Dhaheri to steer Watania towards new growth path

Ali Saeed bin Harmal Al Dhaheri

Ali Saeed bin Harmal Al Dhaheri has been recently elected as the chairman of the board, bringing in new leadership and added impetus to the ambitious journey of Watania.
Al Dhaheri had been an integral part of the formation of Watania and now takes the helm as the company embarks on the path of growth, bringing in fresh thinking, and a customer-centered approach in providing Takaful solutions in the challenging UAE market.
Al Dhaheri brings with him a unique combination of insightful business and industry knowledge, along with a key perspective on building successful ventures across industry segments.
Al Dhaheri is well respected and widely recognised across industries in the UAE. Upon completing his MBA at the American University in Washington DC, Ali Saeed bin Harmal Al Dhaheri has worked in founding, launching, and managing several successful business entities across diverse sectors. He has taken a leading role in education management. Current key positions include Chairman of Abu Dhabi University, CEO of Abu Dhabi University Holding Company, and chairman of Magna Investments.
In a statement, the BoD congratulated Al Dhaheri on this appointment as the chairman and said: "Passion, innovation and excellence are words that easily sum-up Al Dhaheri's approach and contribution to all his ventures, and with his new leadership at we are confident of the strength it will add towards the growth of Watania. As a company we look forward to his leadership in prospective terms. We would also like to take this opportunity to extend our sincere thanks to the previous chairman Khalid Khouri for guiding the company during a difficult period in 2016 through his support to the new management in the turnaround of its performance from severe losses in 2015 to profit in 2016. Under the new and dynamic leadership of Al Dhaheri the company can look forward to profitable future."
Speaking on his new role, Al Dhaheri said: "I am grateful to the board for the confidence placed in me and the team to lead Watania into the future. Watania is now taking confident strides, with a keen focus on profitability, whilst delivering to stakeholder's objectives. These are definitely challenging times, and there can be no better incentive for talented, passionate and innovative professionals than the current business scenario. Along with challenges, come opportunities that we need to recognise quickly, and act diligently and turn them into success. Notwithstanding the current economic scenario, we find that opportunities for Takaful abounds in UAE, and Watania is positioning itself strategically to seize it. I am confident of our approach and team strength, and looking forward to work with them in creating value for all stakeholders."
Speaking on the new leadership and the business plan, Gautam Datta, CEO, Watania, said: "On behalf of the management team, and all employees of Watania, I extend congratulations to Ali Saeed bin Harmal Al Dhaheri on his recent appointment as the Chairman of the Board. Under his leadership, Watania aims to adopt a phased approach to applying basic tenets of strong and proven principles in business, along with a careful reconstruction of the operations around customer value. As at Q1 2017, the company has delivered positive results in on all its major KPIs, and continues to focus on profitable underwriting, good claims service, cost control and stable investment income."
Commenting on the future plans, Al Dhaheri said: "Watania's strategic roadmap is to simply go back to the basis and focus on areas that matter. Emphasis is on profitability from core business, customer delight, lean organisational structure, performance based rewards, and a collaborative approach with partners to bring cost efficiency. The company has adopted a comprehensive approach towards its transformation and readiness to achieve its near future ambitions. It includes a rigorous and disciplined approach to building an organisation based on functional responsibilities, reorientation of business strategy based on segmentation of profitable products and customer distribution, strengthening of technical team, prudent and selective underwriting philosophy, implementation of shared services platform, and cost containment measures."