in the presence of 120 attendees
especially proud to be recognized for its
from 28 countries who represented all
representation of DANONE since the
distributors worldwide.
partnership was highlighted as a role model
for highly successful, winning relationships.
Speaking on the award a spokesperson from
International Agencies said that the
The EVX Convention took pace on the 20th
recognition cements Ali Bin Ali Group’s vision
March 2012 at Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
of being “Being the Partner of Choice.”
International Agencies was recognized and
Ali Bin Ali Group sponsors Ministry of
Interior 5th Football Cup Championship
Ali bin Ali Group was pleased
to sponsor the 5th edition of
the Ministry of Interior’s
Football Cup Championship
organized by the Qatar Police
Sports Federation. The final
30th March
match was held on March 30,
2012 from 5pm onwards at
Jassim Bin Hamad stadium at Al
also handed over the
Sadd Sports Club and was
champion’s trophy to the
attended by staff of respective
winner “Lekhwiya club” which
organizations, supporters,
retained its champion’s title by
families and friends. The
defeating Criminal Evidence
honorable minister of internal
Department.
affairs, His Highness Sheikh
The finals turned out to be a
Abdulla Bin Nasser Al Thani
major delight for the visitors
extended his full support
with more than 400 prizes
throughout the evening with
distributed among the public.
other important dignitaries. He
Ali Bin Ali Group companies like
Nestle Toll House Café,
Crepaway, Fauchon, iSpot,
Digitek, ABA Watches & Jewelry
and ABA Travel & Cargo alone
sponsored 100 prizes that were
given away during that
evening. Earlier, the audiences
were treated to a spectacular
police music show and police
canine show.
Ali Bin Ali Group was very much
pleased to be a part of this
championship as it reflects our
belief of making sports and
sporting activities a very
integral part of our society. We
would like to offer the Qatar
Police Sports Federation,
winners and the participants
our hearty congratulations!
Lunch
with the
COO
Most companies with heavy
work schedules and large
numbers of staff members, have
highly busy Chief Operating
Officers, whom the staff hardly
see, let alone mix with. Not so
at Ali Bin Ali FMCG! Under the
leadership of Nabil Mourad, COO
FMCG, the division has launched
an imaginative and
commendable initiative titled
“Lunch with the COO.”
As a first of its kind initiative Mr. Nabil Mourad
has chosen to spend quality time with his team
from the different FMCG sectors covering
International Agencies, Prime Consumer
Products, Qatar Quality Products, Ali Bin Ali &
Partners and Logistics, devoting time for a sit
down lunch with them, in order to get to know
them better.
25th April
17th April
15th February
Mourad said “ With the fast pace of
day to day activities and the
tremendous responsibilities that
come with the job, it is virtually
impossible for a COO to find time to
spend with the entire staff. I believe 29th
February
in the adage that “when you can’t
find time, you have to make
time,” so that’s why we
launched this initiative. So
far we have held a few
rounds of the programme
at W Hotel Doha and they
have been just great. I have
really enjoyed sitting down
with my people and getting
to know them better. This
initiative helps us become
6th March
better communicators and it
gives my people
the opportunity to
come up with their own ideas
and suggestions for the
business. More than anything
it reinforces the fact that we
are a team and each and
everyone of us is a valued
member of that team. In
20th March
addition, It helps us to learn
from each other. So the
“Lunch with the COO”
programme is a pretty
special event for us.”
One of the staff who
has participated in this
initiative said “ I was
surprised and
delighted to be part 27th March
il
10th Apr
“Lunch with the COO” has been
designed in such a way that it allows
10 staff members at a time, chosen
3 rd April
across the board, irrespective of their
designations, who will be hosted to
lunch. The programme will take place
once every week enabling the entire staff
of our
contingent to get an opportunity to spend a
“Lunch with the COO”
relaxed few hours in the company of their Head.
programme. It was a wonderful time for me and
Commenting on the unique initiative Mr. Nabil
some of my colleagues, to sit down with Mr.
Nabil Mourad. The atmosphere was relaxed, we
got to know each other face to face. That kind of
environment brings out the best kind of
communication between leaders and teams. We
were able to share our thoughts and ideas with
our COO and he in turn was able to share his.
The time spent was priceless for us. We felt that
we are important for the company”
“Lunch with the COO” will continue throughout
the rest of the year and into the next till each
and every member of staff working with Ali Bin
Ali FMCG has had an opportunity to be part of
the programme.
11
IT
Finance
ERP Demonstration
Centralized Storage
Solution
Business Data is the
lifeblood of any
organization which
helps to drive the
business today and
in future. Therefore
it is very important
to backup the user’s
data regularly in
order to protect the
information.
ABA IT Division successfully
implemented Centralized storage
solution for Desktop and Laptop users
for two divisions - ABA Head Office
and QQP.
Centralized storage helps the users to
restore any business files, which they
might accidently delete from the
Desktop/Laptop or incase their
system crashes. Centralized storage
solution will backup all the files in
the "Desktop and My Documents"
folder's.
This solution will be implemented in
all the other divisions which has the
DFS server. IT will start rolling out this
solution to other ABA Divisions
shortly.
ABA IT division organized a
demonstration of two major
ERP solutions SAP and Oracle
eBusiness suite for ABA group
users in January 2012.
One of the major highlights
of IT strategy 2011-2013 is
the introduction of modern
systems for ABA
Management and users,
based on best breed
platform, to provide the
functionality, resilience and
reliability that ABA group
requires. These
demonstrations were
conducted as a part of
evaluation process for
introducing an ERP solution to
ABA Group.
Two of the most prevailing
and internationally endorsed
ERP applications available in
the market are Oracle EBusiness suite and SAP.
Enterprise Resource Planning
(ERP) systems are very
important to run business in a
most efficient and effective
manner in this fast moving
information age. Countless
processes, activities, and
systems are used to run the
business, and it is important
Centralize Storage Benefit/feature includes
1- Synchronize(backup)
desktops/laptops business
files to Centralize Storage.
2- Any business files
deleted from the Laptop
/Desktop can be restored.
3- Files can be restored on
the Laptop/Desktop from 3
backup revisions.
12
4- Schedule backups to run
automatically.
5- Backup will initiate once
desktop/laptop connected
with Network.
6- Backup data is encrypted
for security reasons.
to establish workflows and
procedures.
A modern ERP solution allow
companies to achieve true
business process automation
– streamlining many of the
important day-to-day tasks
across a business and freeing
up staff to focus their efforts
on more complex initiatives.
This will not only boost
productivity and worker’s
output, but also it will
dramatically reduce operating
cost and overhead expenses.
These two applications SAP
and Oracle EBusiness suite
have unmatched records over
other ERPs and offer industryspecific functionalities in all
industries.
The event was conducted at
Gulf Marriot Hotel, Doha and
the participation from ABA
division was exceptional.
Senior Management
including General Managers,
Finance Heads, Sales
Managers, Procurement
Managers, Account Managers
and Key users from all ABA
Divisions participated in these
demonstrations and provided
their feedback.
FINANCE
SHARED
SERVICES
Shared Services is a
business strategy
for improving
efficiency of the
service functions
(e.g. finance,
human resources,
information
technology,
communications,
purchasing and
program support).
The intent of
Shared Services is
to attain certain
economies of scale
in the delivery of
services, resulting
in more efficient
use of resources,
improved structure
and greater
satisfaction among
the members.
Ali Bin Ali Group has embarked
on the journey of Shared Services
in April – 2011 through a pilot
project in FMCG. Mr. Iftekhar
Ahmad, Chief Financial Officer of
Ali Bin Ali Group, realized the
opportunity of a Shared Services
in ABA group given the structure
of the organization. Once the
concept was blessed by Mr.
Nabeel Ali Bin Ali, the senior
Finance Team at ABA started the
planning phase and decided to
start with a Pilot project within
ABA FMCG Finance stream.
An FMCG concept team was
formed under the leadership of
Mr. Sampath Balaji, GM- Finance
of ABA – FMCG group and
comprising the FM’s of FMCG
divisions and the Group Credit
controller. The project started
with the Receivable
Management functions across
four divisions of FMCG business
being brought under the Shared
Services umbrella.
With the initial hiccups during
the early stages of
implementation, the Shared
Service Team led by Mr. Sukanta
has successfully overcome the
teething troubles and reaped
major benefits of the concept.
Currently the team is working to
bring Fixed Assets Management
and Payroll processing in FMCG
level under the umbrella of
Shared Services.
the best practices in the industry
and also to enhance the service
level standards to be delivered to
the customers.
With the support of all business
divisions and inputs from
managers across Ali Bin Ali
Group, the strategy is to bring in
all non core functions of ABA
group under Shared Services
umbrella. In the years to come,
Mr. Iftekhar is confident to take
the ABA shared services to a
level where ABA group will offer
shared services to the third
parties in Qatar and emerge as
an independent profit centre of
ABA group
An outside consultant was
engaged to train the staff to
ensure that the team is following
13
Opinion
“Get rid of Racism. Solve
money problems, so
everyone could live
comfortable. Stop bullies,
save the innocent.”
“To help the Palestinian
people to return to their
home country and live in
peace like other people
in the world. ”
“If I get a chance to change one
thing in the world, that would be:
"WORLD HUNGER": Unlike famines
that receive emergency-aid, chronic
hunger is a silent, invisible and is a
day-after-day issue. Not every poor
person is hungry, but almost all
hungry people are poor. ”
Ms. Daisy Fuentes
Secretary, Ali Bin Ali Hospitality Division
Mr. Anu Mohammed
Trade Marketing Supervisor
Ali Bin ALi & Partners
Mr. Moussa Bahsous
Immigration Service Manager
Administration, Head Office
“I will pull out the sense
of aggression and hatred
from the hearts of people
to live in peace and love
what a wonderful world
this would be. I know it is
just a dream, but why?”
if you can
change
one thing in the world
what would it be?
“I would like the world to
be an equal place with no
discrimination because of
gender, race or age…. ”
“If I have the power to
change one thing in the
world; I would have a
deeper desire that my Mom
will still be alive to have a
last conversation with her.”
Ms. Catrine Sutter
Senior Account Manager
Ali Bin Ali Technology Solutions
“To bring simplicity in
everyone’s life”
14
Ms. Saoussen Chanbeh
GM’s Personal Assistant
Ali Bin Ali Medical
“ I would create a world, where
sun will shine all the time, where
people will love each other, with
food for everyone without war
and aggression. In one word:
opposite of what happens today!
”
Mr. Christian Kestmont
General Manager
Monoprix
“Religion has ca
used more bloo
dshed &
misery in this w
orld than any ot
her single
thing. If I could
change one thin
g about
the world, it wou
ld be that we al
l agree
on how/why w
e are here. Whe
ther we all
agree on one re
ligion worldwid
e or on
one evolution as
an answer- I do
n't care.
Just as long as
we agree on SO
METHING..
Then there wou
ld be no reason
to fight
about it anymor
e.”
Ms. Yvette S Fernandes
Office Administrator
International Agencies
Mr. Justin E. J
Accountant
Ali Bin Ali Beverages
Mr. Claude Accary
Outdoor Sales Manager
Ali Bin Ali Luxury Division
“I would like to change the
"FAKE SHADOWS OF THE REAL
PEOPLE"”
Mr. Mahmoud Khan
Senior Accountant
Ali Bin Ali Logistics
Ms. Nimfa Flores
Supply Chain Officer
Qatar Quality Products
the
ge one thing in
“If I had to chan
in
r
ne
an
be the m
world it would
een
tw
be
es
at
discrimin
y
et
ci
so
ch
hi
w
on their color,
people based
ligion,
nationalities, re
list is
e
th
.…
disabilities.
e way you
th
,
le
op
pe
t
endless!!”Trea
you”
ve them, treat
would like to ha
er
tt
be
a
be
would
and the world
”
in
place to live
“To eliminate inequality
of human being by Class,
by Religion and even by
Nationality.”
