New Metrics has recently concluded the Omantel Marketing School, a customised development program designed to equip participants with the knowledge and tools needed to succeed as marketing professionals in 2018 and beyond. Approximately 60 individuals holding marketing related roles within the Company took part in the program that focused on building marketing skills relevant to the rapidly evolving telecoms industry. The 12-month program officially drew to a close recently with a ceremony at Omantel Headquarters attended by senior management, participants and program directors.
The program took a multi-pronged approach to learning with monthly interactive workshops, pre and post-workshop assessments, learning reflection assignments and coaching with subject-matter experts. Throughout the year, participants were also tasked with a group assignment where they were required to develop a new and viable product or service relevant to Omantel. The program culminated with a final pitch of the new concept to program directors. The program’s top five performers were also recognised at the closing ceremony and awarded with an incentive trip abroad to meet with marketing teams of some of the world’s most innovative companies.
New Metrics CEO Mohammed Debouk and Client Director Miriam Kugel spearheaded the program’s design and implementation. Speaking about the program they noted, “It was an honour to work alongside Omantel to develop and implement this program which was a first-of-its-kind in Oman. We would like to congratulate and thank the participants whose efforts, enthusiasm and diligence ensured the Marketing School’s success. The learning was carefully designed to equip participants with knowledge applicable on a day to day basis to achieve actual business objectives. The program’s content was unlike anything that you would find in a text-book or typical classroom and instead was up-to-date and relevant, drawing on the real-world experience of our delivery team who are subject-matter experts. The tangible impact of the program is already evident by the fact that some prototypes designed by participants as part of the group project task have been adopted and implemented by Omantel as genuine products and services.”
In a speech at the School’s closing ceremony, Omantel’s General Manager of Enterprise Marketing Saleem Abdullatif said, “We set out at the beginning of this journey with the objective to make this program different to anything that the participants had experienced previously. Naturally we wanted to include the latest technical learning delivered by industry experts, but equally as important, we wanted to foster a sense collaboration between marketers from different divisions within the Company.”
“A distinguishing aspect of this program was the group project task. In addition to seeing their learning and creativity in action, what was great about this task was the fact that participants from different departments and experience levels came together to create concepts that were truly amazing and made sense for Omantel. The participants learnt not only from the material and coursework, but also from each other which made the experience even more valuable,” added Saleem Abdullatif.
One participant, Product Development Manager Runa Radhakrishnan said, “The Marketing Academy conducted by New Metrics at Omantel has been a real skill enhancer for my team and me personally. The content and pace are perfectly suited to our needs. The instructors, apart from being knowledgeable on the subjects, have real world experience, which enhances the learning. And the format, including project work and personal coaching, keeps the whole process engaging and exciting.”
The Omantel Marketing School was one among many New Metrics learning and development and consultancy programs currently underway with organisations across the Sultanate. Recently New Metrics have joined hands with Omantel again to design a futuristic HR school that will equip HR professionals with future-proof tools and knowledge. The program will cover trending topics such as HR strategy, employee experience, people analytics and talent management in an age of ever evolving skill-sets.