Monday 02 / June / 2025
Oman’s growing focus on customer-centric business practices came into focus at the Oman CX Forum & Awards 2025, held on May 28 at the St. Regis Al Mouj Muscat Resort. The prestigious event, presented by Infoline and organised by Muscat Media Group — publishers of Times of Oman and Shabiba — in collaboration with Gulf Leaders Circle, brought together more than 250 business leaders, C-level executives and customer experience (CX) professionals from across Oman and beyond.
His Highness Mohammed Bin Salim Al Said graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. In his welcome address, Fadi Kattar, COO of Muscat Media Group, emphasised the uniqueness of the event, stating, “The Oman CX Forum 2025 — the first of its kind in Oman — has brought together CX experts from Oman, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, India and the USA to share insights, spark innovation and elevate standards, and explore how digital transformation, service design and empathy can unlock more inclusive and impactful experiences for everyone we serve.”
Backed by key partners such as Tadoom (Strategic Partner), Bahwan Cybertek (Digital Transformation Partner), and Jindal Steel Sohar (Support Partner), the forum explored how businesses in Oman can transform and enhance their CX strategies in an increasingly digital and competitive landscape. The event featured participation from over 80 companies across diverse sectors including banking, insurance, retail, telecom, automotive, utilities, FMCG, consumer electronics, food & beverages, tourism, manufacturing and real estate, etc.
The Forum offered deep insights through a series of powerful presentations by CX thought leaders. Muadh Al Omairi, Vice President – Commercial at Infoline, spoke on the topic: ‘The New Currency of Business’. Dr. Hazem El Nadi, Senior Vice President - Business Development – MENA at COPC, delivered a compelling session on ‘The Silent Advantage: How Proactive CX Service Journeys Beat Reactive Support.’ This theme was echoed by Dr. Emmanuel Manyonganise, Head of Customer Experience & Digital Transformation at Bank Albilad, who spoke on the topic: ‘The Evolution of CX towards Hyper-Personalisation and the Use of AI in CX’.
Navin Prasad Durgaprasad, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Experience at Bahwan CyberTek, delivered an insightful session titled ‘Spirit of the Moment – A CX Meets AI Story’. Alex Rodriguez, Creative Director & Head of AI Creative Content at Saatchi & Saatchi, UAE, explored the future of brand engagement in his talk on ‘The Future of Creative Content: How AI is Redefining Brand-Customer Relationships.’ Other notable speakers included Tanmay Sahoo, President & IMEA Area Leader at Novulis, who discussed ‘Future-Proofing CX with AI-Enabled Business Apps,’ and Nour Taher, Co-Founder & CEO of Intella, who addressed the blending of emotional intelligence and automation in her presentation on ‘Humanizing Automation.’
A panel discussion on the topic ‘Beyond Expectations: Designing CX Strategies for a Digital-First World’ brought together key industry experts including Muadh Al Omairi, Infoline; Vanessa Humphrey, VP Strategy & Partnerships, Tadoom; Hawra Fida, Head of Customer Experience, Al Mouj Muscat; Dr. Hazem El Nadi, COPC; Ammar Askari, Head of Customer Experience, Bank Dhofar; and Eng. Asim Al Zadjali, Business Consultant. The moderation was done by Ahmed Khalifa, Head of Customer Experience, Oman Data Park.
The event culminated in the Oman CX Awards 2025, which honoured top brands in over 25 categories based on nationwide consumer voting. Winners received the Times of Oman Best Brand in Customer Experience Award. In addition, nine exceptional organisations and professionals were felicitated for their role in advancing CX innovation in the Sultanate.
The Oman CX Forum & Awards 2025 marked a significant step in the nation’s journey towards a more service-focused, experience-driven business environment, setting the tone for future advancements in customer experience excellence.
