Middle East 5
Showing posts with label Awards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Awards. Show all posts

Award launched to honour companies for good practice

The Emirates Environmental Group has announced a regional award on CSR called the "Arabia Corporate Social Responsibility Awards". Already the announcement of the awards has met with considerable enthusiasm and interest from CSR players across sectors.

The awards were publicly announced in the EEG's annual dinner held in February this year. On May 15th, the Arabia CSR Awards were formally launched during a press conference conducted by EEG and its partners.

"What singles out this initiative is its inclusive nature. Supported by the United Nations Global Compact, and ably supported by a range of business leaders, think tanks and academics, the Arabia CSR Awards have the potential to become the biggest of its kind in the United Arab Emirates and the GCC," the Group said in a statement.

The need for a CSR Award is felt most acutely now that companies in the Region have taken a lively and productive interest in engaging more actively with communities, opting for eco-friendly practices, improving quality and performance, and supporting social and cultural issues and causes.

Those that are driving this movement deserve due recognition as leaders and pioneers. The Arabia CSR Awards provide a platform to recognize and reward companies that have demonstrated true commitment, delivered outstanding results and impacts, and shown innovation and leadership.

The Award will be opened for applications from May 22nd. A grand ceremony to honour winners will take place in October.

Speaking about the initiative EEG's Chairperson Habiba Al Marashi said, "The CSR Arabia Awards are a continuation of our work to enhance the overall environment of the United Arab Emirates as well as the Region. Through it we will attempt to throw light on those champions and endeavours that have contributed greatly in improving the economic, social and physical environment and demonstrated true vision and drive on the way.

It is our aim to highlight these corporate best practices and showcase these achievements to the rest of the world. In the long run, we hope this initiative will be successful in building up a databank of best practices in corporate citizenship and CSR from the GCC Region, and uphold an effective CSR model that can be applied by any company here." Commenting on the support received from the United Nations Al Marashi commented, "Our association with the United Nations Global Compact ensures international visibility for the Award, and makes it the leading initiative for recognizing CSR in this Region." "We very much welcome the creation of an Arabia CSR Award by Emirates Environmental Group, convener of the Global Compact Network for the GCC States", said Georg Kell, Executive Director of the UN Global Compact Office at UN headquarters in New York.

"This award will give much-deserved recognition to the many good efforts in the Arab business community to align strategies and operations with universal social and environmental principles. It will also serve as an inspiration to all those whose mission towards greater sustainability has just begun".
/WAM/

Read More......

DAMAC Properties announces Dubai Shopping Festival 2008 winners

As part of the largest and most exclusive promotion during DSF 2008, luxury lifestyle provider and the region's leading private sector master developer - DAMAC Properties - yesterday announced the lucky winners.

Ismail Ahli, UAE national was the lucky winner of the grand raffle prize - a private island in the Caribbean and Abdulla Al Shamisi, UAE national, won the ECLIPSE 500 Private Jet worth AED 5.5 million. The promotion, which has seen prizes worth AED 90 million being given away, was awarded most innovative DSF 2008 promotion, at the DSF closing ceremony in February.

The promotion comprised of a mega raffle prize with a private Island worth AED 1 million and a grand raffle prize with a brand new ECLIPSE 500 Private Jet worth AED 5.5 million. Every property bought during DSF entitled the customer a chance to win either the private Island or a Jet plane. The property developer also announced a Bentley or BMW with every apartment brought during DSF 2008.

Unveiling details about the winners, Mr. Hussain Sajwani, Chairman DAMAC Holding, said, "I am pleased to announce that DAMAC's promotion during Dubai Shopping Festival 2008 was a grand success. At DAMAC our focus has always been delivering luxury to our customers, and during DSF, we delivered a vast array of extended delight and benefits to all our new customers."

Speaking at the event, Peter Riddoch, CEO, DAMAC Properties, said, "I would like to congratulate all the winners and thank them for their purchases. This year's DSF success has challenged us to raise the bar to develop an even more innovative marketing campaign for DSF 2009."

