(MENAFN- EIN Presswire) SME Awards 2022 Finalist Announced
SMEs are the backbone of the economy” — Sonia Kerrigan, MEED Group Commercial Director DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, October 12, 2022 / / -- A total of 130 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across the GCC are in the MEED SME Awards 2022.
The awards, which celebrate and recognise the trailblazing SMEs leading the region's return to economic growth, attracted more than 400 applications this year. Entries were spread across 17 categories, including B2B and B2C SME Business of the Year, Business Leader of the Year, FedEx Start-up Business of the Year and Gulf Capital Technology Business of the Year.
The finalists were selected during the first round of a rigorous nomination and independent judging process by more than 49 industry experts from the region's leading private, public and academic organisations.
Among the finalists this year are Bambuyu, Hawa Water, Desert Board, Furchild Pet Nutrition, House of Pops, Hunter Foods, Codebase Technologies and Finbots AI Solutions.
They and the other finalists will now go through to a second round of judging to determine the overall winners in each category. The winners will be announced at a gala ceremony at Dubai's Ritz Carlton JBR hotel on 9 November.
“SMEs are the backbone of the economy,” says MEED Group Commercial Director Sonia Kerrigan.“According to government data, there are some 350,000 SMEs in total in the UAE alone, representing more than 94 per cent of all active companies in the nation.
“Collectively, they employ some 86 per cent of the private sector labour force and constitute over 60 per cent of total GDP.
“It is, therefore, more important than ever to recognise the role they play in accelerating growth across the region as it continues to recover from the pandemic and the softening economic environment,” Kerrigan added.
The annual MEED SME Awards are now in their 11th edition. Previous edition winners have included ekar, AquaFun, SQUATWOLF, Distichain, PawPots, Tendered and more.
Dr Karim El Solh, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Capital, says:“Gulf Capital recognises the key role SMEs play in the GCC economy and has been supporting the SME Awards since they were launched. This year, we wanted to focus on the theme of technology, given the importance of tech startups in powering economies into the future.
“The quality of submissions in all four technology categories that Gulf Capital supports reflects the buoyancy of the tech sectors in the region.
“GCC governments have laid down a solid infrastructure for a tech-based economy that enables the adoption of artificial intelligence, augmented reality, virtual reality, big data analytics, cloud computing, cybersecurity and the internet of things, among others.
“Today, we see the results of these government drives in the quality and number of SMEs that are building the next-generation economy across many sectors: financial, retail, education, healthcare and sustainability, all of which Gulf Capital is invested in. Some of these are represented in the MEED SME Awards.”
Taarek Hinedi, Vice President of FedEx Express Middle East and Africa operations, says:“The SME Awards are a great platform for small and medium businesses to connect, network and foster future collaborations.
“FedEx has long been an advocate for SMEs, and we're pleased to once again sponsor this initiative. The role SMEs play in driving economic growth has inspired us to strengthen our capabilities and bring more advanced digital solutions, world-class services and enhanced network connectivity that allows businesses to offer convenience, more control and a positive experience to their end-consumers.”
The awards are supported by: Official Logistics Sponsor FedEx Express; Technology Category Sponsor Gulf Capital; Association Partner Dtec; and Endorsing Partners Dubai SME, Dubai Angel Investors, Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, in5, StartAD, Tie Dubai, DIFC FinTech, Dubai Cultiv8, Young Arab Leaders and She is Arab.
About MEED
MEED is a remarkable senior management media brand that encompasses a subscription website and magazine, more than 30 C-level executive conferences and summits hosted by MEED Events, the MEED Projects Awards and two high-value content businesses, MEED Projects and MEED Insight. MEED Projects is the Middle East's premium project tracking database and MEED Insight offers tailored research and in-depth analysis.
Established in 1957, MEED has been integral to delivering business information and news, intelligence and analysis on the Middle East economies and activities ever since. Attracting a key senior management audience through its content and activities, MEED is a media brand and publication that covers a spectrum of services that inform.
Vignesh Satyarajan
MEED