MEA October 2017

20 MEA MARKETS / October 2017 , Petrofac Qatar is a company focused on the Oil &Gas, Petrochemicals, Infrastructure (Power/ Water) and Construction Industries. We spoke to CEO Rony Paul Thekkanath as we discuss what makes the firmunique, as well as how it operates within theMiddle East. Powered by Passion Established in 1997 in Doha, Qatar, Petrofac Qatar is a ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004, OHSAS 18001:2007 and TRACE Certified company. The firm’s core business involves providing customers with a comprehensive range of engineering products and solutions, sourced from world-renowned principals and manufacturers. Rony explains Petrofac Qatar’s philosophy behind client service, detailing how the team is able to maintain the high standards it sets itself across the company. “Here at Petrofac Qatar, our philosophy is to be the reliable partner to our customers. We took a conscious decision to invest in manpower, technology and process, which we strongly believe is a key factor for our success. The team strive hard to meet the growing demand and expectations of our customers, offering them quality products in a timely manner at a competitive price.” Telling us more about the state of Qatar itself, Rony refers to the fact that Qatar is smaller than its surrounding countries, but this has not stopped it developing and progressing at an impressive rate. He does speak about some challenges which may arise, but also the opportunities which have arisen that the company can explore, including the FIFA World Cup in 2022. “Qatar is relatively a small country compared to its neighbors, but it is a fast- developing nation with a progressive leadership and has created a unique identity for itself within the region. Qatar is the largest exporter of LNG and has the third largest natural gas reserves in the world. With the highest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in the world, it ranks 14th in the Global Competitiveness Index, second only to the UAE in the GCC region. This abundance of natural resources coupled with recent legal liberalization, economic diversification and a flourishing economy mean that there are many opportunities. These opportunities have been greatly enhanced by Qatar being chosen to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022. However, the recent Gulf Crisis has created some challenge which we hope will be resolved soon.” Crucially, the company is able to stand out from its competitors in the market, as Rony mentions what makes Petrofac Qatar unique. He alludes to the fact that customers rely on the firm for urgent and critical requirements, and this is thanks to trust built by the firm, along with being able to uphold its sterling reputation. “Presenting ourselves as the best possible option for clients, our unique identity is our know-how, our capability to source the right materials, offer professional support and timely response to customer queries, making realistic promises and going all out to honour our commitments, these are some of the traits we believe that sets us apart from our competitors. Here at Petrofac Qatar, we have invested multi-million dollars’ worth of materials locally in Qatar, to ensure immediate availability for our clients. Our customers rely on us for any of their urgent and critical requirements, this is purely based on the trust and reputation we have established over the years.” Regarding the culture within the company, Rony tells us the things the company does in order to maintain its internal culture, and what the team look for when attracting new staff. The right hiring structure is important in order to be a successful firm, and Rony divulges how the specific traits the team look for help the new employee integrate themselves into the company. “Building relationships and trust, we value our partners and our customers. Above all, we value the people who work with us, our employees. As a knowledge- based company, we firmly believe the key to our success is our talented and competent team of employees. Our corporate culture promotes integrity and diversity. Each individual working with us is a brand ambassador - responsible for upholding the values of our organization. “Significantly, our goal is to attract, develop and retain highly qualified people from the broadest possible pool to meet our business needs. In this work environment, they will expand their knowledge from working 1710ME02 alongside people from a variety of backgrounds and cultures. “At Petrofac Qatar, good corporate citizenship is a cornerstone of our culture. High standards of integrity, legal compliance, governance, and management control systems are integral to our business model. How we achieve business results is as important as the results themselves. While attracting new employees, apart from looking at their education, experience, knowledge, skills, attitude etc; we mainly look for one key attribute in the person.” Working in an industry that is constantly changing, it is important to ensure that the company stays ahead of any potential developments within the industry. Rony describes what measures Petrofac Qatar take in order to stay ahead of any advances, referring us to how the team is constantly reviewing the market dynamics, therefore can work out its business strategies accordingly. “It is very important for us to always look ahead of the current market trend in order to survive and grow in today’s challenging market scenario. The team constantly reviews the market dynamics and works out our business strategies accordingly. Also, we always try to understand the key challenges faced by our customers and try to come out with innovate solutions. Reliability and Availability of right materials has been the key issues.