Sharjah24: Under the patronage of Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Abdullah bin Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, honoured the winners of the Sharjah Excellence Award (SEA) 2023. The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry organised the ceremony, which took place at the Sharjah Expo Centre on Monday evening.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi graciously presented awards to the winners in various categories, including local and Gulf-based economic institutions, individuals, and establishments. He also expressed his gratitude to the partners, strategic sponsors, judging committees, and award team for their outstanding contributions to the award's success.

This year's winners of the Sharjah Excellence Award include:
1. Sharjah Gulf Excellence category: Zain Group, Investcorp, Al Khalili Group, MA'ADEN (Saudi Arabian Mining Co.) 
2. Sharjah Excellence Award category: Life Pharmacy LLC, Sharjah Branch, and Prime Medical Centre, Nahda LLC. 
3. Sharjah Social Responsibility category: The Sharjah Department of Agriculture and Livestock (SDAL), Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services, Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), City Centre Al Zahia, Sharjah Branch. 
4. Sharjah Entrepreneurs Award: Ahmed Mohammed Juma Al Dhahiri. 
5. Sharjah Small & Medium Enterprises category: Al Marai Al Arabiya for Trading, sole proprietorship company, Fun Box for Children's Games Rental. 
6. Sharjah Best Security Standards category: Arada for Development. 
7. Sharjah Entrepreneurs with Disability Award: Abdullah bin Dhahir 
The ceremony began with the national anthem of the United Arab Emirates. Then, the attendees watched a documentary showcasing the achievements of the Sharjah Excellence Award 2023, which witnessed broad participation and underwent various developments and changes in several categories. In the evaluation process, government department representatives from the Sharjah Emirate served as trainees. The documentary also highlighted the award's objectives, mechanisms, and stages of promotion, evaluation, and judging, in which 61 evaluators and 11 judges participated, leading to the announcement of its new edition's final results.

Abdullah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Sharjah Excellence Award, delivered a speech affirming that the establishment of this award by the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry stemmed from the wise vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, and from His Highness's continuous support for everything that contributes to enhancing the values of leadership and excellence in the economic sector, which drives sustainable development. 

Al Owais expressed his utmost gratitude and appreciation to Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, and Sheikh Abdullah bin Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, for their generous initiative in sponsoring this celebration and for their generous support of the award. He emphasised that their support aims to enhance its status and leadership.

The Chairman of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Board of Directors noted that the award has become a hub for innovation and excellence, as well as one of the most important awards of its kind in the region. This is particularly evident this year, with significant participation across all categories, contributing to promoting a culture of quality and institutional excellence. Through this, they affirm their commitment to supporting the business sector and developing positive practices towards sustainable economic growth, prioritising innovation and quality, and enhancing the Gulf human resources element.

The award organised more than six seminars and workshops to enhance innovation and creativity in work environments. The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce focused on including a Gulf dimension in the award to activate interest in the pivotal role of local human resources and enhance their competitive capabilities in the Gulf labour market. This is because local human resources represent the axis of development, and their primary goal is to support the business sector.

At the conclusion of his speech, Al Owais congratulated all the entities that won in this edition, expressing his gratitude to the strategic partners of the award for their efforts in ensuring its continued success and development. He affirmed that the Sharjah Excellence Award gains its importance from the wide participation in its categories, which represent a distinguished opportunity for private sector companies to enhance their competitive capabilities. Therefore, the award has strived to keep pace with the best global practices in the field of business excellence and has made maximum efforts to create an investment climate for the Emirati and Gulf business community, enabling them to benefit from the values of quality, leadership, and innovation, thereby contributing to improving the performance and growth of commercial and industrial businesses and building a sustainable economy.

As part of its efforts to promote a culture of quality and institutional excellence and adopt best practices in the Emirati and Gulf private sectors, the award witnessed the participation of more than 98 economic entities, including Gulf companies and establishments, in categories such as the Sharjah Gulf Localization Award and the Sharjah Gulf Excellence Award. Forty-four economic entities qualified to compete for the awards in this edition as they met the award's criteria and standards, based on the results of arbitration, field evaluation, and documentation conducted according to the best international practices. The committees ensured the highest standards of transparency and objectivity throughout the process.

Major General Saif Al Zari Al Shamsi, Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police; Ali Ahmed Ali Abughazyain, Chairman of the Sharjah Fish Resources Authority; Mohammed Ahmed Amin Al Awadi, Director General of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI); Tariq Saeed Allay, Director General of the Sharjah Government Media Bureau, along with several members of the Chamber's Board of Directors and the Board of Trustees of the Award, as well as senior officials and diplomats in the country, representatives of chamber federations, UAE and Gulf chambers of commerce and industry, and a gathering of private sector representatives and businessmen.