MTC puts 'excellence' top of the agenda at regional forum

Speaking at the Gulf Excellence conference, held under the patronage of H.E. Sheikh Khalifa bin Suleiman Al Khalifa and sponsored by MTC, Dr Al-Barrak said every mature corporations needs to develop a culture that defines the role of its people positively and drives perception of the organisation externally. A failure to create such a culture can have a hugely detrimental effect on the business, even if the products or services are top quality.

Dr Al-Barrak, who heads MTC Group's businesses in Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, together with Atheer in Iraq and Fastlink in Jordan, said excellence was not an optional extra for an international group. Speaking at the meeting, held at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Bahrain from February 21 to 22, Dr Al-Barrak, emphasized the need for organisations to focus as much on social responsibility as pure business performance.

He said: "If the right culture is in place, and the staff buy into it, are inspired by it and see the benefits then it will impact on the perception of the Corporation and its standards. So there is a lot to be said for making a big effort to get this aspect of the Corporation right. A positive culture leads to corporate excellence.

"At MTC, our corporate culture has undoubtedly played a big role in developing our brand's strength and dynamism. This in turn has been hugely influential as we have rolled out the brand across the region.

"The effect is there for all to see. MTC is one of the strongest brands in the region and the Corporation, its products and services have an enviable reputation for quality and excellence. This has been based on an internal policy of giving each of our expert knowledge workers the ability to be a whole person doing a whole job and a commitment to an external policy that emphasizes our corporate social responsibility here in Bahrain and throughout the region."

MTC group, the main sponsor of the Gulfexcel-organised conference, is committed to a series of CSR initiatives that has seen it forge links with host communities throughout the region and partnerships in a variety of sectors. It actively sponsors non-business activities and events and supports the business community through conferences such as Gulf Excellence.

Dr. Al-Barrak said: "It is important to MTC that its socially and culturally responsible projects here in Bahrain and throughout the rest of the region have an impact on the people of these countries. We are a business but one that recognises that we do not live in a cosy bubble cut off from the rest of the world.

"Our success is at one level based on investing in our human capital and taking care of it. At a second level, we want to support Bahrain, and initiatives such as this, which is ensuring that the country becomes a regional conference centre, are important to us.

"We will support events, if they are right for us, that lead to cooperation between organisations and businesses within the GCC. MTC is in the vanguard for the business community and a leader in implementing new initiatives and approaches to management."