Mr. Shahid Rasheed
Manager
Ali Bin Ali Travel & Cargo.
“Since change brings
opportunity . . .I think
changing our own life
will change the world
because we should start
with ourselves to make
the new things happen”
Mr. Denny’s Varghese
Art Director
Ali Bin Ali Printing Press
“To have one
language in the
world to avoid
communication
barrier.”
Mr. Christian De Jesus
Engineer
Ali Bin Ali Property Management
15
Management
Contribution
a concrete Goal or ambition you
may call. We normally think in
terms of fear. What if I am not able
to do this? Even if I do this task will I
be successful? These kinds of
uncertain thoughts of fear drain our
motivation.
The first step for killing this thought
is, instead of using your energy
towards negative thinking, use that
on a well defined GOAL. By having
a “DEFINED GOAL” your mind will
automatically devise a set of
actions to achieve that. The process
is moving from an INTANGIBLE OR
NON-EXISTENT FEAR to a CONCRETE
AND MEASURABLE STEPS.
By focusing your mind on a
positive goal instead of an
ambiguous fear, you put your
brain to work. It instantly
begins devising a plan for
success. This is the first step in
motivating yourself to take
action. When know what
you want, you become
motivated to take
action.
“Enthusiasm is an excitement with
inspiration, MOTIVATION and a pinch of
Creativity” as quoted by a famous American
author Bo Bennett has very well focused on
this term “Motivation” and have presented
various successful seminars as well as have
written series of successful editions on
“MOTIVATION AND SUCCESS.
We all must have heard about
motivation especially in the
context of expressing your
dissatisfaction or frustration at
your work place when you are
not praised for your splendid job
done; at that time, only one
sentence comes out of your
mouth is “This is very demotivating and you don’t like
to work as your boss praised
somebody who did not
deserve according to
you. This same phrase is
repeated everywhere in
different places,
situations. The bottom
line is that we always expect
others to motivate us to do the
work that we are either supposed
to do as our responsibility or out of
our own interest. Most of our tasks
that we do, at our subconscious
level, we expect the people
around us to praise and give us
the so called motivation to
increase our enthusiasm.
But my question is what about
your own self? Do you motivate
yourself at the first place to do
any given task? Isn’t a law of
nature that you can get the best
results of any given task provided
you ENJOY DOING THAT. When you
love and adore what you do, that is
the best source of inspiration
leading you to discover your inner
self i.e. it will be making you the
PERSON YOU ARE MEANT TO BE.
We all know about this but do we
realize and implement it? The
answer would be NO. Why do
people lose motivation? There are
three basic factors :
(1) Lack of Confidence – If you
don’t believe in what you are
doing, then what is the point in
trying?
(2) Lack of Focus – If you are not
clear about what you want, which
means it is a doubt you really want
anything?
16
Tips
SELF
MAN
AGE
MENT
for
DEVELOPING
DIRECTION
Self
Motivation
Mahalakshmi R
Media & Publishing Division
Where self meets the identity
(3)Lack of Direction – If you don’t
know what to do? How will you be
motivated to do it?
HOW TO MOTIVATE
YOUR OWN SELF?
BOOST SELF CONFIDENCE
When you only think what you
want, your mind creates
explanations for why you are not
getting it. This creates negative
thoughts. Past failures, bad breaks
and personal weaknesses
dominate your mind. You become
jealous of people around you, and
start giving excuses to yourself for
not getting what you actually
desired. The best motivational
thought to kill this negative feeling
is to boost your self confidence.
Set aside time to focus on
everything positive in your life.
Make a MIND MAP of all your
strengths and your past successes
and the current advantages.
By making an effort to feel grateful,
you’ll realize how competent and
successful you already are. This will
rejuvenate your confidence and get
you motivated to build on your
current success.
DEVELOPING THE FOCUS
In today’s fast paced world, with
high tech environment, people
generally now focus on what they
don’t want rather than focusing on
If focus means
having an ultimate
goal, direction is
having a day-to-day
strategy to achieve it. A Lack
of Direction kills motivation
because without an obvious next
action, we would be leading
towards procrastination.
The key to finding direction is
identifying the activities that
lead to success. For every goal,
there are activities that pay off
and those that don’t. Make a list
of all your activities and arrange
them based on results. Devise
an action plan that focuses on the
activities that lead to big returns.
Keeping track of your most
important tasks will direct your
energy towards success.
Occasional Failure, Bad luck, low
energy are the factors that are
unavoidable in any one’s life. If you
don’t discipline your mind, these
can turn into mental monsters.
So safeguard yourself against the
top 3 motivation killers so that you
can preserve your motivation and
move towards success path.
Like for any Scientist, INNOVATION
is the key to his experiments,
similarly Confidence is the KEY to
keeping motivated YOUR OWN SELF.
12 RULES
Management is not just for
managers, just as leadership is
not just for leaders…
“Self Management is the
ability to make wise choices
to achieve a Fruitful & Joyous
Life.” You are responsible for
Here is a list of things that help you in self
management which will in turn lead you
to the path of success: -
1. Live by your values, whatever they
are. You confuse people when you don’t,
because they can’t predict how you’ll
behave.
2. Speak up! No one can “hear” what
you’re thinking without you be willing to
stand up for it. Mind-reading is something
most people can’t do.
8. Be interesting. Read voraciously, and
listen to learn, then teach and share
everything you know. No one owes you
their attention; you have to earn it and
keep attracting it.
9. Be nice. Be courteous, polite and
respectful. Be considerate.
10. Be self-disciplined. That’s what
adults are supposed to “grow up” to be.
11. Don’t be a victim or a martyr.
3. Honor your own good word, and
keep the promises you make. If not,
You always have a choice, so don’t shy
from it: Choose and choose without
regret. Look forward and be enthusiastic.
people eventually stop believing most of
what you say, and your words will no
longer work for you.
12. Keep healthy and take care of
yourself. Exercise your mind, body and
total responsibility for
4. When you ask for more
spirit so you can be someone people
count on.
yourself. If you do not
responsibility, expect to be held fully
accountable.
everything that happens in
your life. Learn to accept
manage yourself, then you
5. Don’t expect people to trust you
are letting others have control
if you aren’t willing to be trustworthy for
them first and foremost. Trust is an
outcome of fulfilled expectations.
of your Life. These tips will
help "you" manage "you."
6. Be more productive by creating
good habits and rejecting bad ones.
Managers will tell you that they don’t
really need to manage people who
live by these rules; instead, they can
devote their attentions to managing
the businesses in which they all
thrive. Chances are it will also be a
place where great leaders are found.
7. Have a good work ethic, for it
seems to be getting rare today. Be actionoriented. Seek to make things work.
17
Green
d t
matter. Potential balcony
gardeners should always check
their allowable weight restrictions
as a safety precaution.
6. Sunlight and water: Adequate
sunlight and water is important
for the growth of plants. Ensure
are grown in containers of various
size and shapes. If your ceiling
can support weight of your basket
or container, you can try hanging
basket for your balcony garden.
4. Number of plants: If you are a
beginner in balcony gardening, it
is better to limit the number of
plants in your garden. Success of
your balcony garden depends on
your planning and time you
spend with your plants or in your
garden. Since you only have a
small area to work with, you
Plants for your Balcony Garden
that your balcony gets adequate
sunlight and water your plants at
regular interval. Ensure that water
from your plant does not drain to
your neighbor’s house.
• Annuals: Annuals are also
known as seasonal flowering
plants which flower only for three
to four months. They are normally
grown through seeds. The perfect
choice for growing in containers,
annuals work well either alone or
in combined planting. Window
boxes are designed for annuals.
need to be space conscious.
Gardening
small places
in
Gardening is a hobby that can help bring you
close to the nature. The word garden often
brings to mind the picture of trees, shade
and beautiful flowers. However, today cities
are growing fast and space around us is
decreasing. You may be someone who loves
gardens but finds yourself living in an
apartment. Yet your fondness for growing
things and enjoying gardening might still
remain. One suggestion for you would be to
try balcony gardening. That is something
that best suits your lifestyle and allows
gardening in the limited space of your
apartment.. Gardening in a small space has
its limits, but it need not be limiting. In a
small garden, the gardener can pay
attention to detail.
18
Things required for
Effective Balcony
Gardening
2. Research or knowledge:
Before you start your balcony
garden, you need to make good
research about your plants and
know the things required for your
plants such as how often you
need to water your plants,
whether plants need sunlight or
plants prefer shade. Vertical
Gardening is also well suit for
gardening in a limited space.
3. Container: Balcony garden is
also known as container garden
because plants in balcony garden
5. Potting Soil: Most local garden
centers will offer packaged
potting soils that are ideal for
containers, the key is to ensure
the mix is not too high in organic
Small Balcony Garden Maintenance Tips
• Container gardening is the
best option available for those
who want to have a house
garden in a small balcony.
• If your balcony garden is located
in a windy position, then use
terracotta pots to grow your
plants.
• It is better if you grow plants
that will bear the hot sun.
1. Planning: Planning is first and
important thing you need to
consider before starting your
balcony garden. There are
number of plants available in
your neighborhood or nursery for
your balcony garden. Before you
start your balcony garden, make
sure your building management
allows you balcony garden. Safety
is important for balcony garden.
Ensure that your balcony can
handle weight of your plants or
garden.
• If you are growing creepers and
plants like jasmine, let them fall
on your balcony walls so that
they will consume very less
space in your balcony.
• Do not grow tall and big featured
plants in small balconies as they
will consume more space.
• Get potting soil for your balcony
gardens from the nearest nursery
and ensure that the potting soil
is well balanced with organic
mixtures.
• Grandiflora petunias:
Grandiflora petunias, graced by
big, bright flowers, or compact
salvias with red blossoms on
strong, stocky spikes. Petunias are
annual flowering plants, native to
Argentina. Within the petunia
family is great variety: single and
double blooms, ruffled or smooth
petals, striped, veined or solid
colors, mounding and cascading
habits and even some fragrance.
These seasonal flowering plants
flower only in the second year of
planting.
• Shade loving plants:
Experiment with shade lovers
including climbing or trailing ivies
like impatiens or browallia to
brighten sheltered areas. Shady
places that provide cool,
refreshing of beauty during
summer heat also can contribute
color and interest to the
landscape throughout the growing
season. In light shade you might
even be able to grow a few herbs
or leafy vegetables.
• Biennial: A plant that takes two
years to grow from seed to
fruition, bloom and die or a plant
that lasts two years is a biennial.
• Do not place the balcony plants
closer to each other, as it will
give a cluttered look to your
small balcony and will also affect
the growth of the plants.
• When you grow container
plants in your balcony, ensure
that you water them regularly
as they will dry out quickly.
Plants can dramatically change
the way your balcony looks
and feels. Countless apartment
dwellers enjoy the pleasures
and relaxation of creating and
tending to a balcony garden.
With the addition of floral
color, a balcony becomes an
entertainment center just right
for relaxing. Balconies even
offer the opportunity for food
production, with flowering
fruit trees and containergrown herbs and vegetables.
