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ABA Holding Group Learning and Development launches new digital platform

Revolutionizing the way our team members gain access to training at Ali Bin Ali Holding, the Group Learning and Development Department has introduced a digital learning platform – The ABA Learning Hub.

The platform was ceremoniously launched on February 26, 2023, at a small gathering held at the ABA Head Office in the presence of Senior Managers, the Learning and Development team and the users. There was also a significant online participation by ABA staff members in Kuwait, K.S.A and also Qatar.

The ABA Learning Hub is a storehouse of a wide range of courses and study modules that ABA employees can avail of at their own pace and in their own time. The easily navigable portal is user friendly and allows the user to check the modules available, select courses that suits her/his business need and even form groups to discuss topics. The e-learning platform is accessible from different gadgets beyond a desktop and laptop and can be accessed via an app on tablets or the mobile phones, whether they are in the workplace or at home.

500 ABA staff members from different divisions and departments of the Holding have been selected by their Managers to pilot the new e-learning platform. All users are being added in the backend by the Learning and Development Team and can set up a profile with the ABA email address.

The ABA Learning Hub is a part of the Group Learning and Development Department’s vision strategy to achieve learning autonomy, learning agility and to repurpose talent. The platform encourages ABA staff to consistently be curious to gain new knowledge and skills. The new platform is a breakthrough for the whole organization as we step into the future with the digitally advanced Learning and Development Department, which allows our staff the flexibility to keep learning as per their availability.

Speaking at the launch, Guest speaker Mr. Sébastien Farhat, emphasized the importance of Learning and investing in one’s own growth, while Ms. Gizelle Lacson – ABA Learning and Development Lead said: “Digitization is the future and it’s a proud moment for all of us to be able to offer this platform to our teams. The core of all these is learning – as it facilitates the resilience of the workforce. It is essential that we keep learning to advance in our professional as well as our personal lives. Learning can happen anytime, anywhere and we want to make it flexible, convenient and fun. The ABA Learning Hub is all of that and I am sure it will be an asset for the employees and the Group.”

 

 

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MoPH Qatar, in association with ABATS, inaugurated electronic food safety system, ‘Watheq’

As one of the leading IT Systems Integrators in Qatar, Ali Bin Ali Technology Solutions (ABATS) joined hands with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) to launch the electronic food safety system, ‘Watheq’. On September 25, 2022, HE the Minister of Public Health Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari ceremonially inaugurated ‘Watheq’.

Apart from high-level officials and dignitaries from MoPH Qatar, present at the event were General Manager of ABATS Mr. Rami Majed Ammari, COO of Ali Bin Ali Holding ICT Mr. Mohamad A. Ebrik, General Manager – Ali Bin Ali Holding – Finance Mr. Adnan Suleiman, Head of Sales at ABATS Mr. Nasser Issa and Ali Bin Ali Holding – Group Corporate Communications Manager Mr. Imad Hashim.

The ABATS team has been at the helm of this project, coordinating between all parties to make sure the project was delivered flawlessly. They worked together with the MoPH to create the most effective and integrated electronic system, aiming to provide high-quality services to enhance the health and well-being of the community. ‘Watheq’ is a very strategic project for ABATS and is one of the most important national projects undertaken within the Qatar Public Health Strategy.

The electronic system involves a food control process based on standard operating procedures subject to international accreditation controls (ISO 17020), through three electronically linked systems: the system of control of imported and exported food, the system of control of food in the local market, and the electronic management of food analysis laboratories.

This comes under the strategic objective to “develop an integrated risk-based inspection service certified to relevant international standards such as ISO/IEC 17020:2012 for imported, locally produced and exported food products that are supported by modern electronic management systems, effective diagnostic services, and monitoring and surveillance systems”, the ministry said in a statement.

Speaking of the ‘Watheq’ solution, Mr. Ebrik said: “We are proud and happy to be part of such an important national project. ABATS, with all our knowledge and experience, made sure to deliver the best platform that will enhance Qatar’s food safety system manifold.”

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Ali Bin Ali Technology Solutions and Balador sign strategic partnership

Ali Bin Ali Technology Solutions (ABATS) and Balador have signed a strategic partnership aimed at activating the Balador electronic platform for all public and private sector organizations in Qatar.

