Gulf News Supplements

MAY 20, 2013
Agencies of the Department of Economic Development
AD
Contents
08
05Welcome message
Publishing Director,
GN Publishing
Nirmala Janssen
Foreword
12
Editor
Esha Nag
Deputy Editor
Sankar Sri Pillai
Subeditors
Krita Coelho, Azar Zaidi
Editorial Assistant
Ali Akbar
12
Design Editor
Biplob Roy
16
Designers
Pranith Ratheesan
Giovan Paz
16
Commercial Printing and
Publishing Manager
Rabih Sfeila
21
Sales Manager
Andrew Tideswell
Advertisement Sales Manager
Susan John-Ng
E: [email protected]
T: +971 4 4067732
M: +971 50 167 8132
A Gulf News Sponsored Supplement,
produced, printed and published by
Al Nisr Publishing LLC.
Incentives for excellence
00
08 Celebrating excellence
Pages Editor
Priya Mathew
Deputy Design Editor
Nicholas D’Souza
An impetus for development
Making the cut
The challenging role
of an assessor Meet the winners
Presenting the businesses who won the pride of place
Pursuit of perfection
An interview with Mohammed Bushanain, Executive Director
of Corporate Quality and Management Excellence, DED
24
Judging success
21
A look at some of the milestones that marked
last year’s awards
A collage of pictures from the assessors competency development workshops
26 Leaders speak
What makes them winners
AD
Welcome Message
An impetus
for development
H
is Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President
and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has underlined the
importance of performance evaluation and re-evaluation as key to
success. His Highness says: “Regular performance assessment is essential as it
improves our vision, develops our efficiency, corrects our mistakes and gives us a
sustained impetus for development.”
Dubai has demonstrated its ability to stay in the race for excellence and the
country’s determination is derived from the vision of our wise leadership to align
services and institutions with globalisation. The Dubai Quality Award (DQA), the
Dubai Human Development Award (DHDA) and the Dubai Service Excellence
Scheme (DSES) are solid benchmarks against which companies can measure their
own performance. And we now announce a new SME award, to be launched at the
end of the year, to promote small and medium enterprises across the UAE. This is a
joint initiative between the Business Excellence Department and Dubai SME. The
Department of Economic Development (DED) and Dubai Municipality have also
signed a memorandum of understanding to launch the Bareeq Excellence Award for
best practices and outstanding service in the gold and jewellery sector. The
department has also updated DHDA to focus on all employees of organisations,
including UAE Nationals.
With the Dubai Quality Award, we aim to instil a culture of quality among businesses
and to set benchmarks for this community. More than 1,300 companies have trained
and registered under the award till date, and more than 230 have come out as
winners. The DHDA, which drives our national goal of empowering Emirati talent, have
had more than 290 companies register. More than 35 have gone on to win the
recognition. The DSES has seen more than 1,500 companies come under its purview,
reflecting a strong commitment to enhance services and customer experience.
I want to thank Sheikh Mohammed for his continuous support. I also want to
express my gratitude to award assessors and jury members. Their contribution is
invaluable indeed.
Thank you all.
Sami Dhaen Al Qamzi,
Director General,
Department of Economic Development,
Government of Dubai
5
AD
Foreword
Incentives for
excellence
W
e are greatly thankful to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al
Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of
Dubai, for his continued support in endorsing the Business Excellence
Award ceremonies with his presence and inspiring us in promoting quality and
service excellence in this region. His unwavering support to business excellence
initiatives has been instrumental in steering the Dubai government’s quality and
excellence drive, and in introducing global best practices across all economic sectors
of the emirate.
Dubai’s economic fundamentals encourage companies and corporations to
compete among themselves to adopt best practices and deliver quality services
and products to gain further investor trust. A commitment to inculcating
international quality standards is a must for the sustained growth of Dubai across
all sectors. Our accomplishments are our pride and glory. The Business Excellence
Awards become incentives for continuous development.
The Dubai Department of Economic Development (DED) is committed to
developing Dubai’s competitiveness by partnering with the private sector to
strengthen the quality of products and achieve the highest levels of customer
satisfaction. This special supplement published by the Business Excellence
Department at DED highlights the winning organisations while encouraging others in
the field to take note and follow in their footsteps. These awards provide a valuable
framework for excellence in the way organisations conduct business.
We have consistently focused on promoting quality and excellence to drive
the productivity of various business operations, including that of the government
sector. The preparatory process for participation in the Business Excellence
Awards takes many months of continuous work on multiple stages and, therefore,
we encourage all companies or individuals wishing to participate in the awards
next year to register early to take advantage of the benefits that DED provides,
such as training and advice in the field of excellence.
Shaikha Ahmad Abdulrahman Al Bishri,
Director, Business Excellence Department
7
8
Overview
Caption style At.
Magnisisl ing eugue
et autpat
Celebrating excellence
Chiranti Sengupta looks at some of the milestones that marked the 2012
edition of the Business Excellence Awards
T
he Dubai Department of
Economic Development (DED)
organises
the
Business
Excellence
Awards
every
year
to honour the winners of the
Dubai Quality Award (DQA), Dubai
Human Development Award (DHDA)
and the Dubai Service Excellence
Scheme (DSES).
