Fayza Al Sayed selected Middle East Woman of the Year by the Eighth Middle East Businesswomen & Leaders Achievement Awards

The award has been given in recognition of her innovativeness, performance and personal commitment to her profession and community.

The ceremony, held at Al Fallak Ballroom, Burj Al Arab, Dubai, was graced by the attendance of Her Excellency Mirvat Talawi, UN Deputy Secretary-General and Executive Secretary for Economic and Social Co-operation for West Asia (ESCWA) and Prof. Masouma Al-Mubarak, Minister of Planning and Administrative Development, Kuwait.

Also attending was Kim Phuc, who won many international awards for her photo of a young girl running naked down a road in Vietnam, her skin afire with napalm. The photo changed the way the world looked at the Vietnam War, and, indeed, all wars.

Mrs. Rajaa Al Gurg, President, Dubai Business Women Council (DBWC) pointed out that Atwar Bahgat, Al Arabiya TV Channel correspondent who was martyred in the Iraq War while fulfilling her duties "deserved to be rewarded and esteemed on International Women's Day, may the Almighty rest her soul in peace."

The Middle East Businesswomen & Leaders Achievement Awards recognize Middle Eastern women who are models of leadership and have demonstrated exceptional leadership in their chosen fields and have used their leadership positions to make meaningful impact on women and society.

The awardees are selected as per critical national and international criteria. The awards aim to create a base to further progressive development plans. In addition, they aim to bring attention to the eminent role of women in human development and the role of women's organizations in helping communities through supportive ideas.

Mrs. Fayza Al Sayed, who is also Dubai Business Women Council vice president, expressed her happiness with the award and said that, "such events and awards give businesswomen a strong push to improve themselves and their business with best practices. It is very important to have organizations that evaluate and consider women's achievements."

Ms. Fawzeya Al Khanjari, Dubai Business Women Council member, has also been recognised as the Middle East Media Woman of the Year, 2006. She gave her thanks to Mr. Ali Kamali, Datamix proprietor and sponsor of the awards, for recognising businesswomen. She also gave expressed her heartfelt thanks to Mrs. Rajaa Al Gurg, for supporting young and talented businesswomen.