Bahrain’s ICT sets companies for success

Read on to learn about the experiences of two ICT companies based in Bahrain – one a leading multinational travel corporation and the other an independent Small and Medium Enterprise (SME).

The Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) sat down with Daniel Naoumovitch, Chief Executive Officer of STNME, to learn about STNME’s history in Bahrain and why it still serves as their regional base.

Daniel Naoumovitch: Sabre touches upon every aspect of the traveller journey with the largest portfolio of products accessible at all traveller touch points. We provide Travel Management Companies (TMC) with the least expensive fares, streamlined workloads for travel agents, tools for airlines to ensure the right crew numbers staff their flights and the ability for executive travellers to book online.

Daniel: Sabre chose Gulf Air to officially distribute our products across the region since 1989. In 2004, we entered into a joint venture with Gulf Air. Bahrain was the natural choice as a regional hub for STNME due to its central and strategic location. We now operate out of 27 offices in 13 countries across the region. We have offices in Egypt, Yemen, Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Jordan and across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

Daniel: Bahrain is a large enough market for our needs but also small enough to get around quickly and easily as a hub destination. The ease of travel also makes it ideal for our needs’. We can disperse teams in and out of Bahrain across the region easily, quickly and most efficiently.

Daniel: Our biggest incentive for putting the STNME regional hub in Bahrain was the ease and speed of setting up here. It took us a few weeks to set up our company. When we were increasing our capital to further expand, it was a matter of weeks to put in place the structures needed to do so. We now run the following divisions from our Bahrain hub:  IT, product suite offering, Finance, Operations and Support teams including Human Resources, and Marketing and Communications. So you can see our entire structure is Bahrain-based.

Daniel: We have never been short of talent in Bahrain. In 2005, we started with 30 employees and we now boast over 200 employees, with 80 Bahrain-based staff of which half are Bahrainis. Furthermore, we have found that Bahrain has among the lowest staff turnovers across our regional network in EMEA.

Another big advantage we have found in Bahrain is the variety of languages spoken. From here, we serve our customers in 4 languages: Urdu, Hindi, Arabic and English.

Daniel: I have been living in Bahrain for eleven years, I initially moved to Bahrain with my wife and daughter where she attended one of the best schools in the region.

Daniel: Bahrain to me is one of the most beautiful countries in the Middle East, with the kindest and most welcoming people I have met. Bahrain has the perfect experience where – you get the family environment, along with the growth and economic potential you ideally want for your business. It’s such an easy country to come into and call your home. The airport is the most accessible and you are never far from wherever you chose to go to. There is no other country where you can land, disembark, get through customs and be at your home within less than one hour.

Arun Aravindan, Chief Executive Officer of Elite Technology, has over 13 years of experience in the tech industry. Prior to establishing his own business in Bahrain, he worked as a regional consultant for a leading international firm based in Dubai.

Watch the video below to learn about Arun’s transition into becoming a business owner based in Bahrain:

Bahrain’s ICT Sector: At a Glance Exceptional Growth: Bahrain’s ICT sector is predicted to exceed GCC market growth, with a CAGR of 10.3% that will see Bahrain’s market value reach USD 2.7 billion by 2020. The BPO market in particular is growing at a pace faster than the global industry average. Primed for Innovation: Bahrain serves as the ideal testing ground for new products due to its small, multicultural population within a region with one of the highest mobile and internet penetration levels in the world. Skilled Local Labour Force: 53% of the ICT workforce in Bahrain is comprised of a highly educated, bilingual local workforce.