08 November 2015
· Take spotlight at recent Daman Corporate Health Awards with two awards each

· Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank PJSC honoured for its breast cancer initiatives

· Sharjah-based Lamprell Energy Limited wins award for improved wellness performance

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Dubai Holding and Unilever Gulf FZE won two awards apiece to lead all winners at the recently concluded Daman Corporate Health Awards, the UAE's first recognition programme honouring wellness initiatives in the workplace.

Dubai Holding received the Daman Award for Corporate Health and Wellness (Organization) Award and the Corporate Wellness Team of the Year Award. In line with the government's vision for a healthier and more active nation, Dubai Holding has worked hard to cultivate a healthier Dubai by developing and implementing a comprehensive wellness programme in the workplace that incorporates not only physical activity, health, nutrition; but also awareness and knowledge about the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle. Over the years, it has continually increased the level of employee participation in its wellness activities and assessments, reduced level of absenteeism, and improved cost efficiencies of its medical spend per active employee.

Unilever Gulf FZE, meanwhile, triumphed in the CSR Employee Engagement of the Year as well as Health & Safety Initiative of the Year categories. Among its many laudable workplace programmes include 'Agile Working', a policy that allows employees to work flexibly - as long as the needs of the business are being met. It creates work-life balance while increasing productivity and job satisfaction. More than 75 per cent of employees have used the agile working policy; and more than 90% of women use it once a month.  

"Congratulations to these two organisations as to all the winners for championing the cause of workplace wellness. It is no surprise that our winners are also known leaders in their respective business categories - they see the value that wellness programmes have not only in improving employee wellbeing and productivity, but also in ensuring corporate health overall. May their continuing success show the way for others to follow. Hopefully, the snowball effect will lead to more productivity among UAE employees, and translate to better performance for the corporate sector, and the economy of the Emirates as a whole, in the years to come," says Dr. Michael Bitzer, CEO, National Health Insurance Company-Daman.

Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank PJSC won the Daman Award for Corporate Health and Wellness Initiative Award for its Pink Month initiative, which has grown from an initial donation to a flagship programme, supporting breast cancer, via multiple support platforms, such as direct donations, facilitating community donations (through ATMs and internet banking); ADCB Tree of Hope, a series of community fundraising events; sponsoring ADCB's Pink Polo at Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club; staff awareness seminars focusing on lifestyle as preventative measures; early detection and healthy lunch incorporating cancer-preventing nutrition, as well as a partnership with Al Jalila Foundation for a more insightful look at breast cancer through research.

Sharjah-based Lamprell Energy Limited was presented with the Daman Award for Improved Corporate Health and Wellness Performance Award for noteworthy improvements in its safety records. One of the key components of the health, safety and welfare management system within Lamprell and one of the management's stated objectives is the focus on creating an incident and injury free culture for all employees  as well as improving the health, safety and wellbeing of all stakeholders.  A company with an already deep rooted 'safety-first' culture, Lamprell improved its Total Recordable Incident Rate - an industry-recognised benchmark which improved by 63 per cent in the last two years and includes every single incident, however minor. In 2014, its heat stress cases fell by 97 per cent compared to the previous year.

Other winners feted at a ceremony held at the Westin Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina include Aster DM Healthcare LLC (Communications Campaign of the Year Award), Roche Diagnostics Middle East (Innovation in Work Culture Award), DHL Express UAE, (Workplace of the Year Award); and Dr. Abdulla Al Karam, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (Corporate Wellness Leader of the Year Award).

"We salute all the winners this year for their unwavering commitment to promoting employee wellness in the workplace; and in doing so, help ensure corporate health practices become a norm for the business community in the UAE," says Becky Crayman, Head of Awards, MEED.

The winners were selected by well-known business gurus and wellness advocates, including Dr. Michael Bitzer, CEO, Daman; Brad Boyson, Executive Director, Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) MEA; Fatima Al Houti, Director of Human Resources, Federal Authority of Government Human Resources; Ahmed El Hadidi, Executive Committee Member for the UAE Branch, Institution of Occupational Safety & Health; Thomas Nagle, Senior Advisor, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi; Farhana Bin Lootah, Specialist Internal Medicine, Imperial College London Diabetes Centre,  and Dame Kelly Holmes.

-Ends-

About MEED
MEED is a senior management media brand that encompasses a subscription website and magazine, more than 30 C-level executive conferences and summits hosted by MEED Events, the MEED Quality Awards for Projects and two high-value content businesses, MEED Projects and MEED Insight. MEED Projects is the Middle East's premium project tracking database and MEED Insight offers tailored research and in-depth analysis.  Established in 1957, MEED, has been integral to delivering business information and news, intelligence and analysis on the Middle East economies and activities ever since. 

About National Health Insurance Company - Daman
The National Health Insurance Company - Daman is the region's leading specialised health insurer, providing comprehensive health insurance solutions to more than 2.6 million members in the UAE.

Over the years, the company has been the partner of choice for a number of the country's most prominent organisations and multinational companies in various industries including oil and gas, aerospace, energy, construction, investments and media.

Daman is a public joint-stock company that is 80% owned by the Abu Dhabi Government with the remaining 20% owned by Munich Re. The company is backed by the reliable support of the Abu Dhabi Government and its strategic partner, Munich Re, one of the world's leading reinsurers, plays an important role as both reinsurer and a valuable source for knowledge transfer.

Headquartered in Abu Dhabi and established in 2006, Daman offers a range of health insurance plans for both individuals and organisations and exclusively manages the Government's health programme - Thiqa - for UAE Nationals and Abu Dhabi Basic Plan - for low income expatriates. Members enjoy access to the largest healthcare providers' network in the UAE and an extensive international network of over 45 countries.

Daman, a pioneer in health care insurance, drives innovation through a combination of state-of-the-art technology and healthcare-related expertise offered by a highly skilled and knowledgeable workforce. Members benefit from added value through unique offerings such as the disease and case management programmes as part of the acclaimed Health Support services. Daman also operates a 24/7 customer call centre and has a medical services authorisation team in direct contact with Daman's network of healthcare providers. It also provides a diverse range of online services that are unmatched in the UAE.

Daman has set high standards in the health insurance industry and has been awarded a number of internationally recognised awards and quality-focused certifications in a relatively short span of time. The company is ISO 9001 certified for Quality Management Systems and ISO 27001 certified for Information Security Management. The company's successful application of the online-based Pharmacy Benefit Management system has received a full accreditation by URAC.

For more information, please visit: www.damanhealth.ae.

For sponsorship opportunities, please contact:
Becky Crayman
Product Director, Awards & Managed Events
P O Box 25960, 20th Floor, Al Thuraya Tower 1, Dubai Media City, Dubai          
Tel: 00971 (0) 4 8180314 | M : 00971 (0) 505590713 | E: becky.crayman@meed.com

For media assistance, please contact:
Anthon Garcia
PR Consultant, Daman Corporate Health Awards
M: +97150.1398661
E: anthongarcia@yahoo.com

© Press Release 2015