The 18th edition of the Business
Excellence Awards ceremony took
place on April 29, this year, at the
Sheikh Saeed Hall in Dubai World Trade
Centre.
His
Highness
Sheikh
Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum,
Vice-President and Prime Minister of
the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai,
attended the event to recognise and
celebrate the success of organisations
that contributed to the growth and
development of Dubai.
DED launched the awards initiative
in 1994 to promote a culture of
operational excellence and drive
business growth in Dubai. “With
growing participation from the private
sector, the DED has been able to evolve
the Business Excellence Awards into a
comprehensive
statement
and
establish it as a benchmark for quality
across products and services available
in Dubai,” says Sami Al Qamzi, Director
General, DED.
This year’s highlights
“Every year we see a growing interest
and increased participation in the
Business Excellence Awards from
organisations,”
says
Mohammed
Bushanain,
Executive
Director,
Corporate Quality and Management
Excellence, DED.
Overview
9
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai seen here
with Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and other dignitaries
Every year we see a
growing interest
and increased
participation in the
Business Excellence
Awards from
organisations.”
Mohammed Bushanain
Executive Director, Corporate Quality
and Management Excellence, DED
Benefits of participation
This year the Business Excellence
Awards introduced a new category for
Outstanding Business in the Best
Service Performance Brand awards
under DSES. Brands that showed
consistent growth over the past three
years were honoured with the new
award. For the first time, DED also
announced the scores of all the
winners so that participants knew
where they stood in the race for
excellence and how they could
move ahead.
The awards not only offer organisations
the opportunity to benchmark their
operations against internationally
recognised criteria by fully trained
assessors, but also give applicants a
chance to get exclusive feedback
reports from DED on their strengths
and weaknesses.
The DQA, which is considered a
valuable framework for companies on
how to improve their efficiency in costeffective ways, has allowed 1,325
companies (to date) to get relevant
training to align their businesses in line
with international best practices.
“More than 500 companies applied for
the DQA awards with more than 230 of
them winning in various categories,”
says Bushanain.
The number of companies trained
or registered under DHDA crossed 290,
while more than 90 of them applied
for the award and more than 35
actually won the recognition. For DSES
more than 1,500 retailers applied so
far, with more than 95 winners.
“Every year, more than 150 assessors
are trained on the European Foundation
for Quality Management (EFQM)
Excellence Model and this year the
focus was on the training and
development of Emirati assessors. A
survey conducted recently showed that
more than 80 per cent of the assessors
were also applicants or had used the
model for improvement in their own
organisations,” adds Bushnain.
Assessment
DED always ensures that the evaluation
process of the award is transparent and
balanced. Each submission for the
DQA, for instance, is reviewed by
assessors according to procedures laid
down by the Business Excellence
AD
Overview
11
Business Excellence
Department
The Business Excellence Department (BED) is entrusted with
the responsibility of organising
the Dubai Quality Award, Dubai
Human Development Award
and Dubai Service Excellence
Scheme.
The department plays a critical role in the economic development of Dubai by encouraging companies to participate in
the programme. It also gives organisations the scope to benefit
from its training programmes
and guidelines on quality and efficient operations. The awards
at the Business Excellence Department always keep people
and organisations in the UAE at
the cutting-edge of best business practices while giving them
the scope to improve holistically,
challenge themselves constantly and achieve overall higher
standards.
The best enterprises stand to win these trophies
Department at DED as per the latest
EFQM Excellence Model. Later, a panel
of jury members interview the teams
that assess the applicant companies to
select potential winners. Applications
for the DHDA are evaluated by a team of
assessors who conduct site visits and
then prepare detailed assessment
reports highlighting existing best
practices and areas for improvement in
each company.
In the pipeline for 2014
To acknowledge the contributions of
the small and medium enterprise
(SME) sector in Dubai’s economy, DED
has decided to launch a new SME
award in the next cycle. This new
award will be implemented in
partnership with Dubai SME, the
DED agency mandated to develop the
SME sector.
A code of conduct for shopping
malls will also be introduced as part of
DSES this year to improve the
customer experience in the retail
sector, says Bushnain. He adds,
“Another addition will be the Bareeq
Excellence Award, jointly instituted by
the Business Excellence Department
in DED and the Dubai Municipality to
reinforce best practices in the
jewellery sector.”
The DHDA will be expanded with a
new government human resources
award, which will cover both
expatriates
and
UAE
national
employees. The award criteria will be
based on the latest EFQM Excellence
Model and the Radar methodology
of assessment. n
12
Decision makers
Making the cut
From an utmost degree of professionalism to commitment to quality,
being an assessor for the awards is a challenging but rewarding role
By Emily Goldstein
H
osted by the Dubai Economic
Development,
the
18th
Business Excellence Awards,
which rewards companies for their
commitment to pursuing excellence in
2012, took place on April 29 this year, in
the presence of His Highness Sheikh
Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum,
the Vice-President and Prime Minister
of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Every
year, the Secretariat for the Dubai
Quality Award (DQA) selects an
additional group of assessors to bring
fresh
skills,
perspectives
and
experiences to the assessment
process.
