25/03/2013
Sharakah held its Annual General Meeting for the financial year ended 31 December, 2012 on 25th March 2013 at Park Inn Hotel, presided by Mr. Hani bin Mohamed AlZubair, Chairman of the Board of Directors, with the attendance of the Board of Directors, Shareholders and officials from the concerned authorities.
The AGM discussed and approved the Audited Financial Statements for the year 2012 and the appointment of Statutory Auditor for the financial year 2013.
Mr. Hani explained that Sharakah had a remarkable year in 2012. It managed to achievemost of its targets and overall the performance was very positive. 2012 was the first year where Sharakah applied the new strategy and it successfully launched its new Brand which carries Three Key Messages;
Energize: Sharakah engages with business owners to encourage them and showcase their achievements.
Grow:By monitoring and guiding the business owners, Sharakah ensures their sustainability and continuous growth.
Innovation: Reviewing how they operate and always suggesting area for improvements, Sharakah’s clients strive to be the best in their industries.
Amongst a list of achievements, Sharakah became ISO 9001:2008 certified in 2012. The certification recognizes that Sharakah has standardized processes and procedures that adhere to International Quality Systems Standards
.
Hani Al Zubair stated that; "Sharakahhave adopted a strategy to diversify communicationchannels to spread more awareness about Sharakah and encourage entrepreneurship amongst nationals. In 2012, Sharakahhave attended to more than 460 calls and enquiries, an increase of 24% from the previous year. Moreover, is now active on renowned social media channels includingFacebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and You Tube.On the community development side, Sharakah delivered many presentations at different colleges and schools as well as we conducted a skills development workshop titled "Dynamic Entrepreneurship" to about 280 startups and college students."
Commenting on the financial performance he added; "During the year 2012, Sharakah provided financial support to 10 projects with investment amount ofRO 529.000, which have created 164 new job opportunities in the local market.Since 2008 to the present day, Sharakahprovided support to 29 projects;these projects represent various sectors including information technology, engineering, as well as industry and services sector and restaurants."
Mr. Hani concluded by emphasizing the importance of the role His Majesty the Sultan plays in supporting Small and Medium Enterprises. He praised the decisions that emerged from SME Symposium held at Seih Al Samikat and confirmed that this will pave the way for more locals to consider establishing their own enterprises. Further, this will create a favorable environment for SME`s.
Mr. Hani greatly appreciated the support that SME`s in general and Sharakah in particular received from His Majesty. He also thanked the shareholders for the support they have shown.