Over 110 nationalities have bought properties from DAMAC Properties and effective support services are provided by the property developer. The company's comprehensive customer care program provides solutions through its vast regional network with offices in the UK (London, Manchester), Ireland, UAE, Russia, Italy, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt and Qatar.

Notes and contacts

About DAMAC Properties

DAMAC Properties is part of DAMAC Holdings. DAMAC properties was established in 1995 and has grown into one of the most successful residential, leisure and commercial developers in Dubai and the Middle East, and is expanding rapidly into North Africa, Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the Far East.

The company's portfolio includes properties spread across 500 million square feet and is worth in excess of US$30 billion. By partnering with world renowned architects and designers, DAMAC Properties aims to develop schemes that include residential, commercial and leisure facilities that will create an integrated community.

The company's schemes are located in the most desirable and exclusive locations and the homes are built to a high quality specification that has become synonymous with the group. Driven by a passion for excellence, DAMAC Properties manage all their projects from start to finish.

The company's diverse range of expertise allows them to control land purchase activity, appointment of architects and designers, construction and sales and after sales service. In addition to support services provided by their Dubai headquarters, the company's comprehensive Customer Care Program provides solutions through its vast regional network with offices in the UK (London, Manchester, Reading, Leicester, Birmingham and Glasgow), Ireland, Italy, UAE, Russia, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, KSA and Qatar.

The parent company, DAMAC Holdings, has grown over the years from a specialist catering company established in 1982, into a multi-billion dollar corporation to become one of the largest organizations in the Middle East. Source

Read More......

Young business leaders honoured

A total of 21 awards, including eight in special categories, were presented to the winners of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Awards for Young Business Leaders, at a gala ceremony held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre yesterday.

The awards were given in the presence of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and were presented by Shaikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Duabi. A large number of dignitaries, top government officials and prominent businessmen attended the event.

In his opening remarks, Abdul Baset Al Janahi, CEO of Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for Young Business Leaders, said, “Today’s winners in various categories stand testimony to their own creative entrepreneurial capabilities that were nurtured by unstinted support from the country’s leadership.”

He added: “The growing awareness about the small and medium sector’s role as a key driver of the local economy will encourage more youngsters to start their own business operations and become self-reliant.”

In the special awards category, the awards for Best Local Entity and Best Private Company in support of the Government Procurement Programme went to Emirates Group and Global Village, respectively.

The Roads and Transport Authority, Auqaf and Minor Affairs Foundation, and Dubai Media Incorporated were also honoured for their outstanding support to the small and medium enterprises sector in the UAE.

The special ‘Entrepreneur of the Year Award’ was given to Emirati cartoonist Haidar Mohammed, creator of Emirati popular TV cartoon show ‘Shiabat Al Cartoon’. Source

Read More......

Personality of the Year Award

His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, will be given the 'Personality of the Year' Award at 'Al Mahabbah Awards 2008' for his plans to build a museum for Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) in Dubai.
This award is given to an individual or organisation that has done something commendable stemming from their love of the Prophet.

Shaikh Mohammed will receive the award on April 26.
Announced in March 2008, the museum will be dedicated to the life and message of the Prophet.

Read More......

Academic personality of the year

Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has been named the "Distinguished Personality of the Year" by the Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Distinguished Academic Performance.

HE Dr Hanif Hassan, Education Minister & Chairman of the Award's board of trustees, said under the directives of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, deputy ruler of Dubai and UAE minister of finance, the title was conferred on Sheikh Mohammed in recognition of his role in fostering education and knowledge and for his support to the students in the UAE and abroad.

Sheikh Mohammed will be honoured in the award's final ceremony, to be held on Tuesday.

"His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has spearheaded the initiative to improve performance in all the country's institutions and to create a culture of quality and excellence," Dr Hanif added. WAM

Read More......

Emirates Business Women Award (EBWA) applications deadline extended

Dubai Quality Group (DQG) and Shell have announced that they have extended the deadline for receiving applications for the Emirates Business Women Award (EBWA) 2008 from April 3, 2008 to April 14, 2008.

The extended submission period for entries allows EBWA, which is also supported by Paris Gallery, the prize sponsor, to widen its reach and encourage participation from more candidates.