19
Mohi
K. John; Md
ar; Mathew
; Md
in
aa
sa
ird
;
M
ry
b
Ali Elzouh
hul; Md Raki
ed
m
Ru
n
Ah
athil
di
an
ad
Ud
M
Abdelrahm
omy; Abdul
Meerannan
fiul Alam;
amad
Mohamed Ro
Sa
if
oh
th
M
;
La
d
l
na
ee
du
Ra
sh
Ab
Ra
in Bahadur
kau; Abdul
ed Ahmed
n Haris; M
Rahman Ka
Saif; Abhija
zouni; Moham an; Mom
Ar
hi
ef
lra
ay
du
N
m
Os
ad
m
el
br
Ah
Ithroo; Ab
;
an
m
Mohamed Ge
hel M.Adlaw
ohamed Haze
Abdel- Aly;
M
Nepali; Adm
.;
M
dy
m
el
fe
Ha
Ha
ed
ed
m
m
Ah
ha
Baradai;
exi Jbran
tha Sisira; Al
Moayel;
. Thasleen;
moneim; Ajan
i Bitaraf; N
Al
;
ra
er
qu
ed Irshad M
Se
ed
am
P.
s
oh
am
xi
M
oh
le
M
;A
h;
ad
i;
Hadd
rik Sing
eer Kach
alal Lucas; Am
hamed Mah
ed Rami;
am
Al
oh
M
ra
Amith Prem
Ka
k;
th M.Zaroo
Sinio; Angela
ed Rauff Momar Nasha
Amy Bulacso
r Ali; Moham
tino; Anil Ku
ba
us
Ak
Fa
Aahed Bassam Kadourah;
n
la
H.
ed Riyas
n
Angely
Abdalla El Mougy Sherif;
M.Macarato;
irose; Moham
Abdul Khalique Hason
ath; Armando Ruwan Ku- hamed Fa
ed Riyas
am
uvalFais
oh
er
Ali; Abdul Rhman Wa
M
Ch
a M.S
am
un;a
een
led Mohammed
Hameed;
a; Ar
Soukieh; Abdul Sathar
l
du
du
Pa
Ab
n
Safi; Moaa
if
k
Al
Aq
e
ho
Abdul Caffor; Abhilas
Arni
h Magdy
a U.Geda; As
i; Mohammad
Balakrishnan; Adel Ma
ad Shah
m
- M.Buhar
Aruna Shanth
hmoud Abd-Elati; Adr
am
Ku
a;
oh
ar
pa
M
m
sh
;
Pu
ah
ian M.Mahmud;
Santamaria Comia; Ahm
mmad Hasn
anan; Athula
in Faiz;
ha
ay
dd
ar
N
;
ad Hummada Alsaid
bu
ky
ar
tu
m
Ku
aw
Ku
; Mohammed Nur
Ahmad Ziad Sabri; Ahm
Ahmed Sh
Mohammed
n;
an
ha
ujundi;
m
Ja
ed Abdelmonem Mashh
Ay
Ab
r
mara;
out; Uddin Md.A.Motin
Bakhta Za
i Hassan
Ahmed Bin Mohamed
;
ostafa
Nagarasan;
Mohanad Al
Trabelsi; Ahmed Khaled
M
;
an
;
dy
pp
as
ag
ya
M
om
Ay
Th
an
Drkznli; Alaa Shaker Alra
Mohammed Risve
tafa A .Rahm
ju K.; Biju
es; Ali Bin Mohsin Babsail
os
Bi
ostafa
M
M
l;
;
Gu
eh
Al
al
a
d
Maj
; Noor Mohammed;
Amith Niroshan Pathira
Mostafa El M
n
Bilal Mahmou
ei
;
ja; Ananda Bandara
ss
ehat;
ar
m
Sh
Hu
Ku
et
K.; Mohannad
Bikram
Anishkumar V.T; Annalyn
dur Rana;
Moussa Thab
Mhd
S.Manansala; Anwar Gad
awi; Bir Baha
athu;
.M.Hashem;
nd
M
ak
al
ha
N
n
Al
j
so
lim
es
ee
Hakim; Ariane G.Velasco
Maher Al Churbaji;
sa
Mahat; Bl
mad Sham
; Ariel A.Gonzales; Aru
am
ur
ffar;
uh
hd
ha
M
lg
Ba
du
na
e;
Indika Eramda; Asad
Mounir Halim Wahib;
Bishnu
Arshad Ab
P.A .Arachchig
Saleem; Ashraf Hassan
Muhammed
w; Chamila
er
Ibrahim; Asid Ali
Moussa Latif Bahsous;
he
ph
at
to
M
ris
Arshad; Ayat Ahm
Toubaji;
a B.Abasin; Ch
ed Moussin Moulay
Appuwage;
Abdelmoneim Salama;
ar; Naji Jean
Chandrasekar
Jaffar
Ayman Fouad Mawad;
ra Wasam
ie Ramos Ob
ka
nn
bu
Co
Ayttu Essadiq; Mu
am
y;
N
an
masiri T.P;
Meethal Pocker; Balwin
hammad
Masalam
Arun D
ar; Neel Path
der Kumar; Basil Cad
lomo; Daniel
ir Saeed
Narinder Kum
Pa
Akbar; Baskar Krishna
ikara MaD.
nh
m
y
oo
ha
is
N
rg
Raz
Da
;
swamy; Bassem Ahmed
a
Mani Nepal
Varghese; De
O.
M. Muhammad
ra
i
et
Shahin; Beti Alapulova
nn
N
De
r
;
a.
Qamer
Souz
; Bhim Bahadur Khamc
Bahadu
ha; Raza;
kood; Dhaka
Bishnu Raj Thapamaga
; P.O.
jeed;
Mujeeb
r; Bobby Thomas; Car
Bacher Al La
P K Noushad
Donnie V.
;
lo
til
as
ine Thuruthiyil; Muthu
.C
N
Sami Abou Jaoude; Cha
Haji
Jr
our Rassoul;
io
za
N
is
m
on
Ha
kumar
Di
Ed
.
i;
mika Thilina Kahavitag
s;
P.V
Ra
e; Paulpandi; Nabil
eethal Abba
d Rahman;
Christian Francois Kestem
M
ee
i
am;
sh
ad
Al
Ra
Ed
a
;
ez
You
la
C.
ssef
ont; Christopher Sanjee
Gabrio
Telles; Praw
wa Chamas; Naresh
ndval; Edwin
Fernando; Cyril G. Enrile;
; Rajith
Nasar; Peter
an
Kumar
Emerson Sa
oh
Darwin Dave D. Streega
odo
M
am
ar
d
dr
w
ye
n; Mamnani; Naser
Dilup Chamara Senara
ruban Chan
l
Varghese; Elsa
Saber
th; Divakaran Thamp
d; Pushpa
Ansari Esmai
Ileto; Eldho T.
an; Fahmy; Nasir Tan
Duminda De Silva L.Badu
di Walid Hadi
y; Rasheed
Fa
er
;
b;
ch
ta
an
at
lin
a Aming;
hn
is
Kh
Pu
i
; Duminda Sujeewa; Dur
kr
hamed Al
Tarboush;
ga Nellikkantavida
ju P.Radha
Bahadur Paudel; Dylene
; Fathi Omar
Abdulla;
arafy;
ohamed; Re
er
S. Grijalde; Ehab M.K. D.A
M
Sh
de
El
Qa
P;
ed
d
K.
ha
am
n
Fa
l Nestor Jr C. Fortun
hara
Lefdawi; Emad Rasmy
m Rezk Moh
no; Nisam
soor; Gangad
Bebawy; Essam Said
n Rezk Nai
hie Santos Sa
Fawzar Man
Mahmoud Aly Elnashar;
K.
Kunhammad;
ruz; Ghassa
P.C
M.Anifa; Ritc
n
Nisar
sa
Fadi Abou Haider; Fah
on
m
m
; RodeRi
ag
an
w
am
rard Ar
Li
d Mohammad Haz
oh
o
Ge
Mohamed Kobisy; Flor
m
al
rat Khan;
entino Ramos Occasio
ito
Roberto Man
i Mahmoud Al
n; Nishantha Kumara
anka tos;
pkota; Romel
Glenda Arma Mendoza;
W.Debss; Ghaz
W.; Nishil
es; Rojan Sa
ma; H.Jayash
in
Glenn Garbo Gerebese;
La
a;
ill
P.G
ng
n
ad
ly
sa
br
al
Li
Golam Rahman Hossain
P.K; Nurshed Alam;
mad; Gy
air Awad;
o Atinta
; Gregory Diogo Lob
P.K.
Cao;
ira; Harby Kh
.Loto; Rosalit
L.
re
M
a
Pe
en
o; Ganesh;
w
an
ka
Gurcharan Singh Saw
Ro
ss
es
;
Ha
Ud
Pattathil
an;
Saidu
aran; Hamdy Ahm
dao Ewican
l Shafy Hass
ed Mohamed Shajiha
Mahmoud Hefny; Hermin
t; Roselle Ya ; Sali Kadampanattu
Hassan Abde
n; Prajay Lal
in Win Than
gildo Jr Torres; Hosam
am
He
Im
h;
Ali
be
ba
Sa
El
Sa
Din Mahmoud; Htar Hta
Karn; Prasanna Priy
Musbah El
i Mohamad
Gotame;
r Khaing; Ibrahim Moham
ankara;
njit
a; Hom Nath
raman; Sam
ed Rajan Gurung;
az
Sa
va
Pl
Si
Salah; Ijas Ahmed Moham
i;
C.
t
ou
In
er
Al
rb
;
Ram Bahadur
lla
He
Samia
ed; Inoka Anumal K. De
l Zaher Abda
ameddine;
Silva; Ishak Anis Fahmi
Basnet; Ram Saroop;
it Singh;
Hussein Abde Irene Hardy Proud; Al
Ramesh
Fahim; Jabar Mohamed
ato; Sarabj
ah
M
ar
n;
Aitambava; Jane Martin
Yadav; Ramu Rana
m
Do
Ku
; Savio
an
P.
an
l
ay
asena U.K.
ai
ez; Jarvis James E.Vigil
ar
Magar;
dr
m
ia; Randie D. Macab
san V. N
ohamed; Is
Jemma M.Cruz; Jennife
ee
M
th
il
Sa
oufeeq;
m
Th
Ga
el
aba
le
ed
t; Ranicio
r C. Malimban; Jihad
Islam
Segu Aham
Abi Catap Esguerra;
Janaka N.; Ja
;
Antoun; Joao Eugeni
th
za
ga
ou
Ja
amsul
Ds
Sh
il;
Reda Samir
o Fernandes; John
Peedikay
d Ahmed;
a Perera;
Kim Mohamed; Rho
Bacusmd; John S. Oba
ariyo
ahid Rashee
naka Upendr
M
Ja
Sh
dora O.Verdico;
h;
an
r; Jonathan V. Cabatay;
at
Ja
eh
ak
y;
Sh
al
N
Jose Ricardo B. Bas;
Ariel Suapengco; Joselito
B. Chaudhar
har Meah;
a
Ez
ng
thil;
Ja
am
Richard Celis Pata;
;
na
Al
iz
Pu
lv
.
