Submission extended for Mohammed Bin Rashid Awards for Young Business Leaders

The deadline extension also reflects the Establishment's keen desire to provide enhanced participation opportunities for a wider number of national small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).

The Establishment revealed the revised submission date at a workshop held yesterday (Monday) at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. The event was attended by a large number of Establishment members as well as non member national entrepreneurs seeking to compete for the awards that celebrate excellence in the SME sector.

Abdul Baset Al Janahi, CEO of the MBR Establishment for Young Business Leaders, said: "The workshop comes as part of the Establishment's strategy to reinforce communication channels with its members, while maintaining an open dialogue with non-member national entrepreneurs. Such efforts reflect our commitment to help the growth of this vital sector by providing value added incentives."

Addressing the attendees, Khadijah Ali, Assistant Manager of the Department of Advisory and Development at the Establishment detailed the terms and conditions of participation. Outlining the objective of the awards, the modalities, standards of evaluation, the arbitration mechanism and the final selection process, Khadijah Ali said the Establishment anticipates enhanced regional participation for the 'Best Arab Business' category, which is the only award segment inviting entries from regional SME entities.

Nakheel, one of the largest property developers and a member of Dubai World, is the exclusive sponsor of the Awards. The Al-Abassi Group will support the event that will be organized by the Dubai Government Excellence Programme (DGEP).

The awards offer entrepreneurs in the UAE and the Arab world a unique platform to test their competitive and excellence levels. It has 13 categories for UAE companies that have been operational for not more than one year by February 2007. Arab entrepreneurial businesses of less than three years in operation are eligible to participate in the 'Best Arab Business for the Year 2007' category. Entries are limited to companies with less than 100 employees.

Categories for the Mohammed bin Rashid Awards for Young Business Leaders cover various business activities including tourism, healthcare, business and law consultancy, education, design, and information technology. The awards programme also recognises individuals, private companies and local and federal government entities that have contributed to enhancing entrepreneurial activities across the UAE.