Abu Dhabi Mina Plaza Demolishing Enters Guinness World Records. Gone in 10 secs : December 2020

MODON Properties, Abu Dhabi based integrated master-developer claimed a Guinness World Record title for controlled demolition of a 165.032m tall building, making it the ‘Tallest building demolished using explosives 13,227 pounds (6,000 kg) , all safely carried out.

A total of 144-floors, the 4-high rise towers were demolished in approximately 10-seconds through a controlled imploding using non-primary explosives placed in 18,000 drill holes within the structure.

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The Mina Plaza Towers / Openvibes by Safeer/YouTube / pix: interestingengineering.com

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Abu Dhabi , UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E.)

Yazeed Al-Rajhi – Saudi Businessman and Rally Driver

Yazeed Al-Rajhi. Business man. International Rally Driver.

Competes in World Rally Championships, Cross Country rallies and other rally events.

Established his own racing team – Al-Rajhi Racing Team (renamed) Yazeed Racing Team.

Some of his wins:

  • 5 time Hail Rally Winner
  • Silk Way Rally (2018)
  • Saudi Desert Rally Championship (2019)
  • Al Sharqiya Rally (2018, 2019) etc…

Businessman:

  • Chairman of the Board – Mohammed Al-Rajhi Investment Company
  • Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Brothers Holding company
  • Member, Al-Rajhi Steel
  • Member, Mohammed Al- Rajhi Awqaf

Other Accompolishments:

  • First Saudi and Arab professional driver to win the Silk Way Rally (2018). The 6,700 miles rally took place in Russia (between July 21st and July 27th).
  • First Saudi to be selected by Unicef as ‘Goodwill Ambassador in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf’ (2008)
  • First Saudi to be appointed as ‘Donate life’ Ambassador (2009)
  • Awarded title ‘ Gentleman’ by Rotana magazine readers (2009)
  • Third in position by ‘Mobily and Riyadiah’ as ‘Most Distinguished Athlete in Saudi Arabia competion
  • Awarded title ‘Ambassador for Fighting Drugs in Saudi Arabia’ etc..

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pix: press.bmwgroup.com

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SAUDI ARABIA

Egyptian Hala El-Said Awarded ‘Arab Government Excellence Award’ : December 2020

Dr. Hala Helmy El-Said was awarded the ‘Arab Government Excellence Award’ as the Best Arab Minister.

Hala H El-Said Ph.D . Minister. Egyptian Economist. Academic. Author.

  • Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Egypt

Positions:

  • First elected Dean- Faculty of Economics and Political Science (2011)
  • Deputy President – Scientific Research and Exterior Relations , Cairo University (2013)
  • Board Member – Central Bank of Egypt
  • Executive Director – Egyptian Banking Institute(EBI) for 8 consequetive years
  • Advisor to the Governor – Central Bank of Egypt (CBE)
  • Member, Board of Trustees of Anti-Money Laundering Unit at Central Bank of Egypt (CBE)
  • Board Member – Arab African International Bank

Education :

  • Ph.D – Economics – Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University (1989)

Academic Papers :

  •  Author of a wide range of internationally acclaimed research papers, studies and reports

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pix : egypttoday.com

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EGYPT

Lebanese Footwear Fashion Designer – Andreas Wazen Wins ‘Emerging Talent Award : December 2020

Andreas Wazen. Footwear Fashion Designer

Andreas Wazen wins the ‘Emerging Talent Prize’ at the ‘FNAA 2020 Digital Awards’ – Footwear News Achievement Awards held on December 08th, 2020

Footwear manufactured in Lebanon. Based with a Boutique in Beirut and retailers in other countries.

Awards;

  • ‘Accessories Designer of the Year – by Fashion Trust Arabia (May 2020)

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Photo : Courtesy of Andrea Wazen / footwearnews.com

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LEBANON

Emirati Inventor Amer Al Jabri Wins International Honour. Silver Medal at Seoul : December 2020

Amer Al Jabri invented the award winning ‘E7 Reader’, a high-tech method to detect passport fraud. The E7 Reader scans a passport’s details and identifies fake/altered documents in less than 5 seconds.

