A long time ago in a country far, far away… a young(ish) John Mullen found himself working on an arbitration with the Ministry of Transport and Communication (MOTC), represented by an equally young Khamis Al Souli, in the Sultanate of Oman.
This was the initial ‘birth’ of the Driver Consult Oman LLC (Driver Trett) office back in 2008.
Author: Jon Sanderson, Oman Country Manager
The office has since gone from strength to strength under various stewardships. In the space of 13 years, there have been three country managers, which is testament to the great relationship the company has with the local businesses and more importantly the Omani people.
I joined Driver Trett in 2018, after having spent a year here in Oman. My family and I feel really at home here, and both Oman and Driver Trett have welcomed us with open arms. Having recently been appointed as Country Manager, I am genuinely looking forward to meeting the challenges (hopefully not too many!), and the opportunities that lie ahead. Oman is a fantastic country, steeped in history, with beautiful scenery and warm and welcoming people. Did you know that Oman is the oldest state in the Arab world and that it is estimated that Omani people have been living here for over 100,000 years? Or that the Omanis are considered the greatest shipbuilders in the world? Truly amazing!
Being an ‘expat’ in Oman is not as challenging as you may think, especially for me as most Omanis love football! Which, in my view, is the universal language of the world, and fortunately for me most seem to have an affinity with Liverpool. There is the odd exception, but hey, what can I do?! There are so many beautiful things to do and see here in Oman, from the turtle beaches to swimming in the Wadis and even mountain climbing. We really are spoilt for choice… when we’re not working and meeting our clients’ needs of course!
Over the years Driver Trett’s service offering in Oman has developed along with our client’s requirements, with the provision of Project Management, Quantity Surveying, Claims and Expert services.
These wide-ranging services have been key to providing our clients with many years of support in achieving successful outcomes on their projects, and which we intend to continue moving forward.
The market in Oman has shifted somewhat over the past couple of years, with many of the larger government infrastructure schemes being completed. This has led to a shift in the proportion of the different service offerings being undertaken. However, this is business and what we as a team are adept at, is being flexible. This, in my opinion, is key to being successful, not only in Oman, but worldwide.
As Oman embarks on its ‘Vision 2040’ plans the underlying aim of which is to move away from a post-oil economy towards a more sustainable knowledge-based one, Driver Trett plan, as a long-established business in Oman, to remain flexible and provide the services needed to support the country with that goal.
I am lucky to have the support of a great team of people here in Oman, without which the continued success of the business could not be realised. The commitment and hard work of the team have provided the platform of success for the business in Oman. Like I say, the manager can send his team out onto the pitch and after that it’s down to them... I do really like football analogies!
This article was originally written for issue 22 of the Driver Trett Digest. To view the publication, please visit: www.driver-group.com/digest-issue-22
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