Since the first edition of the Dubai
Business Excellence Awards, the DQA
has trained over 2,000 working
professionals from leading companies
in the public and private sectors in the
UAE, in the fields of finance,
management and marketing. Assessor
Koshy Thomas, an assessor from
Dutco Balfour Beatty, says: “DQA has
always been like a second family to me
with staff at the award office and
assessors sharing a close bond. I have
been associated with the Business
Excellence Awards since 2002 and
each year has been a learning
experience with changes being made
to the assessment process to add
Decision makers
The assessors recognition event for the 2011 cycle
value to the applicant organisation,
the assessors and the award office.”
For last year’s cycle of awards, 150
assessors were on board, 65 of which
were new assessors of the DQA and
the Dubai Human Development Award
(DHDA). One notable point of the 2012
cycle was the rise in the number of
Emirati assessors, who represented 10
per cent of the group, up from five per
cent in 2011. “We are delighted to
welcome more Emirati and bilingual
Each year has been a
learning experience
for me.”
Koshy Thomas
Assessor, Dutco Balfour Beatty
assessors to the team as it will ensure
wider representation in the DQA and
the DHDA. Extending the award as well
as its related processes across all
sectors and professionals, is critical to
achieving excellence across all levels in
Dubai,” says Mohammed Bushanain,
Executive Director Corporate Quality
and Management Excellence, DED.
What it takes
Becoming an assessor requires
meeting a number of set criteria, such
as adequate experience — no less than
six years — credentials, quality and
firm knowledge of the business
excellence model; a command over
the English language; and a final
interview with senior assessors.
Assessors must also be willing to
commit to the necessary duration of
six months, which is dedicated to
13
Best Practices
conference
The Best Practices conference
takes place each year once the
winners of the Dubai Excellence
Awards have been selected.
Organised under the patronage of
His Highness Sheikh Ahmad Bin
Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of
the Economic Sector Committee
in Dubai, President of Dubai
Civil Aviation and Chairman
and Chief Executive of Emirates
Airline and Group, the Best
Practices conference aims to
further enhance the necessity for
quality and excellence among the
business community in Dubai.
During the annual full day
conference, winners of the
Business Excellence Awards are
able to share their winning best
practices in quality management
with
various
organisations,
thus further promoting the
highest standards for quality.
Mohammed
Bushanain,
Executive Director Corporate
Quality
and
Management
Excellence, DED, says, “There is
no doubt that the Share Best
Practice conference enhances
the competitive role that Dubai
plays in the business sector and
contributes in promoting the
emirate as the ideal investment
hub in the region. Such initiatives
motivate us to be more active in
implementing the highest quality
standards in service offerings.”
Organisations applying for the
next Business Excellence Awards
can consult Dubai Quality Award
Winning Practices, a best practice
book that was launched alongside
the Share Best Business Practice
2011 conference. It outlines the
best practices of the winners of
the Business Excellence Awards
of 2010 including details of the
winning entries.
AD
Decision makers
15
What assessors
have to say
“Being a DQA assessor has given
me fantastic strategic insights
into different business models
and how they add value to the
customer. A lot of teamwork
goes into an assessment cycle.
Fellow assessors provide an
excellent opportunity to network
and learn. As an assessor and an
organisational user of the EFQM
Excellence Model, I cannot think
of a better tool that focuses on
sustainability.”
— Nitin Thariyan, Jumeirah Group
The assessors recognition event for the 2009 (above) and 2010 cycles
training and assessing companies for
the awards.
Upon selection, assessors are
briefed on the DQA and DHDA, the
implications of the latest European
Foundation for Quality Management
(EFQM) model — an extensive model,
with nine major areas for assessment
— and the assessment process. “The
quality of the working methods of
assessors within teams directly
impacts the quality of assessments
and serves as an authenticated
standard against which companies
can measure their performance. It is
due to the continuous efforts of the
assessors that the standards remain
uniformly high year-on-year, enabling
companies to raise the quality each
year,” Bushanain says,
The DQA 2012-2013 calendar is
divided into several phases that
include team meetings; pre-site visits;
completing the individual workbook
with key information such as strengths
and weaknesses; consensus meetings;
a detailed site visit; and scoring and
feedback. Once detailed assessment
reports are finalised, a panel of jury
members interviews the teams that
assess the applicant companies to
select the winners.
A fulfilling experience
For assessors, the biggest benefit of
taking up the challenge is the learning
experience. Not only do assessors
play a pivotal role in assessing
applicant companies, they also learn
best
practices
and
serve
as
implementers of the award model in
their respective organisations.
“The DQA is a platform where
diverse organisations with varied
business activities have adapted
to a common model of excellence,
and have woven a neat fabric
of quality across the country. It
has helped me to view business
entities across several crosssections of the market and to
understand how they function.”
– Indu Singhal, EBM International
Consultants.
