Maqbool Al Wahaibi is the Chief Executive Officer of Oman Data Park (ODP), the first managed and cloud service provider in Oman. He was a key contributor to the creation of solutions specifically suited to the needs of banks, financial institutions, the oil and gas industry, the healthcare industry, the government, the educational system, and the professional services sector. He is a member of the executive management team and a founding team member of ODP. His diverse experience spans more than 20 years in ICT engineering, software development, business startup, and leadership.
Maqbool has an MBA from Strathclyde University in the UK and a Master of Science in Computer Software Engineering from the University of York. At the 2018 Annual AIWA Awards, he was named Technology Person of the Year. In 2019, Oman Data Park received the Excellence for Global Cloud-Based Services award. ODP currently provides services to 600 corporate clients, including big, medium-sized, and small businesses.
Life prior to Starting Professional Work
Maqbool attended the Royal Guard School of Technology, an Oman-based military technology boarding school, for his secondary and primary education. Later, he received a government scholarship to pursue his further education, including a bachelor’s degree in engineering in information technology from Staffordshire University in the UK, a master’s degree in software engineering from York University in the UK, and an MBA from Strathclyde University in Scotland.
He began working for the government as a software developer and advanced through the ranks to general manager of an IT division.
Maqbool was a member of the founding team (shareholders) of Oman Data Park SAOC (ODP), which was established in 2012. Maqbool helped ODP develop and become a success story. The stockholders approached him about starting the first cloud service provider in Oman. He jumped out of the government sector to bring up ODP because he thought the idea was good.
It was difficult to start a business from scratch in a tiny, conservative market like Oman with a brand-new set of services like cloud services and data center services. It calls for intense concentration driven by enthusiasm, a thorough awareness of the risk variables, and a great deal of attention. Maqbool was fortunate to possess all of those qualities, which were undoubtedly helpful. He shares, “Our first client was a bank. In Oman, the first Islamic bank (Nizwa Bank) was established. We sold the idea to the bank to collocate all of their infrastructure in ODP, rather than building a data center of their own, it was an opportunity we didn’t want to miss.” However, having to deal with all the legislative and security components was not an easy thing to do. Before discussing the financial benefits and the total cost of ownership that the bank would have by getting their IT core banking infrastructure into ODP—something that hadn’t been done in the region before—the company had to make the case to the legislative bodies and challenge the risk and security departments of the bank.
Oman Data Park has managed to accumulate a tremendous amount of experience in offering cloud managed services over the past ten years while serving more than 600 organizations.
A Leader with Values and Ideals
Maqbool takes care of his team and gives them the most respect and self-confidence possible in his role as a leader. When it comes to his consumers, he makes sure they receive the greatest possible service. The next group of people are his partners; ODP could not succeed without them. His board of directors, who must be supportive and in agreement, comes last.
Maqbool is a guy of action, and he frequently exemplifies this for his colleagues. He makes the most of every chance to ensure that the business has a culture of discipline toward execution with excellence and the highest level of customer service. With quality service, Maqbool and his team win new clients and maintain them forever. He makes certain that the team sees that on him personally so that they can follow. He asserts, “To me, discipline comes first, and that really helps the execution part of the vision. A leader should also be passionate about what he or she does. It is also important to stay focused and have the courage to say no to anything that might divert the focus from the optimal goal.”
Four Keys to Growth; Focus, Passion, Persistence, and Discipline
Maqbool strives to not let anything distract him from his main objective by concentrating on it. He also has a strong desire to lead the digital economy and transformation in Oman and the region. By concentrating on the ideals that the company needs to establish in the Oman market and beyond, he looks beyond the company. The cloud concept is popular for a good reason. According to him, the benefits of cloud-based goods and services come from the economies of scale they offer. It is significantly less expensive than conventional techniques, offers better cash flow management to corporations by having them pay opex rather than capex, and offers at least a 45% reduction in the total cost of ownership. Additionally, it is more reliable and secure than conventional techniques.
Inside the organization, Maqbool is a clock builder, not a time teller. He invests time in setting the process of how things should be executed, recruiting skilled people who he believes can do the job, making sure the team is communicating among each other, and leading them towards the company’s vision. He asserts, “I tend to avoid micromanagement by empowering my team and delegating responsibilities. If it is determined that someone is not qualified for the position, I force them to choose between improving their skill set, in which we will invest as an organization, and seeking other opportunities where they can shine brighter.
Maqbool avoids procrastination, he tends to be a forward looking individual who takes risks and makes decisions that he sees as benefiting the organization. He adds, “Make a decision, then fix it.”
Maqbool is obsessed with quality and customer satisfaction. He asserts, “There is nothing that makes my day more than a satisfied client who speaks highly of my team and appreciates the value they are getting out of our services.” He also adds that Customer centricity is a prime element of how the team does things in ODP. He mentions, “I never pay much attention to my competitors as that will divert our focus; rather, I devote most of my attention to my customers.”
Maqbool sees himself a long term infinite leader who execute beyond the short term business and profitability margins. He focuses on bringing value to his shareholders and the market and building a business that can exist forever.
Vision for Future
Maqbool’s vision for Oman Data Park is to penetrate other markets in the GCC and Africa where it strongly believes ODP offerings can be of value, especially from a cloud managed service and professional service perspective. He says, “We will be either constructing DCs in multiple locations around the globe, or working with local DC or Internet Service Providers (ISP) in multiple countries to channel ODP cloud and cyber security offerings in multiple market segments.” He further shares that Oman Data Park managed to execute its first steps towards internationalization, where it signed an agreement with the Tanzanian government to provide a software-as-a-service-based e-procurement cloud solution to the government of Zanzibar in Tanzania. The company will also be establishing a cloud data center in Zanzibar to provide them with all the other products and services that Oman Data Park offers.
Written by Steve Sanchez.
