Previous Winners & Judges Feedback

General Directorate of Residency & Foreigners Affairs

Outstanding Employee

Commenting on First Lieutenant Engineer Eissa Al Kamali of the General Directorate of Residency & Foreigners Affairs, Dubai, the winner in the Outstanding Employee category, the chairman of the judges said:

“First Lieutenant Engineer Eissa Al Kamali is an exceptional employee who has had a far-reaching impact on the General Directorate of Residency & Foreigners Affairs and led the introduction of many innovative solutions. Working in the innovation and future centre, he has implemented new policies that have streamlined processes, reduced use of paper and significantly improved efficiency, productivity and customer service. First Lieutenant Eissa Al Kamali is a true team player who inspires and motivates colleagues to strive for greatness.”

LC Waikiki

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative

Commenting on LC Waikiki, the winner in the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative category (Stronger Future with the Women in Business), the chairman of the judges said:

“Well done to Turkey-based fashion company LC Waikiki for boosting career opportunities for women with its ‘stronger future with women in business’ campaign that targets suppliers as well as its own staff. The company already has Turkey’s highest rate of female managers at 47%, out of a workforce of 62% women, and the new project aims to encourage them to reach for higher grade jobs. LC Waikiki is a leader in gender equality, helping women to learn new skills, become more confident and a dominant force in the workplace.”

Vision Independent Financial Planning

Best Brand Development

Commenting on Vision Independent Financial Planning, the winner in the Best Brand Development category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Congratulations to Vision Independent Financial Planning for developing its new branding in-house, rather than using a creative agency, and producing brilliant results. By keeping it simple, minimising text, using real pictures of advisers and photographs of the local area in Cornwall, where the company is based, Vision has created a modern, bright and fresh look for its website and logo. The new clean look invokes feelings of authenticity and dependability. It just shows what can be achieved by people who know and understand the business.”

Ministry of Health and Prevention

Best Innovation

Commenting on the Ministry of Health and Prevention, Dubai, the winner in the Best Innovation category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Congratulations to Ministry of Health and Prevention for being the first ministry in United Arab Emirates to launch an in-house user experience lab to measure the customer experience. Known as UX Lab, it has been set up to develop the ministry’s services in line with its digital transformation. UX Lab helps the ministry better understanding the cultural and behavioural patterns of customers. With the help of the lab, the Ministry of Health and Prevention has achieved an impressive customer satisfaction rate of 90%.”

Borusan

Best Staff Training & Development Programme

Commenting on Borusan, the winner in the Best Staff Training and Development Programme category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Congratulations to Borusan for placing staff training and leadership development at the heart of the organisation and for setting up its own academy to meet the learning needs of all its staff. To enable it to keep ahead of the marketplace, the industrial company also launched its own leadership development programme run by Borusan Academy. Aiming to embed leadership development in Borusan’s culture, the new programme provides a comprehensive range of learning opportunities for staff, helping to boost loyalty and performance.”

Roads and Transport Authority (RTA)

Best Innovative and Creative Use of Technology

Commenting on the Road and Transport Authority, Dubai, the winner in the Best Innovative and Creative Use of Technology category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Congratulations to Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA) for completing a highly ambitious and complicated centralised asset management project. Using its big-data platform, RTA’s system was developed in house and, even at the pilot stage, it started to produce stunning results. The platform has helped to reduce the leadership decision-making time related to commercial retail space to one hour from three weeks. It is a credit to RTA that the asset management platform is so successful that it’s going public early in 2024.”

Enerjisa Enerji

Best Place to Work

Commenting on Enerjisa Enerji, the winner in the Best Place to work, the chairman of the judges said:

“Congratulations to Enerjisa Enerji for achieving top satisfaction rates from staff after moving to a next generation building near Ankara, Turkey. After relocating from an outdated rented building to a state-of-the-art luxury office in only seven months, staff now enjoy all the mode cons including an open plan workspace, relaxation rooms, terraces, social areas and a games room. Designed to be attractive and energising, the green building supports the well-being of staff and minimises environmental impact.”

General Directorate of Residency & Foreigners Affairs

Outstanding Employee

Commenting on Lieutenant Colonel Faisal Abdullah Bin Belaila of General Directorate of Residency & Foreigners Affairs, Dubai, the winner in the Outstanding Employee category, the chairman of the judges said::

“Colonel Faisal Abdullah Bin Belaila is an innovator and inspirational leader who has made an outstanding contribution to the economy of Dubai in many different ways. In his role as manager of the innovation and future department, he implemented the partnership management system that fosters collaborations and enhances stakeholder relationships for the benefit of Dubai. Among many other things, Colonel Faisal also developed a cutting-edge mobile app for passports that has reduced processing time.”