Samia Al Yousuf, General Manager of DQG commented: "There are a lot of women in the UAE who deserve to be recognised, while there has also been strong interest from potential candidates; we are offering these new prospects the opportunity to be considered for EBWA 2008 by giving them more time to prepare and consolidate their credentials. As such, we have decided to extend the deadline for submission of applications from the April 3 till April 14 in order to accommodate more candidates."

EBWA 2008 aims to recognise and reward the exemplary contributions of women in the business and professional sectors of the UAE. The award has generated strong response from business and professional women after DQG successfully organised several promotional activities.

Read More......

Mall of the Emirates wins ’Brand of the Year’ award from Superbrands

At a glittering tribute event held at the Intercontinental Dubai Festival City to honour the UAE’s strongest brands, Superbrands awarded the coveted ’Brand of the Year’ title to Mall of the Emirates (MoE) and conferred Superbrands status on sixty-eight leading brands in the UAE. Dubbed globally as the ’Oscars of Branding’, the event was attended by the country’s most prominent senior business, marketing and branding executives.
The 2007-2008 Superbrands book was also unveiled featuring many of the country’s best brands which were voted earlier as Superbrands.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Mike English, Director, Superbrands Middle East, said, "The tribute event was a true celebration of many of the country’s highest profile brands. We are happy to announce that Mall of the Emirates was voted ’Brand of the Year’ as it scored the highest points amongst all the brands. Sixty-eight brands scored more than 80 percent and were declared Superbrands by the brand council. To win this accolade is a powerful endorsement and evidence for existing customers, potential customers, the media, suppliers, investors and employees of each brand’s exceptional status."

Mall of the Emirates is the largest shopping centre outside of North America. Besides offering shoppers the widest selection of brands under one roof, it’s range of entertainment options including Ski Dubai - the first indoor ski destination in the Middle East, have made it the most talked about and preferred leisure, entertainment and shopping destination in the UAE and a well deserved winner of the ’Brand of the Year’ award.

The Superbrands programme acknowledges and rewards the highest standards of branding. The Superbrands Council, which comprises some of the leading names in UAE business circles, score all the brands and the top scoring brands which meet the stringent critera set by the council are awarded with Superbrands status. Over the years, the Superbrands organisation has achieved international acclaim for being an independent authority and arbiter of branding excellence. The organisation is committed to the cause of promoting exceptional brands and the discipline of branding in the region.

Sixty-eight top brands were awarded out of thousands available in the UAE. Most of the selected brands appear in the Superbrands UAE book, which traces the history and achievements of each of the brands. "The brands featured in the book range from FMCG brands to corporate giants. We are happy to see so many of the UAE’s strongest home-grown brands included in the book alongside key international brands. Participation in the Superbrands book is by invitation only and acknowledges the intrinsic strength of the organisation and its brand value," Mr. English added.

The 2007-2008 Superbrands book includes a two-page profile of each of the Superbrands. Each profile traces the foundation and development of the brand under the headings The Market, Achievements, History, The Product, Recent Developments, Promotion and Brand Values. There is also a Things You Didn’t Know section which highlights interesting facts about the brand and its unique achievements. Source

Read More......

DAMAC Properties win ‘Best Debut Stand’ award at ‘KazRealty 2008’ in Kazakhstan

DAMAC Properties, the largest private sector master developer and luxury lifestyle provider in the region, won the best debut stand award at the recently concluded KazRealty 2008, in Kazakhstan.
DAMAC showcased its wide range of iconic properties spread across the Middle East during this road-show in Kazakhstan and Russia. The developer also participated at the MIIT Expo in Moscow.
Luxurious developments from DAMAC Properties include projects from variouscountries such as Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar and UAE and are spread across 500 million sq. ft. of luxury, with over 11,500 customers.

Commenting on the participation and winning the award, Hussain Sajwani, Chairman of DAMAC Holding, said: “We have won several awards in the past but this one is a special recognition coming from Kazakhstan for our debut stand. I would like to thank the organizers for acknowledging the creativity and hardwork put behind our participation. There has been a very high level of interest from Kazakh nationals and till date over 110 nationalities have bought our propertiesand the number is still growing.”