Ibanez Roa; Juanito Jr
n
Janet P.A
P. Rodolfo P. Siababa
lyn Monto
Sheheen M
Santamaria; Juliet J. Rob
; Ronald Z. Rosas;
ephen
Bosan; Jena
Shiwantha;
St
les; Julito Calimpong
am
ji
ld
Si
tn
ra
ra
Je
;
ya
;
K.
to
De Rowena M. Malon
Asis; Karim Adel Moham
ath Ali
ifer D. Pepi
zo; Roy Piniera
ed El Sayed; Karthick Sam
O. Shoukk
Sita Ram DhiDiocales; Jenn
y Cocjin; Sabri Roo
Samy; Keny Jacob Koshy;
rera; Jerico
Sirlal Tamang;
Pe
;
w
my Mohamed;
da
he
in
Khagendra Gurung; Kha
at
Sujith
M
am
lil Saifudheen K.Sula
Relph Ch
m; Joann
ar Pasman;
Samir Yassine; Khalil Ali
iman; Salahudin
Khalil Ibrahim; Kottara
an Muthulinga ; John tal; Sudish Kum
akkaith
zh
Jiv
Ki
a;
l
ist
ni
ut
th
Su
Ba
Manikandan; Krishnan
Kalis Suleik; Sameh Fath
ro Dominguez ph Priyankara K.;
Madhavan Nair K. Unn
i Mohamed
id
Said
Is
er
hn
m
Jo
Ta
a;
it; Bayoumi; Sandee
Kshetra Bahadur Rana;
Jose
S. Llev
Vasudevan;
p Kumar; Sanjaya
Lal Illeperuma Arachchig
B. Velasco;
mundakkal
ith; TheAj
l
se Nuwan Kaushalya;
yi
mirez; Jolly
Ya
Don; Lina M. Pan
ke
Al
al
ek
R.
m
Th
Ka
Sareena Firos;
aligan; Lorena C.R
Mustafa;
K. Espinosa;
oyo; Sasikanthan
ai Ahmed
Mahammadu Ajuwadu;
as Simon D'
Chacko; Julie
Thurai;
Mahmoud Shehata Arfa
Kanapathipill
Sasikumar
omson; Thom dakkedath
e;
Th
j
ag
ra
m
va
Ga
at;
S.
Mansoor Ali Syed; Ma
Amminikandy; Sellara
antha
anna; Va
Mohamed
Thnam Sellaiya;
rco Yabis Catenza; Ma
a; Upul Pras
jah; Khaled
Vener
rie Shamseena Azh
Antonette S.Dacquel;
Lama; souz
Navaratna Ra
ar Abdulla; Shamseer
eed Moidu;
aj
ar
Marife V. Buquel; Ma
M
m
l
Ku
lli
n
Va
ra
;
Ki
M.
hu
risa Muhamed; Sha
d;
ad
l
M
ye
Religioso Arcena; Mark
pa
Sa
go
El
Ar
msul Nazeer Ahmed
Venu
Taha
Oliver Sumaya; Mark Rya
bata;
; Kostadinka
ag
w
M
ia
so
in
n Gani; Shaukat
Ea
.
rg
M.Pascua; Md Monir Hos
y
Vi
M
tt
Ali Gulam Hussain;
Koshy Ku
sain Ullah; Md Saif Udd
eed; Kuro J. Seculles;
in Shenouda Gamal
h Abdul Maj
;W
dasan; Virgili
Md Uddin; Md Shams
ot
zo
va
Si
nn
en
m
Ku
;
;
In
Soli
an
ka
V.
ma
m
vs
uddin Late Abdus Sal
n; Shihabudheen
so
l Us
ddang; Vivian
am; V.P; Shyam Lal
Meethalay Rayaroth
hi; Kuttakethi
a M.Maqui
Dangi; Soosathasan
e; Wahiduzza
Moosa; Mir Ahamad
nia Capayand
fer; Madon
Zar Arulanantham;
tty Arachchg
au
N
ku
Mohammad; Mohamad
bu
m
ed
Walid
Se
;
am
zi
oh
;
Ga
Nabil Kh. Elagha; Moham
et
.M
Sris
s
ab
.M
kan
de
lh
M
dar
.A
ajah
okad
ed Thangavelautham
Abdus Samad Umar; Mo
Mahmoud F.M Mam- man Late M
; Subair Farook; Sudala
hamed Akhtar Mohideen
usarrat HusM.Castelvi;
i
il; Waqas M
; Kannu M.P.; Tawfik
Ahmed;
al
Mohamed Ali Abdel Ma
Kh
an
at
ad
af
m
Yamen
Ra
Abo
Ra
u Elazm Mohamed;
gied; Mohamed Ali Me
Maria
Mahrous
dur Chidi;
era Tha Cumpid Guinto
Mohideen; Mohamed Fird
Eldin Fouad;
; Yam Baha
med
in
; Thattantavida Mamm
al
Ah
sa
m
r
ous M. Jaseen; Moham
ki
Ga
Za
on
;
ys
uh
m
u;
do
ed Thelma P. Concep
Hassan Youssef; Mo
sa; Mario Ja
deen Nadee
Al
no
i
cion; Tirtha Kumar Majhi;
pi
oh
Es
hamed Ihsan M.Iqba
M
e
up
s
Guadal
l; Ummiye Pinar Ceb
uz; Marite
Mohamed Rifais A.M
eci; Vancho Grizhov;
arites D. Corp
; Mohamed Rizwan
Chougle
Baartman; M
M.Rasheed; Mohamed
Varatharasa
supil Dalit;
pa
Di
n
Kok
vi
ula
n;
ar
Tawfik Ahmed Daoud;
M
Vasanthakumar
e;
es
al
As
an
T. M
Mohamed Waseem
Mahendrarajah; Vas
i Moidu
u Vincent; Virgilio
M.H; Mohammad Miz
der; Mathand
an C.Castillo; Wael
Hossain; Moham
Mary Alexan
April
February
January
an Syed
d Kandil; Reda Zed
Lahru Mohame
;
ynaldo
hik
Re
Ars
;
d
an
me
ma
ha
Mark; Lafeer Mo
Elgamal; Reine Se
n Monteniero;
mout; Abdul Aziz
Lal Mohammad
Joh
am
h
R.;
.Sh
Ric
n
;
Y.A
cia
wa
lla
Pa
aru
da
g
nd
Ab
lan
Sa
R. Garcia;
Zar Khan; Lok Ga
dul Haleem Shah
hambey; Lala Jan
r A.Maandig;Riza
Bhati Fazal Kari ;Ab
an Kandi; Chars
l; Lovely Ricma
ey Cruz
att
sya
dn
Th
Ba
Ro
b
;
sad
see
sta
Ha
Pra
uti
l
Ba
Lok
Sial; Abdu
a; Rodelio V.
Abdul B. Rana;
ng
;
Su
mmel
a
ed
Ro
Liz
mm
na
o;
ha
uri
Jon
Mo
B.F
Rollie
Abdul Kareem
Jean B. Sugon; Ma
Ahmed; Ylagan;
an Alfonso;
dan
Abdulqader Abukar
All
i;
ma
nh
Ra
ld
Ku
na
M.
d
d
;Ro
ou
jee
an
hm
ab
Ma
Ma
ah; Manura A.C
nilo Librea
M.Salem Masoud;
raj Navaratnaraj
ld B.Babac; Ro
Isaak; Abdulrhman
kr Elgadi; Mano
abadage; Rona
Ba
ng
u
ez; Roogha
Ga
Ab
rtin
d
Ma
me
V.
Ah
ie
ga
Abu Bakr
rio Rabino; Ronn
Ma
med Ali Prasan
Ah
;
Bibawy;
in;
ito
Ag
hy
sse
Hu
Fat
d
any
Adel Mohame
Mariateresaaleth
. Ram; Roum
med Khaled Abo
Rudra Kumar
Atham Lebbe; Md
ok
is;
rzo
lw
Ma
T.A
es;
ira
un
Abdelghaffar; Ah
ch
Yo
ahidul Islam Ru
eed Johar;
d Fawzi Hussein;
u Hossan; Md.Sh
tha; Sadiq Baba; Sa
Dib;Ahmed Mohame
Kappani; Shres
d; Ahmed Mozn
as
ye
Chentouf;
Fir
Sa
d
d
id
Mh
Sa
me
d;
ha
shi
m;
Mo
Ra
ssa
Ahmed
mara Harun Nu
Miko Safaa Ra
Ku
;
kim
th
Sajed K.
Ha
Aji
m;
s;
wy
ha
na
ba
Ra
Be
Shabir M. Mu
Michel Rasmy
Saifullah Zadin
Al Amin Mahamud
lad Khalaf Kamel;
.Nurun Nabi;
Mi
Md
;
Go
leh
vid
Sa
Da
c
Salgama Hewage;
pi;
Ab
; Sameh
Amer Omar Eri
hamed Abdur
er Ali Kuzhiyanchery
habat Khan; Mo
Ulla Sheikh; Ala
Deleon; Ali Mo
Amlikhan; Same
Razzak;
la
d
l
dil
du
me
Pa
Ab
ha
a
ert
Mo
na
Alb
;
Sa
;
h;
ny
Alnatshe
Jr B. Rahim Ro
med Soliman Aly
o
ha
ad
Mo
;
Am
M.
ry;
M.
;
da
av
zar
Hasham Shau
Mohamed Fai
Sanjay Kumar Yad
.Zarandah; Amin
Muhimtule;
Mohamed Fawzy
Revilla; Amer .I.D
Fawas Mohamed;
Sarfaraz Ibrahim
d
s
ma
na
ha
Fir
Mo
d
me
ina
ha
Am
Velayuthar;
Mo
t;
;
ou
ed
ab
ay
n
Aln
da
Els
es
an
d
me
Georg
Hesham Sarvaan
Gamal; Anil Ah
in
d
eld
Shalik Ram
me
;
lah
ha
Sa
my
r
Mo
asa
Am
nd
Ka
sar;
Mansour;
Imran Sathees
; Antonio M.An
d
ros
me
ad
ha
r
Qu
Mo
du
ny
a;
ha
ad
tho
Ba
Varghese; An
Mohamed Zey
Dhungana; Shib
Arkash Tara Miah;
d Imran M.H;
en;
me
rde
ha
ha
Ba
Mo
y
;
ibl
im
Sh
ah
Jr San Luis Morales;
n;
Ibr
Pu
Ashraf Hussin
;
eni; Mohamed
u Philip Abraham
hamed Janoos Se
Arun Vegassery;
a Roshan Mo
Mohamed Shyb
ith
As
d;
a;
mn
Ati
Ka
d
osgodage
d
ak
ya
un
Ra
Mohame
ag
M.
Siy
d;
sas
me
Mohamed Na
Ramadan Ah
R. Fernando;
Sampatha; Atef
Mahmoud Hassan;
Rizvi Felician
Mohideen; Babu
ohamed
Narasimhan;
k;M
an
oo
ths
ms
Atham Bawa Meera
va
Ma
Samih Sri
Awaied Al Okla;
med
r
ha
cha
Mo
Ba
;
ka
n;
irala;
ad
ee
Ko
Kh
ud
Ram
Salah
Zainul Subas
van Zachariah; Biju
Mohamed Siraj
n
n;
aya
zza
Balveer Kumar; Be
bh
Wa
Su
;
ese
m;
; C.K . Vargh
ad Abdul Quyu
Suhel
Arjel; Boshko Nacev
Abdeen; Mohamm
Sattar; Mallick;
ra Opatha Don;
Abdus
dul
ad
Ab
mm
d
ha
Chandana Kuma
me
Mo
Lebbe; Ah
Dalal Moustafa El
Taher
; Suliman
hammad
Dahlia S. Dacquel;
fur
Mo
Go
is
nn
m;
ya
De
Se
A. Insec;
A.Jawad
Bashar Al
Saman; Danilo
Mohammed
Abeden; Mhd
ne Tabet; Edgar P.
