Mansour Bin Zayed: SKEA has developed a UAE quality and excellence model

His Highness said - in statements made by him on the sidelines of a ceremony held yesterday's evening, under the patronage of General HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme - Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and on the occasion of honouring SKEA winners at the award's 11th cycle - that, "The award's philosophy and objectives reflect keenness on the part of President HH Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed to bring about a qualitative breakthrough in the role being played by UAE establishments in a manner consistent with the position enjoyed by the UAE economy regionally and internationally."

The growing number of national organizations and companies racing for taking the honour of attaining the reward does mirror the credibility established by the UAE quality model in local, regional and international economic markets and circles, he pointed out.

HH Sheikh Mansour noted the patronage being conferred on the award by HH the President of the UAE and the follow-up given to it by General HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

In the presence of HE Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, HE Ahmed Juma Al Za'abi, Deputy Minister of Presidential Affairs, HE Nasser Bin Ahmed Khalifa Al Suwaidi, Chairman of the Department of Economic Development (DED), HE Hamad Al Hor Al Suwaidi, Chairman of the Finance Department, HE Dr. Mugheer Al Khaili, Director-General of the Abu Dhabi Educational Council, HE Khalil Folathi, Board Chairman of the Emirates Central Bank, HE Mohammed Omar Abdullah, Undersecretary of the DED, along with HE Engineer Abdullah Nasser Al Suwaidi, Director-General of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), HH Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan witnessed the closing ceremony of SKEA at its 11th cycle organized by the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ADCCI) and honoured award-winning companies the number of which reached 12 in addition to 3 ones that obtained quality-appreciating certificates.

At the outset of the event, HE Saeed Abdul-Jaleel Al Fahim, Chairman of SKEA Higher Committee, delivered a speech in the course of which he extended the utmost thanks and deepest appreciation to President HH Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to General HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the patron of the ceremony, as well as to Their Highnesses and Excellencies the Sheikhs who honoured the delightful event and festival, which was being held marking the end of the SKEA 11th cycle under the motto: "11 Years of Sustainable Excellence".

"What makes the SKEA's 11th special is the considerable rise in the number of companies applying for participating and making use of guiding reference provided by the award's benchmarks and criteria in the field of corporate excellence and quality," Mr. Al Fahim said.

He stressed, "The first starting-point for the SKEA's programme in 1999 came upon royal directives given by President HH Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and in response to challenges of the global economy at that time coupled with the necessary enlightened adoption of up-to-date academic and practical means for raising our national organizations' competitive capacities at the fore of which are the concepts of total quality and excellence in business. Accordingly, the award's auspicious name - a name which has been carried by it as its twinkling crown throughout 11 years of sustainable excellence, and through which it introduced an epitome of excellence in business - was created based upon state-of-the-art human knowledge in this realm. Similarly, modern management concepts and ideas were also standardized and unified for all organizations operating in the UAE within the public and private sectors and SKEA's international benchmarks were adopted as a roadmap towards corporate efficiency and effectiveness and human development for all UAE and expatriate employees."

Mr. Al Fahim mentioned that other most important achievements attained by SKEA include its being honoured by the International Academy for Quality, which is the highest academic and professional authority in the world. It is one of the key national awards worldwide contributing to the dissemination of a culture of quality and excellence on the largest geographical scale inside the UAE. Add to this historical achievement the selection of SKEA's Programme as both a strategic partner and authorized agent for EFQM in the United Arab Emirates and one which is also assigned to accomplish an Arabic version of the new European quality model of organizational excellence. Likewise, it is worthwhile that there are further 7 awards for quality and excellence in the UAE.

He pointed out that the number of companies taking part in the award's programme during the last decade went up to 5000 companies and businesses including 150 winners. In addition, the SKEA's Programme trained hundreds of experts, assessors and arbitrators as ambassadors of corporate excellence, including 200 assessors and arbitrators from UAE nationals.

Some of these qualified for leading assessment teams, and a UAE female national participated this year and for the first time as leader of one of the most important assessment teams subordinate to the award's programme.

Furthermore, three intakes of our fellow citizens numbering 150 males and females and working for Abu Dhabi Government's local departments were graduated as part of the UK Quality Organization-accredited programme of the professional diploma in corporate excellence.

"SKEA's categories of companies taking part in the eleventh cycle covered the entire award-composing sectors; namely, industrial services, tourism, financial, oil and gas, construction, educational and health sectors. Starting from the 10th cycle, winners from these categories were honoured. Emphasis is placed on that all participants through the 11th cycle did win by means of being familiar with the reality of their organizations at the backdrop of SKEA's international benchmarks," Mr. Al Fahim explained.

"Commensurate with the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030, new categories have been introduced so as to underline the importance of creativity by launching SKEA-Creativity & Creative People, SKEA-Leadership Development, SKEA-Human Development, SKEA-Excellence in Customer Service categories," HE the Chairman of the SKEA Higher Committee stated.

Directly and on behalf of the SKEA Higher Committee's members, Mr. Al Fahim extended his thanks, appreciation and gratitude to Their Highnesses the Sheikhs and Their Excellencies the senior officials in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the UAE for their privilege-giving presence throughout the proceedings and activities of the 11th Cycle's Closing Ceremony.

He also expressed his thanks to the Higher Arbitration Board and to leaders and members of the assessment teams which kept working for weeks and months, voluntarily dedicating their valuable time to the accomplishment of the mission of assessment and arbitration at the highest professional level possible, something with which we have grown familiar all along the past years of the programme's long life, God willing.

For his own part, HE Mohamed Thani Murshed Al Rumaithi, Chairman of both the Federation of UAE Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce & Industry, praised both the patronage provided by General HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and the presence of HH Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Premiere and Minister of Presidential Affairs, at the concluding ceremony of the SKEA's 11th cycle, which was held yesterday's evening at the Emirates Palace. This reflects how interested our wise leadership is in streamlining performance, work and the quality of services provided by private sector's companies and businesses.

"Organizing such a great event, the Chamber believes in both the importance of the role played by the SKEA in disseminating a culture of quality and excellence all over all quarters of the country and the positive impact the award kept bringing about for the purpose of developing corporate performance of all establishments participating in activities and programmes of the award's various cycles throughout the past ten years," Mr. Al Rumaithi said in press statements given on the occasion of holding the ceremony of conferring the SKEA at its 11th cycle.

He commended the exceptional support and non-stop encouragement the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce & Industry has been receiving from President HH Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan as well as from his honest Crown Prince General HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, whose patronage of the SKEA's Closing Ceremony at its 11th cycle was a privilege to us.

The event was also privileged by the attendance and presence of HH Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, who honoured companies winning the award at its 11th cycle.

Mr. Al Rumaithi voiced his utmost thanks and appreciation to all companies and businesses that took part in the SKEA's 11th cycle, affirming that such participation would help give leverage to the march of business, developing performance and improving services rendered by private sector's companies and establishments in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.