Muscat – Maqbool Hameed al Saleh, founder and Chairman of OHI Group, passed away on Saturday.

Before establishing the OHI Group in 1976, Maqbool served in the Sultan’s Armed Forces, where he was appointed an apprentice to a British Officer in FEME in 1959.

After a decade in the Ministry of Palace Affairs (Diwan), he was subsequently transferred to the then Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour, where he served until 1982.

Having worked tirelessly to achieve his ambitions, Maqbool earned his place as one of the most prominent corporate leaders in the sultanate and became an icon of Oman’s transformation.

He was an inspiration to every generation to build an even better future for the next – a future based on hard work, perseverance and excellence.

“I want to influence the progress of my motherland towards greater achievements and enduring success. Young people should work hard and then harder. There are no miracles,” he was quoted as saying to Those Who Inspire magazine.

Maqbool published his autobiography – A Long Walk – Memories of Life in 2020, presenting a personal account of his inspiring journey from humble beginnings to success, recounting a multitude of interesting experiences and defining moments that shaped his life.

Speaking to Muscat Daily about his memoirs, Maqbool said that it was the title that occurred to him first. Besides being synonymous with his journey, it also reflected his early life when he had to walk long distances from Muttrah to Ruwi for his job in the army. “As I write about my journey, from childhood to now, it feels as if I have walked a long path. I know, when my road eventually ends, as all roads do, I would not want my story and my memories to end with me.”