Assessor Satish Koul of Union
National Bank, says: “To me the Dubai
Quality Awards is an epicenter for
business excellence, hub of learning
initiatives and a great platform for
sharing knowledge. Through DQA, I
have acquired new nuances of
business excellence and it has helped
me to widen my horizon.”
Other benefits include networking
opportunities, being part of a
community of quality and business
excellence, and benefiting from free
training, which is not the case in
Europe. Last but not least, after ten
years of participation, assessors enjoy
additional recognition by being
enrolled in the jury panel, which
determines the winners.
For more information on how to be an
assessor, email [email protected] ■
16
In pictures
Meet the winners
Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al
Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Culture
and Arts Authority, honours Al Jaber Optical
Sheikh Majid honours Dnata Travel Services
Sheikh Majid honours Naturalizer
Sheikh Majid honours The Face Shop
Sheikh Majid honours Pure Gold Jewellers
Sheikh Majid honours Grand Stores
In pictures
Sheikh Majid honours UAE Exchange
Sheikh Majid honours Plug-ins Electronics
Sheikh Majid honours Nine West
Sheikh Majid honours Springfield
Sheikh Majid honours Dubai Islamic Bank
Sheikh Majid honours Ministry of Education
17
18
In pictures
Sheikh Maktoum honours Hilton Dubai Jumeirah
Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum,
Deputy Ruler of Dubai honours Danube Building Materials
Sheikh Maktoum honours Al Tanmyah Services
Sheikh Maktoum honours Union National Bank
Sheikh Maktoum honours UAE Exchange Centre
Sheikh Maktoum honours Emirates Gas
Sheikh Maktoum honours Prime Healthcare Group
In pictures
19
DUBAI SERVICE EXCELLENCE SCHEME
BEST SERVICE PERFORMANCE OUTLET 2012
Dubai Mall
Plug Ins Electronics
Electronics
Dnata Travel Services
Travel Services
Burjuman
Springfield
Apparel
Safeer Mall RAK
Naturalizer
Footwear
Mall of the Emirates
Grand Stores — Digital General Retail
Mirdif City Centre
Nine West
Footwear
Al Ain Mall
Pure Gold Jewellers
Jewellery
Karama
Al Jaber Optical
Opticals
Bawadi Mall
Sheikh Maktoum honours Carea
Air Conditioning Services (CASP)
Sheikh Maktoum honours Dubai Refreshment
BEST SERVICE PERFORMANCE BRAND 2012
Small Business Category
The Face Shop
Grand Stores
Medium Business Category
Nine West
Large Business Category
UAE Exchange Centre LLC
Special Business Category
Pure Gold Jewellers
Outstanding Business Category
Al Jaber Optical
Outstanding Business Category
DUBAI HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AWARD
DUBAI HUMAN DEVELOPMENT APPRECIATION AWARD 2012
Government Sector
Ministry of Education
DUBAI HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AWARD 2012
Banking Sector
Dubai Islamic Bank
DUBAI QUALITY AWARD
Sheikh Maktoum honours Enoc Lubricants
and Grease Manufacturing Plant
Sheikh Maktoum honours Abu
Dhabi Health Services Co (SEHA)
Sheikh Maktoum honours World Security
Sheikh Maktoum honours Aldo
Business Concepts by Apparel
Sheikh Maktoum honours Shift Leasing Rent A Car
Sheikh Maktoum honours VFS GCC
Dubai Quality Appreciation Award 2012
Carea Air Conditioning Services LLC (CASP)
Al Tanmyah Services LLc
World Security
Shift Leasing Rent A Car LLC
VFS GCC LLC
ENOC Lubricants & Grease Manufacturing
Plant LLC
Aldo Business Concepts by Apparel Group
Dubai Refreshment PJSC
Prime Healthcare Group
Abu Dhabi Health Service Co PJSC (SEHA)
RAK Hospital
Service Sector
Service Sector
Service Sector
Service Sector
Service Sector
Retail Sector
Retail Sector
Manufacturing Sector
Healthcare Sector
Healthcare Sector
Healthcare Sector
DUBAI QUALITY AWARD 2012
Danube Building Materials FZCO
Emirates Gas LLC
UAE Exchange Centre LLC
Trade Sector
Manufacturing Sector
Finance Sector
DUBAI QUALITY GOLD AWARD 2012
Hilton Dubai Jumeirah
Union National Bank
Tourism Sector
Finance Sector
Sheikh Maktoum honours RAK Hospital
AD
Viewpoint
21
Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Culture, (second from right) hands an award
to Humaid Mohammad Obaid Al Qutami, Minister of Education, in the presence of Mohammed Bushanain, Executive
Director, Corporate Quality and Management Excellence, (left) and Sami Dhaen Al Qamzi, Director General,
Department of Economic Development
Pursuit of
perfection
Mohammed Bushanain, Executive Director of
Corporate Quality and Management Excellence at
DED, discusses the year ahead. By Chiranti Sengupta
What are the highlights of this year’s
Business Excellence Awards?
