The Gulf Business Industry Awards 2015 – the premier event recognized the best and brightest companies and individuals across the region. Rolling in 2015 with their fourth year, the Gulf Business Industry Awards 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 was selected for the prestigious accolade of Gulf Business ‘Business Leader of the Year’. We also recognized the efforts of start-ups with the public voted category for ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ – Gulf Business highlighted 10 leading entrepreneurs and it was for our readers to decide who should be awarded. Voting has now closed – to find out who won the prestigious awards, click here.
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 are also pleased to announce that the panel of judges for the categories is as follows:
Huda Al Lawati, Abraaj Group MENA partner and chief investment officer
Huda Al Lawati has more than 12 years of experience in private equity and finance. She joined The Abraaj Group in 2004 and oversees its oil and gas initiatives as well as company investments across the Gulf Cooperation Council ranging from healthcare and education to food and beverages. Al Lawati holds bachelor’s degrees in neuroscience and business economics.
Husam Hourani has worked for 17 years advising clients on banking and finance in the United Arab Emirates. He is also an expert on capital market transactions. His work on conventional finance, Shari’a-compliant products and capital markets has won plaudits. Husam is a member of the NASDAQ Dubai listing committee and the DIFCA legislative committee.
Y.S. Shashidhar, Frost & Sullivan MENA managing director
Across a period of 16 years, Y.S. Shashidar has carried out more than 150 consulting assignments. His diverse range of expertise extends through feasibility studies, market development and expansion, business plan development, forward planning and strategy building across sectors such as renewable energy, aerospace, oil and gas and defence technologies.
Ian Fairservice, Motivate managing partner and group editor-in-chief
Ian Fairservice founded Motivate Publishing in 1979. With his partner H.E. Obaid Humaid Al-Tayer, the United Arab Emirates Minister of State for Finance, he has developed the company to become one of the most successful media houses in the region – with more than 30 editorial titles across print and digital – and a diverse range of contract publishing products.
Dean Carroll, Motivate group editor (business division of titles)
Dean Carroll is a British journalist with more than 15 years of experience. He is also a published academic with a master’s degree in European politics. His blog was ‘highly commended’ in the Reporting Europe Prize and his reporting was recognised in the Work Foundation media awards. His specialisms include business, geopolitics, management issues and technology.