Burj Al Arab was a hot spot and buzzing this week….the ex President of my University who is also the former Deputy Prime Minister, Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim was in town to speak at the 9th Leading CEO Conference that honoured the most dynamic and inspirational CEO’s that have made a difference.
I had caught up with Dato’ Anwar earlier this month at the World PR Congress and his dynamism over the years has not changed one bit – he has the same energy as I remember when he gave us talks at the University and his home whenever he invited us over for iftar during Ramadan in Kuala Lumpur. It was apt that he gave the awards to leaders who have made significant contributions towards the development of the region’s economic growth and progress.
It was great to see such a great representation from Saudi Arabia as well – the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to UAE was beaming with delight when I said hello to him after the awards. It was awesome to meet so many global experts and leaders in an intimate setting under one roof at Burj Al Arab with a lot of familiar faces thanks to the dynamism and hard work of Ali Al Kamali, Managing Director, Middle East Excellence Awards Institute.
It was also cool to catch up with Sunny Varkey from GEMs – I first met him in 2000 when he laid out plans for where he wanted to be in 10 years – although I only bump into him once every couple of years since then, its awesome to see that he achieved what he set out to do and more. Well deserved award I must say.
To give you an insight, see the CEOs who walked away with the awards.
Government CEO Excellence Award: Prince Dr. Abdul Aziz Bin Mohammed Bin Ayaf Miqren, Mayor of Riyadh City, KSA
Service Industry CEO Excellence Award: H.E Sheikh Saleh Bin Abdulrahman Al Hassin CEO General Presidency OF Two Holy Mosques
Industrial CEO Excellence Award: Abdulla Jassim M Kalban President & CEO Dubal.ae
Banking and Finance CEO Excellence Award: Mr. Ali Shareef Al-Emadi Group CEO Qatar National Bank
Aviation Industry CEO Excellence Award: Mr. Khalifa Al Zaffin Executive Chairman, Dubai Aviation City Corporation
Maritime Construction and Engineering CEO Excellence Award: Eng. Yasser Nasr Zaghloul CEO National Marine Dredging Company
Knowledge Development and Education Partnership CEO Excellence Award: Sunny Varkey, Chairman, Varkey Group and GEMS group of schools
Multiple Industry CEO Excellence Award: Jamal Majid Bin Thaniah Non-Executive Vice Chairman, DP World & Group CEO, Port & Free Zone World
Woman CEO Excellence Award: Salma Ali Saif Bin Hareb CEO, Economic Zones World
Corporate Management CEO Excellence Award: Eng. Saud Al Daweesh CEO STC
Community Service CEO Excellence Award: Ahmed Humaid Al Mazrouai Chairman RCA
The Middle East Excellence Awards Institute has always persevered to recognize, honor and promote the achievements of the region’s leaders and organizations and commended their outstanding performance and commitment to excellence….another superb ceremony by Ali.
Life on Water 
Nice