All three components of the Business
Excellence Awards (BEA) — the Dubai
Quality Award (DQA), Dubai Human
Development Award (DHDA) and the
Dubai Service Excellence Scheme
(DSES) — have continued to expand
year after year and 2012 was no
exception. More than 1,325 companies
have been trained and registered under
DQA to date, and more than 500 of
these have applied for the award and
more than 230 have gone on to win it.
The number of companies trained or
registered under DHDA has crossed 290.
More than 90 of these applied for the
award and in excess of 35 actually won
the recognition. More than 1,500
retailers have applied so far for DSES,
and the number of winners exceeds 95.
Every year, more than 150 assessors
are trained on the EFQM Excellence
Model, and this year the focus was on
training and developing more UAE
nationals. A survey conducted recently
showed that more than 80 per cent of
the assessors were also applicants or
had used the model for improvement in
their own organisations.
Have you introduced any new
categories this year?
We have added new award categories
as well as expanded existing ones, in line
with the evolving local and regional
business landscape. By year end we will
announce a new Small and Medium
Enterprises (SME) Award as part of DQA
to promote SMEs, which are critical to
social and economic development in
the region. SMEs already comprise a
majority of business activity in the UAE.
It’s therefore essential to encourage
them to follow a path of excellence. The
award will be a joint initiative between
the Business Excellence Department
(BED) and Dubai SME, the agency of the
Department of Economic Development
(DED) in Dubai mandated to develop
the SME sector.
With Dubai aiming to become a hub
of Islamic financial services, we are set
to add this critical sector to DQA as
well. We will also expand the human
resources (HR) award as part of DHDA
to focus on all employees, including
UAE nationals. It will be one of the first
government HR awards in the UAE to
focus on all categories of employees,
and the criteria will be based on the
EFQM Excellence Model, with the
RADAR Methodology for assessment.
Shopping malls have a strong and
growing impact on the unique retail
experience Dubai is known to provide.
While DSES rewards retail outlets for
customer service excellence, we want to
22
Viewpoint
What makes
applicants eligible?
Applicants for the Business Excellence Awards have to meet a
set of eligibility criteria:
l
The Business Excellence Department (BED) maintains a
pre-qualification check list
to ensure applicants comply
with certain basic and uniform standards.
l
Businesses applying for the
awards should have an existing UAE trade license that is
at least three years old and
approved quality standards
across their operations.
l
The organisation needs to
have financial autonomy and
present relevant and favourable results ranging from two
to five years, depending on
the category.
l
It will be an added bonus if
the company applying for
the awards has implemented
strategy tools.
l
Pre-qualified applicants are
invited for a two-day workshop provided by the BED to
teach them to do an internal
self-assessment to determine their eligibility for the
award and to write a proper
award submission on the
second day.
l
Applications will be evaluated by a team of trained assessors who will conduct site
visits and prepare detailed
reports highlighting best
practices and areas for improvement in each organisation.
l
The assessment is based on
the latest EFQM excellence
model or DQA criteria and the
RADAR Scoring Methodology.
l
The workshop as well as the
assessor training are offered
free of cost by the BED.
encourage malls to be in a healthy
competition to offer the best overall
service experience. As a start, we are
introducing a code of conduct for
shopping malls under DSES. The BED will
also introduce the Bareeq Excellence
Award under DSES in partnership with
Dubai Municipality this year for the
jewellery sector, to encourage and
reinforce best practices.
How would you assess last
year’s event?
Every year, we see a growing interest
and increased participation in BEA from
businesses and organisations. DED also
conducts an annual Best Practice
Conference, where all the BEA winners
share their best practices with the
business community. A DSES Insights
2013 study we did, based on the awards
and their outcomes in 2008-2012,
shows more and more retailers
acknowledging customer confidence
and service quality as key differentiators
and drivers of growth.
How is BED promoting excellence?
The BED was established to streamline
and unify standards of excellence with
international best practices. It now
serves as an umbrella organisation and
resource for promoting the concept of
excellence across industry sectors and
services in Dubai. The BEA, over and
above recognising commitment to
excellence, have also become a
benchmark and measure of how well a
business in the UAE is aligned to
international best practices.
What are the challenges?
While there is growing awareness, many
still perceive BEA as difficult and hard to
earn. In reality, it’s a simple model that
has clearly pronounced processes and a
user-friendly interface. More businesses
and investment adding to the diversity
of business in the UAE is another
challenge, as it means we need to
constantly expand our coverage and
add new categories. The BED being a
not-for-profit institution is also a
challenge, as we need to keep the entry
Mohammed Bushanain
threshold for our awards as accessible
and attractive as possible.
How are you promoting quality
consciousness in the UAE?
In addition to the success that the
awards have achieved in terms of
integrating excellence as a business goal
in the UAE, we believe bringing SMEs on
board is a path-breaking move that will
produce outstanding outcomes. SMEs
are a strategic component across all key
economic sectors and these enterprises
embracing excellence will lead to
improved customer satisfaction. The
DHDA being extended to all employees
in organisations is also a milestone on
the path to promoting business
satisfaction and a culture of excellence.
What is the biggest achievement of
the BED since its launch?
