Nominations open for the prestigious Asian Business Awards Middle East 2007 (ABA ME 2007)

The announcement was made by premier sponsor Al Barari, the UAE's leading luxury real estate developer.

The Asian Business Awards Middle East 2007, which were announced last week, are the first Asian Business Awards ever to be held in the Arab world and are established to recognize the achievements of Asian business leaders and entrepreneurs who have made an indelible mark on the business scene in the Middle East.

Commenting on the nominations process, Zaal Mohammed Zaal, the Chairman of Al Barari, said, "Bringing the public into the nominations process is an exciting move and was a prime motivating factor in our support for this year's Asian Business Awards in Abu Dhabi. Public acclamation of business achievement carries more weight than the usual closed-door selection process and gives these awards real credibility."

The public will be invited to vote for the following six Award categories:

1. Outstanding Asian Business Man of the Year
2. Outstanding Asian Business Woman of the Year
3. Asian Rising Star of the Year
4. Young Asian Achiever of the Year
5. Outstanding contribution to Middle East Development Award
6. Asian Business Leader of the Year

The remaining two award categories for Global Asian of the Year and the Lifetime Achievement Award will be decided exclusively by jury votes.

The criteria and parameters for each nomination category have been set by one of the world's leading business advisory services, PricewaterhouseCoopers. Accordingly, once a person has registered as a member on the ABA ME website, he/ she will be able to click on the "Nominate button" to be directed to a page which reviews the summary criteria for each of the six award categories. An easy-to-use reference Criteria Pyramid has been provided on each award category page to inform users of all the fundamental criteria that must be fulfilled in order for them to nominate their favourite and most respected business personalities.

Once ABA ME receives the completed nomination form, it will ensure that all required fields have been filled out and the nomination will then be processed by PricewaterhouseCoopers and forwarded to the ABA ME 2007 Jury Panel. The Jury will review nomination entries every week starting October 7, 2007, until the nominations close on November 1, 2007.

The public is encouraged to send in its nominations at the earliest because, if accepted, the nominee's name & title will be uploaded on the ABA ME site, enhancing his/ her chances of entering the ABA ME polls.

Each week, the website will upload an updated list of approved nominees, generating more excitement and acting as a directional tool for other Nominators.

At 10am on 1st November 2007, Nominations for the ABA ME 2007 will close and the ABA ME Jury will take a decision on selecting the three final Nominees in each of the six categories. These names and profiles of these eighteen finalist nominees will be announced formally on Zee TV on November 9th.