In recognition of its numerous philanthropic initiatives and its role as one of leading financial institutions in the field of CSR, Bank Sohar has received the distinguished Tatweej Academy’s ‘Golden Order of Merit in the field of CSR’ at the recently held Tatweej – Arab Leaders and Leading Organizations Grand Finale Ceremony 2014. This award marks the third that the Bank has received this year alone for its CSR efforts, having previously won the ‘Green Campaign of the Year’ award for its previous year-long environment awareness campaign ‘Saving Water, Electricity… And Our Planet’ at the ‘Oman Green Award 2014’ as well as being named the ‘Most Socially Responsible Bank Oman 2014’ by UK based International Finance Magazine (IFM).

The prestigious award was handed over to the Bank at a glittering event held at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The event was held under the patronage of H.E. ENG. Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy in the UAE. Receiving the award on behalf of the Bank were Ms. Munira Abdulnabi Macki, DGM of HR and Corporate Support, and Mr. Abdulali Al Lawati, Senior AGM of Corporate Support. The prestigious event was also attended by representatives from various prominent institutions and dignitaries from the Arab world.

Sharing her thoughts on the significance of the award, Ms. Munira Abdulnabi Macki said, “Being a responsible business has always been integral to our success. As one of the prominent banks in the country, our economic and social resources give us significant reach and potential to make an impact on the communities in which we operate. As a result, we are committed to operating a strong, ethical, and responsible business. Corporate social responsibility is embedded in our values and governs how we conduct business, develop products and services and deliver on our goals and commitments.”

As a part of its operational philosophy, Bank Sohar has always made significant contributions towards community development across the Sultanate as well as several other causes across different fields. This is in addition to its continuous efforts towards spreading awareness on environment conservation and sustainability. The Bank indorses social development and environment friendly practices in all facets of its business and designs its products, services and CSR programmes in line with its drive towards excellence.

Furthermore, the Bank strives to ensure that its contributions are carefully planned and evaluated in order to diversify and reach out to the maximum number of people especially those in most need of it, offering them both; hope and support. In fact, this year alone Bank Sohar has supported a broad range of charitable organizations across the Sultanate including Dar Al Atta, Al Amal Association, Oman Road Safety Association, Association of Early Intervention for Children with Disabilities, Creative Centre for Rehabilitation, Al Wafa Social Centre for Children with Disabilities, Oman Association for the Disabled (Muscat and Sohar branches), Al Noor Association for the Blind (Sohar, Salalah and Muscat branches), the Oman Cancer Association, the Oman Hereditary Blood Disorder Association and The Association for the Welfare of Handicapped Children together with its dedicated Autism Centre. The Bank plans to continue in its steadfast quest of philanthropy with many more donations and charitable events planned for the current year.

In addition to its three CSR Awards, the Bank has also won a slew of other awards locally, regionally, and internationally in 2014. Among its accolades, the Bank has received ‘Business Excellence Award’ by Texas based, World Confederation for Business (WORLDCOB) at the Bizz Arabic 2014 Awards, ‘Best Financial Brand Oman 2014’ award by renowned UK based Global Brands Magazine, ‘The Diamond Eye Award for Quality, Commitment & Excellence’ from the French based Otherways Management & Consulting Association, ‘Strategic Award’ for its corporate website (www.banksohar.net) from the Lebanon based Pan Arab Excellence Awards Academy as well as from Oman Web Awards. The Bank was also awarded the ‘Best Bank for Fast Growth / Middle East’ Award from Milan based IAIR Magazine, the ‘Fastest Growing Bank in Oman 2014’ from UK based International Finance Magazine (IFM), and also recognized as one of the ‘Top 5 Large Corporate Enterprises in the Sultanate’ for the third consecutive year at the Alam Al Iktisad Wal Amaal (AIWA) Awards. It also received the ‘Best Customer Service – Retail Banking’, ‘Best Cash Management’ and ‘Best Corporate Card’ awards for its Retail Division as well as the ‘Best Branding Award’ for the Bank’s Islamic Banking Window – Sohar Islamic from CPI Financial.

The Tatweej Academy for Excellence Awards and its subsidiary organizations have, over the years, awarded hundreds of prominent Arab leaders and leading private and governmental institutions in recognition of their initiatives, achievements and leadership in various sectors covering Banking and finance, social media, ICT, and e-government lending initiatives. Working as per international standards, all nominees are carefully scrutinized by professional and skilled committees working in close cooperation with relevant expert Jury boards. Furthermore, all events are supported by governmental and non-governmental institutions as well as ministries, and organized in close collaboration with world renowned Organizations such as the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Arab Organization for Administrative Development (League of Arab States) and more.