A day of celebration, relaxation and fellowship was enjoyed recently by the ABA Finance team. Held to reflect the thought that “United we stand, divided we fall” a staff get together was organised on the 27th March 2015. The success of the gathering can be measured by the enthusiasm with which the staff state on the event.
The 27th March was the perfect choice for this gathering. The day started with fun that lasted right from dawn to dusk! Sealine Beach Resort was the planet of the day for the Finance Community. They had games for all ages pooling tiny tots and Moms-n- Dads, they had lucky draw gifts not to mention a great afternoon meal!
All managers and employees were present with their families, with almost the entire community represented. It was a delightful day for all who gathered.”
On Thursday, 12th March 2015 a special training was held for Senior Finance staff of the Ali Bin Ali Group. The training focused on International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) .
The training is part of the year long finance academy and provided an excellent opportunity to the senior finance people to upgrade their knowledge base in line with developments happening in IFRS.
A total of 14 participants attended the event comprising of mostly Finance Managers and Chief Accountants. The training took place at the HR Training Room on the 9th Floor of ABA Towers.
Mr. Iftekhar Ahmad Group CFO of ABA Group thanked Mohammad Ghaddar and Rami Qudah from Deloitte for providing the training program.
On the 21st of March, 2015 one of Doha’s locations was buzzing with activity. The InterContinental Hotel Doha’s beach was filled with over 800 people belonging to one large family – the Ali Bin Ali FMCG Team along with their extended families! From 10:00AM to 4:00PM the large group gathered celebrated the 2015 FMCG family day enjoying each other’s company and immersing them selves in a range of fun-filled activities.
The creatively planned activities included energetic versions of tug of war, volleyball, and puzzle games to mention just a few. The children were kept entertained with face painting in a fun play ground. Balloons along with a Hello Kitty and Barney mascot added even more fun to the little one’s day! Parallel to the on-going fun was a scrumptious spread of food which made the time even more enjoyable.
The Winners of team games were given their awards by Mr. Nabil Mourad Mr. Wadih Kazan, Mr. Mohammed Imran, and Mr. Neri Alphonso. After the awarding, a raffle draw started with exciting prizes. Over all, everyone who is part of the FMCG family had a day of renewing connections, celebrating achievements and enjoying each other’s company!
The Ali Bin Ali Group’s Luxury Division registered a strong showing at the 12th edition of the prestigious Doha Watches & Jewellery Exhibition. The event took place from February 24th, 2015 to February 28th, 2015 at the Qatar National Convention Center in Doha.
The Doha Jewellery & Watches Exhibition 2015 attracted over 500 of the most exclusive international and regional brands and The Ali Bin Ali Group was proud to be among the exhibitors, displaying the high end portfolio of brands the Group represents. The exhibition was inaugurated by the Minister of Economy and Commerce HE Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohamed Al Thani, Issa Bin Mohammed Al Mohannadi, the Chairman of Qatar Tourism Authority in the presence of CEO of Qatar Development Bank (QDB) Abdulaziz bin Nasser al-Khalifa.
The Ali Bin Ali Group was delighted to be among exclusive exhibitors: renowned jewellers and watchmakers and launch some of the most awaited selections, adding to and expanding the luxury division’s collection. Among the new brands launched were AS29, Prestine and HYT.
The Ali Bin Ali Group has now built a steady reputation for unveiling the latest international and high end products among their jewellery & watches range. At this year’s event there were demonstration of the latest trends and timepieces in the world. The 25000sqm space retained by the Ali Bin Ali Group exceeded the space occupied last year, confirming the growth of the company’s luxury division and their capability. The Group reported that the footfall at this year’s event exceeded over 40000 local and international visitors.
The Doha Jewellery & Watches Exhibition 2015 showcased creative brilliance, master craftsmanship, ultimate luxury, the latest trends in the industry today. The display of the finest gemstones and unique watches made the 12th edition a celebrated event amongst connoisseurs and consumers alike.
On 15th February 2015 The Ali Bin Ali Group’s FMCG division organised an event at the Finance Shared Services office at D’ring Road in Nuaija.
Building on a successful journey and four years of learning and experience in the ABA Finance Shared Services function, ABA Group CFO Mr. Iftekhar Ahmed announced the opening of AP Shared Services in FMCG commencing from 15th February, 2015. It was learnt at the gathering that a dedicated task force team led by Mr. Jeyaprakash Velu under the supervision and guidance of Mr. Sampath Balaji spent almost 10 months in planning, preparing and carrying out the ground work right from the process definition upto drafting SLA’s for a seamless migration including alignment of the respective stake holders and consulting with overseas Shared Services Expert.
It was also announced that Mr. Sukanta Chakrabarty, Team Leader of AR Shared Services Team, after successfully launching the ARSS will move on to the new role of leading the APSS team.
Present at the event were ABA Group’s CFO, GM(F)FMCG, Finance Managers FMCG, Key finance team members and Shared Services Members.
Addressing those gathered, ABA Group’s CFO said “This is only the beginning and I expect more divisions to join the shared services umbrella in coming months and years. As has been the case with ARSS, I am confident that the cost of managing the shared services will significantly come down with time due to scale effect. More importantly, this will relieve managers to spend more quality time on strategic and business critical issues. Also this will be of significant step forward for us for the implementation of new ERP system in ABA.”
