The Al Habtoor Group hosted the Employee Excellence Awards at the Habtoor Grand Beach Resort & Spa on Tuesday, January 22. The purpose of the Awards is to recognise and reward high achievers within the Group.
The ceremony was attended by Khalaf Al Habtoor, Chairman, Al Habtoor Group, Riad Sadik, Chairman, Habtoor Leighton Group, Sultan Al Habtoor, President, Al Habtoor Motors, Mohammed Al Habtoor, Vice Chairman and CEO, Al Habtoor Group and all the senior management across the Group.
Khalaf Al Habtoor, said, “I launched the Employee Excellence Awards in 2007 because I believe it is important to recognise employees who excel. Our employees are the company’s biggest asset.”
Mr Al Habtoor emphasized that part of the Group’s success was down to the growth of the UAE’s economy. He said, “The UAE employs hundreds of different nationalities, as does the Al Habtoor Group. People are drawn here because of the UAE’s safe haven status. Our economy has recovered from the financial crisis much quicker than others.”
He added, “Much of the developed world remains in crisis. Whereas we have an economy which is growing. I would like to take this opportunity to stress the fact that we are in a very unique position right now.”
There Employee Excellence Awards were broken into six categories:
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The Individual Excellence Awards
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The Distinction Award
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The Milestone Awards
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The Departmental Awards
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The Business Unit Awards
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The Chairman’s Award
There were a total of 22 awards handed out by the Chairman. Each of the winners were given an engraved trophy and a certification of appreciation.
The Individual Excellence Awards were open to all employees with less than 15 years of service, while the Milestone Awards were for all employees exceeding 15 years of service.
Mr Al Habtoor said, “There are many people in the Group who have been with us for 30 or 40 years. The people nominated in the Milestone category are commended for their hard work, their many achievements and ability to adapt to change. It is not just about the number of years they have clocked up.”
The Employee Excellence Awards groups together all the company’s units, including employees from the Al Habtoor head office, Habtoor Hotels (The Habtoor Grand Resort & Spa, The Metropolitan Palace, The Metropolitan Deira Hotel), Metropolitan Catering Services, Al Habtoor Motors, Diamondlease and Emirates International Schools (Jumeirah and Meadows).
There were more than 70 nominations selected from hundreds of entries from around the Group. In the individual category there were three winners from Al Habtoor Motors, three from Diamondlease, two from Emirates International Schools, three from the hotels and one from the head office.
The Distinction Award, which was hand-picked by the Chairman, went to Martyn Wild, Projects Director at the Al Habtoor Group.
There were two winners in the Milestone category. Krishnan Puthiyaveetil from Al Habtoor Motors. Krishnan, who works as a Service Reception Supervisor at Al Habtoor Motors. He has been at the Group for nearly three decades. The second winner was Maqbool Hussain Tahir, an Assistant Executive Housekeeper from the Metropolitan Deira Hotel.
The Business Units Awards were given for showcasing ‘Business Excellence’ and encouraging businesses to think positively while displaying an entrepreneurial spirit. The winners in this category were the Metropolitan Palace Hotel headed by Sanjay Luthra, the General Manager of the hotel; and Al Habtoor Motors under the direction of Karl Hamer, the Managing Director. Al Habtoor Motors is today one of the leading automobile distributors in the UAE.
The final awards of the evening were the “Chairman’s Award”, which were selected by the Chairman, Khalaf Al Habtoor. This Award is the most prestigious accolade an employee can achieve.
The winners were Noura Badawi, Director of Media and Communications and R. Venkataraman, Director of Corporate Governance and Risk Management.
The Chairman said, “This year’s winners were an easy choice”. Ms Badawi has been with the Group for 10 year and has proved to be an invaluable employee. She manages an extremely demanding job and gives more than 100 per cent effort. She is a great asset to the Group.”
He added, “Mr Venkataraman has developed a code of Best Practice within the Group and is always aiming for the top. He has implemented strong guidelines for corporate governance and transparency to ensure the Group can compete on a regional and global platform.”
Mr Al Habtoor concluded, “I would like to congratulate all the nominees and winners. We are very proud of our employees across all the units. The Al Habtoor Group plays a vital role in various sectors of the UAE economy. We are growing as a group and each and every one of our employees play a key role in our growth.”