Nasser Sulaiman Al Haider embarks on fruitful visit to Kathmandu

Nasser Sulaiman Al Haider, Chairman of Al Sulaiman Holdings, Qatar, recently visited Kathmandu for the Annual Board Meeting of Zerone Technologies Pvt Ltd. The group holds diverse business interests across various geographies, including Jordan, India, Malaysia, UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Singapore, and the USA. They have investments spanning a spectrum of sectors, such as Technology, Healthcare, Retail, and Services.

Zerone Technologies serves as a subsidiary of Al Sulaiman Holdings and spearheads the Group’s business endeavors in the SAARC countries, notably Nepal. Below are excerpts from the interview with Al Haider:

What IT and technology services does Zerone offer?

Zerone provides a comprehensive range of customized low-voltage solutions and services, offering an end-to-end suite tailored to individual requirements. Their offerings encompass various domains, including Fire Alarm and Public Announcement Systems, Security systems such as CCTV, Access Control, Gate Automation, and Perimeter Security. Additionally, they specialize in IT Networking solutions, covering IT cabling, Network switches, Wi-Fi, Routers, and Firewall Security. Zerone also addresses Data security needs, offering solutions for Data Centers, server rooms, and Audio Visual Systems like Video Conferencing, Video Walls, Video switching, Boardroom, and Meeting-room setups. Their expertise extends to Smart Automation solutions, IP Telephony communication solutions, Building Management System, Lighting automation systems, and Guest Room Management Solutions. Furthermore, Zerone caters to ICT Hardware requirements, providing Servers, Workstations, Desktops, Laptops, Printers, and other peripherals. This comprehensive suite of services accommodates a diverse spectrum of technological and infrastructure necessities.

In this era of rapid technological advancements, how challenging is it to provide services amid constant changes?

Staying abreast of the ever-evolving technology landscape is crucial, and we are committed to crafting and implementing forward-thinking platforms for our customers. We consistently invest in updating and training our engineers and designers in emerging technologies within our sector. This proactive approach safeguards our customers’ investments against obsolescence, ensuring their continued relevance and efficiency.

What services have you offered in collaboration with companies in Nepal?

As I mentioned earlier, we are offering the full suite of all the low-voltage products and services to our clients in Nepal. 

Name some of your completed and on-going projects in Nepal?

We have successfully concluded projects for renowned establishments such as Marriott Hotel, Aloft Hotel, Hyatt Place, Dusit Princess, and Holiday Inn Express. Currently, we are actively engaged in implementing our solutions at Hilton, Sheraton, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Mercure, Holiday Inn Pokhara, and Hyatt Place Butwal.

Additionally, it’s worth noting our extensive involvement in over 30 completed or ongoing Marriott Hotels across the SAARC region. These projects span various esteemed brands including St Regis, Ritz Carlton, JW Marriott, Marriott, Westin, Le Meridien, Four Points, Courtyard, and Fairfield.

With many businesses facing closure due to global economic recession, how do you navigate and operate effectively in such challenging times?

Our company is propelled by a robust vision that emphasizes embracing adversity as a pathway to successful growth and extending our gaze beyond local opportunities to sustain expansion. We prioritize the development and investment in a highly skilled workforce as a foundational pillar for achieving success. Guided by this philosophy, both during and following the covid recession, we have emerged as a significantly stronger company.

Managing an international business network involves navigating diverse rules and laws in each country. What challenges arise from working on a global scale?

As the world converges into a more compact workspace, we depend on top-tier global consultants to provide us with advice on cross-border geographies when necessary. However, it’s essential to acknowledge that understanding each country’s business intricacies requires firsthand on-ground experience.

With collaborations with numerous companies and brands, how do you mobilize your team to meet varied needs and demands?

Within our organization, we’ve cultivated specialists dedicated to each product category constituting our low voltage solutions. Working collaboratively with onsite field engineers, these specialists ensure project delivery aligned with precise customer specifications. It’s crucial to highlight that our solution designs are exclusively tailored to each customer—there’s no possibility of replication due to the unique and specific needs we cater to. Considering this, one can envision the extensive backend design efforts invested in delivering each project.

It appears you’ve received awards for your services. Could you share insights into a particular working style or approach that sets you apart and could inspire others?

We have been humbly awarded by various agencies, Partner OEMs, and Clients solely because of our Customer Centric approach, that sets us apart from our competitors.

What business challenges have you encountered during your work?

Covid-19 was one of the biggest challenges that we have faced in our lifetime and has left its impression on each one of us in some form or the other. Covid-19 also brought with it a numerous disruption such as complete halt of all non-medical business activities; production, supply chains and cross-border movement. 

Today, new challenges have emerged in the form of conflicts in the parts of the world which have many repercussions in the global economies.

Hence, the reality is that we will have to innovate and adapt our businesses quicker to the global realities that confront us and cushion the impact of such events in the future as well constantly.

Lastly, how was your visit to Nepal and we would like you to share some of our experiences?

I’ve eagerly anticipated visiting Nepal for quite some time now, drawn by the promising business opportunities and the undeniable beauty of your country. Experiencing the rapid pace of development here has been truly heartening.

During my visit, I had the privilege of meeting industry veterans and gaining firsthand insights into the investment landscape of Nepal. It was a pleasure meeting the dynamic Gaurav Agarwal, who introduced Marriott Brands like Fairfield, Marriott, and the upcoming Moxy to Kathmandu. I’m especially grateful to him for choosing Zerone Technologies as the implementation partner for our inaugural project in Nepal, and for guiding Jaspal Sehdave, who leads Zerone’s business in India and the SAARC region.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Maheshwor Shrestha, the MD of Chhaya Devi Complex and The Aloft Hotel. I was delighted to learn about his team’s commendable work in expanding hydro generation capacity in the Energy sector. Furthermore, meeting Vikram Singh, the General Manager of Aloft Hotel, was delightful, especially with the delicious kebabs and delicacies he treated us to.

An equally enriching encounter was with Dorjee Lama, the visionary behind the picturesque Dusit Princess in Kathmandu and several upcoming branded projects across Nepal. Engaging with Desh Bandu Basnet provided valuable insights into similar geographies and growth patterns across developing economies. His passion and vision for business, evidenced by his ongoing hospitality projects including a Mercure Hotel in Kathmandu and a Ramada Hotel in Itahari, were truly inspiring.

I was honored to meet Abhishek Goyal, General Manager Projects at CG Hotels & Resorts, and to learn about the group’s diverse range of branded hospitality projects in Nepal, such as the Crowne Plaza in Lalitpur and the Lemon Tree Hotels in Chitwan and Nagarkot.

Moreover, our discussions on the government’s investment priorities and policies with Rajesh Kazi Shrestha, Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce Nepal, alongside Durk Man Maharjan, MD, and Punya Bhattarai, CEO of Microtech, provided valuable insights. Their partnership and support have been instrumental to Zerone’s endeavors in Nepal.

Additionally, meeting Rakesh Kaul, CEO of SAN Engineers and Consultants, offered valuable perspectives on overcoming constraints for project deliveries.

Finally, interacting with Senthil Kumar, Sr Regional Director Architecture, Design and Construction at Hilton International, and Manoj Sharma, the Project Head of the upcoming Hilton Project in Kathmandu, was enlightening. Learning about the progress of this prestigious project, which Zerone is also involved in, was truly gratifying.