UAE, September 26, 2017- The list of winners of Arabia CSR Network’s 10th Arabia CSR Awards, the latest edition of the Arab region’s premier Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and sustainability accolade, were officially revealed during the awarding ceremony held in Dubai. The event was attended by senior government officials, members of the Diplomatic Corps, representatives from various organisations and leading sustainability champions, which included His Excellency (H.E.) Sheikh Salem Bin Sultan Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, President, Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) Department of Civil Aviation. According to the Middle East region’s leading training service provider and think tank, the winners in the Awards’ 10 categories were chosen out of the 106 submitted entries from across the region. They stood out for demonstrating outstanding CSR leadership and commitment and for actively pursuing CSR in the Arab region. 

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA, UAE), Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC, Bahrain), Al Jazeera International Catering (UAE), and Etihad ESCO (UAE) and Knowledge Group (UAE) were declared champions in the Public Sector, Large Business, Medium Business, Small Business Categories, respectively. BMCE Bank of Africa (Morocco) took the top spot in the Financial Services Category, while Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC, UAE) won in the Energy Sector Category. 

Other award recipients were Holiday Inn Dubai - Al Barsha (UAE), Hospitality Sector Category; Al-Futtaim Carillion (UAE), Construction Sector Category; TTi- Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Social Enterprise Category; and Dubai Municipality (UAE) and Emirates Transport (UAE), Partnerships and Collaborations Category. 

Habiba Al Mar’ashi, President & CEO, Arabia CSR Network, said: “Congratulations to all the winners of this year’s Arabia CSR Awards. Your respective CSR and sustainability journeys and commitment are truly admirable, setting an exemplary example for other organizations in the region to follow. All of you embody our mission to raise awareness and spread the culture of CSR and sustainability across the Arab World, in addition to proving that CSR is an essential element of a successful business model in the region and across the world. We would also like to extend our gratitude to all organizations that submitted their entries to this year’s competition. We are overwhelmed by the turnout this year and we look forward to exceeding this success in the coming years.” 

The Arabia CSR Awards 2017 celebrated new milestones and a decade of recognizing regional corporate citizens that exhibit strong values and commitment to sustainability, corporate responsibility, social accountability, stakeholder inclusiveness, and other aspects of business ethics. In organizing the Awards, Arabia CSR Network also seeks to bring the latest international CSR and sustainability developments, trends and standards to the Arab World, as well as create a database of CSR best practice case studies from around the region. 

The champions and other participating institutions talked about the importance of their own CSR programs and what is driving them to pursue these efforts.
    
H.E. Saif Humaid Al Falasi, Group CEO of ENOC, said: “ENOC continues to invest in CSR initiatives and partnerships aimed at developing a competent, skilled, engaged, and empowered workforce. These initiatives are a testament to our efforts towards strengthening environmental awareness within ENOC, Dubai and the wider UAE.”

“Dubai Electricity and Water Authority is guided by its vision to become a sustainable innovative world-class utility,” H.E. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director & CEO, DEWA, shared.
  
For his part, Mohammed Abdullah Al Jarman, General Manager, ET, said: “ET is proud with its social roles and seeks to establish an advanced understanding to these roles that translates to belongingness and loyalty to the UAE.” 

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman, Dubai Customs, stated: “Our priorities are guided by the directions & visions of our leaders. It sets out our strategy and goals as we identify issues relevant to the development of our country and demonstrate how we contribute to reaching them.” 

“For us at GPIC, even after 38 years of commitment to CSR, we feel that we can still continue to challenge ourselves and raise our bar by focusing on our youth, women empowerment, innovation, SDGs, resilience and growth, collaboration and human talent development,” Dr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, President, GPIC, added. 

George Franks, Managing Director, Interserve International, said: “Our approach to sustainability is founded on our vision – to redefine the future for people and places, shaped by our values and aimed at delivering our five sustainable outcomes.” 

“Corporate Social Responsibility is a way of life and we consider it as a serious obligation towards the community we live in and operate. We feel a great sense of responsibility in the way we perform our operations so that we benefit the community in some way or the other,” shared Zanubia Shams, Co-Chairperson, Zulekha Hospitals (ZH). 

Robby Thommy, Managing Director, Al Jazeera International Catering LLC (JIC), shared: “Every JICite abides by the core values and principles of the organization. We believe that with a committed strategy and clear organizational framework, excellence shall be achieved and sustainability shall be ensured.” 

Peter Somekh, Regional Managing Partner - Middle East, DLA Piper, said: “DLA Piper is a global law firm and innovator in the Pro Bono and Responsible Business spaces. We are immensely proud of our global achievements in sustainability and community engagement.”
 
Awadh Hassan Al Shanfi, Chief Executive Officer, Salalah Methanol Company, added: “Salalah Methanol is a company that aims to create value – for shareholders, customers, and society at large. Sustainability is a priority at SMC and we have consistently embedded the principles of sustainability in our business.” 

Ali Al Jassim, CEO, Etihad ESCO, pointed out: “Etihad has gained international recognition and made Dubai a hub for the energy retrofitting industry; therefore, for the future, our aim is to provide services at the local, regional and global level.”

