SVP of du presented with award for Global Leadership in Marketing & Branding

Dubai, UAE, 24 January 2012: In a sterling acknowledgement of his calibre and achievements, Subhra Das, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Customer Experience at du, has been awarded with the prestigious New Global Indian (NGI) Excellence Award for "Global Leadership in Marketing & Branding."  Das was presented with his award at a glittering ceremony held on the eve of the Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas, or Non-Resident Indian Day (January 9), in Jaipur, India. The event was attended by several Cabinet Ministers of the Government of Rajasthan, distinguished representatives of Indian industry, notable members of the Indian diaspora and some prominent Bollywood personalities.  

Some of the other recipient of the honours are - Prof. Asit K Biswas, President, Third World Centre for Water Management, Mexico; Narpat Bhandari, Entrepreneur and visionary from Silicon Valley, USA; Mahen Utchanah, former Tourism Minister, Mauritius; Dr Zulekha Daud, Managing Director, Zulekha Healthcare Group, UAE; Prof Mohan Gautam, Chancellor, European University for West and East, Holland, Mitul Desai, Senior Advisor, US, Department of State. Das is one of the youngest recipients of the Excellence awards.

New Global Indian Excellence Awards recognizes those who have made a difference in their professions or businesses, and positively impacted upon the lives of others. These awards of excellence are also designed to honour individuals and organizations that recognize the important connection between humankind and nature, to celebrate their success and inspire others to make such exceptional behavior the norm. Bharatiya Pravasi Divas is organized by the Government of India in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII).

"It is a great honour to receive this award. I would like to thank NGI and the Indian diaspora for recognising my achievements, and for placing me amongst such awe-inspiring company as my fellow award recipients," said Das. "With the support and encouragement of our company's leadership, my team and I are dedicated to providing our customers with very innovative and experience-rich value propositions, thus adding "life to life."  It is a real pleasure to know that our work has captured the attention of many overseas and I am deeply humbled by being considered as an exemplary Non-Resident Indian."

"This is a moment of intense pride for me and my colleagues, as Subhra is a vibrant, vital member of our corporate family. From a start-up company in 2007 to achieving more than 45% market share in mobile in less than 5 years in an over-penetrated telecom sector is a remarkable feat by any means, globally.  A lot of the credit of this success is due to Subhra and his team for this stellar performance. Also, his contribution to Marketing and improving the customer experience has been remarkable and imperative to the evolution of our brand, leading the charge and enabling the success that we enjoy today. On behalf of all of our colleagues, I would like to congratulate Subhra on this significant occasion. This is a very well deserved recognition," said Osman Sultan, CEO, du.

Under his guidance, the Marketing team at du has realised several major achievements and taken the company to new heights. Das has previously been ranked 23rd in Communicate magazine's Power List, a listing of MENA's 50 most powerful people in the media, marketing and advertising industry; he was also nominated in 2011 for Marketing Person of the Year at the MENA Effies Awards. He is an engineer by qualification and an alumnus of the elite Harvard Business School and the prestigious Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad in India.  

-Ends-

About du
du, the integrated telecom service provider in the UAE, launched mobile telecommunication services in February 2007 across the UAE, in addition to internet and pay TV services that du provides in some of the free zones of Dubai. Call Select, du's nationwide fixed line services for voice telephony, was launched in July 2007. By the end of 3rd quarter of 2011, over 4,937,900 people in the UAE had chosen to become du mobile customers.

 Among du's many firsts is its historic Number Booking Campaign for both individuals and business, Pay by the Second billing system, Mobile TV, Mobile Payments, first of its kind 'WoW' recharge card (which offers customers the choice between 'more credit', 'more time' and now the 'more international' recharge option with additional credit on international calls) and Self Care.

For business customers, du business offers include Closed Business User Group and preferred International Destinations. du Broadcast Services division brings scalable media technology platforms and telecommunication solutions to the broadcast community through its world-class teleport (Samacom) and Master Control Room (MCR) facilities.

 du products and services for consumers and business are available through du's retail network, currently numbering 37 du shops located in strategic locations across the UAE, including the recently opened flagship store located in the heart of Abu Dhabi. In addition, customers can access du products and services at more than 3000 authorised dealers or through the du e-shop, accessible at http://shop.du.ae du shops are a one-stop-shop for mobile service, carrier select and the payment of service bills.

du is 39.5 per cent owned by the UAE Federal Government, 19.75 per cent by Mubadala Development Company, 19.5 per cent by Emirates Communications & Technology Company LLC and the remaining stake by public shareholders. It is listed on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) and trades under the name du.

For further information, please contact:
Saugat Chatterjee
Public Relations Manager
Brand & Communications
du
Mobile: +971 55 9367045
Email: saugat.chatterjee@du.ae

Reka Sepsy
Manning, Selvage & Lee
Tel: +971 4 367 6154
Mobile: +971 55 220 68 20
Fax: +971 4 367 2615
Email: reka.sepsy@dubai.mslpr.com

© Press Release 2012