Joynal
ed
Suman
mm
;
ha
T.Sagao; Dolli Antoi
lla
Mo
Ma
n
;
an
O. Mendillo; Edwi
Mahiuddin M.Rahm
Darji;
ed
mm
ha
Malinao; Eduardo
tna
Mo
Mujtahidulla; Ra
eis Mohamed; El
nathan
hammed
L. Baltazar; Ehab Ew
ma
Mo
Su
A.
n
er
ha
Elm
Mo
;
;
d;
F. Fahim
er M.Salin
am; Surag Chan
Ghandour Soliman
Mohammed Same
Sadir; Sivanath
pa Lampa; Emily
T.Abdussamad;
Mohmammd
ta;
Bis
l
j;
Castillo; Elpidio Lam
shi
Ra
Su
e;
Tannous
nio Sara Villam
ook Sanoordeen;
G. Magno; Epifa
Mohommadu Far
Talal Hassoun;
; Fathima Risla
e Shafi Ullah;
Bahadur
ola
Lat
Tek
Hin
in
l;
ssa
M.
aza
Ho
o
Gh
cle
es
nir
Era
org
Mo
n; Mouner Ge
Nazareno; George
Thairiyarajah
adi Janardhana
Shiham; Francis E.
zamy; Karki;
atu; Gopi Mood
Ela
kk
ola
ed
Mo
r
am
ma
hm
ku
Tharwat Fouad
Mo
m;
d
ga
me
mu
John; Gopa
Ah
Aru
Al
l;
Kolladathi
la;
mad Mubarak
Rafi
an; Thilaka Manju
Varadarajan; Ha
Muhamed
Shaheed; Solim
elan;
n Miya; Hassan
eed
ase
ee
Sa
ud
thy
Sa
sm
ad
Ha
mm
jri;
ian
ha
Ha
Mu
Muneer Thura
Orabi; Hassan
Baral;
adu Nazar Kalladi;
ta
Ahmed Marawan
Ahmed Muhamm
utam; Umakan
Ga
ar
kh
sad
Ifti
Pra
f;
an
ou
ray
Ra
mar
Mohamed
P.Parambil; Na
r Sah; Uthayaku
d Haridy; Intazar
Varsha
Sen; Naresh Kuma
Sharif; Ihab Ahme
Suppiramaniyam;
le
med Narayan
vil
Ah
Ne
;
aid
qb
Els
Vase
Eq
;
am
ziz
tel
Iss
Pa
A.A
n;
sai
ak
ser
Hu
ep
Iykkarath Ne
M. Naredo; De
;
eri
ail
co
ass
ng
Ism
las
Ve
No
d
e;
;
ag
me
ski
Moha
l Kahavit
Bahadur Slavkov
athaji; Jabar Gu
jesh; Venura
attantavida; Om
Ra
Th
l
bil
ufa
Rajendran Premn
ram
No
Pa
;
ah
ar Ali Omar;
Shah Wadat Sh
Disanaayaka;
Khanan; Jamadar
Rana Magar; Om
Malinda
Janaka Milinda
Abdullah Khan;
il;
an
niy
Kh
n
Ku
ara
zeb
al
shw
ng
Jam
ne
Ora
Michael A. Vig
lyn V. Lagbas;
W.P.Upul
hna;
er Kuttuvan; Paul
Abeycoon; Jaque
kkalath Selvarat
Jericho P. Packe
Po
s;
;
an
nla
Kh
Ca
or
da
No
ran
o
Piw
Perera; Wafy
;
da
a
llo
Jennyvi Mi
rsh
Ru
Ha
l
du
er;
loba; Jesmi Ab
Mohd. Bashe
Wedage
Mangocin; Jerry D.A
Abdul Rasheed
Wagdy Wadee;
A. Delas; Jino
m B.Budhathoki;
ekara;
Pre
;
ras
ire
ee
im
Dh
Gh
h
kas
Majeed; Jesusa
th
Pra
l; Puthen Aji
omperada; Joel
usa
C.P
stro;
Bh
n
Ca
ely
Joc
sad
De
n;
Pra
stia
ell
Augu
Prem
Nizar El Wend
ward Aranas; Jojy
Mulla; Yam
K. Raju; Rabih
Al
pil
b
ram
L.Sanchez; John Ed
cou
Pa
Ya
es
ev
Joselito Est
mar; Ram Prasad
ussef
Abreu Robert;
Harfouche; Raj Ku
Kumar Khadka; Yo
ari Njoki; Jyoti Lal
oud;
Khatwe; Ramadan
il
hm
Sik
Ma
m
Ra
h
la;
lla
au
Casulla; Juliet Nung
aja
Nir
Far
palan; Kaleelur
Khalaf; Ranjit
go
oud
d
nu
hm
me
.Ve
Ma
Ah
K.S
;
d
tha
ou
Shres
Mahm
Priyanga Zakria
aled Ahmad Abo
Sah; Ranjith
r
ich
ma
Rahman Serk; Kh
rak
Ku
Ka
d
d
me
l Mumtaz Ah
shad Said Hami
Deeb; Khalid Kama
Amaratunga; Ra
Carabeo; Razzak
madi Jaber; Klum
on
Arp
ul
Ra
;
kka
Khan; Khulood Ha
nganamveetil Alu
Ko
;
an; Reda El Syed
ith
nn
raj
Ma
l
Ind
du
a
Ab
nth
in
ssa
Nisha
rukulasuriya Ho
Ku
n;
ma
lai
Su
Illias N.
20
Abdul Gaffar Shaik; Abdul Kamal Sormuj Ali; Abdul Shukkur
Kabir Ahmed; Afees Abdul Careem; Ahmed Ismail Fathi; Ahmed
Khaled Ghazal; Ahmed Latif Mohammad Latif; Allan
Macdonald; Alper Ilijaz; Amer Ahmed Maher Ismail Basha; Ana
Fe Monte Aguinaldo; Anil Padmanabhan Nair; Antoine Joseph
Nahas; Armin S. Santos; Arnulfo Aguirre Reyes; Ashraf Lotfy
Abdel Rahman; Biju P. Balagopalan; Bijumon Thomas; Bishnu
Prasad Ghimire; Chamin Suranga Senaweera; Chanaka
M.W.Weerahu; Darius Jay Briones; Darrel Asas Docto; David V.
Assiar; Deejay Jamon Carandang; Deepak Kumar Yadav; Denver
Michael Ferdinand; Deyab Mohad Al Hajri; Dolly Poly; Drake C.
Adon; Edna S.Balingit; Ednor Melody A.Garcia; Eduardo Lozano
Santamaria; Elpedio V.Aguatani; Eriwarawe Ranasinghe; Fathi
Mohamed Ahmed; Fiyas Mohamed M.Naseer; Florentino
Ledesma Roque; Foyzul Ahmed Suruj Ali; Gaspar Caitano
Cardozo; Hany Samir Mahmoud El Mansy; Husam Abdullatif
Ako; Imam Jill M. Logmao; Indika Krishantha Amarasekara;
Jamaluddin Kallullathil; Jayaraj Selvaraj; Jennie D. Manrique;
Jeyasekaran Sivapalan; Joel A.Baldoza; Joevilyn F.Del Rosario;
John Mathew M.C.Mathai; Jose P.Cruz Afonso; Josephine
C.Orfrecio; Juliet C. Fillarca; Justin E. Joseph; K.V.Moidunnykutty;
Kesavan Sundaram; Khadeem Shah Deen Shah; Khaled Waleed
Zawdeh; Kizhake Mundakcal Ramakrishnan Mohan; Kristine
Abigael
Rulloda;
Kruno
Kontevski; Lasitha Chaturanga
Samaratunga; Linkaselvan P.;
Lovely Pabalan Aquino; Magdy
Antoun
Labib
Gabrial;
Mahmoud Abdullah Haffouda;
Mahmoud Ali Tolba;
Man Prasad Neupane;
Mazen
Hekmat
Alshbib; Mazhar El
Ayn; Mehmood UlHassan; Melanie B.
Caasi;
Michael
Y.Isla; Minhus Siraj
Siddiq; Mohamad
Famees M.Farook; Mohamed Abdelfath Elhamarnah;
Mohamed Abdelsalam Farag; Mohamed M.Benmessaoud;
Mohamed Merzan Omar Alhafian; Mohamed Minhaj
Wahabdeen; Mohamed Muflih Ismail; Mohamed Rabie Nagah;
Mohamed Ramsan Mohamed; Mohamed Rimaz M. Razick;
Mohamed Rumi Abdul Samadh; Mohamed Saber Mahmoud;
Mohamed Safwan Albaleh; Mohamed Sameer Noordeen;
Mohamed Zarook M.Zubair; Mohammad Ali Abdul Sobhan;
Mohammad Ibrahim; Mohammad Nurul Haque Mohammad
Nazir; Mohammad Sarwar Hossain; Mohammed Jahangir Alam;
Moises Rubio Venus; Mona Fathy Kamel Hassan; Motiur
Rahman Bhuiyan; Naser Mahmoud Syeffelnasr; Nino B.Tanas;
P.P.Karunarathne; Pabitra Majumder; Palathingal Anthony
Johny; Pawan Kumar; Pramod Kumar Yadav; Priyaka
Karunanayake; Qivi Dar Subadar; Rafael Jr Bastian Manuel;
Rafeek Thayyulathil; Rafiq Ul Islam Abdul Ali; Rajesh Babu
Eillathodiyil; Ram Binay Yadav; Ram Krishna Sharma;
Ramchandra Gautam; Ramesis E.Villafuerte; Ramkumar Sada;
Randy M. Rayala; Rayees Neroth Thazha; Raymond M.Inovejas;
Reem Othman H.Alsharif; Richard S.Yabis; Roanceli G. Pineda;
Rodel D. Gonzales; Rodrigo O.Guzman; Ronaldo G.Angelias;
Ronaldo L. Alabado; Ronaldo L. Macanas; Ryan F. Rebueno;
Ryan Sanjay Madawela; Said Gul Nimat Gul; Saleh Yousef Saleh
Hassan; Sanjeewa Sampath Abeysinghe; Sanjit Bhujel; Santana
Afonso Nazareth Afonso; Santosh Chaudhary; Sarkis
Dekermenjian; Shahina Mohamed Shameer; Shakil Md Marufur
Rahman; Shamsun Noor Suruj Ali; Shatrvghna Mahat;
Sreekanth Digandra; Sreenivas Srungaram; Sri Suranga Lanka;
Stojce Atanasov; Sudip Kumar; Sukomal Das Jatindra Kumar
Das; Swahib Muduvaddan; T.K Mohamed;Thilakananda R. M;
Tinsel Thomas; Tony Manjula W.M.; Upasantha Kumara; Usaff
Kunhikandiyil; Vanessa M.Angeles; Vicken Tatarian; Vijesh
Changaroth; Vivencio P. Napoles; William D.Serrano
March
mad Rafiqul Islam; Mo
hammadu
Abdulla Basith; Moham
med Abul Basheer Late
Nur
Meah; Mohammed Ash
faq Hadi; Mohammed Azb
ar
Zahir; Mohammed Bin
Amar Babsail; Moham
med
Mahmoud Abel Azi
m;
Washington Thiyagraja
h; Youssef Atef Fahim;
Yvonne L. Del Castillo; Zab
id Gul Niaz Gul; Ziyad
Ahmed M.Rauff; Zorica
Doneva
21
Quantum
Admin.
Leap
In this issue; ABA
admin. Dept. will
Employees who completed two years
under the first sponsor OR one year
under the second sponsor can
change
their
sponsorship
conditioned with the approval of
their sponsor.
resume shedding
light on some
important subjects
that could be in the
interest of our valued
ABA employees.
In this issue we will
focus more on Arrival,
Sponsorship Transfer
and Borrowing
Requirements:
➢ Sponsorship transfer blue form:
should be signed, stamped & attested
from the immigration.
➢ Original passport & ID.
➢ Passport, RP & ID copy.
➢ Police clearance certificate: should be
attested from MOFA-Qatar.
