PHOTO
Winners of highly sought-after entrepreneurship awards in the UAE revealed
Dubai, United Arab Emirates - This year's winners of the annual Gulf Capital SME Awards have been revealed.
Leading the roster of winners is ASIS Boats, which received the highly-coveted Gulf Capital Business of the Year Award, while its founder Roy Nouhra was named Entrepreneur of the Year.
ASIS Boats is a leader in advanced maritime solutions for leisure, commercial and military customers. Since its establishment in 2006, this "Made in UAE" success story, , has grown to become one of the world's leading designers and manufacturers of rigid inflatable boats, sold in 80 countries in North and South Americas, Europe, Africa, as well as Asia and the Middle East.
"We congratulate all the winners of this year's edition of the Gulf Capital SME Awards. Their success stories are an inspiration for many entrepreneurs and small businesses to follow. They are among the reasons why the UAE has achieved such a strong diversification and growth and why the SME sector has become the main engine of growth for the UAE economy," said Dr. Karim El-Solh, Chief Executive Officer, Gulf Capital, one of the leading alternative investment firms in the Middle East and headline sponsor of the annual Gulf Capital SME Awards.
Among those honoured at the glittering ceremony last night include Early Years Educational Services, an educational training and consultancy firm, which received the MasterCard Small Business of the Year. The company, the first to bring UK qualifications to those working in the early years education sector, was recognised for its work in successfully training professionals to deliver the best educational outcomes for young children.
For turning the conventional healthcare model upside down, Eternity Medicine was recognised with the Business Innovation of the Year award on the strength of its pioneering practice in providing personalised health reports using advanced screening technologies and cutting-edge treatments. In creating tailored individual diagnosis, Eternity Medicine is empowering patients to take control of their health to sustain, long and productive lives that are full of vitality.
The Camel Soap Factory, winner of the Start-up Business of the Year award last year, is back on the honour roll this year, winning the Sustainable Business of the Year award for its work in educating customers on the benefits of environmentally-friendly soap manufacturing. The business showcased its innovative Cold Process Soap Making method, as well as using local materials and camel milk to sustain its business over the long-term.
In support of the UAE government's efforts to promote the growth of the SME sector, an Emirati Business of the Year award is given annually, to inspire other nationals to embark on their own entrepreneurial journey. This year's winner is Bin Touq Fire and Safety, a company that has benefited tremendously from the UAE's construction boom in recent years by providing turnkey solutions in fire protection and alarm systems.
Souqalmal.com succeeded over other web-based businesses in winning this year's Online Business of the Year award. The vision of the digital comparison site is to create a highly transparent marketplace to help consumers make the right choice by collating all the latest details of more than 2,800 retail banking, telecoms, insurance and education products offered by various providers in the UAE and enabling them to be compared on one site. It is aiming to provide a similar service in five other countries within the next three years, with Saudi Arabia already being tested for an official launch next year.
The RSA Customer Focus of the Year award was given to SMART Fitness, an SME that specialises in providing personal, group and athletic training, as well as bespoke solutions for corporate wellness. The team's unwavering commitment to customer focus has enabled SMART Fitness to retain members over a long period of time, with top management taking a very hands-on approach in interacting with customers.
From humble beginnings in 2007 with 30 children, British Orchard Nursery has become one of the leading providers of early years education in the UAE within a short span of seven years. It now has 14 locations spread across Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. Its success has hinged largely on being able to recruit and retain the best talent to help deliver exceptional educational services to children. For clearly demonstrating how the company has created a positive working environment and developed its people, British Orchard Nursery received the DHL People & Culture of the Year Award.
And for successfully leading Adventure HQ to become the UAE's ultimate outdoor adventure sports superstore, Sam Whittam received the Business Leader of the Year award. Under his watch, Adventure HQ has achieved solid growth in many critical areas - footfall has increased by 21.5 per cent over the past year.
The Start-up Business of the Year award was given to Beehive Group DMCC, the UAE's first online peer-to-peer finance platform, which started operations only last year. Beehive uses innovative crowdfunding technology to reduce operating costs and streamline processes, eliminating the cost and complexity of conventional finance. Since its founding, Beehive has registered 1,000 investors and successfully funded over AED 10 million to more than 20 businesses.
The winners of the 2015 Gulf Capital SME Awards were honoured at a glittering ceremony at the Westin Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina, Dubai.-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.
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 inquiries and assistance, please contact:
Anthon Garcia
PR Consultant, Gulf Capital SME Awards
M: +97150.1398661
E: anthongarcia@yahoo.com
About the Gulf Capital SME Awards
The Gulf Capital SME Awards recognises the UAE's SMEs, business leaders and entrepreneurs for innovation, growth and success.
About Gulf Capital
Gulf Capital is a leading alternative asset manager focused on the Gulf region, investing across several asset classes including private equity, credit and mezzanine and real estate. The company currently manages over $3.3 billion of assets across 7 funds. Gulf Capital's purpose is to grow capital and build value with world-class expertise and best practices to generate sustainable superior performance for all stakeholders. Gulf Capital invests its own capital alongside its fund investors' capital. In private equity, Gulf Capital is focused on acquiring strategic stakes in highly profitable and rapidly growing companies within a select number of fast-growing industries in the GCC region and through deep operational and financial improvements, on accelerating and enhancing their profitability and size. Gulf Capital was awarded the "Best Private Equity Firm in the Middle East" award by Banker Middle East Magazine in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. The firm is actively involved in real estate development through Gulf Related, its joint venture with Related Companies, a leading private real estate developer in the United States. Gulf Related is focused on pursuing marquee large-scale mixed-use and residential real estate development opportunities in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Gulf Capital also launched a credit and mezzanine business, Gulf Credit Partners, to meet the financing needs of fast growing companies and to provide acquisition finance across the Middle East. With its private equity, real estate and credit initiatives, Gulf Capital is today one of the largest and most diversified alternative investment managers in the Middle East. For more information about Gulf Capital PJSC, please visit Gulf Capital's website at www.gulfcapital.com.
Randa Mazzawi, General Manager, Borouj Consulting, Gold and Diamond Park, Block 4, Office 204, Sheikh Zayed Road, PO Box 213323, Dubai, U.A.E., T: +971 4 3403005, F: +971 4 3409098, M: +971 50 4506120, Randa@boroujconsulting.com
Mayssa Makhlouf, Senior Account Manager, Borouj Consulting, Gold and Diamond Park, Block 4, Office 204, Sheikh Zayed Road, PO Box 213323, Dubai, U.A.E., T: +971 4 3403005, F: +971 4 3409098, M: +971 55 6479075, mayssa@boroujconsulting.com
© Press Release 2015