Driven by a passion for excellence, DAMAC manages all its projects from start to finish. The company’s diverse range of expertise allows it to control the land purchase activity, appointment of architects and designers, construction, sales and after sales service.

Peter Riddoch, CEO of DAMAC Properties, added: “The reason we havesucceeded is because of our focused marketing strategy and a world classproduct to support it. We are delighted to win this award. These expos serve as a platform for our valued customers in these markets to own their second home in the Middle East. DAMAC foresees a good investment portfolio in this region and we are participating in these roadshows to exhibit our unique world-classproperty offerings. We are proud to have a great team on board from diverse background - who could relate to the customers needs and thereby address them. Currently we have a sales office in Moscow and in Kazakhstan catering to our valued customers there and we plan to have more such offices in the days to come."

The Moscow International Travel & Tourism (MIIT) exhibition is one of the world'smost influential exhibitions serving the travel and tourism industry. This year sees the exhibition’s 15th anniversary as the largest travel industry event in Russia.Furthermore, KazRealty will have international developers from UAE, Bulgaria,France, Great Britain, Russia, Spain and Turkey.(PR)

Read More......

DQG unveils 2nd Emirates Energy Award

Dubai Quality Group (DQG), an organization dedicated to raising the general performance level of the local business environment, has launched the second cycle of the Emirates Energy Award (EEA), which recognises the best energy conservation and management practices in the Arabian Gulf.

The international Award, organized annually under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, promotes regional awareness about the role of energy efficiency in ensuring sustainable growth, based on innovative, cost efficient and replicable measures.

Dr. Wafi Dawood, Vice Chairman, DQG, said: 'The inaugural Emirates Energy Award last year was a huge success and motivated individuals, companies and policymakers to strengthen their participation in regional energy conservation efforts.

''This year, we expect to welcome even more participants and witness highly innovative and effective energy conservation and management strategies; hopefully, the Award's second cycle will convince more individuals and institutions to adopt similar energy conservation systems and processes.' During the final Award's ceremony that will be held in late 2008, awards will be presented to the overall winners and the first runner-up in each of the following six categories: Public Corporation Energy Award; Private Corporation Energy Award; Energy Engineer Award; Major Energy Project Award; Minor Energy Project Award; and Education and Research Award.

The Award is open to all organizations and individuals, and the submitted entries can be implemented in any one of the GCC countries.

The EEA is in line with the UAE's ongoing conservation and environmental protection initiatives, as the country plans to invest more than AED 168 billion over the next ten years in environmental and pollution control projects.

Furthermore, as the demand for energy is expected to double by 2015, the UAE Ministry of Energy has recently included a proposal for a national regulatory framework for the development of the water and electricity sectors in its 16-point 2008-2010 Strategic Plan.

'I commend this year's nominees who will generously sharing their knowledge, expertise, and best practices to augment governmental efforts to promote sustainable development through efficient energy management,''he added. (WAM)

Read More......

DED honours 9 DERA winners

Nine winners of the Dubai Economic Research Award (DERA) were honoured yesterday for their excellent research works on new development strategies that will further spur economic growth in Dubai, said the Department of Economic Development (DED), which created the award.

"The path-breaking efforts of the DERA winners in compiling useful researches will further support the economic development of Dubai and the UAE," said Khalid Al Kassim, deputy-director for planning and development, DED, in a Press statement.

UAE Minister of Economy Saeed Al Mansouri presented the awards under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance.

Al Kassim stressed that some of these researches will be relevant while the others would be used as "theoretical backdrops for identifying and strengthening new development initiatives."

Abdulaziz Istaitieh, of the Executive Council, was awarded the top prize of Dh100,000 in the Professionals category for his research entitled "What would FTA [Free Trade Agreement] with Japan bring to the UAE?"

Yahya Ahmed Al Sharji, from the Ruler's Court, Dubai, won the second prize of Dh80,000 for his paper, "The role of small- and medium-sized enterprise owner/manager in adopting information and communication technology in the UAE."

