His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, has announced six new recipients of the Dubai-it Award, recognizing exceptional achievements that reflect Dubai’s approach to turning ambitious ideas into tangible results in record time while maintaining high standards of quality and efficiency.
The recognition celebrates individuals, institutions, and projects whose accomplishments extend beyond their respective businesses and sectors, contributing to Dubai’s position as a global center for business, investment, and innovation.
The six recipients represent a broad range of industries, from banking and international trade to real estate, luxury retail, entrepreneurship, and hospitality. Each has demonstrated how an idea developed in Dubai can grow into a successful business or initiative with an international presence.
Hamdan bin Mohammed: Dubai Turns Ambitions Into Global Achievements
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum emphasized that the Dubai-it Award recognizes outstanding examples of Dubai’s working philosophy, which focuses on delivering exceptional results in less time without compromising quality.
His Highness said: “We launched the Dubai-it Award to present examples that embody Dubai’s philosophy of work across various fields… exceptional achievement, in record time, and with high quality.”
His Highness added: “We announce the awarding of the prize in the economic institutions category to Emirates NBD, for its exceptional growth in the region, its expansion, and the advancement of its services and products… and in the project managers category to Ahmed bin Sulayem, CEO of Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, for developing the diamond trade and building trading centers across multiple sectors…
In the real estate projects category, to Mahdi Amjad, founder of OMNIYAT Group, for transforming the designs of international architects into landmarks that enrich Dubai’s skyline… and in the services category, to the Ounass project, through which Khalid Al Tayer introduced a luxury shopping experience that originated in Dubai and achieved exceptional results.”
His Highness continued: “And in the entrepreneurs category, to Charlie Wright, founder of Humantra, for building, from Dubai, the world’s fastest-growing brand in the electrolyte sector…
And in the hospitality category, to Chef Izu Ani, for developing 30 projects that combined quality execution with Dubai’s hospitality standards and expanding their presence globally.”
Concluding his remarks, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said: “Congratulations to all the winners of the Dubai-it Award in its first edition… The Dubai-it approach is a work philosophy that can be applied across all sectors, and its results are worthy of Dubai’s name and its projects.”
Mohammed Al Gergawi: Winners’ Success Should Inspire Greater Achievements
His Excellency Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, Chairman of the Executive Office of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, said the diversity of the award recipients reflects Dubai’s development experience and the opportunities its leadership has created for exceptional achievements across different industries.
His Excellency Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi said: “The diversity of the winners of the Dubai-it Award reflects the development experience and work philosophy presented by Dubai’s leadership, which opens horizons for achievement across various fields.
Despite their different experiences, they are united by their adoption of the Dubai-it approach in transforming ambition into tangible results. These examples provide institutions, managers, entrepreneurs, and talented individuals with a practical reference for improving their performance and embedding this approach in their work culture.”
His Excellency added: “We want the impact of the award to extend to what others accomplish, inspired by these experiences, and to encourage every institution to reconsider the limits of its ambition, and every project owner to shorten the distance between the idea and the result.
The true value of recognition is that it opens the door to new achievements, and that individual successes turn into broader progress across Dubai’s various sectors.
The directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed to recognize exceptional achievements accomplished in record time raise the level of competition for the award and place a greater challenge before everyone:
To achieve an exceptional impact in less time and with higher quality. We want each edition to present a new level of achievement and to make what we celebrate today a starting point for something greater tomorrow.”
The award also highlights the importance of sharing successful experiences across industries, allowing institutions and entrepreneurs to draw practical lessons from projects that have delivered measurable results and expanded their presence beyond Dubai.
Emirates NBD Wins Award for Exceptional Growth and Digital Transformation
Emirates NBD received the Dubai-it Award in the economic institutions category in recognition of its extensive banking transformation, strong growth, and contribution to strengthening Dubai’s position as a leading regional and international financial gateway.
Over recent years, the bank has doubled the size of its business and secured the leading position in the UAE banking sector in terms of revenue, deposits, and profitability. It has also become the country’s highest-ranked banking brand.
