Omani woman named Young Entrepreneur of the Year

Hind Bahwan, a 26-year-old up-and-coming Omani businesswoman, stole the show on Sunday night when she won Oman's "Young Entrepreneur of the Year" award.
Scion of a famous business family, Hind, a driving force behind Bahwan Tours and Bahwan Cyber Tek, won the nod from the five-member panel of judges ahead of two other finalists, Fauzia Ghazi Al Araimi, 33, of Sur for Plastics LCC; and Tawfeeq Al Lawati, 33, who launched Al Ahlia Detergent in 1995.
With Hind away on a business trip to Germany, the award was received by her elder brother Saad Bahwan. He said, "The entire family is proud of her achievement."
The judges for the Omani Awards for Excellence comprised Adel Al Raisi, chairman, Oman Aviation Services and secretary general, Financial Affairs and Energy Resource Council; Laurie Cowell, general manager, Alliance Housing Bank; Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharji, legal consultant and former president of the Commercial Court; Dr Fahim Marhubi, assistant dean College of Commerce & Economics, Sultan Qaboos University; and Fatima Al Kharusi, finance director, Petroleum Development Oman.
Grand Hyatt Muscat, the country's largest five-star hotel, now in its fourth year, won the "Tourism Venture of the Year" award, beating Al Sharqiya Hotels and Tourism and United Tours.
The "Exporter of the Year" award went to Tawoos Agricultural Systems ahead of other finalists, Al Ahlia Detergent and Al Khaleej Polypropylene Products.
United Finance Co,which provides loans ranging from 1000 riyals to 1.5 million riyals for fixed assets, working capital, receivables and personal needs, bagged the "Investment Project of the Year" award ahead of Asian Paints and Oman Ceramics. The director general of Tourism, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, was honoured with the "Public Service Initiative" award instituted this year to spur the public sector. The other claimants were the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour and the Ministry of Environment and Regional Municipalities.
The awards were sponsored jointly by the public sector, represented by the Omani Centre for Investment and Promotion of Export Development and the Omani Establishment for Press, News, Publication and Media, and the private sector, represented by BankMuscat and BusinessToday.