Sheikha Lubna applauds efforts of UAE winners of 8th Annual International Business Awards

H. E. Sheikha Lubna Al Qassimi, Minister of Foreign Trade, UAE, welcomed the delegates from the International Business Awards at the press conference held today (Sunday, 9^th of October, 2011) at the Ministry of Foreign Trade headquarters in Abu Dhabi. Attended by delegates and media, the event emphasised on the requisite of recognising achievements and accomplishments by establishments and individuals who have become leaders in their sectors.

Under the Patronage of H.E. Sheikha Lubna Al Qassimi, Abu Dhabi will play host to the 8^th Annual International Business Awards on 11^th October 2011 at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi. International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards comes to the Middle East for the first time this year and attracted nominations from more than 40 nations. The competition was opened to individuals and organizations worldwide; public and private, for-profit and non-profit as well as large and small enterprises with many as 3,000 nominations assessed by a selective panel of judges who witnessed an increased level of participation in this year’s competition following months of intense competition from all over the world. 

Speaking at the press conference Sheikha Lubna praised the efforts of the organisations in the UAE “it is apparent that the UAE is fast becoming a global market player and the recognition by the international judging panel indicates the accomplishments of companies and individuals from here. This should be a clear indication that over the years the UAE has transformed and it is now ready to compete with other established markets across various industries.” 

UAE companies featured prominently in this year’s final results of Stevie Awards as the winners of the upcoming International Business Awards 2011 are announced. Over 25 categories and organizations and individuals from 35 nations, including first-time winners Bahrain, Peru, Saudi Arabia, and Slovakia, have been announced as Stevie Award winners in This Eighth edition of Annual International Business Awards, the world’s only international, all-encompassing business awards program. Winning 42 Stevie Awards this year, organizations and individuals in the United States made the best showing.  South Korea came in second place with 29 awards, while the host nation United Arab Emirates earned an impressive 24 Stevies, United Kingdom earned 22 awards followed by Turkey with 11 and Germany with 10 Stevies.  Stevies are conferred upon top-scoring nominations in each category, as chosen by an international judging panel of more than 150 business leaders. 

Nicknamed the Stevies from the Greek word “crowned,” the International Business Awards will be presented at a gala ceremony on Tuesday, 11^th October at the prestigious Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Stevie Awards were created to honour and generate public recognition of the achievements and positive contributions of organizations and business people worldwide. Beginning with The American Business Awards in 2002, the mission was to raise the profile of exemplary organizations and individuals among the press, the business community, and the general public.  In short order the Stevie has become one of the world's most coveted business awards.  

"It is an honour to be here and present the Stevies for the first time in the Middle East. We have received an overwhelming response in this year’s competition, a sure confirmation that the awards are becoming prominent fixtures in the international business arena. These awards emphasize on standards of criteria that organizations have to fulfill and we believe that companies need to be recognized for their innovation, achievements and success,” said Michael Gallagher, president of The Stevie Awards. 

Business professionals around the world participated in preliminary judging in May-July.  Their average scores determined the entries that were eligible to be considered in final judging, which was performed earlier this month by the members of 10 specialized committees.  In total, 200 executives around the world participated in the judging process.