Arab Technology Awards honour Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi for her outstanding contribution to eCommerce

The event, which pays homage to the leading IT figures and corporations within the region, was held in association with Etisalat and GITEX at the Grand Hyatt Dubai.

Apologising for her absence from the ceremony, Sheikha Lubna thanked the organisers for her prestigious award, adding proudly that "Tejari is now in its fifth year of success as the leading online marketplace. It plays a pivotal role in facilitating online procurement in the Middle East and hence adds an undisputable value to regional business."

Since its official inauguration five years ago, Tejari has enabled numerous e-government initiatives in the region as well as streamlined and automated procurement strategies for the private sector. As the secure but affordable online trading hub for more than 3500 partners, Tejari has been named as a Superbrand for three consecutive years, as well as receiving previous awards from the World Summit for Information Society, the Middle East Economic Digest (MEED), Gulf Marketing Review, and PC Magazine.

"In the five years since Tejari's inception, Tejari has negotiated with more than 35,000 online tenders and, with a transaction value of more than $2 billion. This award bears testament to the fact that no business-to-business online enterprise in the region has a wider reach and more prominent brand recognition than Tejari does," said Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, the UAE's Minister of Economy and Planning, after receiving the award.

Throughout its five-year existence, Tejari has placed particular emphasis on customer service, and is currently enhancing its technology platform to provide the best-possible support to its trading partners. The marketplace has become the region's trusted platform for online procurement in terms of efficiency, transparency and quick access to suppliers.

"The Arab Technology Award for Sheikha Lubna comes hot on the heels of a successful GITEX for Tejari, an exhibition in which we unveiled two new business solutions: Tejari Link for small- to medium-sized business, and Tejari Tender, a viable online option for the most complex of tender deals," added Omar Hijazi, current CEO of Tejari, who collected the award on Sheikha Lubna's behalf.