Revealed: Winners of the Gulf Business Awards 2022

Gulf Business held a dazzling ceremony for the 10th edition of the Gulf Business Awards on November 23, with the region’s business leaders and trailblazers in close attendance.

The prestigious awards, which completed a decade this year, were held at the Central Park Towers DIFC in Dubai, to laud stalwarts and pioneers who not only helmed their companies, but also steered them to greater heights and visibility during the year.

A total of 35 awards were presented to eminent business leaders and companies across multiple industrial verticals, including tourism, hospitality, transport and logistics, real estate, banking, finance and investment, healthcare and retail. The real estate and construction category was expanded this year to include coveted awards for subcategories, such as developer, innovative project, real estate agency and proptech of the year.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) form an integral part of a country’s economy. This year, Gulf Business, in collaboration with Century Financial, also unveiled the Golden Frame Awards, to recognise the rainmakers and leaders across SMEs that championed innovation, business strategy, product delivery, sustainability and customer service, among other factors.

As is tradition, Gulf Business presented the coveted Lifetime Achievement Award. This year, it was awarded to the very eloquent Isobel Abulhoul, CEO and trustee – Emirates Literature Foundation, and co-founder of Magrudy’s, for her tenacious efforts on fostering literacy, ingraining a culture of reading and proliferating the spoken and written word.

The award winners were chosen by a judging panel of esteemed industry leaders, which included George Hojeige, CEO – VirtuGroup; Helen Barrett, deputy chair – British Business Group Dubai and Northern Emirates, and partner – CBD Corporate Services;  Ian Fairservice, managing partner and group editor-in-chief of Motivate Media Group; and Andrew Wingrove, group director, Motivate Media Group.

The award ceremony was hosted by Motivate Media Group and sponsored by Century Financial. Event partners included Fogo De Chao for F&B, Central Park Towers at DIFC for venue, Matrix Public Relations for PR as well as Jacobsons Direct Marketing.

LIST OF WINNERS 2022

Lifetime Achievement Award: Isobel Abulhoul, CEO and trustee – Emirates Literature Foundation, and co-founder of Magrudy’s

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Gulf Business Company of the Year: Ghassan Aboud Group

Gulf Business Leader of the Year: Yogesh Mehta, CEO – Petrochem Middle East

Business Disruptor of the Year: Atif Rahman, founder and chairman – ORO24 Developments

Female Leader of the Year: Hana Al Rostamani, Group CEO – First Abu Dhabi Bank

Marketer of the Year: Faisal Zaidi, co-founder and CMO – Crypto Oasis

Sustainability Company of the Year: Fakhruddin Properties

SME of the Year: Falcon Global Capital 

COMPANIES OF THE YEAR

Banking: Emirates NBD

Healthcare: PureHealth

Hospitality: Palazzo Hospitality

Investment: Mubadala Investment Company

Online Trading Company of the Year: EFG Hermes One

Real Estate and Construction

• Real Estate Agency: Driven Properties
• Developer: National Housing Company
• Most Innovative Project: Torino by ORO24
• Project: Samana Waves (Samana Developers)
• Contractor: Al Habtoor Group
• Proptech: Stella Stays

Retail: Dubai Duty Free

Transport and Logistics: DP World

Tourism: Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing

BUSINESS LEADERS OF THE YEAR

Healthcare: Dr Jamil Ahmed, managing director – Prime Healthcare Group

Hospitality: Guy Hutchinson, president and CEO – Rotana Hotel Management Corporation

Investment: Harish Prithivi, COO – AIX Investment Group

Online Trading: Mark Chahwan, CEO – Sarwa

Real estate and construction: Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al-Aboudi, CEO – Thakher Development Company

Retail: Faraz Khalid, CEO – noon.com

Transport and Logistics: Othman Aljeda, CEO – Aramex

Tourism and Hospitality: Issam Kazim, CEO – Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing

GOLDEN FRAME AWARDS 

Disruptive SME of the Year: City Tower Properties

Emerging Female Leader of the Year: Basma Ashry, general manager – Business Incorporation Zone

Innovative SME of the Year: Panworld Education

SME Accelerator of the Year: 4IRme

SME Leader of the Year: Dr Nabil Alyousuf, CEO – International Advisory Group