Countdown begins for Gulf Business Awards 2016

The countdown has begun for the annual prestigious Gulf Business Awards 2016, which will be held on Tuesday, September 6 at Taj Dubai in Business Bay.

The awards recognise the very best in companies and business leaders across nine industries including aviation and transport, banking, healthcare, energy, technology, real estate, retail, media and marketing, and tourism and hospitality.

Awards will also be given to the winners of five special categories: Entrepreneur of the year, CSR initiative of the year, Innovator of the year, SME of the year and Businesswoman of the year.

To close the night, one business leader and one company will win the coveted Business Leader of the year and the UAE Company of the year awards.

One very special guest will also win the esteemed Lifetime Achievement Award, which was awarded to founder and chairman of the UAE-based conglomerate Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group, Easa Saleh Al Gurg last year.

(Revealed: Winners At The Gulf Business Industry Awards 2015)

The winners, aside from our special categories to be picked by the Gulf Business team and the publicly-voted Entrepreneur of the year and CSR initiative of the year awards, will be decided by our esteemed panel of judges. (Click here for more details).

Here are the shortlists:

Companies of the year

Real estate

• Dubai Properties Group
• Emaar Properties
• Enshaa
• Meraas

Energy

• ADNOC
• DEWA
• ENEC
• ENOC
• Masdar

Tourism and hospitality

• Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority
• Accor Hotels
• Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing
• Jumeirah
• Starwood Hotels & Resorts

Aviation and transport

• Dubai Airports
• Emirates
• Etihad Airways
• Qatar Airways
• The Roads and Transport Authority

Banking

• Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank
• Dubai Islamic Bank
• Emirates NBD
• National Bank of Abu Dhabi
• Qatar National Bank

Technology

• Dell
• Dubai Future Foundation
• Huawei
• IBM
• Samsung

Media and marketing

• ARN
• Google
• Insydo
• Netflix
• OSN

Healthcare

• Aster DM Healthcare
• Dubai Healthcare City
• Mediclinic
• NMC Healthcare
• Thumbay Group

Retail

• Dubai Duty Free
• LuLu Group International
• Landmark Group
• Majid Al Futtaim
• Marka

Business leaders of the year

Real estate

• His Excellency Mohamed Al Mubarak, CEO of Aldar Properties
• Hussain Sajwani, founder and chairman of DAMAC Properties
• Rizwan Sajan, founder and chairman of Danube Group
• His Excellency Mohamed Alabbar, chairman of Emaar
• Raza Jafar
, CEO of Enshaa

Energy

• His Excellency Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of DEWA
• Mohamed Al Hammadi, 
CEO of Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation
• His Excellency Saif Al Falasi, CEO of Emirates National Oil Company
• Sami Khoreibi, CEO of Environmena
• Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, CEO of Masdar

Tourism and hospitality

• Olivier Granet, managing director and COO of AccorHotels Middle East
• H.E. Mohamed Al Mubarak
, chairman of Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority
• H.E. Helal Saeed Al Marri, director general of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing
• Chris Newman, corporate director of Emaar Hospitality Group
• Michael Wale
, president of Europe, Africa and Middle East of Starwood Hotels and Resorts

Aviation and transport

• Paul Griffiths, 
CEO of Dubai Airports
• Sir Tim Clark, president of Emirates
• James Hogan
, president and CEO of Etihad Airways
• Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways
• H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, chairman and executive director of the Roads and Transport Authority

Banking

• Ala’a Mohamed Atta Khalil Eraiqat, CEO and executive director of ADCB
• Shayne Nelson, CEO of Emirates NBD
• H.E. Abdulhamid Saeed, mManaging director of FGB and CEO designate of NBAD
• H.E. Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair, CEO of Mashreq Bank
• Ali Ahmed Al Kuwari, CEO of Qatar National Bank

Technology

• Faisal Al Bannai, 
CEO of Dark Matter
• Saif Al Aleeli, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation
• Charles Yang, president of Huawei Middle East
• Takreem El Tohamy, general manager of IBM Middle East and Africa
• Dany El Eid
, founder and CEO of Pixelbug

Media and marketing

• Steve Smith
, COO of ARN
• Butheina Kazim
, co-founder and Managing Director of Cinema Akil
• Jonathan Labin, managing director of Facebook Middle East North Africa and Pakistan
• Tanaz Dizadji
, founder and CEO of Insydo
• Asad ur Rehman, director of Media North Africa and Middle East of Unilever

Healthcare

• Dr Azad Moopen, chairman and managing director of Aster DM Healthcare
• H.E. Humaid Al Qatami, chairman and director general of Dubai Health Authority
• Dr Amer Ahmad Sharif, CEO of Dubai Healthcare City – Education Sector
• David Hadley, 
CEO of Mediclinic Middle East and Al Noor hospital groups
• Dr B.R. Shetty
, founder CEO and executive vice chairman of NMC Healthcare

Retail

• Patrick Chalhoub, CEO of Chalhoub Group
• Colm McLoughlin, executive vice chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free
• Vipin Sethi, CEO of Landmark Group
• Yusuffali M.A., managing director of LuLu Group International
• Nick Peel, CEO of Marka

Special categories

CSR initiative of the year

• ActiveLife by Daman
• Almarai’s Breastfeeding Campaign
• Aster DM Healthcare’s Aster Safe Roads
• Glowork
• Gulf Bank of Kuwait’s Youth Initiatives

SME of the year

• Biz Group
• Classdive
• Fetchr
• Souqalmal
• Tom & Serg

Businesswoman of the year

• H.E Raja Al Gurg, managing director of Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group, president of Dubai Business Women Council, deputy chairperson of the board at Dubai Healthcare City Authority, board member of the Dubai Chamber Of Commerce & Industry

• H.E. Noura Al Kaabi, chairwoman of twofour54 and Media Zone Authority Abu Dhabi and Minister of State of FNC Affairs of the UAE

• Muna Abu Sulayman, entrepreneur, philanthropist, humanitarian, media personality, consultant, lecturer, fashion designer and campaigner

Innovator of the year

• Dubai Future Foundation
• Dubai Technology Entrepreneurship Centre
• Masdar

Entrepreneur of the year

• Muhammed Mekki and Louis Lebbos, founders of AstroLabs
• Tarig El Sheikh, founder of Aythan
• Lamis bin Harib, founder and CEO of BioD
• Mudassir Sheikha and Magnus Olsson, founders of Careem
• Alia Khan, Founder and Chairwoman of the Islamic Fashion and Design Council
• Sirish Kumar, Co-founder and CEO of Telr
• Jumana Al Darwish, co-founder of The Happy Box
• Ahmad Ashkar, Founder and CEO of The Hult Prize
• Rodrigue Nacouzi, Founder and CEO of Transcorp International
• Elissa Freiha and Chantalle Dumonceaux, founders of WOMENA