The third prize went to Irfan Al Hassani, of Dubai Economic Council, for his paper entitled "Public-private partnership policies and their applicability to Dubai." Al Hassani won Dh60,000.

In the Faculty Members category, Dr Dwayne A Banks, from the American University of Dubai won first prize for his research, "Enterprise zones, government subsidies and hospital entry: The case of the Dubai Healthcare City."

Dr Masood Abdulla Badri, from the UAE University, won the second prize for his paper, "Developing and testing the UAE model of community support for tourism" while Dr Nico Vellinga, from Zayed University, won third prize for research work entitled "Free trade and taxation: A multi-sector dynamic CGE model for the United Arab Emirates."

The three winners were also given Dh100,000, Dh80,000 and Dh60,000 in prize money, respectively.

Winners in the Students category were awarded Dh30,000 (first prize), Dh20,000 (second prize) and Dh15,000 (third prize). All winners are students of Zayed University.

The top prize went to Fatima Ahmed and Balqees Ahmed for their paper, "To peg or not to peg: Should the UAE dirham be fixed to the US dollar or not?" while Asma Yousuf, Eman Walid and Hanan Mansoor won the second prize for their research work entitled "The reporting of financial data in the United Arab Emirates."

The third prize went to Hessa Hassan, Huda Al Saadi and Maryam Al Falasi, whose research work is entitled "An assessment of herd behaviour in the UAE equity markets."

Established in December 2004, DERA is tasked to promote scientific research within the UAE by recognising original research related to the country's economic development. All UAE-resident researchers and students, including nationals and expatriates, are eligible for the award. "We express our gratitude to all the participants whose works have added value to applied economic research," Al Kassim said. "We believe that the award will enrich both the public and private sectors, and provide recommendations that further support the ambitious strategic plan unveiled by our visionary rulers."

Read More......

Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment extends deadline for award entries

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for Young Business Leaders yesterday announced it has extended the submission deadline for entries to the Mohammed Bin Rashid Awards for Young Business Leaders to March 13, following consistent requests from potential participants.

The deadline extension also reflects the establishment’s desire to provide enhanced participation opportunities for a wider number of national small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Source

Read More......

Arab Journalism Awards attract 2,609 entries

The seventh edition of the Arab Journalism Awards (AJA) has attracted 2,609 entries in 12 categories from Arab countries, the AJA general secretariat announced yesterday.
The region’s most coveted recognition for journalistic excellence will give away cash prizes amounting to Dh863,000 ($235,000) for best entries in Politics, Business, Investigative Journalism, IT, Columnist, Culture, Sports, Environment, Photo-Journalism, Caricature, Interview and Children’s Journalism. Source

Read More......

Dubai Police awarded the 19 ISO 9001/2000

Crown Prince of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum attended Thursday a reception hosted by Dubai Police General Command for being awarded the 19 ISO 9001/2000 certificates for quality management.

Sheikh Hamdan gave away ISO certificates to directors of Dubai Police departments and chiefs of Police centres in the presence of Lt. Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Commander General of Dubai Police. Commanders who served the police for more than 25 years were also honoured with Dubai Police golden jubilee medal.

Addressing the audience, Tamim said Dubai Police were among the first police forces in the world to adopt the ISO 9000-2000.

''The administrative excellence Dubai Police have achieved is inseparable part of the security and professional excellence which have been dedicated to maintain security and stability and serve social welfare in Dubai in particular and the UAE in general,''he added.

Over the last two years, he affirmed, Dubai Police have contained a raft of money laundering crimes worth over AED 70 billion.

''The ISO certification is not the end of the quest for excellence .........

we will always strive to take the lead ...we will only be satisfied with the first rank,''he added. (WAM)

Read More......

Dubai Crown Prince allocates 56 cars to winners of camel race in RAK

Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum allocated 56 cars for winners of the final camel race today and tomorrow.

The move is in line with the care given by Sheikh Hamdan to local heritage and sports of ancestors.

Earlier, Sheikh Hamdan offered 106 cars to the winners in the start of the race, bringing the total number to 163 cars.