He won a Silver Medal at the Seoul International Invention Fair 2020 held in December and had 700 participants from 45 countries.

Awards:

  • Ranked First in the Federal Authority for Identity & Citizenship (FAIC) Security Contest
  • Prince Naif Award for Arab Security
  • Ministry of Interion Excellence Award
  • Security Thought Award , USA (2018)

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pix: thenationalnews.com

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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E.)

UAE Satellite ‘Falcon Eye 2’ launched into Space to mark UAE’s 49th National Day – December 02nd, 2020

UAE’s latest satellite Falcon Eye 2 lifted off into space on a Russian Soyuz ST-A rocket from French Guiana Space Centre, South America on December 02nd, 2020 at 0533am UAE time.

It is now the 4th reconnaissance satellite launched in the UAE.

The space craft will provide high-definition images from around the world for military and civilian use.

The 1,190 kilogram satellite was built by Airbus Defence & Space and Thales Alenia Space in Toulouse, France. The UAE Space Agency oversaw its development.

This was a part of the Falcon eye programme, where two identical satellites were built for the UAE Armed Forces.

The first was Falcon Eye 1 which was lost in space last year after the Italian Vega rocket that carried it failed.

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pix: thenationalnews.com

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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E)

Winners of ‘Gulf Business Awards 2020 ‘ – November

The eighth edition of the Gulf Business Awards was held on Thursday, November 26, 2020 to honour business leaders and pioneering companies across the GCC for their special achievements during a tough year.

LIST OF WINNERS 2020

Lifetime Achievement Award: Sir Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline

Gulf Business

Company of the Year: Cafu

Business Leader of the Year: David Hadley, CEO of Mediclinic Middle East

COMPANIES OF THE YEAR 

Banking: First Abu Dhabi Bank

Investment: Century Financial

Energy: GE Power

Healthcare: Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA)

Real estate: Danube Properties

Retail: Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons

Transport and logistics: Emirates SkyCargo

Tourism and hospitality: Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority

Consumer tech: OPPO

Emerging tech: Micro Focus

Digital transformation: Huawei Middle East

BUSINESS LEADERS OF THE YEAR

Banking: H.E. Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair, Chairman of Mashreq

Energy: Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, CEO, Masdar

Healthcare: David Hadley, CEO, Mediclinic Middle East

Real estate: Arif Mubarak, CEO, Dubai Asset Management

Retail: Alain Bejjani, CEO, Majid Al Futtaim

Transport and Logistics: Mudassir Sheikha, CEO and co-founder of Careem

Tourism and Hospitality: H.E. Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi

Technology: Leopoldo Boado, Senior vice president of Business Applications for Eastern and Central Europe and MEA region at Oracle

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE CATEGORIES

Businesswoman of the Year: Nayla Al Khaja, Emirati filmmaker, CEO of Nayla Al Khaja Films

Sustainability Company of the Year: Careem Bike

Disruptor of the Year: Cafu

SME of the Year: Bayzat

Covid-19 Heroes: Ma’an; Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives; Burj Khalifa; Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education; and Alwaleed Philanthropies

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source: http://www.youtube.com / Gulf Business Awards 2020 / Motivate Events

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GULF

2020 MENA Digital Awards (MDA) Winners : November 2020

The awards program has seven categories – performance, mobile, social media, digital assets, digital by sector, integrated, and special – and was open to all digital players throughout the Middle East and North Africa region.

This year, FP7 dominated the winners’ list with a total of five awards across four categories, followed by Netizency with four awards, and UM with three.

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pix: arabadonline.com

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MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA

Innovation in Construction & FM Awards 2020: Winners : November 2020

The Innovation in Construction & FM awards 2020, which took place at Sofitel Dubai The Obelisk, is one of the leading events applauding the achievements of the region’s construction and FM professionals.

