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Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum honoured with Dubai Lynx 2011 advertising person of the year award

The Dubai International Advertising Festival is proud to announce that His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and CEO of Emirates Airline & Group, who has been instrumental in establishing the company as a global brand, will be presented with the prestigious 2011 Dubai Lynx Advertising Person of the Year Award.

The Advertising Person of the Year Award honours someone who by their efforts, energy and dedication, has lifted the presence and profile of the region within the international advertising, marketing and communications community. Through effective and creative marketing as well as a commitment to sporting sponsorship, Sheikh Ahmed has kept Emirates at the forefront of the airline industry.

Sheikh Ahmed embarked upon his career in the aviation industry in 1985 when he was appointed President of Dubai Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), the same year that Emirates Airline was launched and he was appointed its Chairman. In September of that year, Emirates introduced its launch advertising campaign.

Under his leadership Emirates has grown from being a regional airline with just two leased aircraft and three destinations, becoming the third largest airline in the world with a fleet of 152 aircraft, flying to 111 destinations across six continents. Emirates are today the world's fastest growing intercontinental carrier. In recent years, its ad campaigns have won three Dubai Lynx awards and three Cannes Lions, amongst many other awards. Sheikh Ahmed's efforts towards the development and brand marketing of Emirates Airline have also greatly contributed to Dubai being the region's top leisure destination.

"His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum is a great believer in the power of building relationships and connecting Emirates Airline with people through creative and successful marketing communications as well as through regional and international sports sponsorship," says Philip Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and the Dubai International Advertising Festival, who with Motivate Publishing are joint organisers of the festival. "Under his leadership and guidance, not only has he made Emirates into a dominant global brand, but also helped put Dubai on the map."

"At Emirates we have always recognised the fundamental role that classic communication techniques, like advertising, play in our marketing mix. Advertising enables us to strategically target our audience based on the type of media that they consume, allowing us to isolate specific target groups for any given campaign," comments Sheikh Ahmed.

"In addition to advertising we employ a robust mix of classic and contemporary marketing disciplines to engage our customers around the globe. Utilising these practices such as sponsorship, events, public relations and advertising we have been able to move the Emirates brand from a locally known enterprise, to an international powerhouse.

Finding the right balance of marketing techniques requires a strong and dedicated team and this award recognises the dedication of our highly skilled Corporate Communications division at Emirates."

HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum will be honoured during the Dubai Lynx Awards Ceremony and Dinner to be held on 30 March at the Madinat Jumeirah Arena in Dubai.

Joseph Ghossoub, President and CEO of MENACOM (formally The Holding Group); Tanvir Kanji, Head of Inca Tanvir and Ramzi Raad, Chairman & CEO of TBWA/RAAD Middle East, have been previous recipients of this honour.

-Ends-

About HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum
President, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority ; Chairman, Dubai Airports; Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group
HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum embarked on his career in the aviation industry in 1985 when he was appointed President of the Dubai Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) the governing body that oversaw the activities of Dubai International and Dubai Duty Free, among others.

In the same year Emirates Airline Dubai's international carrier was launched with Sheikh Ahmed as its Chairman. He is now the Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, which includes Dnata the region's leading travel services and ground handling company, and other aviation related entities.

Under Sheikh Ahmed's leadership, the DCA underwent an organisational restructuring in April 2007 resulting in the creation of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority ( DCAA ) as the local regulatory body, and Dubai Airports as the owner and operator of Dubai's airports - Dubai International and Dubai World Central - Al Maktoum International . Following the restructuring, Sheikh Ahmed became the President of DCAA and Chairman of Dubai Airports.

The remarkable growth of Dubai International - from just 45 airlines connecting to 80 destinations, and an annual throughput of 3.8 million passengers in 1985, to a network of over 220 destinations served by more than 130 airlines, and passenger traffic exceeding 40 million, is testimony to Sheikh Ahmed's grand vision and foresight.

The opening of Dubai World Central Al Maktoum International (DWC), Dubai's airport of the future on June 27, 2010 was a historical moment for Dubai and a realisation of Sheikh Ahmed's most cherished vision. Sheikh Ahmed's leadership ensured that the launch will go down in history as the first major step towards establishing Dubai as the world's most preferred aviation and logistics hub. The launch of DWC follows the spectacular opening of Dubai International's Terminal 3 on October 14, 2008 - widely acknowledged in the industry as the most successful launch of a terminal of its size.