The higher organising committee of the Arabian camel festival thanked Sheikh Hamdan for the donation and commended his continuous support to the sport and heritage activities to instill in memory of generations.

On his part, Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who attended the race yesterday hailed holding of such festivals, which show sticking of the community to traditions.

RAK Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi attended the camel race today. (WAM)

Read More......

" Ideal Mother " and " Ideal Family " awards

The jury of the 2008 edition of 'Ideal Mother' and 'Ideal Family' awards began, being organised under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, today began local and regional tours to visit mothers and families nominated for the awards.

Organisers of the two awards said that they received over 300 nominations from the UAE and other Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Palestine, Somalia, Tunisia, Sudan, Egypt and Bahrain. (WAM)

Read More......

DP World UAE awarded 'Recognized for Excellence' 5 star rating by EFQM

Reinforcing its reputation as a leading port operator, DP World has recently been awarded the 'Recognized for Excellence' 5 Star rating for Jebel Ali terminals by the European Foundation for Quality Management, becoming the first port operator worldwide and the first company in the Middle East to receive such prestigious recognition.

A team of four assessors from the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM), a non-profit membership foundation based in Belgium, recently visited DP World UAE and the Jebel Ali Port site. The assessors toured the site inspecting and evaluating port operations and management, and met members of management, supervisory, and staff across all departments.

Upon their final assessment report, they awarded Jebel Ali Terminals 5 Star distinction offered by the foundation.

"This five star certification reinforces the high operational standards of DP World UAE which have been built over the years, and reflects our strong commitment to the highest levels of quality in the services we provide. Our leadership, operations management efficiency, strategic planning and our strict adherence to the highest international quality standards has earned DP World UAE this international acclaim, distinction and recognition," stated Mohammed Al Muallem, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of DP World UAE.

The European Foundation for Quality Management recognition facilitates businesses to conduct performance assessment and measurement of achieved progress in areas such as strategic planning, leadership, corporate social responsibility, people, and many others.

The New 'Recognized for Excellence' Scheme, based on the 'EFQM Excellence Model' and which had been launched in June 2006, comprises 32 sub-criteria within 9 main criteria, which serve as the basis for a points-based assessment.

Mohammed Ali Ahmed, Director, Strategic Planning and Business Support, DP World UAE said: "This classification internally equips DP World with an efficient tool to evaluate the areas of strengths and weaknesses in management techniques, practices, and strategies adopted, and provides an incentive to implement best practices in the workplace. In today's competitive global economic landscape, it also offers our customers and partners a trusted quality, assurance, and control mechanism to efficiently evaluate corporate performance, growth and progress.' DP World UAE has received several local and international accolades in the past, such as Dubai Quality Award 2002, Dubai Government Excellence Award (Gold) 2005, and Middle East and India Award the (The Port of the Year) 2005 & 2006 awarded by Lloyd's List, amongst others awards. (WAM)

Read More......

2nd Mahabba Awards from April 17

The second edition of Al Mahabba Awards will be organised during a three-day event starting from April 17 at Al Raha Beach Theatre in Abu Dhabi to promote artistic works on the life of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).

This was announced on Monday at a Press conference held in the capital here. The second edition of Al Mahabba Awards will be held under the patronage of General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

A special website www.mahabba.tv has been launched to receive participants. Source

Read More......

Emirates Businesswomen award launched for 2008

The Emirates Businesswomen Awards (EBWA) for 2008 was launched yesterday. The award, which is in its sixth year, recognises the contribution of UAE national and expatriate women in their business or profession.


The launch marks the first stage in an awareness raising campaign to encourage women to participate in the scheme. This will be followed by a series of workshops throughout the UAE to familiarise potential applicants with the goals, objectives, eligibility criteria and rules of application for the award. Each application takes two assessors two to three hours to assess and will be followed by a site visit if necessary. Applicants, who must have worked in the UAE for three years, must be able to demonstrate to the assessment panel how they meet the award's criteria and be able to "write your story," explained chief assessor, Judith Barton. Deadline for submitting applications is 3 April

Barton also said that the ratio of participants had reversed completely over the years. In 2003, the first year in which the award was given, the ratio of UAE nationals to expatriates was 22 per cent to 78 per cent. "It has now done a complete circle," she said.

