Oman Observer, August 2005

Leading HR practitioner from India to address
By Hasan Kamoonpuri

MUSCAT — Bahwan CyberTek (BCT) will organise a major conference at Grand Hyatt Muscat on August 16 on “Enabling Execution Excellence through Integrated and Technology driven HR Practices”, said Durgaprasad, CEO, BCT. Prof K B Akhilesh, renowned HR practitioner and academician from the prestigious Indian Institute of Science and visiting professor at Fledging University, USA, has been invited to address the conference, which will be attended by a select gathering of executives.

Durgaprasad, said, “companies from the fringes of world economy can become global players through innovation and strategies aimed at creating opportunities as key differentiators. The first step towards this would be to empower its people — the most important asset in any organisation with a passion for success”.

According to Prof Akhilesh: “Empowering employees with the right ammunition to collectively target the organisation’s goal is an imperative to garner competitive edge in the market. With the dynamic business environment throwing up challenges every moment, the need to build, a totally aligned organisation that is nimble, is more than ever. Successful organisations have realised this by integrating talent, effort, performance and reward.”

Durgaprasad said Prof Akhilesh will elucidate ways to create competitive advantage by implementing integrated HR practices, ways to seamlessly implement HR process changes, building global top teams and competencies besides enabling key executives to define career path.

Prof Akhilesh, M Tech, MBA, PhD, is the author of several books, such as Evolving Performing Organisations Through People and R&D Management besides publishing over 100 papers in Indian and international journals including International Journal of Team Performance, R and D Management, Journal of Managerial Psychology, Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, Productivity and Personnel. Today his research interest encompasses varied topics focused on the development of human resource skills in the information technology and manufacturing sectors.

Bahwan CyberTek, the leading Systems Integration, Products and Services organisation, has been instrumental in bringing Prof Akhilesh to Muscat. “At Bahwan CyberTek, we are driven by the objective of building a knowledge-driven society and the session with the professor is a step towards that. I am confident that this conference will be a great boon to BCT and other attendees. Prof Akhilesh brings with him vast experience in HR coupled with global exposure,” adds Durgaprasad.

Bahwan CyberTek, established in 1999 is a leading IT Products and Services company, provides state-of-the-art solutions to its customers covering package implementation in the ERP and SCM space, customised software development, System Integration, Migration and Customisation, Training, Professional Services and end-to-end networking solutions using near-shore and offshore models. It has offices in Oman, UAE, India and USA with a total strength of 500 people. BCT’s offshore development centre in Chennai, India is assessed at CMM Level 4.

BCT’s customers include some of the leading banking and financial institutions, governments, manufacturing and trading organisations in Oman, UAE, India and USA. BCT’s parent, Suhail Bahwan Group is in business for over 35 years, and has over $1 billion in turnover across a diversified line of businesses. The group employing over 12,000 people is one of the well-known names in Oman and the Middle East and is most respected for its business ethics.

BCT has established a centre for creativity that is engaged in providing training services with the objective of building a knowledge-driven society. BCT has undertaken the task of training about 1,000 Omani youth in IT and related areas. BCT also brings internationally recognised talent and expertise to Oman through its tie-ups with premier institutes across the world.