Dubai Chamber surges ahead with its new strategy based on the success of 2007
Buamim: “The newly-acquired image of Dubai Chamber is working in its favour as the Chamber moves forward with its new strategy of becoming the best chamber in the world”
The rebranding of Dubai Chamber’s corporate identity late last year came as an icing on the cake for its remarkable achievements during the year 2007. The new strategy, created with the sole aim of making the chamber the best in the world, arrived with the honest approach of serving the business community better and in line with the leadership’s vision of the Dubai Strategic Plan 2015, and was an instant hit with the members and businessmen who could get their transactions done faster online and at its various departments and branches spread out all over the emirate.
Measuring the achievements with figures, the membership numbers rose considerably by 23.4% surging to 108,000 compared to 87,111 members by the end of 2006 while the Certificates of Origin saw an increase of 40% in total value and a rise of 16% in its numbers in contrast to the year 2006. No wonder HE Eng Hamad Mubarak Buamim, the Director General of Dubai Chamber who completed his first year in office late last year is an elated man as he says, “The increase in the number and values of the Certificates of Origin issued by Dubai Chamber in 2007 reflects the significant growth of Dubai economy, as well as Dubai Chamber’s commitment to cope with this development through its continued support and services provided to local businessmen and investors.”
The Director General added that the Chamber’s commercial services
department issued 559,779 Certificates of Origin in 2007, compared to 482,106 in 2006, recording an increase of 16%, whereas the total value of the commodities exported and re-exported through Dubai according to the Certificates of Origin issued in 2007 reached AED 165.4 billion, compared to AED 117.8 billion in 2006, recording a rise of 40% which is the highest till date.
“The new strategy of Dubai Chamber that enforces to augment its competitive advantage for better contribution to the national economy under the ambitious vision of the emirate’s leadership through Dubai Strategic Plan 2015 copes with the economic changes that Dubai is experiencing and also embodies its interest in adopting new initiatives such as e-business and corporate social responsibility which are being actively promoted by the Chamber’s newly-established Center for Responsible Business (CRB), the Dubai International Arbitration Center (DIAC) and the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Business Award (MRM),” said Buamim.
It was with the same zeal that the Dubai Chamber launched the “Making it Our Business” breast cancer awareness campaign at the hands of US First Lady Laura Bush and by later organising the Train the Trainer (ToT) programme at its premises, while in its quest to open new channels of communication between its members and their counterparts around the world and to introduce to the overseas partners the investment opportunities available in this fastest growing city of the world, the Chamber has been organizing and actively participating in a number of overseas networking meetings.
The most notable event last year was the participation of Dubai Chamber in supporting UAE business delegation to Vietnam and South Korea for which the Chamber provided studies and research for the trade delegation headed by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai as the visits were a huge success while the Dubai Hamburg Business Forum 2007 organised by the Chamber attracted over 60 CEO’s from both sides and turned out to be a benchmark event as it helped delegates from Germany and Dubai intensify bilateral relationship and work strongly on future strategies.
As a positive outcome of the Dubai Hamburg Business Forum 2007, both the sides unanimously agreed to a number of areas of cooperation including job-oriented dual system of training of skilled workers under work
apprenticeship and exchange programmes; the development of rules and regulations concerning human rights and human resource safety; research and development in the medical field; adoption of complete transportation solutions/innovative solutions to support trade and commerce; marketing services for technical products and the establishment of intermediate distribution centers and availability of aviation services and aircraft maintenance.
Meanwhile, the 2007 achievements of Dubai Chamber kickstarted with the winning of the Dubai Government Excellence Program 2006 award for Distinguished Management Initiative received by the Dubai Trade Point (DTP)
team for highlighting Dubai Chamber’s commitment to implement the standards outlined in the programme as a prerequisite for institutional
excellence and the foundation stone laying of its new branch building in Jebel Ali Free Zone that will help expand the Chamber’s commercial services to more members and clients in Jafza, including businessmen, owners of trade and industrial enterprises, manufacturers and exporters from more than 5,500 companies.
Last week, Dubai Chamber successfully organised the awards presentation
ceremony of the third round of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (MRM)
Business Awards 2007 for which a large number of applications were
received last year. HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Group, handed over the awards to 17 winners of UAE-based companies and establishments from different economic sectors due to their outstanding performance and contribution to the economic development of the country. The fourth round of the awards being organised late this year is expected to be a bigger success due to the increasing interest of the business community in being the best in their chosen area of operation.
Dubai Chamber received more than 170 trade delegations in 2007, along with a number of presidents, ministers, ambassadors and consuls from all over the world. The Chamber also participated in over 17 trade fairs and economic forums locally and abroad. It also organised more than 19 seminars, workshops and economic forums and press conferences, and signed eight Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) and agreements of
cooperation with a number of commercial entities.
A strong arm of Dubai Chamber, Dubai International Arbitration Center
(DIAC) has successfully organised the “International Construction Contracts & the Resolution of Disputes” in association with the ICC in February, 2007; the “International Effect of Arbitral Awards” in April; the most modern rules (best arbitration practices) followed by the top arbitration centers worldwide; and also organised five training courses in cooperation with the Kings College University & the Lebanese University while the Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) published the 2006 Annual Perception Research and 2007 Annual CSR Perception Survey, conducted seven CSR training and two BitC (UK) workshops, Issued framework for the CSR certification and awards scheme based on the best international practices (Phase I). Also organised 13 public events, and participated in 16 external CSR events. Meanwhile, the Better Business Desk conducted “Professional Mediation Training” in association with LEADR, Australia, prepared “Mediator's Code of Ethics” and handled an increased 14% complaint of 637 in 2007 from 558 in 2006 having settled around 35 to 40 percent of these complaints which is the unit’s greatest achievement to-date.