The biggest achievement is its
committed team of people. Most have
been a part of the team since its
inception and have evolved over the
years, gaining knowledge and insights on
customer service, innovation, quality and
excellence. The most noteworthy
component is our assessors, trained by
us and helping us with critical decision
making. There are more than 1,500
assessors enrolled in the award process
and 70 per cent have stayed with us
since signing up for the first time. n
AD
24
Workshops
Judging success
A collage of pictures from the assessors competency development
workshops to train them for the 2012 Business Excellence Awards
AD
26
Testimonials
SEHA — A healthy winner
T
he Abu Dhabi Health Services
Company – whose marketing
identity is SEHA – is an
independent, public joint stock
company created to develop the
public health care system in Abu Dhabi.
The company owns and operates all
the public hospitals and clinics in Abu
Dhabi, which together make up the
SEHA HealthSystem.
Applying for and consequently
winning the Dubai Quality Award or
any other excellence award is a tool
that helps SEHA assess its standards,
demonstrate where it is and where it
wants to be, and most importantly,
enables it to spot the gaps and
address them.
Expressing his gratitude towards
the Abu Dhabi government and its
commitment
towards
delivering
Saif Bader Al Qubaisi, Chairman, SEHA
services
to
communities
and
customers, Saif Bader Al Qubaisi,
Chairman, SEHA, says: “We are
pleased and honoured to be
recognised for our achievements
at such a prestigious event, which
offers
evidence
of
SEHA’s
commitment to providing quality
health care at par with international
standards. We congratulate all our
employees on winning this muchdeserved award and for their
dedication and commitment.
“In terms of advice to future
participants, we would like to highlight
that
excellence
is
everyone’s
responsibility; it’s not an objective, it’s a
journey to achieve one’s goals. The
award does not mean that the
organisation is perfect, but that we are
moving in the right direction.”
Al Ghurair Retail —
Enhancing lifestyles
A
l Ghurair Retail was founded
in 1999 with a vision to
operate a Gulf Cooperation
Council
(GCC)-based
retail
franchise company capable of
trading across all GCC countries.
The brand currently operates 60
franchise stores in three countries
and represents world class retail
brands like the The Face Shop,
Springfield and Triumph.
Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair, Chairman, Al
Ghurair Investments, says: “Al Ghurair
is one of the largest diversified
industrial enterprises in the Middle
East. With a history of pioneering
innovative businesses built upon
excellence, trust and responsibility, Al
Ghurair Investments has a deep
commitment to enhancing life in the
communities we serve. Al Ghurair
Retail continues the family’s trading
history in providing the best
standards and services, based on
the group’s core strengths and
shared values.”
Al Ghurair Retail advises
companies to pay attention
to qualitative feedback and
look into its training and
management
systems
before trying to discipline
underachieving staff. It
also
believes
in
recognising efforts of
employees
when
they get it right.
Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair, Chairman, Al Ghurair Investments
AD
28
Testimonials
Apparel — On the road to excellence
E
stablished in 1996, the Apparel
Group is a leading retail
conglomerate
with
its
headquarters in Dubai. In 2001, Nilesh
Ved, Chairman and Founder of the
brand, initiated ALDO Business
Concepts
(ABC)
by
acquiring
exclusive franchise rights for ALDO.
“The Apparel Group’s journey
towards continual improvement is
fueled by our quality policy of SPEED
(Service, Productivity, Effectiveness,
Efficiency
and
Dedication
or
commitment). Our daily aim is 100
per cent customer satisfaction and
this drives all our endeavours,”
says Ved.
Nilesh Ved, Chairman, Apparel Group
While applying for this award, the
ABC team learnt to assess approaches
along with results and it has proven
that its success is multifaceted. The
company’s biggest challenge was
finding benchmarks for some of the
results criteria and presenting all of
ABC’s achievements.
The Dubai Quality Appreciation
Programme recognises that ABC are on
the right track to excellence. The
company
believes
that
any
improvements made must not be
merely to win the award but to achieve
excellence and understand that awards
are merely a framework to aid you in the
process of continual improvement.
UNB — Banking on the best
U
nion National Bank (UNB) is
one of the leading banks in the
UAE. It was established in 1982
as a Public Joint Stock Company.
Today, it has extended its footprint
across the region with a branch each in
Qatar and Kuwait, a network of 30
branches in Egypt and a representative
office in Shanghai.
“After winning the DQA twice earlier,
winning the QA Gold now is gratifying
and a reaffirmation of our commitment
towards continual improvement and
business excellence. The DQA Gold is a
tribute to the efforts put in by our
people who play a key role in meeting
the needs of our customers,” says
Mohammad Nasr Abdeen, CEO, UNB.
The company believes in plugging
gaps through quick wins or preparing
action plans for long term initiatives.
UNB
also
advises
that
senior
management should provide the
required resources, be encouraging in
celebrating successes and form crossfunctional project teams led by
experienced team leaders to offer
support while team members devote
time for an entire project.