➢ NOC: Arabic NOC letter from the
current sponsor – should be computer
typed.
➢ Company ID copy (registration card
copy) of the current sponsor.
Once all documents are completed;
new company’s PRO will submit the
documents into the immigration and
wait 4-8 working days for the approval
then RP stamping will be proceed.
Transfer Fees:
1st sponsorship change: QR 2,100
2nd sponsorship change: QR 2,600
3rd sponsorship change: QR 3,100
Administration
Borrowing
Employees can go through
Sponsorship Borrowing in case
they didn’t complete the
required
period
for
sponsorship transfer .
Requirements:
➢ Sponsorship borrowing blue
form: should be signed, stamped
& attested from the immigration.
➢ RP should be valid for the
whole needed borrowing period.
➢ Passport, RP & ID copy.
➢ Two photos: passport size with
colored background.
➢ NOC: Arabic NOC letter from
the current sponsor – should be
computer typed.
➢ Company ID copy (registration
card copy) of the current sponsor.
Once all documents are
completed; new company’s PRO
will submit the documents into
the immigration and take the
borrowing card.
Borrowing could be done for one
month up to six months
maximum.
Borrowing Fees:
QR 100 for each month
Moataz H. Ahmed
New Comers
January
Department
Farewell
Sponsorship Transfer
for employees who have valid Qatari RP
Group GM Administration
Tel. 44469840 Mob. 55893355
Email: [email protected]
ABATS: Hany Samir Mahmoud El Mansy Al Danah: Boshko
Nacev; Manoj Asanka Thomas Head Office: Juliet S.
Balbuena ICT: Maria Gianelli L.De Guzman IA: Mohamed
Maheer Kachi Logistics: G. Sritharan PCP: Sherin Hassan
Abdelhamid Premium Services: Antoine Sassine Printing
Press: Ayman Fouad Mawad QQP: Mohamed Muflih Ismail;
Safras Ahamath Thuwan Restaurants: Ariane G.Velasco;
Myrna S. Sabado
February
ABA&P: Jeffrey D.Joseph; Zeeshan Atta Ullah Al Danah:
Gerard Armon P.Cruz; Jerremy T. Jalandoni Columbus IT:
Bitoo P. Thambi Digitek: Ingy Ayman Abdelsalam;
Mohamed Abbas Amin Kenawy Head Office: Carine Sami
Abou Jaoude iSpot: Juliet C. Fillarca Logistics: Kyaw Han;
Ruchira T.Alwis Medical: Jane Ann L.Bumanlag Pepsi:
Soosaipillai Anthony Pillai Wagamama: Jeanel Pieterse;
Mario Jayson Baartman
March
ABA&P: May Abdalla Youssef ABATS: Ahmed Elsaid Elsaid
Elhelali; Mohamed Mahmoud Mohamed Digitek: Alvin Levey
T.Sanchez; Spencer M.Sugot Head Office: Muthukumar
Paulpandi; Romeo B. Villamor iSpot: Analiza S. Dela Vega;
Sweetney A. Gargar Logistics: Gurcharan Singh Sawaran;
Puloman Mathvannan Pepsi: Ashok Kumar Narayanan;
Ravichandran Thambirajah; Roshan T.Sahayathasan Printing
Press: Halloluwa K.Nuwan Restaurants: Julie K. Espinosa
Watches & Jewelry: Alma Fe Abel Guzman; Roland R.
Vinluan
Saeed Ghoul
Group Services Manager
Tel. 44469852 Mob. 55502888
Email:[email protected]
Abdallah Shammout
Group Personnel Manager
Tel. 44469848 Mob. 55869689
Email: [email protected]
April
ABA&P: Mohammed Mujtahidulla ABATS: Mohamed
Wagdy Mohamed Elsarraf Contracting: Krishnan
Madhavan Nair K. Digitek: Mohamed Abdelkareem
Mohamed Head Office: Nezad Nurul; Vinod
Anthooran PCP: Joseph C.Bragat Pepsi: Jivithan
Muthulingam; Mohammed Osman Gani QQP:
Ashique Abdulla K.P; Francis J. Aranas; Shibly
Bahardeen Restaurants: Liwayway Aquino;
Ronald B.Babac Watches & Jewelry: Hameed
Parambath
Riyadh Al Abdallah
Group Administration Supervisor
Tel. 44469844 Mob. 77301071
Email: [email protected]
January
ABA&P: Kumar Kark; Lea Abo ABATS: Ahmed Naguib Ahmed; Ali Ali Ahmed
Rafik; Ali M.A.Mahmoud Abu Alasal; Joseph Rae M. Murillo; Mariam Mohamed
Elhusseiny; Mariam Sobhy Shawky Yani; Muhammad Adeel M.Khaliq; V. Faris
Hassan Al Mayass: Ali Abdel Latif; Georges Antoine Hajj Digitek: Ehab Mostafa
Kamal; Haitham Ahmed Salaheldin Frette: Michell Irish .M. Mata; Precious P.
Delos Reyes Head Office: Ayman Abdelfattah Abdelkhalek; Luzviminda N.
Zuniga; Mohamed Rifki Zamzam; Sarsih Bt Suryana Udin IA: Asrap Ali Esmael;
Muthupolthotage Ryan; Zaher Alhassan iSpot: Katherine J. Casono, Mark Jonasis
B.Manalo; Sulphikar K. Hamza PCP: Gilbert Atallah; Mazen Mostafa Sheikh
Hamza Pepsi: Chhabi Lal Thapa; Mohammed Osman Gani Premium Services:
Souheil Aridi Printing Press: Emmanuel A. Sioson Q Care Medical: Mary Daoud
Estafan QQP: Junalyn Aposaga Laroza Restaurants: Allana B. Yango Aling
Sormani: Afendusa Gabriela Romana; Bojan Markovic; Dinesh Suranga
Theliyedda; Emilija Andova; Filip Trajkov; Hristijan Anakjioski; Jovica Drobnjak;
Miladin Jezdimirovic; Mohamed Hismath Abusali; Nadica Lazarevic; Nenad
Jankovikj; Nikola Srpsko Dordijevski; Nikola Veljkovic; Ninoslav Urosevic; Pavle
Hristov; Sava Peskan; Siham Dahmani; Stefan Timpau; Tharindu Dilshan
Rajawardana; Varghese Vettikkattil Travel Bureau: Ali Hussain Basha Watches &
Jewelry: Asma L . Elsous; Dina Satly Charabi; Dorra Arjoun; Jeffrey O. Latoza
February
ABA&P: Cesar N.Touma; Mohamed Husni Sahul ABATS: Ahmed Ramadan
M.Elhosary; Catrine S.V. Sutter; Eslam Ahmed Mohamed; Islam Hassan Ibrahim;
Mohamed Nafais Mohamed; Mostafa Maged Hamdy; Munib Arshad Butt
Digitek: Ahmed Fouad Emara; Saba Najam Grp IT: Benito Jr J. Ramos Head
Office: Charbel El Khoury; Elsayed Ramadan Ahmed; Ismail Omar Mohamed
Ismail; Rani Biju IA: Hashiya Amoo Shereef; Kopika Swaminathan; Rajan M.
Lawrance; Suman Thapa Magar Pepsi: Dhan Bahadur Bk; Edwin Verdeflor Ladia;
Hari Krisna Shrestha; Jitendra B. Dhungana; Jogendra B. Kumal; Laxmi P. Phuyal;
Mohamed Fairoos M. Rauf; Nar B. Dhakal; Omraj Gurung; Prakash Dhakal; Seyed
Hussain M. Shaheer Sunil Limbukhim PCP: Zyad Aly Islam Mahmoud Q Care
Medical: Abdallah Elshahat M.Elshafey QQP: Neil P. Agahan Sormani: Ariel P.
Cachero; Oliver E. Vargas; Stephen B. Zabala Watches & Jewelry: Dharmendra
Prasad Deo; Hisham El Danaf
March
ABA&P: Muhamadu Sharas M. Raseek Head Office: Farghal Abdel Latif;
Mohammad Sharif P. Mohammad; Nezad Nurul; Noor Alam Moquimuddin
Hospitality: Imran Ali IA: Maher Mohamad Sayed; Muhammad Wassiem
Alabdullah QQP: Jemifer B. Milana Toy Watch: Jessica B. Madrid Watches &
Jewelry: Emmanuel C. Joson; Khalaf Mahmoud Houssin
April
Head Office: Atreyi Majumdar Basu IA: Mohamed Safras Mohamedu Naseem
Sormani: Sonny Boy Almario Wagamama: Diana Riola Cebreros; Emma Joy
Boco Galo; Krisanta Z. Pabunan; Ma. Christina Boado
Parents:
Arnold Lalata & Maria Lalata
(PCP – Braun Division)
Child: Andie
DOB: 23/02/12
Parents:
Assad Hussein (IT)
& Hiba Azzam
Child: Karim
DOB: 11/08/11
Promotions
Mabrook
February AB
A&P:Dionisio
Jr N.C.; K.S.Ve
Abdul Kareem
nugopalan;
; Mario Yo
Malol
unes; Marvi
B.Tumanda;
n G. Neri;
Selim Nicola
Rolly
s El Hac; Um
Vallikat Ramad
miye Pinar Ce
as Bij Frette:
beci;
Annalyn S.Man
Auza; Novy
ansala; Marvi
Ramos Talip
e G.
IA : Jerry Dizo
Rahman Serk
n Crame; Ka
; Raymond B.
leelur
Cali Medical
Mohamed W
: Manij Lakhey
agih Gad; M
PCP:
oncy Mathe
Daguyam; Fa
w Pepsi: El
thi Mohamed
vira A.
Ahmed; Grac
E. Joseph; Ratn
e B. Malaluan;
am Sivanand
Justin
an; Shamsul
Alam Zebal
Alam Ezha; Sh
H; Sherif Al
amsul
-M
ah
C.Canto Restau
dy El-S QQP:
rants: Catherin
Michael John
e L.Arellano
April
Parents:
Amina Mansour
(ABATS) & Rami
Fakhreddine
Child: Julie
DOB: 29/11/11
22
Parents:
Omar Kasha (iSpot) &
Manal Antar
Child: Lamar
DOB: 27/02/12
Parents:
Christian De Jesus (Property Management) &
Maricar De Jesus (Golden
Lands)
Child: Marta Azlet Qalb
DOB: 22/02/12
Parents:
Siji Stephen Mathew
(QQP) & Mariam Mathew
Child: Hanoch Mathew
Stephen
DOB: 15/01/12
Parents:
Mohammed Lahham &
Sawsan Abu Teen (QQP)
Child:Aya
DOB: 7/01/12
Learn how to be happy with what you
have while you pursue all that you want.
Jim Rohn
One important key to success is self
confidence. An important key to self
confidence is preparation.
Arthur Ashe
ABAP: Moham
ed Jesmy M
.Yoos PCP: El
Jyothish Karip
sy Jean Doum
palli; Suraj Ba
it;
shyal; Thilaka
Saliba Premiu
Manjula; Yvan
m Services:
Heba Moham
ne
ed Al Akel
Inspirational
Quotes
23
Interview
“Your Health. Our Priority”
Mr. Waqas Hussain
Senior GM. HR & Admin.
The Dot caught up
with Mr. Waqas
Hussain our Senior
General Manager
Human Resources &
Administration, and
posed a few quick
questions about
the HR
Transformation
project, the EVP
and our new
private Medical
Insurance.
We are sure you
will be happy to
discover the
benefits of this
new move.
New
Medical Insurance
Scheme of ABA Group
How’s our Group HR
transformation journey going?
