DED honours assessors and jury members of 2010 Business Excellence Awards

The Dubai Department of Economic Development (DED) honoured the assessors and Jury Members of the Dubai Quality Award (DQA) and Dubai Human Development Award (DHDA) 2010 at a gala dinner held at Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai. Mr Ali Ibrahim, Deputy Director General for Planning and Development, DED; and Mr Mohammed Bushanain, Executive Director Corporate Quality and Management Excellence, presented the honourees with certificates and special mementoes in appreciation of their work in assessing the applications for both awards. 

Mr Mohammed Bushanain said: "The reputation of DQA and DHDA rests on the strengths and commitment of its assessors. The quality of the working methods of assessors within teams directly impacts the quality of assessments, and serves as an authenticated standard against which companies can measure their own performance. It is due to the continuous and dedicated effort of the assessors that the standards remain uniformly high year on year, and enable companies to raise the bar of quality and excellence each year,” he added. 

“The assessors evaluate the applications on the basis of stringent criteria, and consistently convey the message of excellence to their associates and to the companies they evaluate. The feedback from the assessors holds great value for companies, who use it as a starting point for identifying areas for improvement, thus ensuring that the message of quality spreads across the business community in Dubai,” he added. 

The assessors for the awards include senior professionals who have significant experience in quality management, human resources and general management. They come from all segments of business sectors in UAE, as well as different nationalities with a strong emphasis on engaging UAE Nationals in the process. The awards are now being recognized as tools that companies can employ and leverage to enhance and upgrade their internal operational systems on a long term basis. 

Since its launch in 1994, the DQA has enjoyed the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, who has been instrumental in driving the quality movement across the private and public sectors in the emirate. The DQA is the single most valuable framework for companies to implement a quality strategy to improve their effectiveness by involving all employees to meet objectives and achieve customer satisfaction at optimal costs. 

The Dubai Quality Award winners are honoured in three categories - the Gold Category, the Dubai Quality Award, and the Dubai Quality Appreciation Programme (DQAP). The awards are distributed in key sectors – manufacturing, finance, professional, tourism, services, trade, construction, higher education, and healthcare. 

The Dubai Human Development Award recognises the long-term commitment of the private sector to the development of UAE nationals. It offers them the chance to develop and build career paths. DHDA is given in three categories – The Gold Category, the Dubai Human Development Award, and the Dubai Human Development Appreciation Programme (DHDAP). The award covers economic sectors - trade, manufacturing, construction, professional, services, tourism, higher education, financial services and government. 

The Business Excellence Department will be conducting specialised workshops on the EFQM Model for all new assessors later this year. Candidates interested in becoming assessors of these awards are requested to contact [email protected].