An intuitive knowledge of business and a hands-on work credo have helped Shyam Sailesh, CEO of Al Jassar Group, to seamlessly forge ahead of the pack in the complex world of business and create newer paradigms of success. A strong business culture, ingrained early in life, helped hone his skill for identifying business potentials and chart the success of a business network that has complemented Omani government’s agenda for Omanisation and economic diversification.
He has been developing the Group’s activities with strategic business plans and the last couple of years have seen him expanding the Group’s presence in Salalah and achieving an overall average of 35 percent growth in 2017 and 2018. “We have received great support from the government in empowering Omani women in workplace; we have achieved 40 percent Omanisation rate,” he states.
Explaining the importance of hiring talented young Omanis further, he says: “My advice to private sector companies is to look for more youths. For a successful long-term employment, it very important to match your requirement to the background and interests of the people you hire. The screening process before hiring is where maximum emphasis is to be laid on.”
Born and brought up in the Gulf region, he has an instinctive knowledge of the market and is well-versed with the changing economic horizon. He was born in Kuwait, where his father, V.T. Saileshwaran, was working for a local business company, before moving to Saudi Arabia when his father got posted there. The Gulf War saw them returning back to India, albeit for a short period, as a call to rejoin the company, with a posting in Oman, brought the family back to their Gulf base in 1992.
Looking back, Shyam says he cannot think of any other place or environment to settle down. “My parents instantly fell in love with this beautiful country and its friendly people. My father often tells us that the best decision made by his former employer was to post him in Muscat. If not for that call, we wouldn’t have settled here and that would have been a big miss,” he states.
It was in 1998 that his father experimented with his entrepreneurial skills by starting a small trading company, dealing mainly in HVAC and MEP materials. “Ever since we have been expanding into various business activities in Oman,” states Shyam, pointing out the inception of Apollo Hospital, in affiliation with Apollo Group of Hospitals India, in 2005 to meet the demand for quality health care.
Although Shyam’s entry into business was inevitable, he has ensured that his educational qualifications are commensurate with his business portfolio. He finished high school at Indian school Muscat and moved to Dubai for his Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from the University of Wollongong, before joining his father in his trading business. This meant regular business trips to Far East and Europe, which gave him an opportunity to make friends from various cultures and ages. “This influenced my personality to a large extent,” he observes.
It was during those early days that he chose to do MBA and opted for Hult International Business School, which offered a challenging programme and a rotation opportunity to multiple campuses, which took him ahead to campuses in Dubai, Shanghai and Boston. He followed that by taking up an opportunity to work in the U.S., before returning back to Oman in 2012 to join Al Jassar Group as the CEO, handling trading and telecom activities in Muscat and interior and décor activities in Abu Dhabi. The same year saw him getting married to Karthika, which, he describes as “one of the best things that has happened to me”. She has been the pillar of support and confidence in my various decisions,” he adds.
Then, in 2018, he joined Apollo Hospital as a Director (part time) and kept his focus on ensuring timely and effective treatment here, as medical tourism can prove to be cumbersome and inconvenient for patients and their families. Towards this end, he started building a strong surgical team of surgeons in orthopaedics, gynaecology, general surgery and urology, and arranged visiting orthopaedic consultants from Germany and India to visit the Centre every month. He is also very optimistic about the Ministry of Heath’s plans to introduce compulsory insurance coverage to all Omani and expat population, which, he says, will help people who need to access healthcare facilities affordably.
The home I grew up in…
I have lived in many times. I was born in Kuwait, was located to Saudi Arabia and moved to Sultanate of Oman when I was 8 years.
When I was a child I wanted to…
Be a Pilot. But I am now terrified of flying.
The moment that changed me forever…
Marriage changed my perspective of life in many ways. It really got out the better in me. Birth of my daughter also brought in a lot of positivity into my life.
My hero…
Batman…he is really cool. And Lewis Hamilton, as I am a F1 fan.
I dream of…
A greener and more efficient future. This planet is the best gift we humans can have.
You may not know it but I’m very good at…
Identifying opportunities when it comes to work.
If I have time to myself…
I will sink into my sofa and watch some really good movies at home. I am a big fan of works done by Leonardo DiCaprio, Christopher Nolan and Peter Jackson.
My house is…
My place of zen and peace; that’s where I expect to spend quality time with family.
My favourite haunt/holiday destination…
Interlaken – the turquoise blue lakes, the fresh air and lush green surrounding boggles my imagination.
My favourite weekend spot in Oman…
Oman is beautiful with a lot of scenic locations; but on weekends, if I want to get to a place quickly for relaxing and socialising, it will be one of the cafés on the Qurum beach road.
Things I like about Oman…
It is the most scenic place in the Middle East and its biggest wealth is its people – very humble and very true to nature.
My success mantra is…
Always think differently…out of the box and with a touch of reality.
