Dubai, United Arab Emirates:  The Fast Company Middle East's ongoing mission of creating a culture of innovation in the region since it was launched culminated with honoring the Most Innovative Companies 2022. The prestigious list includes 42 companies that reshaped their businesses and industries across 25 categories, including AI, retail, enterprise and many more.

The innovative companies, from established enterprises such as IBM, Pepsico, and Masdar City to startups like Peacefull, Huspy, and Crayon DMCC, were recognized at an event held at Armani Hotel, Dubai, attended by over 200 iconic pioneers, VCs, ground-breaking innovators, and business leaders from across the region. 

Since 2008, Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies has been the definitive source for recognizing organizations transforming industries and shaping society. 

"Most Innovative Companies is one of our highly anticipated editorial efforts. It provides a snapshot and a road map for the future of innovation across the most dynamic sectors. And we were enthused by both the quantity and quality of the nominations received. Innovation is at the heart of everything we do, and this list best reflects that," said Ravi Raman, Publisher of Fast Company Middle East.

In addition to giving away the most prestigious awards to 42 innovative companies that spotlight cutting-edge business models, technology, or applications, the evening saw some standout acts, including performances by virtual reality performer and speed painter Cathy Deniset and a stunning dance show by the Neon Mob Troupe. 

Hundreds of companies vied to compete in categories ranging from advertising and artificial intelligence to sustainability and fintech, and a team of editors worked relentlessly, sorting and sifting through nominations to make the final decision. 

Dubai Internet City is a strategic partner for Fast Company Middle East's Most Innovative Companies and is committed to nurturing innovative ideas with recognition and support.

Here's the complete list of winners:

Advertising

TBWA\RAAD for helping brands take customer engagement to the next level and disrupting the traditional approaches to customer experience.

Architecture

Zuhair Fayez Partnership Consultants for developing and implementing regional projects using BIM technology throughout the design process, sustainability study, and construction management and promoting a culture of sharing ideas.

Artificial Intelligence

IBM, SAS and Crayon DMCC for applying AI to everything—from property valuations to detecting mortality risks and reducing carbon emissions. 

Beauty

L'oreal Middle East for bringing immersive beauty technologies across its product portfolio.

Consumer Goods

Barakat Group and PepsiCo for using cutting-edge technology to respond to consumer demands and addressing sustainability to support local produce and transforming products and packaging.

Dining

Pickl and Independent Food Company for keeping up with the growing preferences for healthier food options and reinventing the traditional dining experience

Ecommerce

Rabbit and Noon for reinventing and driving strong demand for food delivery and other consumer products and becoming the key growth engine for retail.

Education

MonkiBox for redefining early-stage education and simplifying science-based learning.

Emerging Tech

Technology Innovation Institute and RedSea for building the world's largest Arabic natural language processing model and developing technologies to grow drought-tolerant crops.

Energy

NOMADD Desert Solar Solutions for developing an autonomous water-less robotic cleaning solution for solar panels and playing a crucial role in driving sustainability.

Enterprise

ZainTech for offering innovations that help enterprises thrive, providing wide-ranging technologies from cloud and cybersecurity to telecommunications.

Entertainment

TikTok and OSN+ for revamping with better features, quality creative content, and immersive user experience.

Finance and Fintech

BitOasis Technologies FZE, Mamo and Stripe for introducing new features to make buying and selling crypto assets easier and enabling a more informed adoption of this new technology across the region, simplifying fund transfers by making payments instant and integrated payments. 

Gaming

Sony PlayStation for the gaming industry's paragon of ingenuity, burnishing its reputation with new hardware and software and reaffirming its core strength of single-player narrative adventures with new types of games. 

Healthcare

Aster DM Healthcare and G42 Healthcare for successfully combining offline and online healthcare, launching telehealth ( e-ICU model), and providing personalized preventive care.

Hospitality

FIVE Hotels and Resorts for prioritizing customer relationships, including new benefits, adopting multiple sustainability measures, and expanding digital touch points.

Logistics

Aramex PJSC for frictionless and contactless delivery and boosting digital touchpoints to optimize delivery routes and shorten delivery times.

Media

Augustus Media and Asharq News for building multiple new digital platforms, developing new ways of reaching out to their audiences, and launching vertical live-streaming formats based on artificial intelligence.

Mobility

Cafu for innovating a range of services—from refueling vehicles to renewing car insurance.

Retail

Chalhoub Group, GMG and Virgin Mobile UAE for bringing new technology to brick-and-mortar stores, self-checkout, experimenting with immersive virtual experiences, transitioning towards unified commerce, and creating a personalized shopping experience.

Service

Justlife DMCC and Virtuzone for disrupting on-demand services and catering to the changing needs of the workforce.

Small and Mighty

Peacefull for creating new skincare products tested according to the region's weather conditions and skin issues and backed by science and active ingredients.

Sustainability

Dulsco, Emirates National Oil Company, and Pure Harvest Smart Farms for innovating waste services, growing fresh produce sustainably, and enhancing fuel efficiency.

Urban Development & Real Estate 

Huspy and Masdar City for developing consumer-facing tech that lets users participate in every stage of the home-buying process and offering a quality life with the lowest possible environmental footprint.

Women-backed business

Dubai-based financial training platform Balinca for innovating financial training methodology.

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About Fast Company Middle East

Fast Company Middle East’s is the region’s leading business media brand, focused on innovation, technology, business and leadership. Apart from the online platform, Fast Company Middle East hosts awards and events like Most Creative People in Business, World Changing Ideas, and Most Innovative Companies.