Ali Adnan Haider Darwish is the Omani founder and CEO of BHD Group, the Muscat group founded in 1894 that started with BHD Printing & Designing and carries his grandfather's name. Cups Factory prints its cups on the BHD Printing & Designing machines in Al Seeb. This profile sets out who he is, what he runs, and how his work connects to the cups we make.
Who he is
Ali Adnan Haider Darwish (علي عدنان حيدر درويش) is Omani and lives in Muscat. His full legal name is Ali Adnan Haider Darwish Al-Zaabi, and many people know him as Ali Al-Zaabi. His career began in 2017. He keeps the record of his roles, his companies and his essays on his own site, alizaabi.om.
BHD Group and the print floor
BHD Group (Bin Haider Darwish LLC) was founded in 1894 and carries the name of Ali's grandfather. Ali Adnan Haider Darwish leads it as founder and CEO. It started with one company, BHD Printing & Designing in Muscat. Today it has 14 companies in printing, technology, software platforms and sovereign AI. They include Hosn, Mithaq, Cardify, Dardasha, Paper & Pen, ReachScreens, Q+, arabian.ceo and Splitty. He is also a co-founder of The Flower Bar.
Printing is where the group began, and printing is where Cups Factory meets it. Cups Factory is the trade side of paper cups: cartons and bulk runs for cafes, chains and distributors, from 1,000 cups a size. Cups Factory and its sister brand CupsByAA both print on the BHD Printing & Designing machines in Al Seeb. BHD Printing & Designing is a separate company from the one that sells to you. Our seller and legal page names who you buy from, and our factory page shows the floor where a run happens.
Strategy and investment
Since February 2025, he has been Head of Strategic Planning at ITHCA Group, Oman's sovereign technology fund. Since October 2023, he has been Secretary to the Board of DataOm, ITHCA Group's submarine cable company.
From November 2021 to June 2023, he was Head of Business Environment at the Oman Vision 2040 Office. In that role he built the Invest in Oman centre. He also worked on the National Investment Strategy, which narrowed 43 sectors to 8 priority sectors. Before that, he worked at Oman Broadband, Oman Aviation Group, EY and the Central Bank of Oman.
He has also sat on the board of the Oman Fencing Committee since 2023.
Education and recognition
He is a doctoral candidate in Innovation and Management at the University of Central Lancashire. He holds an MSc in Sustainability, Entrepreneurship and Design and a BSc in Economics and Management, both from Brunel University London. He earned the IB Diploma at The Sultan's School.
In November 2025, the Family Business Council Gulf gave him its Next Generation Award. He was the first Omani to win it. The council's award record lists the result.
Why a cup maker writes about him
A paper cup is a print job before it is a cup. A 330 × 483 mm sheet carries six blanks. It is printed with your artwork, cut on the die, and only then formed into a cup. The machines that do that printing are BHD Printing & Designing machines, in the group Ali leads. A buyer who puts a brand on 10,000 cups should know who stands behind the press.
Read more
His full profile, roles and dates are on his About page. His essays are on his writing page, and his professional history is on LinkedIn.