Mohsin Haider Darwish

ABOUT THE FOUNDER

Mohsin Haider Darwish Alzaabi was born in 1934^[8] in Muscat, Oman, into a family of merchants who had been active in the field since 1921.^[9] From a young age, Mohsin was involved in the family business alongside his father and his brother Haji.^[10] Naturally, he grew up wanting to become an entrepreneur himself. He got married and had three daughters. Lujaina was born in 1969, Areej was born two years later, and their youngest sister, Izdihar, was born in 1977.^[11]

FOUNDING STORY

In 1974,^[12] Mohsin Haidar established a “business house” in Oman as a sole proprietorship.^[13] By 1987, it was converted into an LLC, which it remains.^[14] The first oil reservoirs had recently been discovered in Oman,^[15] and Mohsin foresaw how his company could benefit from the rapid economic development that was about to take place and the wide range of opportunities that would open up.^[16][17] Around that time, Special Oilfield Services Co LLC (SOS) was established as a joint venture between Mohsin Haider Darwish LLC and Al Mansoori Specialised Engineering of Abu Dhabi.^[18]

GROWTH PHASE

 In 1990, the family business ventured into education with the establishment of MHD Training Institute LLC, which focused on training the Omani workforce.^[19] In 1991,^[20] Mohsin’s eldest daughter, Lujaina, graduated with a degree in English literature from Sultan Qaboos University.^[21] She subsequently worked for two years as a TA at the university before joining her father’s business as an HR employee in 1994.^[22] Her sister Areej followed a similar path and joined the family business in the same year.^[23] The sisters had grown up watching their mother play an active role in the company’s decision-making, setting an example for them that women were capable of being involved in business leadership — an uncommon perspective in the region at the time.^[24] Lujaina was steadily promoted within the business, and she became joint deputy chairperson and eventually CEO.^[25]

Mohsin’s wife passed away in 2000,^[26] while Lujaina ventured into politics, joining the Consultative Assembly while remaining involved in the business operations. She continues to be active in politics, today as a member of the Council of State.^[27] The family business began establishing global partnerships and executive dealerships for international brands in sectors such as automotive — with Jaguar, Land Rover, McLaren, MG, Volvo, Ford, and Ashok Leyland — and technology — with Huawei, Konica Minolta, Dell, and AVON.^[28]

MHD Infotech LLC was later established as a subsidiary of the group; its Computers, Office Automation, and Telecommunications (COAT) division represents an array of brands including AMP, Ascom, Dell, Epson, Minolta, Minolta-QMS, AVAYA, Nokia, Oce, Orga, and Riso. MHD-COAT also has resale and other partnerships with global companies such as 3COM, Checkpoint, CISCO, Oracle Microsoft, and Symantec.^[29]

The group also expanded geographically, moving into Qatar with the establishment of United Cooperation General Trading, a joint venture with Ansari Group of Companies Qatar.^{[30] [31] [32]} As his business grew and diversified, Mohsin Haider became a prominent community and political figure, serving on the Board of Governors of the Central Bank of Oman, the Commission on Disputes, the Council for Consultations, the Council of Men, and the Council of Governors.^[33] He was a founding member of the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and one of the founders of University of Muscat.^[34]  In 2018 he passed away, leaving his business to be run by his daughters Lujaina and Areej.^[35]

TODAY

The two sisters won many awards for their performance as businesswomen and their multiple contributions to Oman. Most recently, Lujaina won the Women of the Year 2020 International Business Stevie Awards.^[36] Areej was a Gold Award winner for Business Leader of the Year at the Business Brilliance Awards held in London in December 2019.^[37]

In 2019,^{[38] [39]} Areej’s son, third-generation Mohsin Al-Bahrani, joined the family business after completing his master’s at King’s College in the automotive sector.^[40] He currently serves as the CEO of the Automotive, Construction Equipment, and Renewable Energy (ACERE) division of the family business.^[41]In 2020, the business opened a new showroom for MG Motos in Barkaa.^[42] In 2022, MHD became the exclusive distributor of the luxury car brand Hongqi in Oman.^[43] Today, Mohsin Haider Harwish LLC comprises 10 commercial divisions with over 1,600 employees, operating in 72 locations around Oman.^[44]