Mohammad Nasr Abdeen, CEO, UNB
AD
30
Testimonials
Danube — Building on a milestone
O
ver the last 20 years, the
Danube Group has come a
long way since its humble
beginnings as a small trading shop in
Deira to being the region’s leader in
construction,
building
materials,
home interiors and shop fitting
industries. Today, the group is spread
over 40 locations in nine countries
with an employee strength of over
2,000 people.
Danube’s business philosophy is
focused and responsive to change,
balanced with a clear understanding of
creating superior products and
services that contribute to a better
global society. Commenting on the
brand’s win, Rizwan Sajan, Founder
and Chairman says: “In today’s
competitive
business
scenario,
excellence has become one of the
most important factors for business
growth. By identifying the real path for
excellence, an organisation can explore
ways to improve business practices
to gain a competitive edge. At
Danube, strategic programmes,
initiatives and achievements, are
a result of basing our function on
an excellence model.”
The company says the Business
Excellence Department is a major
milestone for the growth of a
business, hence it is important to
sustain
your
organisation’s
development through innovation
and continuous improvement. It
is essential to focus on three
main performance indicators —
output, outcome and impact to
deliver quality through reliable
products and service.
Grand Stores — Three
decades of excellence
A
leading distributor and retailer
based in the UAE for the past
three decades, Grand Stores is
the regional distributor of several
world-renowned brands in imaging,
information
technology
and
accessories, perfumes and cosmetics,
luggage,
linen
and
dinnerware.
Headquartered
in
Dubai
with
investments across the region, Grand
Stores
currently
operates
40
showrooms in the UAE alone.
In recognition of the high standards
maintained over the years, Grand
Stores stands accredited with the ISO
2000-9001 Quality Certification and
the Dubai Service Excellence Scheme
membership. The company has also
acquired three more awards, such as
the Dubai Quality Appreciation
Programme award, the Sheikh Khalifa
Excellence award and the Sharjah
Economic Excellence award. It also
Mohamed Abu Issa, Managing Director, Grand Stores
offers its customers the world’s best
brands including Nikon, Fujifilm, Lexar,
MSI, Epson, Samsonite, American
Tourister, Chanel, Givenchy, Nina Ricci,
Paco Rabanne, Azzaro, Thomaston,
Rizwan Sajan, Chairman, Danube
Centa Star and Greggio, to name a few.
“Various world-renowned brands
have been investing their trust in Grand
Stores for more than three decades.
Our retail segment is humbled to have
been recognised for dedication
towards service excellence while
staying rooted to strong business
ethics which have always been our
driving force. We at Grand Stores will
continue to strive towards enhancing
this customer-centric approach with
strategic service related initiatives,”
says Mohamed Abu Issa, Managing
Director, Grand Stores.
Grand Stores stays true to its policy of
consistently offering quality products to
its customers. By understanding
customer requirements, the company
takes a long-term perspective of the
relationship shared and strives to
achieve its satisfaction. Through regular
training sessions, promotion campaigns,
improved shop ambience, enhanced
product information, technical back-up
and a friendly multicultural customer
service set-up, it leaves no stone
unturned to achieve excellence.
AD
32
Testimonials
DIB — Best of Islamic banking
D
ubai Islamic Bank (DIB) is the first
modern commercial Islamic bank
in the world and has always been
conscious of its wider role in society. The
bank supports the communities in which
it operates through the DIB Foundation, a
non-profit social, humanitarian and
charitable organisation that distributes
millions of dirhams towards noble causes
both at home and overseas, every year.
Its participation in the Dubai Human
Development Award (DHDA) has
formalised the existing systems by
introducing the Excellence model into
the organisation. Award submissions
are based on the Radar model, which
was new for the organisation and
thereby required acquiring new skills.
The benefits of participation in the
awards have shown the bank not only
where it stands based on the DHDA
Excellence model, but also provided
the opportunity to review individual
processes and procedures based on
the Excellence model.
“Speaking on behalf of everyone at
Abdulla Al Hamli, CEO, Dubai Islamic Bank
Dubai Islamic Bank, I want to express
my appreciation to His Highness
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al
Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime
Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai,
for his continued dedication to human
development. The UAE’s extraordinary
success over the past 40 years is due
in large part to our leadership’s
commitment to investing in the
country’s people,” says Abdulla Al
Hamli, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai
Islamic Bank.
He adds, “In parallel, DIB has
focused on training and advancing
local talent, and today we are very
proud of our staff who form the very
core of the UAE’s thriving Islamic
finance industry. In 2013, the year of
Emiratisation, the percentage of DIB
employees who are nationals stands
at an impressive 46 per cent, and we
look forward to sustaining this
commitment in the years and
decades ahead.”
EMGAS — Premium petroleum products
A
subsidiary of the ENOC Group
and owned by the Government
of Dubai, Emirates Gas LLC
(EMGAS) is the UAE’s leading supplier
of liquefied petroleum gas and propane
in cylinders since 1947. EMGAS is an ISO
Certified Company for 9001 (QMS),
14001 (EMS), 18001 (OSHAS) and
10002 (Customer Care), and is the
proud recipient of the 2010 cycle Dubai
Quality Appreciation Programme award
and CSR label in 2011 and 2012.
