News story: Women in Business event at the British Ambassador’s residence

The British Ambassador Mr Jon Wilks, alongside British Entrepreneur Rekha Mehr MBE and Omani Businesswoman Malak Al Shaibani, hosted a Women in Business Afternoon Tea at the Ambassador’s Residence.

Over the past four decades, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has encouraged the women of Oman to work side by side with men and pursue their careers, ensuring they have the same rights to education and employment.

Following on from the previous women in business event hosted by Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall last November, this event aims to recognize women in business in Oman, and highlight their contributions towards the nation. H.E. Jon Wilks said ‘On behalf of the British Embassy in Muscat, I am delighted to celebrate the contribution of Omani women to the success of the modern development of Oman in accordance with His Majesty Sultan Qaboos’ vision. Our guests are inspiring in what they have achieved for the Sultanate. We invited Rekha Mehr who was awarded an honour by Her Majesty the Queen for services to enterprise and entrepreneurship, to be guest speaker so that she could share with our guests her passion for business, specifically ideas for building a support infrastructure for early stage businesses to grow and thrive.’

Rekha is a British Entrepreneur and founder of Pistachio Rose London and Monrekha Academy. She was appointed as the first Startup Entrepreneur in Residence for the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy where she works to inform policy and better shape the business support landscape. Rekha said ‘Successful entrepreneurial ecosystems are built upon the foundations of strong communities. I am looking forward to meeting the local ladies who are the driving force behind supporting Omani Women in Business and sharing our stories.’

The National Business Center (NBC ) provides office facilities as well as value added services to Omani entrepreneurs and has more than 40 startups operating in safety services, interior design, oil and gas services and media. The NBC has also initiated a program to recognize and support business women in Oman.

Mrs. Malak Al Shaibani, the Director General of the NBC who has worked closely with the Embassy to organize this series of events says that NBC is delighted to support and be part of these initiatives. She said ‘It gives us an opportunity to interact with successful local business women and professionals, and also the opportunity to meet Rekha and learn more about her experience as an entrepreneur. Her knowledge and skills of working to improve the ecosystem is extremely valuable to us as a business incubator.’