The Gulf Business Industry Awards 2014

Introducing the Gulf Business Industry Awards 2014 – the premier event recognized the best and brightest companies and individuals across the region. 2014 saw the awards enter their third year and they covered a wide spectrum of economic sectors, from energy to real estate. In each sector, a company and business leader of the year was awarded. One business leader from this group would be selected for the prestigious accolade of Gulf Business ‘Business Leader of the Year’.

Shortlist & Judging Criteria

Company Of The Year
All public nominated companies are shortlisted into company of the year categories, and then voted on by the judges to gain the winner of each category.

Business Leader Of The Year
Nominations
 all come from the judges and are shortlisted into business leader of the year categories, and then voted on by the judges to gain the winner of each category

Those nominated and shortlisted for Company Of The Year & Business Leader Of The Year will be carefully considered based on the following pre-set criteria:

Innovation
A company’s ability to lead its sector, through thought-leadership, continual innovation and timely strategy.

Growth/expansion
Company growth in the last year and expansion into new markets.

Financial results
Company results in terms of assets, profits and turnover, taken in a market context.

Product quality
The ability to deliver exceptional, innovative, customer-orientated products of the highest quality.

Service delivery
The ability to provide excellent service to all stakeholders, including customers, partners and suppliers.

Corporate Social Responsibility
A firm’s efforts to give something back to wider society, in terms of mentorship, environmental concerns, charity and corporate social responsibility.

We were also pleased to announce that the panel of judges for the categories were as follows:
 Firas-Nasir

Firas Nasir, Managing Director and co-head of the Middle East and North Africa, Carlyle PE.

Firas Nasir is a Managing Director and co-head of the Middle East and North Africa buyout team, advising on investments in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the Levant. Mr. Nasir joined Carlyle in 2007 and is based in Dubai. Prior to joining Carlyle, Mr. Nasir was an Investment Banker at Credit Suisse and UBS Investment Bank, based in Silicon Valley and New York, where he specialized in advising corporations on mergers and acquisitions transactions. Mr. Nasir earned his M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, M.S. in mechanical engineering from Columbia University and B.S. from Rutgers University in mechanical/aerospace engineering. He currently serves on the boards of General Lighting Company, the largest lighting player in the Middle East and Alamar Foods, operator of 185 Domino’s and Wendy’s restaurants throughout the Middle East and North Africa regions.

 

Ben Bruton, Managing Partner – UAE, Eversheds

Ben Bruton is Head of Eversheds’ UAE practice and a Partner in the Dispute Resolution group. He has acted on behalf of a range of multi-national and domestic corporates. Having practised in the UK for 12 years, Ben is now permanently based in the firm’s Dubai office. Ben has also worked in Bahrain and has considerable experience of litigation in the Pakistani and Indian Courts.

Ben was listed (as one of only two lawyers) by Financial News as one of the top 100 rising stars of the City for 2010 in recognition of the team’s work in disputes arising from the financial crisis. Ben is ranked in both Chambers & Partners and Legal 500, where he is described as “very keen, very clever and very capable.”

His recent experience includes leading a team acting for a subsidiary of a global energy company in a €155m multi-jurisdictional dispute against a world leading construction company and a major international bank concerning an on-demand performance bond. The case raised novel questions of jurisdiction and ultimately changed the law in relation to on-demand performance bonds. Ben also acted on behalf of Rolls-Royce plc in a multi-jurisdictional and high-value insurance dispute, which culminated in High Court proceedings and raised new points of law.

Peter Cooper, editor of the ArabianMoney.net

Peter Cooper is editor and publisher of the ArabianMoney website and investment newsletter, the only independent subscription newsletter of its kind covering the Middle East. He was previously editor in chief of AME Info and the founding editor of Gulf Business in 1996 and still a columnist for the magazine.

Ian Fairservice, Managing Partner and Group Editor-In-Chief, Motivate

Ian Fairservice founded Motivate Publishing in 1979 with the launch of What’s On, the region’s first English language magazine. Together with his partner Obaid Humaid Al-Tayer, who is now the UAE Minister of State for Finance, he has seen the company develop into one of the most successful media houses in the region. Publishing a wide range of award winning magazines, books and websites, Motivate has a staff of more than 200 based in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and London.

One of the founder members of the International Advertising Association (IAA) – UAE Chapter, Fairservice served on the board for more than 20 years. He has also served on the world board of the International Advertising Association and been the Middle East representative of the Cannes Advertising Festival since 2000. In March 2007 he founded the Dubai Lynx Advertising Awards for the Middle East & Africa in partnership with the Cannes Advertising Festival with whom Motivate also stages the annual Dubai International Advertising Festival.

In addition to his business responsibilities Fairservice is the vice-chairman of the Board of Governors of the Al Noor Training Centre for Children with Special Needs. Before becoming the centre’s vice chairman in 1998 he served as fund-raising chairman for 16 years.

Guido Duken, Group Editor – Gulf Business

Guido Duken, who graduated with BA Honours in Politics and a Higher Diploma in Journalism, has been an editor for 20 years with a career spanning lifestyle, B2B and business publications. He is currently the Group Editor of Motivate’s business division, which includes Gulf Business, The Week, Portfolio and Business Traveller Middle East.