Balador’s agreement with ABATS will elevate the customer flow experience to new heights, making the customer journey completely digital through this exclusive representation in Qatar by Ali Bin Ali Technology Solutions.

Balador is an intelligent cloud-based customer flow management tool that takes queuing from physical to virtual. It simply revolutionizes the way businesses provide their services and how they manage their customers’ journey by making queues a thing of the past.

This multi-tenant platform lists service providers, from both the public and private sectors, along with the branch names, services provided, locations, working hours and estimated waiting times based on proximity and availability. This allows the end user to book a ticket for the needed service or appointment without having to call, wait or queue for it; as well as rate their experience through star ratings and or text/voice messages.

All this translates into better time management for the public, avoiding crowding at business locations, and reducing pressure on customer-facing employees, thus increasing efficiency, productivity and customer satisfaction.

The signing of the agreement marked a commitment, from both parties, to cooperate in the field of information technology and digital transformation through the introduction of the Balador platform in Qatar.

The memorandum of understanding was signed on the sidelines of Smart City Expo Doha 2022, which was held on March 29 and 30, by the General Manager of ABATS, Mr. Rami Ammari, and the CEO of Balador, Mr. Mohamed Atout, in the presence of Mr. Mohamed Al Ebrik, the COO of Ali Bin Ali Holding’s ICT Division.

This agreement came in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 for economic transformation and the creation of a sustainable knowledge-based economy. It is also supporting the strategic national objectives of delivering integrated IT services and solutions for smart cities consistent with the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar.

Balador is a leader in digital technology solutions, applications and customer services, with extensive experience in the Middle East gained over more than 15 years in the field of digital transformation. This unique experience helped it conceive the idea of the electronic platform, Balador, to change the way the service is organized and delivered while managing the customer experience through abolishing the queue completely and making it a thing of the past.

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ABATS and ABA IT Department enjoy an exciting football match night

Taking a break from their busy schedules, Ali Bin Ali Technology Solutions (ABATS) and Ali Bin Ali Holding’s Information Technology Department enjoyed a friendly football match night on March 24, 2022.

The event took place at Muaither Sports Club in the presence of excited members from both the divisions. Also present at the event were General Manager of ABATS Mr. Rami Majed Ammari and Chief Operating Officer – ICT Mr. Mohamad A. Ebrik. While Mr. Ebrik was the referee for the game, Mr. Rami joined in to play a couple of matches.

The games started off at 6pm with a total of 50 participating players. Four teams were created, and each team played two rounds – elimination and finals. After an exciting series of games, the Blue Team emerged the final winners. The fun evening concluded with a cozy dinner.

This football event was a part of ABA Holding’s endeavor to promote employee engagement and encourage healthy lifestyles to guarantee wellbeing of the employees.

Speaking about the evening, Mr Ebrik said: “It was a fun and exciting evening and all of us enjoyed a lot. Employee wellbeing is one of our top priorities. Such activities not only support good health but also help in building teamwork skills.”

Reiterating similar thoughts, Mr. Rami said: “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships! It is this teamwork that we want to encourage and support our staff with. This was a great opportunity for team-building and fun outside the work environment.”

 

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Ali Bin Ali Beverages wins two prestigious awards

Ali Bin Ali Holding is delighted to announce that ABA Beverages, the exclusive bottler of PepsiCo in Qatar, has bagged two awards at the 2021 Regional Conference in Dubai. The first, recognizing the top performer in the Total Liquid Refreshment Beverages Growth for the year 2021 and the secondly for the largest most successful water innovation.

The award ceremony hosted by PepsiCo Middle East North Africa (MENA), gathered bottlers from all over the region as well as PepsiCo Regional Leadership and senior executives.  ABA Beverages was congratulated as the 2021 top performer in the below 60 million cases markets category for having achieved the highest share growth in total Liquid Refreshment Beverages. The market share is measured by   Canadean – an independent, global research agency who publishes monthly market survey reports.

The second award recognized the largest, most successful water innovation. ABA Beverages was again selected as a winner for the success of Aquafina in Qatar in 2021, once again confirming the company’s strategic commitment and investment capabilities.

Commenting on the awards, ABA Beverages General Manager, Mr. Marc Karam reiterated that he was delighted to receive the 2 accolades on behalf of the company. Mr. Karam said, “These awards reflect the strong commitment of Ali Bin Ali Holding who have invested ahead of the curve and continued to promote the growth of PepsiCo brands in Qatar. As an organization, ABA has stewarded Pepsi’s brands and range of products with utmost pride and continues to invest in growing the business against all sorts of challenges.”

