DUBAI
Finalists in the Gulf Capital SME awards reported average annual growth just above 150 per cent, the firm said.
The 104 shortlisted finalists in the 2017 awards have a combined turnover of Dh2.1 billion, Gulf Capital Co-founder and CEO Dr Karim El Solh said.
The shortlist is more than twice as long last year’s 47 finalists. This year’s finalists will go through a further round of judging before winners are announced on October 11.
“What these figures show us is the continued resilience of the SME sector in the UAE, and offers confidence that this inspiring performance of small businesses will have a ripple effect on the economy of the Emirates as a whole,” Dr El Solh said.
The awards, launched 5 years ago by MEED and supported by Dubai SME and the Khalifa Fund for Economic Development, are intended to celebrate the growth and innovation of SMEs as well as UAE entrepreneurs and business leaders.
Twelve companies are in the running for the top award, the Gulf Captial Business of the Year, five more than 2016. Four women are among the 10 entrepreneurs up for the Business Leader of the Year Award,
“With the government’s unrelenting drive to encourage entrepreneurship among its citizens, the Emirati Business of the Year category received a higher number of entrants this year. A total of nine finalists are competing for the award, up from five in 2016,” said Becky Crayman, Programme Director, Awards and Managed Events, at MEED.
There are two new categories in the 2017 awards: Micro Business of the Year, for firms with a turnover of Dh40 million or less, and Dusruption of the Year, for SMEs that have creates a product of service that has dramatically changed its industry,
The Shortlists
Business of the Year: Arabian Child, Bin Touq Fire and Safety, Emitech Technical Services, Hira Industries, Linkviva, Phanes Group, Q Communications, Raw Coffee Company, RSA Logistics, SamTech Middle East, The Blossom Nursery/Blossom Early Learning Centre, and The Box Self Storage Services.
Business Leader of the Year: Aziz Abbas (A.F. Husain), Arif Akhtar (Emirates Pearl General Trading), Nadeer Ali (Himatrix Middle East), Fadi Jean Baaklini (MEPCO Gulf Co), Manoj Shroff (Niti Group), Paula Bellamy (Ocean Wide Logistics), Abhishek Ajay Shah (RSA Logistics), Zaida Van Der Byl (Senses Salon), Nathalie Haddad (The Right Bite Nutrition and Catering Services) and Zahra Hamirani (The Blossom Nursery/Blossom Early Learning Centre).
Entrepreneur of the Year: Dhirendra Gupta (4C Mortgages Consultancy), Shane Curran (Interact Group), Amiri Gandhi (Kidz Factory), Sanuj Kohli (LEME Group), Anilesh Kumar (Levtech Consulting), Furqan Athar (McArthur+Company), Rahul Sajnani (Moshi-Momo & Sushi), Nicolas Standaert (nearbuy), Stuart Curtis (Synergy Group) and Stevi Lowmass (The Camel Soap Factory).
The full list of finalists is available online at www.meedsmeawards.com.
