(MENAFN- Emirates News Agency (WAM))
ABU DHABI, 22nd September, 2021 (WAM) -- Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry has organised the closing ceremony of the 19th cycle of Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award (SKEA) at the Auditorium in the Chamber's building in Abu Dhabi.
Twenty-one companies were announced as winners in the newly introduced category the Excellence Elite Category, diamond, golden and silver categories, as well as the Quality Appreciation Certificate
Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development – Abu Dhabi (ADDED), His Excellency Saeed Abdul Jalil Al-Fahim, Chairman of SKEA Higher Committee; and Abdulla Mohamed Almazrui, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Chamber; attended the ceremony along with a number of Abu Dhabi Chamber Board Members and members of the SKEA Higher Committee Dr. Mohamed Rashid Al Hameli, Dr. Mohamed Salem Al Dhaheri, Yousuf Ali and Mohamed Helal Al Mheiri, Director General of the Chamber. and representatives of companies and the private sector.
In his opening remarks, Abdul Jalil Al-Fahim, Chairman of the SKEA Higher Committee, said that this year's cycle of the award was exceptional due to the pandemic and that all its programs and activities were held under exceptional circumstances that led SKEA Office to transform all its programs digitally to be held virtually.
Exceptional Cycle.
Al Fahim added that digital transformation helped in providing the services of SKEA Office in a permanent state, noting that orientation seminars and workshops were held for all participants across the region virtually by local and international experts in cooperation with SKEA Office.
He pointed out that evaluation and assessment of all participants were also carried out remotely including field visits, emphasizing that they have achieved all their objectives in covering all the requirements of the assessment model of the award.
The meetings of the judging panels of the different categories of the award were convened via conferencing platforms, through which the panels approved the final list of winning participants and raised their recommendations to SKEA higher committee, which in turn, approved the results.
New Achievements.
The Chairman added that despite the challenges of the pandemic and the lockdown, the award had realized many unprecedented achievements including:
Firstly, introducing the Excellence Elite Category, which was founded based on the wide recognition of the Award over the past decade and becoming a strategic partner and representative to may international establishments and foundations specialized in quality, excellence, innovation and benchmarking such as the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM), the International Associate of Innovation Professional (IAOIP), and the Global Benchmarking Network (GBN) amongst others.
This category is dedicated to the outstanding local and international entities that enjoy corporate maturity by winning prestigious local, regional and international awards such as the government awards under the supervision of the executive councils of the different emirates, the EFQM Global Award, and the American Award or the Japanese prize Deming and other related awards.
Besides, such entities must demonstrate high operational indicators – technical, administrative, and financial – that can be taken as a role model locally and internationally and can be taken as a benchmark across the globe.
Secondly, the technical management of the award has developed an integrated organizational global framework for the participating companies that was drafted based on scientific and practical concepts in corporate excellence, flexibility, and resilience for which companies can adapt to the rapid changes and manage the risks and challenges they face.
Thirdly, this year's cycle of the award witnessed a 30% surge in the number of participants from all sectors and that the level of performance of all participants has registered a noticeable rise in all the aspects and standards of the award.
In addition, the number of assessors, especially UAE nationals, has witnessed a considerable increase reaching to more than 250 assessors, half of which are Emirati nationals.
Thanks and Appreciation.
Al Fahim pointed out that since its inauguration 23 years ago, SKEA is linked to the name of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa, President of the UAE, and was the first to bear his name in the UAE.
The Chairman, on his behalf and on behalf of the members of SKEA Higher Committee and the Chairman and Board Members of Abu Dhabi Chamber, expressed his utmost thanks and sincere appreciation to His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, for his continuous support for SKEA over the years.
Al Fahim extended his thanks and appreciation to the sponsor of the ceremony His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, for his continuous support, encouragement and follow up for the activities of SKEA.
He also thanked the Chairman and Board Members of Abu Dhabi Chamber, the members of SKEA Higher Committee and all the participants and judging panels for making the 19th cycle of SKEA a success despite the pandemic.
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