EBWA's assessment panel will comprise Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi, UAE Minister of Economy, Rawdha Al Moutawa, president of Emirates Business Women Council, as well as representatives from Dubai Quality Group (DQG) and Shell (which is also an official sponsor), said Marwan Al Sawaleh, DQP's chairman. He also said "women are keen to participate" in the scheme and that former winners of the award will be "ambassadors to encourage and inspire others".

Omar Al Querishi, Shell's communications manager in the UAE, said that sponsorship of the awards plays an important part of Shell's corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme. "It comes under our first priority," he said. The EBWA is also sponsored by Paris Gallery.

Speaking about what it meant to win the award, a former winner, Mariam Matar, assistant undersecretary of preventive medicine in the Ministry of Health (MOH) for Public Health and Primary Health Care said: "It meant a lot to win the award. It opened up opportunities," adding: "I want to pass the message to UAE nationals that the award is for everyone, and it is especially for those who have no discovered themselves yet." Source

Read More......

British Airways named world's leading airline

British Airways — the UK's flagship carrier which operates 55 weekly flights from the GCC to London Heathrow — has been awarded 'World's Leading Airline, 2007' at the prestigious World Traveller Awards.

Over 160,000 travel professionals from 190 countries voted online for the awards, which annually recognise outstanding achievement within the global travel industry.
"We are overwhelmingly grateful to our staff in accepting this award, all of whom deserve our thanks for continuing to make British Airways the 'Worlds Leading Airline'," said Robert Boyle, BA's Commercial Director, at the ceremony in the Caribbean islands of Turks and Caicos.
"As a British airline, we are honoured to have achieved this global accolade, and will continue to offer the upgraded service that people expect from us." Source

Read More......

Deadline for Participating in the Arab Journalism Award Extended

The deadline for the submission of applications to participate in the 7th Arab Journalism Award has been extended till January 15th, 2008 to attract a larger number of Arab journalists, both females and males, to participate in the event.

Maryam Bin Fahad, Executive Manager, Dubai Press Club, revealed the decision to extend the deadline followed recent visits by the Awards? senior staff delegation to a number of Arab countries where there is growing interest on behalf of Arab journalists to participate in the Award, seen as representing one of the major Arab events where creative journalists get honored.
"Our decision to extend the deadline was driven by our interest in widening the scope of participation,? said Bin Fahad. "To that end, we decided to undertake practical procedures to overcome all drawbacks, in coordination with journalism syndicates and institutions in the countries visited." The Award delegation tour covered Qatar, Oman, Morocco and Tunisia and emphasized the Awards importance as a platform to encourage journalists and nourish their creative abilities which will, in turn, have an impact on the performance of Arab journalism. Moreover, the Awards will enhance the practice's competitiveness in the global arena and help develop the means to encourage journalists for more participation and competition in all categories, without any additional financial liabilities to deliver journalistic work to the Award headquarters in Dubai.
"In the countries we visited, we have seen great interest from journalists to participate in the Award. Many journalists commended the Award?s good reputation as a key regional congregation to honor outstanding journalistic figures. They stressed that winning the Award has become a dream for many journalists, due to the Award''s great literary and moral values that definitely overstep its materialistic ones," added Bin Fahad.
"Over the past six years, the Award played a key role in enhancing creative work on the Arab journalism scene, which empowered its regional status and made it a goal any Arab journalist would aspire to. This is in addition to the non-stop endeavors of the Award, with all its categories, to enhance professionalism and establish the basic values of journalistic work including impartiality, neutrality, and commitment to accurate and objective citation of facts. All such factors made the Award a source of pride for all of us," said Bin Fahad.

The Awards comes with cash prizes totaling US $235,000 (AED 863,000), and includes 12 categories - Politics, Business, Investigative Journalism, IT, Columnist, Culture, Sports, Environment, Photo-Journalism, Caricature, Interview and Children's Journalism. A special award will be presented to "Media Personality of the Year". (WAM)

Read More......