I am as excited about it now as I
was when it started. The HR
transformation consists of multiple
projects. Through all of them our
final goal is to transform our
people practices to reflect our
status as a world-class
“An EVP helps get and
keep the best people”
organization. We haven’t taken
any short cuts in the processes we
are carrying out and I am happy to
say a lot of people across the
Group have contributed.
We have been hearing the term
EVP? What is an EVP?
EVP stands for Employee Value
Proposition.
24
How and where does EVP fit in
Ali Bin Ali’s new HR journey?
An EVP is a statement capturing
the essence of the ‘value’ people
get from their relationship with
the employer. It is a strategic tool,
which differentiates our company
from others based on its unique
competitive advantage. An EVP
helps get and keep the best
people. It makes our organization
consistent enabling us to deliver a
unique type of cultural and
emotional experience through
every employer-employee
interaction.
What is the EVP that an
employee of ABA can look
forward to and how will it affect
our morale and engagement?
As we tightly couple our cultural
and people practices with the spirit
and intent of the EVP, it makes our
people develop pride, belief,
loyalty and ambassadorship
throughout their employment life
cycle. Over time, the EVP is
expected to become
institutionalized in our systems,
processes, and culture, so that
every interaction between an
employee and the company
becomes a proof-point for the
delivery of our promise to our
people.
What can our people look
forward to next?
The HR transformation is still in its
early stages. We will soon start
seeing the visible structures of
world-class HR. Some of the
things in the second wave of work
that I am excited about include a
new talent and career
management framework, new
leadership development initiatives
and extended training coverage,
improvements in performance
management, and a number of
initiatives aimed at the creation of
internal communities of people
with similar passions and
capabilities.
the Executive category is for the
most senior management of Ali
Bin Ali Group starting from grade
14 and above.
ABA Group launched a new
private Medical Insurance
scheme in October last year in
partnership with Arabian
Insurance and GlobeMed
Network of medical providers.
What can you tell us about it?
Why and how?
The Medical scheme was the first
major outcome from our
compensation and benefits
project, which is part of the HR
transformation mentioned
elsewhere in this edition of The
Dot. ABA has always had a
reputation as an employee-welfare
driven company. The owners feel
strongly about taking care of
employees and their families, and
we prioritized the launch of this
benefit with the blessings of the
owners in keeping with this
philosophy.
What is the reimbursement
claim process and the different
types of approval?
The reimbursement claim process
is fairly simple, once received by
our department, the claim is
checked for consistency in terms of
required documents, and then
dispatched to Arabia Insurance
who in turn seek the audit of
GlobeMed to determine the
payable amount as per the
applicable policy coverage. Despite
having a very wide and
comprehensive coverage policy,
there are certain cases which are
not part of it. When this happens,
the claim becomes partially
approved, separating the covered
items from the excluded ones.
What are the benefits included
in this plan and how can the
employees use these benefits?
The benefits include medical,
dental, maternity in Qatar and
abroad based on category of
coverage.
How will you communicate this
plan to the 2500 employees of
ABA Group?
With the help of the Corporate
Communications Department, we
have established a plan consisting
of various info sessions directed to
head of departments and special
representatives who will describe
the details of the Scheme to non
English speakers in their group. We
do have a comprehensive brochure
designed and in production.
In addition, we came up with a
slogan “Your Health. Our Priority”
which sends a strong and serious
message to the employees.
How is the coverage under this
scheme categorized? And how
do the employees know they are
entitled for which category?
Our medical scheme is divided into
3 categories, Basic, Classic and
Executive. At the moment the
categories are assigned based on
the current grade of the employee.
The Basic category is for
employees between grade 2 and
5, Classic between 6 and 13, and
Do employees need to submit
documents for making the claim
and if yes, then which
documents should they keep
with them?
Documents are not needed within
the GlobeMed network. If the
employee goes to a provider
outside the network, the first step
is to fill the reimbursement form
which is available with all the ABA
HR coordinators, and attach all the
medical documents related to the
illness, such as bills, lab results and
prescriptions. I must insist on the
fact that a doctor’s report is the
most important element to include
in any claim, any failure to do so
generally stalls the whole process
and cause unforeseen delays.
Other important documents
include copies of the insurance
card, ID card and HMC if the
treatment was administered by
one of the government medical
branches.
What kind of cases can
employees claim through this
benefit?
Most curative treatments are
POLICY INQUIRIES
Mehdi Bekri
T: +974 44469644
Denver Ferdinand
T: +974 44469864
covered, including medical, dental,
and maternity coverage for various
categories. Preventive care (i.e.
health checkups) are usually not
included in such schemes.
What is the maximum and the
minimum percentage of claims
employees can make?
If the question is how many claims
an employee is eligible to make,
then the answer is as many as
needed. However each category has
an annual maximum
reimbursemable amount. For
example for the Classic plan is 250K.
What about very common causes
like general consultation,
diagnostics, and physiotherapy,
maternity, dental and optical
cases? Can an employee make
use of the medical insurance
scheme?
employees can use this at their
native or other countries as
well?
The medical scheme isn’t limited
to Qatar. A number of countries are
available depending on the plan
the employee is in. At this time,
direct billing is not available
abroad, which requires the
submission of a reimbursement
claim within 60 days of the last
transaction.
To give you an idea of the
coverage:
• The Basic plan covers the south
and south east of Asia.
• The Classic plan covers the same
in addition to Arab countries.
• The executive plan comprises all
countries except North America.
How do you compare this
medical scheme provided by
“The owners feel strongly
about taking care of
employees and their
families, and we prioritized
the launch of this benefit
with the blessings of the
owners in keeping with
this philosophy.”
This scheme is meant and designed
to cover curative treatments as long
as general consultations and
diagnostics are prompted by a
health complaint and they are
covered.. Both dental and maternity
offer an 80% coverage to the
employee and his family. Dental
has a limit of Qr. 2000 per year and
per person. There is 280 days
waiting period on maternity from
the start of each membership
before being able to claim any pre
or post natal treatment. In regards
to optical, opthalmic illnesses for
the most part are covered. Vision
tests or corrections as well as
lenses are not covered.
Is this valid only in Qatar or
ABA Group to schemes of other
Group of companies in Qatar? In
other words, what is the added
value of this scheme?
Our scheme is very competitive
with the market. The strengths of
the scheme compared to common
market practice are its
inclusiveness (we have most of
the company and their dependents
covered), dental and maternity
coverage, the size of the network,
cashless transactions for network
based treatment, private rooms for
in-patient treatment for all
enrollees, and no employee
premium contribution for
dependent coverage.
25
dTrotter
t
TOP5
Tourist Attractions
in
New Delhi
Starting
1,300 Q
R
per pers
for 5 nig on
hts
excludin
g
Taj Mahal
A monument of love. A symbol of
eternal love. Taj Mahal, one of the
most fabulous monuments in the
world, history and time. Thronged
by visitors year round, Taj Mahal is
200 km from Delhi. It was built by
the fifth Mughal emperor
Shahjahan, in memory of his
26
beloved wife Mumtaz. The
monument is a perfect piece of
architecture. It took 22 years, 41
million rupees, 50 kilos of gold and
around 20,000 workers to complete
this marvel of marble.
Situated by the river Yamuna, Taj
Mahal sits on a high red sandstone
terrace, topped by marble terrace. It
is flanked by four minarets. The
jewel in-laid cenotaph of the
empress lies within the dome. The
entire mausoleum is decorated
with inlaid design of flowers and
calligraphy with semi precious
stones like jasper and agate.
called the Qutab Minar. Qutab Minar
is among the tallest and famous
towers in the world. The minaret is
234 feet high and the highest
individual tower in the world. Other
towers in the world are the Great
Pagoda in Pekin, China and the
Lotus Temple is among the most
visited monuments in India. The
credit for building this beautiful
Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy
but these towers are not as
high as the Qutab Minar in
Delhi.
It has a number of floors or
storeys which has beautiful
carvings. The structure of the
structure goes to the Persian architect
Fariborz Sahba from Canada. The
design looks like a half opened Lotus
flower with 27 freestanding "petals"
made of marble. There are nine
reflecting pools that encompass the
temple from outside. The temple has
to its accreditation being recognized
all over the world as one of the most
visited edifices in the world with
almost 50 million people having
visited the temple since its inception
in 1986.
Qutab Minar
The tall and ever attractive
monument of Delhi which can be
seen from most parts of the city is
wall is made as such that it widens
from top to bottom, just to make the
minar stronger. Moving upstairs
inside the minar will give you a
wonderful experience and counting
the stairs is always a fun for visitors.
It has 378 steps which takes good
amount of energy to reach at the
top. The top of the tower gives an
insight to Delhi because you get to
see the bird's eye view of the city.
by Malcolm Glad well
Outliers: The Story of Success is a nonfiction book written by Malcolm Gladwell
and published by
Little, Brown and
Company
on
November 18, 2008.
In Outliers, Gladwell
examines the factors
that contribute to
high levels of
success. On this
gorgeous new book,
Malcolm Gladwell
takes us on an
mental journey by way of the world of
“outliers”–one of the best and the brightest,
essentially the most famous and probably
the most successful. He asks the query:
what
makes
excessive-achievers
different?His reply is that we pay too much
consideration to what profitable people are
like, and too little attention to where they
are from: that’s, their culture, their
household, their era, and the idiosyncratic
experiences of their upbringing.
Warren
Buffet
“really need” and encourage
your children to do and think
the same.
4. He drives his own car
everywhere and does not have a
driver or security people around
Jama Masjid
Lotus Temple
Outliers
Recom
There was a one-hour
interview on CNBC with Warren
Buffet, one of the world’s
richest men, who has donated
$31 billion to charity. Following
are some very interesting
aspects of his life:
Airfare
New Delhi city is acclaimed for
being the cultural capital of
India. The spectacular
architecture of Delhi city is
evident through its antique
monuments. This city
witnesses an interesting blend
of diverse cultures. Delhi has
always had a mysterious
eternity, the city having
witnessed empires rise to
glory and fall to ashes. The
contemporary Delhi is a
culmination of seven cities
built by different emperors.
Ruins of this ancient city are
found even today and now
these are converted to some
major tourist attractions.
Delhi is said to be one of the
oldest existing cities in the
world, along with Jerusalem
and Varanasi. Legend
estimates it to be over 5,000
years old. Over the millennia,
Delhi is said to have been built
and destroyed 11 times.
dmends
t
Jama Masjid of Delhi is the largest
mosque in India. The Jama Masjid
stands across the road in front of the
Red Fort. Built between 1644 and
1658, Jama Masjid is one of the last
architectural works of the Mughal
emperor Shah Jahan. The spacious
courtyard of the Jama Masjid holds
thousands of faithful.. Jama Masjid
Mosque was built in red sandstone
and marble by more than 5000
artisans.
The first three storeys of the Jama
Masjid tower are made of red
sandstone and the fourth one is
made of marble, while the fifth is
made of sandstone. The Jama Masjid
is covered with intricate carvings
and has verses inscribed from the
holy Quran.
Humayun’s Tomb
Humayun’s tomb, built in 1570, is of
particular cultural significance as it
was the first garden-tomb on the
Indian subcontinent. It inspired
several major architectural
innovations, culminating in the
construction of the Taj Mahal. The
tomb itself is in the centre of a large
garden, laid out in char baah (fourfold) style, with pools joined by
channels.
The interior is a large octagonal
chamber with vaulted roof
compartments interconnected by
galleries or corridors. This octagonal
plan is repeated on the second storey.
The structure is of dressed stone clad
in red sandstone with white and
black in laid marble borders.
1. He bought his first share at
age 11 and he now regrets that
he started too late! Things were
very cheap that time. Encourage
your children to invest.
