Damas bags the Newsweek Awards of Excellence Programme for General Trading 2008

The event honoured Damas among UAE's 20 top corporate performers in 2008, recognising their outstanding contribution to national and economic growth as well as the advancement of their respective industries at a ceremony held recently at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Dubai.

The launch ceremony of the award also marked the ninth anniversary of Newsweek magazine and is set to be an annual feature. HH Sheikh Hasher bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, Director General of Dubai Department of Informa-tion, presented the awards to the winners.

The judging panel consisted of senior correspondents and writers of the Newsweek editorial board who selected the honourees, which included UAE-based companies and private and government institutions and organisations, following extensive research and study.

"Damas is extremely honoured to be presented the Newsweek Award of Excellence in its launch edition and we thank its organizers and panel of judges. Damas has always believed that quality is a journey not a destination. It is a constant striving to better one's performance that results in streamlining an entire organization. And I take this opportunity to thank everyone at Damas for supporting us sincerely in this drive for quality excellence. It is truly the need of the hour to improve one's performance as it results in greater energy efficiency, which is ultimately linked to environmental consciousness,"

said Tawfique Abdullah, Chairman of Damas Group.

He added: "Exemplary vision should be backed up by a willingness to adopt best business practices in all areas of a company's functioning. This should be combined with two other critical factors: an openness to experiment with new and original ideas as well as implementation of sincere customer service where the customer forms the cen-tral focus, as both are vital to an organisation's progress and standing."

The well known jewellery and watch retailer's drive for quality excellence has seen it recently walk away with sev-eral awards this season, among them the Appreciation Award 2008 under the Dubai Quality Appreciation Pro-gramme of the Dubai Quality Award and two RetailMe Awards 2008 presented under the categories of Business Excellence of the Year and Retail Personality of the Year for Tamjid Abdullah, Deputy Managing Director, Damas.

In the light of the present ongoing economic crisis, Damas is a beacon of hope that stands up to the challenge with renewed force of vision and purpose. An aspect that has catapulted it to the very forefront of the regions' in-dustry to become one of the most respected names in the region.