Tariq Hilal Al-Barwani, born in 1979, has spent over 25 years working with computers (since the age of 5), of which 13 years were served in the professional business and technical fields. Tariq has created a number of successful projects in his personal and professional capacity that aim to support the greater vision of His Majesty the Sultan Qaboos of Oman towards transforming the Sultanate into a Digital Society. Most of the projects received various prestigious local and international awards. Despite all his achievements, Tariq never rests on his laurels and is also focused on making a great difference to  Oman by utilizing his knowledge of technology, business and management.

Tariq has a Diploma in Information Systems, a Bachelor’s Degree with honors in Computer Science and a Master’s degree in Information Technology. Tariq gained experience during his education of Artificial Intelligence, Software Development, Mobile Devices Computing, Relational Database Management System, Networking and Data Communication, Advanced Web and XML Technologies, Electronic Commerce, Microsoft.net framework, and IT Security.  

He joined a number of business and management courses that include Public Speaking, Public Relations and Corporate Communications, General Business Concepts, Professional Selling Skills, Marketing and Project Management, Strategic Finance and the M-MBA. He is currently a Doctorate candidate in Management of Organizations. The public always knew Tariq as a “geek” yet he always described himself as not a computer box but rather a technical commercial person instead. 

Tariq’s interest in computing began at the age of 5 when his parents bought him a home computer system released by Sinclair Research Limited in the United Kingdom known as ZX Spectrum 128. The computer had a specification of a 32kB of ROM (Read Only Memory), 128 kB RAM (Random Access Memory) along with an embedded Sinclair’s BASIC editor, a computer programming language editor. The ZX Spectrum was the de facto starting point for people interested in creating computer programs as it was simple to learn and use (provided one had the interest). Users were able to write programs using the BASIC Language via the Sinclair’s editor, execute and run the program, and then finally save it into an audio cassette tape for distribution. Click here to see the picture of the computer.  

Computer programming and in particular developing games was Tariq’s main interest when he started working on a personal computer (PC) running on a 80286 processor back in 1989. The specification of the PC ran with 10 MHz, 1 MB RAM, along with a floppy drive controller to load software, using a character based user interface known as Microsoft Disk Operating System (MS-DOS) way before the popular graphical based user interface operating system, MS Windows 3.X, was introduced to the public.

His father, Hilal Masoud Al-Barwani, Tariq’s personal mentor and close friend (his father), has been the corner stone of all Tariq’s success throughout the years. Tariq likes reading books, travelling, socializing, and playing chess and soccer. He had the privilege of travelling to a number of countries amongst them the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom (U.K.), Holland, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Russia, the United States of America (USA), Canada , Egypt, Morocco, Kuwait, Bahrain, Turkey and Australia.

Some people say "Tariq works 30 hours a day" due to the various activities that he undertakes (multitasking) that range from personal and professional to community work. Tariq enjoys working and assisting people to explore their personal and professional potential. He also enjoys sharing knowledge openly with anyone via his personal email, newspaper articles, Radio & TV programmes and at public presentations he attends.

Tariq believes that success comes in three stages. The first stage is ridicule (people laugh at what someone does), the second stage is hate/envy (people feel a grudge and may even attempt to stop what someone is doing for fear of their success), and the last stage is acceptance (people believe in, accept and join in the success). Tariq’s vision is to generate growth and enrich the lives of people in Oman through the use of Information & Communications Technology (ICT). His technical expertise, blended with business knowledge, and supported by his father with blessings from GOD are the integral components of his everlasting success. Tariq interprets his past as an experience, functioning to the best of his abilities in the present, and constantly planning and thinking of actions to undertake in the future.

Tariq is currently working in one of the best telecommunication companies in the country (Nawras) as the Head of Corporate Affairs, along with his role as the President of the country’s leading community and knowledge-sharing portal KnowledgeOman.com, while completing his Doctorate studies in the Management of Organizations. He also accepts invitations from the private and public sector (schools, colleges, companies and government entities) to share his knowledge and expertise as a speaker.