2. He bought a small farm at age
14 with savings from delivering
newspapers! One could have
bought many things with little
savings, Encourage your
children to start some kind of
business.
3. He still lives in the same small
3-bedroom house in midtown
Omaha, that he bought after he
got married 50 years ago. He
says that he has everything he
needs in that house. His house
does not have a wall or a fence.!
Don’t buy more than what you
regular basis! Assign the right
people to the right jobs.
7. He has given his CEO’s only 2
rules. Rule No.1: do not lose any
of your shareholders money. Rule
No.2: do not forget rule number 1.
“The happiest people do not necessarily
have the “BEST” things. They simply
appreciate the things they have”.
him! You are what you are.
5. He never travels by private jet,
although he owns the worlds
largest private jet company!
Always think how you can
accomplish things
economically.
6. His Company, Berkshire
Hathaway, owns 63 companies.
He writes only one letter each
year to the CEO’s of these
companies, giving them goals for
the year. He never holds
meetings or calls them on a
Set goals and make sure
people focus on them.
8. He does not socialize with the
high society crowd. His past time
after he gets home is to make
himself some popcorn and watch
television.! Don’t try to show
off, just be your self and do
what you enjoy doing.
9. Warren Buffet does not carry a
His advice to young people
“Stay away from Credit Cards (bank loans) and
invest in yourself and remember:
a) Money doesn’t create man but it is the man who created money.
b) Life your life as simple as you are.
c) Don’t do what others say, just listen them, but do what you feel good.
d) Don’t go on brand name; just wear those things in which you
feel comfortable.
e) Don’t waste your money on unnecessary things, just spend on
them who really in need rather.
f) After all its your life then why give chance to others to rule our life.”
Let us choose a simpler and smarter way to live……
cell phone, nor has a computer
on his desk.
Bill Gates, the world’s richest man
met him for the first time only 5
years ago. Bill Gates did not think
he had anything in common with
Warren Buffet. So he had
scheduled his meeting only for
half hour. But when Gates met
him, the meeting lasted for 10
hours & Bill Gates became a
devotee of Warren Buffet.
To support his thesis, he examines the
causes of why the majority of Canadian ice
hockey players are born in the first few
months of the calendar year, how Microsoft
co-founder Bill Gates achieved his extreme
wealth, and how two people with
exceptional intelligence, Christopher Langan
and J. Robert Oppenheimer, end up with
such vastly different fortunes. Throughout
the publication, Gladwell repeatedly
mentions the “10,000-Hour Rule”, claiming
that the key to success in any field is, to a
large extent, a matter of practicing a specific
task for a total of around 10,000 hours.
Seeking Wisdom
From Darwin to Munger
By Peter Bevelin - Third Edition
Peter Bevelin begins his fascinating
book with Confucius' great wisdom: "A
man who has committed a mistake and
doesn't correct it, is committing another
mistake." Seeking Wisdom is the result
of Bevelin's learning about attaining
wisdom. His quest for wisdom
originated partly
from
making
mistakes himself
and
observing
those of others
but also from the
philosophy
of
super-investor
and
Berkshire
Hathaway Vice
Chairman Charles
Munger. A man whose simplicity and
clarity of thought was unequal to
anything Bevelin had seen.
This book is for those who love the
constant search for knowledge. It is in
the spirit of Charles Munger, who says,
"All I want to know is where I'm going
to die so I'll never go there." There are
roads that lead to unhappiness. An
understanding of how and why we can
"die" should help us avoid them. We
can't eliminate mistakes, but we can
prevent those that can really hurt us.
Read and study this wonderful
multidisciplinary exploration of wisdom.
It may change the way you think and
act in business and in life.
27
Social
Health
?
Can we be better human beings?
“More than 1 million
child deaths in India
can easily be prevented
every year. The world
cannot continue with
business as usual when
every year nearly 11
children die before
their fifth birthday from
easily preventable and
readily treatable causes
– almost 90 percent of
these deaths occur in
42 countries of South
Asia and Sub Saharan
Africa.”
From UNICEF Website:
www.unicef.org
It is nothing but tragic to note
the above statistics that parents
like us lose children before the
age of 5 owing to diseases that
are easily preventable and for
reasons which could be
prevented if people simply
“contribute”. The love of a father
and the affection of a mother is
human nature which is an inborn sentiment in each one of
us. These are no different
emotions in people who suffer
for want of food and basic
necessities for themselves and
their children. We tend to quickly
browse through those literatures
where we find a call for help for
people in need in poverty
stricken regions across,
specifically in “South Asia and
Sub Saharan Africa”. I know
about the country I hail from. I
was personally surprised when I
was visiting Bangalore, the IT
capital of India a couple of years
back when I found a kid eating
from the garbage. This is
in an age of KFCs and
McDonald’s that India is
proud of hosting. I have
personally witnessed
people for whom
1 QAR is enough for 3
meals a day. It is at this
time when we throw off the ‘not
so tasty food’ of our children and
left over after our dinner at the
expensive joints. If we go deeper
into statistics of the World Health
Organization (WHO) it shows 1
child dies every 5 seconds as a
result of hunger – more than 700
every hour - 16 000 each day - 6
million each year. Two thirds of
these deaths are preventable.
We have here a choice to make;
either to browse all these figures
on the internet and put it aside
as any content we stumble
across or to raise a small finger
to protect such children who die.
Let us remember every one of
these children are someone’s son
or daughter and we are lucky
that it is not ours; lucky that we
are on the better side of
existence. We would be running
away from our
responsibilities if we
do not heed to these
people in need. Our
responsibility
towards society is
huge and we have
been kept in
positions such as
ours to rise up to
these people in dire
straits. This new year
2012 can be totally
different to many if we jointly
take a decision that we would do
our best to help the kids on the
streets and to reduce the 6
million death each year.
Deepak David
Columbus IT Country Manager.
Say it loud ...!
Make your opinions, suggestions and
comments heard by getting in touch now!!
[email protected]
Corporate Communications Department
Contact Mrs. Dhanya 44469878 - Fax: 44433778
28
Spring
HEALTHTIPS
for
Spring has finally begun! After a long season of comfort food and not
working out as often as one should, you’re probably happy with this delay of
hot weather. No worries; here are some minor tips that can develop major
results. With these small actions, you’ll be ready for summer in no time!
1. Drink a lot of water: Before
5. Clean Your Makeup Drawer:
you eat, drink one or two glasses of water.
By doing so you will become less hungry
and hold off on eating. Also drinking
plenty of water helps to clear out the
toxins in your body. It raises your
metabolism, increasing your daily
digestion.
Like most products, cosmetics expire. So
while you're cleaning out your medicine
cabinet, toss out that tube of mascara and
any other makeup you've had so long you
can't remember when you bought it. This
way, you'll be able to minimize your risk of
eye infections or bacteria-induced
breakouts.
2. Watch What You Eat: Take a
break from fatty foods. Eating four to five
small meals throughout the day keeps
your metabolism going. Replace your usual
meals with healthier selections such as
fruits, vegetable and grilled/steamed or
baked meat
3. Exercise: Whether in the gym or
outside, incorporate some form of cardio
into your workouts about three to five
times a week. Exercises like lunges and
squats, can tone the legs and lower abs. If
you’re bored with your usual workout,
spice things up with fun exercises like bike
riding, yoga or swimming.
4. Avoid Allergy: The allergies get
on the peak in this month. So is you are
also a sufferer, try to keep the medications
for the Allergy during this season. This will
prevent you from severe attacks of Allergy.
1 attack can make you sick for whole of
the upcoming season. Keep your windows
and door closed, so that no allergens can
enter in your home..
6. Consider Becoming an Early
Bird: Studies have shown that people
who wake up earlier are healthier than
those night owls who snooze the morning
away. Taking advantage of the morning
light will also give you a good dose of
needed vitamin D. And you'll get a leg up
on symptoms of depression.
7. Get Dirty: And let your kids get
dirty, too. Getting dirty can be exposure to
common bacteria, and common bacteria
are good for you. When they routinely
inhabit our bodies, they can produce
vitamins and proteins we need and help
make our immune and gastrointestinal
systems work.
8. Watch out for the seasonal
cold: You might believe that winter is the
best season to catch a cold, but you are
quite wrong. During spring most of the
people with a weak immune system catch
a cold or even flu. So the best thing to do
will be to avoid for a few more weeks the
crowded places that can expose you more
intensely to viruses.
9. Don’t forget about sun
block lotions: Use Sun Screen Creams
that block the UVA and UVB (Ultra Violet
Radiation) from affecting your skin. Protect
your nose, lips and ears as they tend to get
burned a lot more easily. Water resistant
sunblocks are available for active
individuals or those involved in water
sports. It's important to check the label to
ensure they say "water-resistant" or "very
water-resistant."
• Water-Resistant sun block maintains the
SPF (Sun Protection Factor) level after 40
minutes of water immersion
• Very Water-Resistant sun block maintains
the SPF (Sun Protection Factor) level after
80 minutes of water immersion
10. Take Multivitamins: The
spring season comes before summer and
everyone gets prepare for the next season.
The season of summer is really hard for
Skin. So, start taking Multivitamins in
advance to protect your Skin’s health and
beauty. Try to intake Lycopene, Biotin,
Green Tea and Alpha Liopic Acid to avoid
the aging of Skin before time. It also helps
in the betterment of Hair and Nails.
29
Games
Congratulations
to the winners
Think
out of the box
It is with pleasure that we announce the
winners for the Special Challenge, Word Search
which appeared in the 1st issue of “the dot”.
A raffle draw was conducted at the Head
Office in the presence of Mr. Ganesh P.K., Mr.
Christian Kestemont, Mr. Adnan Sulaiman and the
CorpComm Department . The winners won gift
vouchers from
Nestle Toll House Cafe at City Centre.
The winners are:
Here are nine dots arranged in a square
matrix. Can you draw four straight
lines, without lifting your pencil from
the "paper," through all nine dots?
Ms. Deejay Carandang
HR & Administration Assistant, HO
Prize was delivered by Mr. Ganesh P.K.,
Group GM Finance, HO-FINANCE
Mr. Shais Jose
Operator – Ali Bin Ali Printing Press
Prize was delivered by Mr. Christian Kestemont,
GM, Monoprix
Conditions for Entry
1. The Original Grid or photocopy/fax of the
clearly finished Think out of the box must
be submitted to the attention of Ms. Dhanya
Mariam, Corporate Communications Dept.
along with your name, division & contact
details either by email to
[email protected] or by Fax: 44433778
or submit it to the secretary of your division.
Secretaries who collect the puzzle are
requested to collect all entries from the
respective division & send it to the Corporate
Communications Department situated on the
9th Floor of the ABA Tower before the due
date.
4. Incomplete, indecipherable or illegible
entries will be deemed invalid.
2. Only Employees of the Ali Bin Ali Group &
its subsidiaries are permitted to submit their
entries.
surprise prize. The details of the prize
winner will be published in the next issue of
the dot.
3. Only One entry is allowed per employee.
30
5. The Last date to submit your entries:
15th July 2012.
6. The Corporate Communications department
does not make any commitment, express or
implied, to respond to queries of the
Participants or furnish reasons for inclusion
and, or, exclusion of any particular submission
of the Participant at any stage.
7. The winner will be chosen by means of a raffle draw & will be contacted with a
Ms. Jolly Velasco
Senior Accountant- QQP
Prize was delivered by Mr. Pierre-Michel Eckert,
General Manager, Business Development
Thank you to everyone who
participated in the Special Challenge,
Word Search. We are looking for your
support and participation in the
upcoming issues.
Solution of last issue:
PEN
4HEPARTNEROFCHOICE