Under his leadership, Emirates has grown from being a regional airline with just two leased aircraft and three destinations, to an acclaimed international airline with a fleet of more than 150 aircraft and over 100 destinations across six continents. Emirates is today the world's fastest growing intercontinental carrier.

With the launch of flydubai, its own budget carrier, Dubai added another first to its long list in June 2009. With Sheikh Ahmed to guide the fledgling carrier as its Chairman another success story is already in the making.

The fact that Dubai is now firmly established as the region's most desirable leisure destination is due in no small measure to the efforts of Sheikh Ahmed, who also holds several other portfolios with the Government of Dubai.

In December 2010, Sheikh Ahmed was appointed the Chairman of the Board of Dubai World. He is Second Vice Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, which is responsible for formulating policies and strategies for the Emirate of Dubai, as well as Chairman of Economic Development Committee; Board Member of the Dubai Corporation for Government Investment.

He is the Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Fiscal Committee, as well as a member of the Board of the Dubai Council for Economic Affairs; Sheikh Ahmed is also the Vice-Chairman of the Dubai World Trade Centre, Chairman Supreme Committee - Dubai Shopping Festival Committee and Dubai Summer Surprises, and Board Member General Civil Aviation Authority of UAE.

In September 2009, Sheikh Ahmed was appointed as the Chairman of the Department of Oil Affairs and Chairman of the Supreme Council for Energy. Sheikh Ahmed is the Chairman of Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority, Dubai Air Wing, Alliance Insurance Company, The British University in Dubai, and The Dubai Power & Energy Committee.

Sheikh Ahmed is Patron to many charitable organisations, including the Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre, the Rotary Club of Dubai and the Terry Fox Run and the Emirates Airline Foundation.

Holder of a Bachelors Degree from the University of Denver, Colorado, USA, Sheikh Ahmed is well known internationally for his contribution to the development of aviation in the region. The Royal Aeronautical Society, one of the industry's oldest and most respected professional associations honoured his achievements in aviation with a fellowship of the Society at the 1994 Farnborough Air Show in the UK.

Sheikh Ahmed is also a recipient of Commandeur de l'Ordre de la Legion d'Honneur (the Legion of Honour) - the highest French civilian award, conferred on him during the Dubai Air Show in December 2003. In 2008, Sheikh Ahmed was awarded the Verfassungsportugaleser, one of Germany's highest honours, for outstanding services to the City of Hamburg, at a senate reception.

The 4th Dubai International Advertising Festival is the leading competition and awards for advertising creative excellence in the Middle East and Africa.

Presented by Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival together with their regional partners, Motivate Publishing, the Dubai International Advertising Festival is held with the support of Dubai Media City (DMC) and in association with the UAE Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA). The 4th Dubai International Advertising Festival will bring to the Middle East and Africa a series of high profile seminars, workshops, exhibitions and screenings aimed at giving creative inspiration, learning and networking opportunities to the advertising and allied industries in the region. The Lynx awards, which are part of the Festival, will honour creative excellence in Film, Print, Outdoor, Radio, Direct, Promo & Activation, Media, Interactive, Craft, Design and Integrated advertising. High-profile international jurors will award the coveted Dubai Lynx trophy to establish the definitive standard for creative excellence in the Middle East and Africa region.

For further information, please contact:
Amanda Benfell, PR & Press Manager
Dubai International Advertising Festival
Greater London House, Hampstead Road, London NW1 7EJ,
United Kingdom
www.dubailynx.com
Tel: +44-20-7728 4040;
Fax: +44-20-7728 4044;
E-mail: amandab@canneslions.com

Steve Lane, Festival Director
Dubai International Advertising Festival
PO Box 502100, Dubai, UAE
www.dubailynx.com
Tel: +971 4 3755 649;
Mobile +971 50 552 7781;
Email: stevel@dubailynx.com

Key Festival Dates:
Delegate Registration Opens: Now Open
Entries Close: for late entries please contact Alice Staite alices@canneslions.com
Festival Dates: 27 - 29 March 2011, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE
Dubai Lynx Awards: 30 March 2011, Madinat Jumeirah Arena, Dubai, UAE

© Press Release 2011