ABA Beverages General Manager also went on to say “I commend the passion and the drive of ABA Beverages associates. This determined team managed to install and commission a full state of the art line during the pandemic and worked through the lockdown in 2020, gaining 32% Canadean share of market over the course of 18 months. That’s a huge achievement and we can  celebrate it”.

Congratulations to Team ABA Beverages!

 

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ABA Watches & Jewelry Kuwait goes fully online with HSBC net

In an   achievement for the Group, Ali Bin Ali (ABA) Watches & Jewelry Kuwait has become the first entity in ABA Group to go fully online using all three main services offered under HSBC net

This is the first entity under the ABA Group to use the trade portal for making supplier payments using Clean Import Loans (CIL) under HSBC net. With this new addition, they will be using three services offered under HSBC net namely, for online salary transfers, regular supplier payments using priority payments and now for import loans using their trade portal.

With this, most of the manual transactions will now be digitized and approved online. Considering that this entity is operating outside of Qatar , migrating to a digitized environment will bring in many benefits such as reducing paper work   , substantially reducing  couriering charges for sending documents for approval and most importantly improving productivity of employees due to the  transaction approval cycle being shorter and streamlined .

Going forward, the ABA Holding Finance Department plans to replicate the HSBC net trade solution for ABA entities in Qatar.

The project was wholeheartedly supported by ABA Holding’s Vice-Chairman & EVP Mr. Nabeel Ali Bin Ali and the Group’s Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Iftekhar Ahmad. Instrumental in the whole process of moving to a completely digitized platform was Group Treasury Manager Fawaz Ismail & the treasury team, Head of Finance in Kuwait Suranga Perera & the Kuwait team, Group Audit Manager Kamal Uddin Gazi Jishan and the Internal Audit team, Group Accounting Manager Fathima Shiham, Financial Controller Mathew N. Thomas (Vinu) & the Accounting team.

Speaking about this commendable development, Mr. Iftekhar said: “Digitization is the future of all financial activities and we are glad that we are keeping up with the times. Definitely this will pave the way for the entire Group to adopt more digital solutions not just with HSBC but also with other banks that offer online banking facilities.”

 

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Ali Bin Ali Holding’s Administration Department Hosts Annual Team Get-Together

Ali Bin Ali Holding’s Administration Department has built an ongoing tradition over the years to celebrate the year gone by at its annual Team Get-together. The 23rd of December 2021 marked the special day and the administration Team made it an event to remember. The team gathered together for a celebratory lunch, held at their office in Ali Bin Ali Tower.

The get together drew the entire Administration team including Mr. Moataz Ahmed Eid, General Manager Administration and HR, with the only absentees being the team members who were on leave. According to everyone present, the Department staff who were away on leave were roundly missed at the gathering.

The afternoon began with a warm welcome speech delivered by Mr. Moataz. The General Manager made it point to affirm and encourage the team as he placed on record his appreciation for the efforts of the full administration team. Special mention was made about the fact that Ali Bin Ali Holding’s Administration staff excelled at holding fort during tough times and have served the group efficiently during the pandemic.

Even with COVID-19 at its peak, the team continued to support the full spectrum of the Ali Bin Ali group and ensure business continuity. Mr. Moataz rounded off his address by wishing each and every staff member and their families an enjoyable and peaceful holiday season. He did not forget to add a word of encouragement, requesting the team and their families to stay safe. He ended his speech by wishing the Administration Team all the very best for the year 2022.

To add a layer of excitement to the event, organizers had planned several games and interactions, that were enjoyed by all. Team members also received certificates of appreciation and goodie bags. To add to the atmosphere of joy there was a raffle draw with surprise gifts for several lucky staff members. The sessions was concluded with a sumptuous lunch and promise of similar get-togethers in the future.

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ABA Holding employees graduate from The Harvard Managementor Program 2020-2021

Ali Bin Ali Holding is proud to congratulate 44 ABA graduates, who successfully completed the Harvard ManageMentor program 2020-2021. As a premier capacity building and skills development course run by Harvard Business Publishing, under Harvard University, the program ranks as the world’s leading digital learning experience that leverages on-demand, world-class content to develop leaders at all levels.

