Hamad was the Guest of Honor at a seminar organized by the Dammam-chapter of the Indian Engineers Forum (IEF) recently. The SCE is a professional body set up to promote the engineering profession and develop and upgrade its standards. It operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Commerce with headquarters in Riyadh. Its responsibilities are to set and ensure criteria and standards; professional development; license terms and conditions; rules, regulations, and conducting examinations for professional certification. “In future all engineers coming to work in Saudi Arabia should register with the Saudi Council of Engineers. It will be a requirement for the issue and renewal of their iqamas,” said Al-Hamad without elaborating. The IEF is also required to work in tandem with the SCE in terms of organizing their functions, Al-Hamad said while stressing closer cooperation between various engineering forums in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Engr. Adel Shaheen Ad-Dosary, Chairman, Department of City and Regional Planning, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) and Chief Guest on the occasion, praised the contributions of Indian engineers and architects to the development of the Kingdom. “If we want to reflect on Indian engineers and architectural works, the Taj Mahal, the monumental building in Agra, is the best example of their achievements. The Taj is an architectural marvel whose beauty and symmetry is unsurpassed even after 400 years,” said Ad-Dosary. He said that when it comes to quality of work and knowledge of projects, Indian engineers excel because of their attitude and work ethic, while keeping away from politics. “Over the past several years and in the future the Indian engineer would be the first choice for Saudi employers,” he said. The topic of the seminar was “Performance and Productivity Management using a Balanced Scorecard”. Around 125 engineers and technocrats attended the function with Pradeep Sharma, a renowned engineer and keynote speaker on the occasion. Sharma underscored the benefits of the Balanced Scorecard saying that it is not a measurement system. “It is strategic management system. Strategic measurement is but one component that supports strategic objectives,” he said. He said the measures in any system exist purely to monitor progress toward the implementation of strategy, as described through a ‘Strategy Map'. He said there is a need for well-established communication within the organization to overcome resistance to change. “Strategic awareness is about education and communication,” he said adding, “it is about making employees fully cognizant of why the scorecard is being deployed, how it functions, while keeping the employees up-to-date on progress towards strategic objectives.” Hisham Turki, Marketing Manager of Zamil Steel, spoke about development in Saudi Arabia in the past, when his company was one of the first to go to India and set up ventures mainly because of the high quality of engineers available there. Engr. Shuja Sheriff, IEF president, presented the activities of the Forum while highlighting the role of IEF members during a speech entitled “Towards building a better tomorrow”. First established in Riyadh in 1998 the IEF was expanded to include chapters in Jeddah and Dammam. Looking ahead, Sheriff said the future of IEF is very bright with plans to organize regular seminars, certification courses such as Six Sigma, PMP training courses, and PDS-Professional Development Series for its member engineers to gain expertise. “The IEF is not only about professionalism and related growth but also conducts social and recreational events that include sports for members' families to participate in and enjoy,” he said. Eng. Amir Khan, chairman and founder of IEF in Saudi Arabia, summed up the evening by encouraging all engineers to play an active role and work to improve professional ethics. Khan also released IEF Spectrum 2011, a magazine published by IEF as a souvenir. Among other guests present at the occasion were IEF Advisory board member Mirza Zaheer Baig, scientist at KFUPM; Eng. Owais Ahmed, IEF Riyadh Chapter President; Mansoor Khan, General Manager, Radian Oil and Gas Services; and Dr. H.M. Siddiqui, Chief Engineer (Mechanical), Al-Khodari Sons Company. Engr. M. Z. Nadeem conducted the event and IEF Vice-President, Engr. Ather Ahmed presented bouquets and mementos to sponsors and guests of honor. Engr. Feroze Sulaiman proposed a vote of thanks.