EMGAS currently operates from five
different locations in the UAE and is fast
expanding into international markets. It
is also the first in the region to promote
Emirates Gas aerosol propellant as an
effective alternative to the ozonedepleting chlorofluorocarbon’s in line
with its commitment to environmental
Saeed Khoory, CEO, ENOC
protection. EMGAS strives to be a role
model organisation by adopting worldclass standards and best practices that
have benefited the industrial and
commercial development of Dubai and
the UAE over the years.
Saeed Khoory, Chief Executive
Officer, ENOC, says, “As the premier
provider of LPG and other products
that have widespread residential and
commercial application, upholding the
highest quality standards is of utmost
importance for EMGAS. This is also
crucial in strengthening overall safety.
The Dubai Quality Award highlights the
continued focus of EMGAS to
strengthen quality best practices. We
are thankful to the Department of
Economic Development for the award,
which underlines our commitment to
the vision of His Highness Sheikh
Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum,
Vice-President and Prime Minister of
the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to ensure a
culture of organisational excellence
and quality.”
Testimonials
33
Shift Leasing — Enjoy
a quality drive
S
Michel Ayat, CEO, AW Rostamani Automotive
hift Leasing, formed in 2008, is
part of the dynamic AW
Rostamani Group, which has an
illustrious history in the automobile
industry. The company provides
customised solutions for mid-to-longterm vehicle leasing including spot
rentals in the UAE market and is
supported by its sister company
Arabian
Automobiles
(AAC)
—
authorised distributors of Nissan,
Infiniti and Renault for Dubai and the
Northern Emirates.
Shift Leasing was formed with the
vision of becoming one of the top three
quality lease providers in this region.
Over the past few years, they pursued
AD
this vision relentlessly and strived to
maintain the highest level of quality in
all their operations. The Dubai Quality
Appreciation
Programme
award
complements the brand’s efforts
and they will continue to set the
highest standards of quality in the
leasing industry.
The brand urges future aspirants and
business excellence leaders to adopt
the European Foundation for Quality
Management model in their respective
organisations. This has provided an
enormous opportunity for Shift Leasing
as an organisation to learn and ensure
that quality remains the backbone of
their operations.
34
Testimonials
PRIME — Health care providers that care
P
RIME HealthCare Group is a
quality driven company offering
health care services under
different service verticals to suit the
specific needs of the customers,
all which go into creating the
sustainable PRIME brand.
With over 650 dedicated staff, the
group consists of a network of
outpatient medical centres including
Prime Medical Centre, Premier
Diagnostic Centre and MediPrime
Pharmacies. Prime Medical Centre can
be found in most of the major
residential areas of Dubai, Sharjah and
Abu Dhabi and offers services ranging
from general practice to specialties
and
super-specialties
with
comprehensive diagnostic facilities
under one roof. Comprising more than
170 expert physicians, each member of
the
group’s
team
possesses
Dr Jamil Ahmed, Managing Director, PRIME
extraordinary expertise in diagnosis
and treatment. “Quality is not a
process, it’s a habit,” and the group
stays true to its vision of being the
most respected health care provider in
the region, offering the most effective
treatment outcomes through the best
in-class professionals,” says Dr Jamil
Ahmed, Managing Director.
The group also believes in earning
its customers’ respect by delivering
what it promises, respecting staff and
treating them with fairness and dignity,
earning the respect of investors by
being transparent and accountable,
earning its business partners’ respect
by valuing their businesses, earning the
respect of suppliers by dealing with
them
on
merit,
earning
the
government’s respect by not violating
any law and earning the community’s
respect by generating goodwill.
Al Jaber Optical — An eye for perfection
A
Ahmed Jaber, Managing Director, Al Jaber Optical
l Jaber Optical presently
operates 35 outlets in prime
locations all over the UAE. It has
an extensive collection of international
brands of vision care products,
sunglasses and optical frames to suit
every taste, lifestyle and budget. Over
the past 25 years, Al Jaber Optical has
not just been associated with high
quality products, but also with service.
Eye examination is a part of this service.
Exemplary service is achieved through
updating of instruments to keep up
with the latest technology, and
employing only optometrists with
international experience.
On winning the 2012 cycle of the
Dubai Quality Award, Ahmed Jaber,
Managing Director of Al Jaber Optical,
says: “I would like to thank His Highness
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al
Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime
Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai,
for bestowing our organisation with this
honour for the fourth time. We also
wish to thank the Dubai Service
Excellence Scheme team and the Dubai
Economic Department for their
continued support. I would finally like to
thank all our staff members for their
hard work and continuous support
and loyalty.”
Applying for the award has a lot of
benefits, says Jaber. “It is an
opportunity to share best practices,
improve
self-assessment
by
monitoring our staff performance
and customers’ reaction, build
momentum and pride among staff,
helps
strengthen
our
brand
recognition
and
positions
our
company ahead of competition,
helps identify best requirements to
keep our shops in the forefront,
encourages us to focus more on our
staff training and development and
enhances the company image in the
optical industry in the UAE.”
AD
AD