ABA Holding is delighted that 44 of our professionals, drawn from different ABA business streams elevated themselves, their skills and knowledge and capitalized on the learning opportunity provided for them. ABA particularly recognizes the commitment and focus of these graduates who firmly stayed on course, despite the pandemic related challenges that 2021 brought. By graduating from a world-renown course, not only has the year ended well for them, but they have also enriched the company by growing and developing their skills and competencies, which will no doubt advance performances at all levels.

Warmly congratulating the group of graduates Group General Manager Human Resources Aldrine Fernandez said, “We celebrate the 2021 batch of Harvard ManageMentor graduates and we applaud their achievement. We were privileged to witness the level of commitment to their learning journey during a challenging year. Today, these graduates stand as a group who have successfully upscaled their skills, knowledge and capacities. That is something we can all be proud of. From HR perspective, ABA Holding always steps forward to equip and empower our people at the highest levels possible. It is heartening for us to see our employees embrace the opportunities they have been given and make maximum use of programs like Harvard ManageMentor”.

The Harvard ManageMentor Program is composed of 25 short online courses that are available to all learners to help develop the most in-demand skills for today’s global market.  Each course summarizes critical ideas and advice on essential management topics such as leading teams, project management, strategic thinking, and much more.  A series of café sessions were facilitated as a platform to interact and learn from one another – share best practices and work as a team to formulate best conclusions on case studies.  These sessions were primarily conducted by Eleni Ntoulaveri, Group Learning & Development Manager with a couple of sessions conducted by Aldrine Fernandez, Group General Manager Human Resources.

 

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Ali Bin Ali & Partners’ Consumer Agencies 1 gather for year-end party

On December 11, 2021 Ali Bin Ali & Partners’ (ABAP) Consumer Agencies (CAG) 1 gathered for a year-end party at the Garden City compound, Doha. The year-end event has been the tradition not only in CAG1, but also for other line of businesses within ABAP.

One of the primary objectives of the gathering was to showcase how the business performed throughout the year and to recognize individual employee contribution, adding to business efficiencies in all the variables that led to overall success.

The event highlighted new strategies to combat the impending challenges in the market with various inputs from the team inspired by a well-known industrialist, Henry Ford – “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” This gave a clear visibility to the team in terms of what the Division’s priorities are and where they want to take it forward.

CAG1 is responsible for some of the leading global products distributed in Qatar, such as Kellogg’s, Pringles, Colgate-Palmolive, etc. Team CAG1 embraced the idea of teamwork and celebrated success to sustain employee engagement activities.

The evening became even more exciting with the announcement of employee performance recognitions. They were categorically split into different levels – Initiative, Consistent and Exceeding Expectations along with the rolling trophies which intend to pass every year to the new achievers.  A few raffle gifts were drawn that spiced up the program.

The night ended with a special word from the ABAP General Manager, Mr. Viji Kurien, followed by a sumptuous meal. Thanking every one present, Mr. Kurien said: “It is the joint effort of the entire CAG1 team that has made 2021 a successful year for the business. We should maintain this focus with consistent performance and move towards a brighter future.”

 

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ABA IT Department takes a break from work, enjoys a fun bowling evening


Bringing a much-needed change to the everyday routine, Ali Bin Ali (ABA) Holding’s Information Technology Department organized a special bowling event on December 8, 2021, in Gondolania at Villaggio Mall.

The fun evening was planned with the idea of stressing the importance of ensuring a healthy work-life balance, which is essential for mental wellbeing as well as better productivity.

All members of the ABA IT Department gathered in the bowling area and the games started at 5pm. Two game sets were played with the participation of 31 members. After an exciting display of bowling skills and a thrilling head-to-head competition, the three top scorers were Osama Abdul Rahman Hamad (253), Sabin Sabu (221) and Noor Muhammad Malik (221).

After the games, the team settled down for a relaxed dinner of pizza. The night concluded on a happy note as the ABA IT team went back home rejuvenated and refreshed.

Speaking about the event, Group General Manger of ABA IT Department Youssef Moussa said: “We believe social activities are very important for the well-being of employees. In the past, we have organized volleyball, football, basketball and similar events. These events were arranged on a quarterly basis. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic we stopped for some time. Now, we have resumed these activities again.”