Inaugural YourBusiness SME Awards honours leading GCC small and medium enterprises

Seven winners were chosen in categories which included Fastest Growing SME; Best New SME; Best Young Entrepreneur; Best Female Entrepreneur; Best Use of Technology by an SME, Best Franchised SME, and the overall Best SME in the GCC. The awards program was open to all SMEs operating in the Gulf with less than 250 staff members and with annual earnings of at least Dhs50m. Winners were announced during a special breakfast gathering of the award finalists, SME industry members, sponsors and partners.

Zoya Malik, editor-in-chief of YourBusiness magazine said:

"As the leading magazine for SMEs in the UAE and GCC, we were thrilled to welcome all 33 finalists from around the GCC, from whom winners were announced. YourBusiness conferred awards to seven winners in seven categories. Within each category there were also 'highly commended' companies that were recognised. This has been an excellent beginning for what we expect to become a much-awaited annual event for the SME sector."

YourBusiness enlisted senior management from leading local companies who regularly deal with SMEs to act as award judges. The panel comprised specialists from various industries such as banking, logistics, telecommunications, public sector entrepreneur networks and franchising. Award sponsors included Platinum sponsor Visa Inc, Gold sponsor Emirates NBD, and category sponsors Etisalat, Hamriyah Free Zone, FORSA, DHL and HP.

"We feel that it is only fitting that we give back to industry by highlighting the successes these companies have achieved. Setting up business anywhere is hard, but in the Middle East, entrepreneurs may face even greater challenges. This is why we want to reward these SMEs for their perseverance and initiative. The winners at this event have truly demonstrated the exemplary attributes of innovation, excellence and successful entrepreneurship," concluded Malik.