Digital transformation has played a major role in that growth. The bank has achieved a 91% digital adoption rate, moving millions of customer transactions to digital channels and developing one of the region’s largest integrated digital banking ecosystems, offering more than 220 services.
Emirates NBD has also expanded its investment offerings to include digital investments, fractional bonds and sukuk, digital asset services, and gold and silver bullion, providing customers with a wider range of investment opportunities.
Its international operations have grown across several markets, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Kingdom, India, Singapore, and Turkey, supporting the bank’s strategy to increase its regional and global presence.
Commenting on the recognition, Hesham Abdulla Al Qassim, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Emirates NBD Group, said:
“Receiving the Dubai-it Award in its first edition in the economic institutions category from His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, is an achievement that is a source of pride for Emirates NBD.”
Al Qassim also emphasized the connection between the award’s philosophy and the bank’s development, saying:
“The Dubai-it philosophy reflects the journey of Emirates NBD and its transformation from a local bank into a leading regional financial institution. Receiving this award is an achievement that inspires pride.”
He added:
“This recognition confirms our firm commitment to supporting Dubai’s economic agenda by raising the standards of modern banking, empowering our customers, and embedding the true spirit of the Dubai-it philosophy in everything we do. We would like to take this opportunity to reaffirm that we will continue advancing the emirate’s vision on the global stage and setting new standards for the banking sector with every achievement we accomplish.”
Six Dubai-it Award Winners Recognized Across Diverse Sectors
Alongside Emirates NBD, five other recipients were recognized for achievements in international trade, real estate development, luxury retail, entrepreneurship, and hospitality. Their projects demonstrate how businesses established in Dubai have developed new services, entered international markets, and achieved significant growth.
Ahmed bin Sulayem Strengthens Dubai’s Global Leadership in Diamond and Commodities Trading
Ahmed bin Sulayem, CEO of Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), received the Dubai-it Award in the project managers category for his role in developing integrated trading ecosystems that have strengthened Dubai’s international commercial presence.
Under his leadership, DMCC has grown to include more than 26,000 companies from over 180 countries, employing more than 90,000 people.
Bin Sulayem also led efforts to develop Dubai’s diamond industry, establishing specialized infrastructure and trading platforms and attracting participants from international markets. These initiatives helped Dubai become the world’s largest trading center for rough and polished diamonds.
His work has extended to gold and precious metals, as well as coffee and tea trading, through the development of facilities for storage, processing, packaging, training, and export.
The projects reflect an approach centered on understanding market opportunities, developing the infrastructure needed to support them, and building business ecosystems that connect Dubai with international markets.
Mahdi Amjad Transforms Architectural Designs Into Global Landmarks in Dubai
Mahdi Amjad, founder and Executive Chairman of OMNIYAT Group, received the Dubai-it Award in the real estate projects category for developing distinctive properties that combine ambitious architectural design with high-quality execution.
Since establishing OMNIYAT in Dubai, Amjad has worked with internationally recognized architects, designers, and hospitality brands, including Zaha Hadid, Foster + Partners, Gilles & Boissier, and Dorchester Collection.
Among the group’s most notable projects is The Opus, which transformed Zaha Hadid’s architectural vision into one of Dubai’s distinctive landmarks.
Another major development, The Lana, brought together the design expertise of Foster + Partners and the hospitality experience of Dorchester Collection. The property became the group’s first hotel in the Middle East and entered the list of the world’s 50 best hotels within eight months of opening.
Speaking about the award, Mahdi Amjad said:
“I am proud of this recognition, which comes from Dubai, the city that embraced my ambition and enabled me to contribute to building part of its future.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, may God protect him, established an approach that made vision a force that creates transformation, and achievement a measure of ambition.
From this approach, I drew my conviction that the value of what we imagine lies in our ability to realize it and leave a lasting impact.”
He added:
“This journey could not have been achieved in the same way in any other country. The United Arab Emirates, through the wisdom of its leadership and the breadth of its vision, gave us the confidence that our ideas have a place and that our ambitions have a future we can build.
Its leadership has a lasting role in every achievement we have made; it opened horizons before us that we could not have reached alone, and gave us the responsibility to live up to this trust.”