“Knowledge Group is a leader in development and consulting solutions that make a lasting impact on our clients and the region. We are widely-regarded for our commitment to Corporate and Social Responsibility, and prioritize sustainability in everything we do,” Dr. Ahmad Badr, Chief Executive Officer, Knowledge Group, noted.  

Othman Benjelloun, President Director General, BMCE Bank of Africa, underscored: “Our commitment to sustainable development has resulted in our membership to the UN Global Compact. It has helped us launch the first Green Bonds, and has provided the impetus to finance the protection of water resources.” 

“We, at BLC Bank, have adopted Corporate Social Responsibility, where transparency, accountability and ethics lie at the heart of each action we take,” added Nadim Kassar, Deputy Chairman and General Manager, BLC Bank. 

Roxana Jaffer, Chief Executive Officer - Holiday Inn, shared: “Sustainability began with philanthropic ad-hoc initiatives as the hotel opened its doors, transforming to a structured process, proudly rooting in the way we perform business.”

Freddy Farid, Area General Manager, Gloria Hotel, stated: “The system we have in place is a reflection of our commitment towards sustainability. It forms an important element within our wider vision and commitment to the environment, society and culture, quality, and health and safety.”

Juergen Doerr, General manager, Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa, noted: “We are committed to implementing sustainable practices in Oman through our CSR initiatives. Serving as a responsible corporate citizen has been instrumental to our success, and we strive to continually enhance our daily operations to improve education and livelihoods and minimize risks to natural habitats.” 

“For us, becoming a more sustainable business goes hand in hand with becoming a more successful business. We believe that sustainability means making tomorrow a better place – for our employees, our customers, our local communities, our suppliers and our investors,” noted Edmund Mahabir, Managing Director, Al-Futtaim Carillion. 

Belal Raslan, Chairman, TTI, said: “Our vision at TTI is to fight unemployment by building tomorrow’s entrepreneurs… We help youth create their own career opportunities by viable startups that convert them to be part of the solution, where they open paths for themselves and their communities out of the darkness of unemployment and poverty.”

Engineer Abdul Majid Saifaie, Director of Waste Management, Dubai Municipality, stated: “As one of the organizational units of Dubai Municipality, we are involved in the management of waste by engaging the community in initiatives that promote community responsibility and thus achieve the environmental sustainability that stems from the Department’s vision of ‘Building a Happy and Sustainable City.’ 

Mohammed Abdullah Al Jarman, General Manager, ET, added: “The UAE has established strategies and working programs to achieve comprehensive sustainable development while focusing on the environmental sustainability matter. As a government entity, we are committed to support the implementation of such strategies.” 

“We have been actively committed to making valuable contributions to our community and the environment through robust CSR initiatives since 1994. Our vision is forged by an unwavering pledge to not only ‘do good’ but to drive real impact that makes a difference to the world we live in,” said Rafic Fakih, Managing Director and Partner, McDonald’s UAE. 

Eugene Mayne, Group Chief Executive Officer, Tristar, concluded: “I believe that it is private sector companies like us that can do a lot for the community and the environment. If all private sector companies became responsible businesses, we could make a real difference.”

Below is the complete list of winners of the 10th Arabia CSR Awards:

CEO Personality of the Year awardees:
H.E. Saif Humaid Al Falasi, CEO, ENOC Group 
HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA)
Dr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, President, GPIC 
H.E. Faris Saeed, CEO, Diamond Developers
Public Sector Category:
Winner: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) -UAE
1st runner up: Emirates Transport - UAE
2nd runner up: Dubai Customs - UAE
Large Business Category:
Winner: Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC) - Kingdom of Bahrain
1st runner up: Interserve International – UAE 
2nd runner up: Zulekha Hospitals (ZH) – UAE

Medium Business Category:
Winner: Al Jazeera International Catering LLC (JIC) – UAE
1st runner up: DLA Piper - UAE
1st runner up: Salalah Methanol Company (SMC) - Sultanate of Oman

Small Business Category:
Winner: Etihad ESCO – UAE 
Winner: Knowledge Group – UAE 

Financial Services Category:
Winner: BMCE Bank of Africa - Kingdom of Morocco
Special Recognition: BLC Bank - Lebanese Republic
Special Recognition: UAE Exchange Centre – UAE 

Energy Sector Category:
Winner: Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) – UAE 

Hospitality Sector Category:
Winner: Holiday Inn Dubai - Al Barsha – UAE 
Special Recognition: Gloria Hotel Dubai – UAE 

Special Recognition: Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa - Sultanate of Oman 

Construction Sector Category:
Winner: Al-Futtaim Carillion – UAE

Social Enterprise Category:
Winner: TTi- Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Partnerships and Collaborations Category: 
Winner: Dubai Municipality - UAE
Winner: Emirates Transport – UAE (TIE )
1st runner up: McDonald’s UAE
2nd runner up: Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC) - Kingdom of Bahrain                   
2nd runner up: Tristar – UAE (TIE)
The carbon-neutral event was made possible by Farnek , it was  sponsored by ENOC and GPIC with key support from United Nations Environment Programme, DNV GL, Emirates Environmental Group, Gulf News and Al Roeya.