A.A.H.D.

Writing

Essays by Ali Adnan Haider Darwish on AI, technology, investment, strategy and family business in Oman.

• Building a company group under my grandfather's name

  Why BHD Group, founded in 1894, carries my grandfather's name, how it grew from one print shop, and what next-generation Gulf founders can take from it.

• How AI agents help run a real business in Oman

  What AI agents actually do at BHD Group today, from customer messages to quotes and print files, and the rules that keep them safe.

• Why some institutions in Oman need AI that stays on-premises

  Shared cloud AI does not fit every institution. When AI must run inside the building, and what to write down before you buy it.

• Board KPIs that a board can actually use

  Most board scorecards have too many KPIs and too few decisions. A simple test for each KPI, from strategic planning and board work in Oman.

• Building arabian.ceo: a sourced record of Arab business leaders

  What arabian.ceo is: a bilingual platform of executive profiles, companies, leadership moves and lists across the Arab world, part of BHD Group.

• Building Cardify: business cards for a whole team in Oman

  Why BHD Group built Cardify in Muscat, and what it does: bilingual digital and printed cards, QR codes, wallet passes and scan analytics.

• Building Dardasha, a shared WhatsApp inbox from Muscat

  Why BHD Group built Dardasha, its WhatsApp business platform run from Muscat, what it does, and the trade-off we accepted.

• Building Jamiya: an app for the family savings circle

  Why we built Jamiya at jamiya.om, and what it does: a turn schedule, payment records and a private link for every member of a savings circle.

• Building Mithaq, board software in Arabic and English

  Why BHD Group built Mithaq, a bilingual board governance product that keeps board papers, decisions and actions in one place.

• Building Splitty, a group expense app in 52 languages

  How BHD Group built Splitty, a trip and group expense app with a shared kitty, 52 languages, any currency, and apps on iPhone and Android.

• What economic research at the Central Bank of Oman taught me

  Lessons from six months of economics research at the Central Bank of Oman in 2017, and how they shape my strategy work.

• Co-founding Hosn, AI that stays inside the institution

  Why I co-founded Hosn with Mohammed Al-Adawi, and how Hosn deploys AI at the customer's own site in Oman.

• Cups made in Oman: CupsByAA and Cups Factory

  How CupsByAA and Cups Factory sell custom printed paper cups made in Muscat, on the BHD Printing & Designing machines in Al Seeb.

• What a board secretary does, from my seat at DataOm

  I have served as Secretary to the Board of DataOm, ITHCA Group's submarine cable company, since October 2023. This is what the role involves.

• My education: from The Sultan's School to a doctorate

  How my studies ran from the IB Diploma in Muscat to Brunel University London and a doctorate at UCLan, with my certificates.

• Bringing robotic process automation to Oman at EY

  What I learned in business development at EY in Oman from 2017 to 2019, when I helped bring robotic process automation (RPA) to the Omani market.

• The FBCG Next Generation Award, and what it meant to me

  In November 2025 I became the first Omani to win the Family Business Council Gulf Next Generation Award, listed for BHD Printing and Designing.

• From 43 sectors to 8: how Oman chose where to invest

  What it takes to narrow a national investment strategy from 43 sectors to 8, from someone who worked on it at the Oman Vision 2040 Office.

• Haider Darwish (1894 to 1969), the name behind BHD

  Haider Darwish was a Muscat merchant, born in 1894 and died in Bahrain in 1969. BHD Group, Bin Haider Darwish, carries his name.

• Building the Invest in Oman centre at Vision 2040

  What I did as Head of Business Environment at the Oman Vision 2040 Unit from 2021 to 2023, and what the work taught me.

• Business planning at Oman Aviation Group

  My time as Specialist Business Planner at Oman Aviation Group, Dec 2019 to Mar 2021: planning that raised operational efficiency by 15%.

• Key accounts at Oman Broadband: what four years taught me

  Ali Adnan Haider Darwish on his years as Senior Key Account Manager at Oman Broadband, March 2021 to January 2025, and a 20% rise in retention.

• Serving on the board of the Oman Fencing Committee

  I have been a board member of the Oman Fencing Committee, the national body for fencing in Oman, since 2023. This is what board service in sport involves.

• Paper & Pen and Q+: two products from one ERP engine

  How Paper & Pen, a free cloud ERP, and Q+, a business system for service shops, grew from the ERP that runs BHD Group.

• My first job: Product Specialist at Reckitt Benckiser

  What six months as a Product Specialist at Reckitt Benckiser in 2017 taught me about packaging, sustainability and selling to real customers.

• What strategic planning at a sovereign tech fund involves

  I have led strategic planning at ITHCA Group since February 2025. What the role covers, in general terms, from public facts only.

• What running a print shop in Muscat teaches about business

  Lessons from BHD Printing and Designing in Muscat on deadlines, cash flow, suppliers and customers that apply to any business in Oman.

• Why we built our own ERP instead of buying one

  Why BHD Group built its own ERP for an Omani business, what it costs to do that, and when building is the wrong choice.