Amjad continued:
“Imagining the impossible is the starting point. A clear vision of what we want to achieve is what gives ambition its direction, and diligent work is what makes it a reality.
I receive this recognition with deep gratitude and renewed determination to give back through achievement. What we have accomplished to date is only the beginning of what we aspire to, and there is still much more ahead for us to contribute to the journey of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates, in appreciation of a leadership that has made the greatest ambitions possible.”
Ounass Establishes a New Standard for Fast Luxury Shopping From Dubai
Ounass, developed by Khalid Al Tayer, received the Dubai-it Award in the services category for creating an integrated online luxury shopping experience that combines premium products, convenience, and fast delivery.
The platform offers more than 1,300 regional and international brands and provides delivery in less than two hours, with an average delivery time of 89 minutes in Dubai.
Supported by distribution centers across Gulf markets, Ounass has developed a shopping experience that includes convenient purchasing, payment, returns, and delivery services.
Within a relatively short period, the business doubled its sales and expanded its customer base, becoming the region’s leading digital luxury shopping platform.
The project was recognized for introducing a service model in which delivery speed and quality are central to the luxury shopping experience.
Humantra Expands From Dubai to International Markets With Exceptional Growth
Charlie Wright, founder of Humantra, received the Dubai-it Award in the entrepreneurs category for building an electrolyte products brand in Dubai and expanding it into international markets.
The business began in a single office before growing into a leading brand in the UAE electrolyte market, securing a market share exceeding 80%.
Humantra subsequently expanded into 10 international markets and reached more than two million customers within 15 months.
The company also became the world’s most searched-for brand in the electrolyte category, reflecting the international attention it has attracted.
Humantra’s growth illustrates how a business developed from a personal experience and a simple idea can establish a competitive product, build a customer base, and expand into global markets.
Chef Izu Ani Takes Dubai’s Distinctive Hospitality Experiences to Global Destinations
Chef Izu Ani received the Dubai-it Award in the hospitality category for developing 30 restaurant and hospitality projects that combine high-quality experiences with rapid business expansion.
His restaurant portfolio includes Gaia, Carine, Shanghai Me, La Maison Ani, Alaya, La Petite Ani, Sirene by Gaia, and KIGO, among other dining concepts established in Dubai.
His businesses have expanded beyond the emirate to international destinations including London, Monte Carlo, Miami, Marbella, Bodrum, and Saint-Tropez.
Through these projects, Chef Izu has developed hospitality brands in Dubai and introduced them to international markets, combining the quality of the dining experience with the ability to expand across destinations.
Dubai-it Award Celebrates Major Achievements in Aviation, Government, and Real Estate
With the announcement of the six new recipients, the list of winners in the inaugural Dubai-it Award has been completed, recognizing individuals, institutions, and projects whose achievements have contributed to Dubai’s development across several major sectors.
Among the previously announced recipients was His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group.
His Highness was recognized for leading the exceptional development of one of the world’s largest and most integrated aviation ecosystems, strengthening Dubai’s position in global aviation.
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai received the award in the government institutions category for delivering infrastructure projects at twice the speed of global averages while maintaining high standards of quality.
In the government projects category, the Red Carpet project, developed by the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai, was recognized for introducing the world’s fastest experience for completing travel procedures.
Emaar Properties also received the award in the real estate institutions category for establishing an international reputation for Dubai’s quality standards, reflected in both its major developments and the attention given to their smallest details.
The commercial category included Ziina, recognized for simplifying financial transactions for thousands of individuals and businesses.
SWS Board Technology received the award in the economic projects category for manufacturing approximately half of the world’s water-sports boards and one-quarter of its snowboards from Dubai.
The list also included FIX Dessert Chocolatier in the commercial projects category. The company was recognized for creating Dubai Chocolate and turning it into a global phenomenon that has made a significant impact on the chocolate industry.
Together, the inaugural award recipients represent achievements across aviation, transport, government services, banking, international trade, real estate, technology, retail, and hospitality. Their recognition reflects the Dubai-it philosophy of achieving exceptional results in record time, with high quality, across different sectors of Dubai’s economy.