LC Waikiki

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative

Commenting on LC Waikiki, the winner in the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative category (LCW Limitless), the chairman of the judges said:

“Using its slogan ‘Everyone deserves to dress well’, fashion brand LC Waikiki must be applauded for being the first in Turkey to launch a fashion range for disabled people. Called the LCW Limitless Collection, the clothing is designed to be fashionable and easy to put on, allowing people with disabilities to dress themselves. The range is constantly modified and updated in line with feedback. Well done to LC Waikiki for taking a big step forward in equality and giving disabled people access to fashionable clothes.”

Borusan

Best Innovative and Creative Use of Technology

Commenting on Borusan, the winner in the Best Innovative and Creative use of Technology category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Well done to Borusan for giving its staff an enriched and exciting way of learning with its Digital Development Resources project, developed by Borusan Academy. Realising that to keep up with the fast-changing business world, staff training is key to success. The beauty of the project is that staff can learn online anywhere they like and in their own time. The introduction of digital learning has had a huge impact on the organisation with staff engagement, completion rates of courses and training satisfaction rates all going skyward.”

Enerjisa Enerji

Best Business Transformation

Commenting on Enerjisa Enerji, the winner in the Best Business Transformation, the chairman of the judges said:

“Moving office can be stressful but Enerjisa Enerji’s relocation to a new building was planned and executed with perfection. Amazingly, the transition from an outmoded building to a next generation office in the Baskent region of Turkey only took seven months. Aligned to its future of work strategy, the new building meets the demands of the evolving business world and creates a space that supports the well-being of staff and the environment. Staff can now enjoy a stimulating work environment in beautifully designed offices that feature open plan workplace plus relaxation and games rooms.”

Pladis

Best HR

Commenting on Pladis, the winner in the Best HR, the chairman of the judges said :

“Congratulations to Pladis of Turkey for helping young people learn about the fast-moving consumer goods industry with the launch of its commercial talent programme. Over 15 months the trainees receive an introduction to the business world through classroom and digital training, and work experience in eight different commercial functions. This is a great way to increase the talent pool in commercial areas and provide young people with exciting business opportunities. The results are stunning with satisfaction rates high among participants, placing Pladis on track to achieving a high return on investment.”

Nakheel

Best Place to Work

Commenting on Nakheel, the winner in the Best Place to Work Campaign category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Congratulations to Dubai-based master property developer Nakheel for being an excellent employer that helps staff feel fulfilled, supported in their work and involved in the direction of the company. It is commendable that staff were recently consulted about the rebranding of the company. The range of benefits staff can enjoy is incredible. All have access to training, team building workshops and they can join any of Nakheel’s social clubs offering sports and hobbies. Nakheel is officially a top employer because in 2022, it achieved Great Place to Work certification.”

The Power Within Training 

Best Business Transformation

Commenting on The Power Within Training, the winner in the Best Business Transformation category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Congratulations to The Power Within Training for inventing a new and exciting approach to leadership called Motivational Intelligence (MQ). Recognising the need for more innovative leadership solutions, MQ is designed to unlock individual and organisational potential to improve productivity and staff engagement. Clients have been delighted with the results of the programme and report that employee engagement and productivity have risen steeply. The MQ programme has transformed The Power Within Training, too, helping it to produce strong financial results and expand overseas.”

Promoveritas

Best Small to Medium-sized Business

Commenting on PromoVeritas, the winner in the Small to Medium Sized Business category, the chairman of the judges said::

“PromoVeritas may be small with only 40 people in London, but it is a leader for UK, European and global brands and agencies to verify their prize competitions. As a unique business, it has seen spectacular growth since its launch just after the millennium. It has an enviable list of clients that many an agency would love to boast about, and it has the reputation as being the go-to agency for organisations running prize competitions. Well done to PromoVeritas for punching well above its weight!”

Nakheel

Best Social Media Campaign

Commenting on Nakheel, the winner in the Best Social Media Campaign category, the chairman of the judges said:

“To support its transition to becoming a customer-centric organisation with a new logo promoting its brand values of excellence in delivery, master property developer Nakheel undertook a large-scale digital communication campaign that has produced stunning results. Targeting 4.5 million people in the United Arab Emirates, Nakheel took a multi-channel approach that resulted in an incredible 35 million impressions being achieved that increased awareness and engagement in the new brand. The results were phenomenal with all key performance indicators surpassed and amazingly, the campaign cost substantially less than the planned budget.”

