Fifteen of the UAE’s entrepreneurs and business leaders were named awardees of the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards 2015 at a glittering gala at Shangri-La, Dubai. Over 200 attendees were present at the by-invitation only event, comprising of industry leaders, leading entrepreneurs, dignitaries and the who’s who of the business world, including, Mr Talmiz Ahmad, Former Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Oman and UAE, Lt. Gen. Sudhir Sharma, Member of the Advisory Board of Enterprise Asia, and Dato’ William Ng, President of Enterprise Asia.
The Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards, or APEA, is a regional recognition program organized by Enterprise Asia, the region’s foremost association and think-tank for entrepreneurship. The Awards are presented to a handful of entrepreneurs across Asia and the Pacific each year, with award ceremonies held in over 12 countries every year.
The Awards is often compared to the Olympics for the stringent entry criteria and highly competitive judging parameters. Nominations into the Awards itself is by invitation, either by past and current awardees, a supporting trade association or the awards committee of Enterprise Asia. Nominees are then subjected to a series of rigourous tests, including financial verification by an appointed audit firm and a compulsory physical site audit and interview, culminating in a secret balloting process by Enterprise Asia’s awards committee.
Awardees are expected to be torch-bearers of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial leadership in their respective countries, and adhere to a strict standard of personal and business ethics.
“We can say with certainty that the recipients of the APEA are like none others. Not only do they have to prove their entrepreneurial skills and experience in one of the toughest contests in the world, they also subject themselves to a pledge to uphold the highest standards of entrepreneurship, which includes allegiance to the two founding pillars of Enterprise Asia, namely Investment in People and Responsible Entrepreneurship”, says Dato’ William Ng, President of Enterprise Asia.
The final 15 were announced by Enterprise Asia at the grand awards ceremony in Dubai, where all winners were presented with their trophies and certificates by President of Enterprise Asia, Dato’ William Ng and Member of the Advisory Board of Enterprise Asia, Lt. Gen. Sudhir Sharma. Mr Bassam Dahman, Partner at RSM Dahman, the Official Verification Partner for the APEA 2015 UAE, was also present at the Event in support of the drive for entrepreneurship development in this region.
The APEA 2015 is now inaugurated in the UAE, expanding the current reaches of the Awards into neighbouring regions. Many of the markets in the Middle East are integral to the livelihood of Asia and the Pacific, and just as importantly, the entrepreneurs behind these businesses are the cogs of the machine. Through this recognition programme Enterprise Asia hopes to encourage and stimulate economic growth throughout these regions.
Mr Ng explained, “The APEA is aimed at promoting entrepreneurship. Beyond recognising the efforts of these entrepreneurs, we hope to encourage them to continue taking their businesses to the next level, and in the process, providing more job opportunities to the people of the UAE, and help to drive the economy forward”.
The highlight of the night was the truly deserving recipient of the APEA Special Category: Mr Rizwan Sajan, Founder and Chairman of the Danube Group receiving the Special Achievement Award.
RECIPIENT LIST OF ASIA PACIFIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP AWARDS 2015 UAE
Special Achievement Award
Rizwan Sajan, Founder & Chairman Danube Group
Outstanding Category
Nicole Rodrigues, Proprietor & Managing Director Diva Group of Companies
Faisal Memon, Founder & CEO Illusions Online
Ved Chhabra, Chairman & Managing Director Inter Ocean Ship Repairs LLC
Nazeer Ahmad Zakaria, Managing Director Naz Fashions LLC
Meera Kaul, Founder & Chairperson Optimus Computer Trading LLC
Dr Sundar Menon, Chairman & Managing Director Sun Group International
Mahesh Shahdadpuri, Founder & CEO TASC Outsourcing
Ramesh S. Ramakrishnan, Chairman Transworld Group
Nisreen Shocair, President Virgin Megastore
Most Promising Category
Hemant Kambli, CEO Dhofar Global Tr. Co. LLC
Khalid Basaeed, General Manager FEATHERS UAE
Mona Ataya, CEO & Founder Mumzworld.com
Vishaal Shah, CEO & Founder Panache International FZ LLC
Fatima Al Shirawi, Founder The Gracious F