Runaway Entertainment

Best Place to Work

Commenting on Runaway Entertainment, the winner in the Best Place to Work category, the chairman of the judges said:

“With a core staff of 10 people Runaway Entertainment, an independent theatre production company, has created a friendly and open work environment were all staff feel valued. Everyone gets treated in the same way, there are no hierarchical barriers and they all celebrate successes together. As a consequence, staff loyalty is high. With theatres having to close in the pandemic, it was a challenging time for the company but thanks to brilliant teamwork it has recovered and is thriving with substantially more performances than ever before.”

Fifty

Best Innovative and Creative Use of Technology

Commenting on Fifty, the winner in the Best Innovative and Creative Use of Technology category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Congratulations to Fifty for producing brilliant results with its multichannel awareness campaign using its innovative platform for the Broadway stage show Harry Potter & The Cursed Child in New York. Its FiftyAurora platform was used to analyse social data and identify the various types of Harry Potter fans. An effective media strategy was then developed to reach them. Using its magical platform, Fifty was able to exceed targets and objectives by creating 5,162 ticket transactions and great revenue for the producers of the Harry Potter show.”

On Verve

Disruptor of the Year for Product or Service

Commenting on On Verve, the winner in the Disruptor of the Year for Product or Service category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Well done to On Verve for shaking up corporate offices with its DayMaker concept and making them more appealing to staff, encouraging more people to return to the office. DayMakers aims to go above and beyond expectations in facilities management and guest services, and provide excellent support for staff. On Verve organises everything from office refurbishments to training and staff events. After only two years in business, On Verve can boast a staff of 80, a portfolio of 15 clients, resulting in excellent revenue.”

Nakheel

Commenting on Nakheel, the winner in the Outstanding Support during COVID-19 category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Well done to Nakheel for doing just about everything possible for its staff of 1,000 during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. From offering vaccines to staff and their families to having a nurse on site and providing tests, it has helped to keep its people and communities safe. Cleanliness and hygiene were top priorities with deep office cleaning and sanitation immediately organised. As part of its wellbeing programme, the company nurse has been retained and now offers staff quick health checks. When it comes to protecting staff and communities, Nakheel is a role model.”

Hayat Holding

Best Corporate Social Responsibility

Commenting on Hayat Holding/DESIBEL AJANS AS, the winner in the Best Corporate Social Responsibility category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Congratulations to Turkey based Hayat Holding for educating primary school pupils in climate change, helping them to grow up to become ecological citizens. The Climate Literacy Programme offers 28 hours of learning to pupils and, additionally, it has been educating teachers and parents in environmental science. To date around 30,000 students, 600 teachers and 60,000 parents have become involved in the awareness campaign across 10 provinces, which is being expanded. This is a brilliant way for youngsters and adults to understand more about climate change and prepare for the future.”

Promoveritas

Outstanding Entrepreneur

Commenting on PromoVeritas, the winner in the Outstanding Entrepreneur category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Jeremy Stern, the former European promotions director for Coca Cola, is an astute businessman for noticing that many prize competitions run by organisations were a bit of a shambles with no certainty that they were being run fairly. After setting up PromoVeritas around 20 years ago as a promotional verification expert that helps global brands and agencies ensure that prize competitions are run with integrity and security, his business has been on a sky-high trajectory. Started from Jeremy’s conservatory, PromoVeritas now has an office in London with 40 people; an enviable UK and European client base; and amazing turnover!”

Nakheel

Best Business Transformation

Commenting on Nakheel, the winner in the Best Business Transformation category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Congratulations to Dubai-based master property developer Nakheel for transforming itself into a customer-centred organisation from being buildings focused. Called Project Falcon, it was commendable to see that Nakheel engaged with its employees in the development of new brand values and the future direction of the company. Nakheel has now undergone a major internal cultural change, staff have been retrained and everyone is working towards the same goal. This was a highly ambitious project involving communicating the brand and embedding new thinking across the organisation. Nakheel implemented the transition programme with great professionalism.”

Fifty

Best Innovation

Commenting on Fifty, the winner in the Best Innovation category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Congratulations to Fifty for responding to new regulations and the new world without third-party cookies and other digital identities by developing FiftyAurora. Its new platform provides clients with an insightful human view of audiences, helping them to develop more efficient media strategies than can be easily adapted. By harnessing existing human insight data within its platform, FiftyAurora produces a more ethical multi-channel solution that is not reliant on identifiers. Well done to Fifty for developing an innovation platform that enables clients to future-proof their media buying strategies.”