  • CONTRACTOR OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO ALEC
  • CONSULTANT OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO KHATIB & ALAMI
  • MEP CONTRACTOR OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO ALEMCO
  • REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO DANUBE PROPERTIES
  • SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS COMPANY OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO FACILIO
  • SUSTAINABLE INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO ACCIONA 100% EcoPowered  – ACCIONA
  • SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO NIOUM (AYANA HOLDING)
  • HSE INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO Worker Welfare Management System – MULTIPLEX
  • COMMERCIAL PROJECT OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO MOBILITY PAVILION ALEC
  • HIGHLY COMMENDED COMMERCIAL PROJECT OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO ICD BROOKFIELD PLACE MULTIPLEX
  • HOSPITALITY PROJECT OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO HAMPTON BY HILTON JT + PARTNERS
  • HIGHLY COMMENDED HOSPITALITY PROJECT OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO SAAM VEGA FALCONCITY OF WONDERS LLC
  • RESIDENTIAL PROJECT OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO RIVERIA AZIZI DEVELOPMENTS
  • HIGHLY COMMENDED RESIDENTIAL PROJECT OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO 78 VILLAS COMPLEX, UMM SUQEIM 1 KHANSAHEB
  • RETAIL PROJECT OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO NATIONAL BANK OF BAHRAIN BRANCH HAVELOCK ONE INTERIORS
  • HIGHLY COMMENDED RETAIL PROJECT OF THE YEAR CAPITAL WALK JT + PARTNERS
  • BEST INNOVATIVE PROJECT OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO ONE ZA’ABEEL ITHRA DUBAI – ALEC
  • INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO DUBAI HILLS CHINA STATE CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING CORPORTATION
  • CEO OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO ATIF RAHMAN – DANUBE PROPERTIES
  • RISING STAR OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO CALUM PEREY – CUNDALL
  • FACILITIES MANAGEMENT COMPANY OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO EFS FACILITIES SERVICES GROUP
  • HIGHLY COMMENDED FACILITIES MANAGEMENT COMPANY OF THE YEAR RUNNER-UP FARNEK
  • PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANY OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO PROVIS
  • TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION IN FACILITIES MANAGEMENT AWARDED TO DEYAAR FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
  • HIGHLY COMMENDED TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION IN FACILITIES MANAGEMENT AWARDED TO ENOVA
  • ENGINEERING SERVICE COMPANY OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO ENGIE SOLUTIONS
  • BEST ASSET MANAGEMENT COMPANY OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO DEYAAR FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
  • HIGHLY COMMENDED BEST ASSET MANAGEMENT COMPANY OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO AL HAMRA
  • HSE INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO Reopening Season 25 – more safety, more fun – GLOBAL VILLAGE
  • HIGHLY COMMENDED HSE INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO HSE Premier League – KHANSAHEB FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
  • SUSTAINBALE INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO ENGIE SOLUTIONS
  • EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO KHANSAHEB FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
  • HIGHLY COMMENDED EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO ENGIE SOLUTIONS
  • SANITATION & WASTE MANAGEMENT COMPANY OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO IMDAAD
  • FACILITES MANAGER OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO KELVIN VARGHEESE – FARNEK
  • INDUSTRY LEADER OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO TARIQ CHAUHAN – EFS FACILITIES SERVICES GROUP
  • VISIONARY LEADER OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO JAMAL ABDULLA LOOTAH -IMDAAD
  • FM CEO OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO PRABHU RAMACHANDRAN – FACILIO

source: cbnme.com

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pix: cbnme.com

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Hotelier Awards 2020: The Middle East’s top hospitality professionals in 2020 across 18 separate categories

The Hotelier Awards 2020 recognised 18 of the region’s most talented hospitality professionals, with many more leaving Highly Commended or with a special mention.

Held at JW Marriott Marquis Dubai on Tuesday November 24, the gala event welcomed more than 200 people, who were kept safe from COVID-19 by the event team’s hygiene measures and partnership with Bee’ah.

Housekeeper of the Year
Winner – Asif Khatri, Executive Housekeeper, Hilton Dubai Jumeirah and Hilton Dubai The Walk
Highly Commended – Harsh Gaur, Executive Housekeeper, Taj Dubai

IT Person of the Year
Winner
 – Fritzi Lescano, IT Manager – Internal Communications, Accor Regional Office MEA
Highly Commended – Abdul Baseer Mohammed, Technology Manager, InterContinental Jeddah

Hotel Engineer of the Year
Winner
 – Gurpal Singh, Chief Engineer, InterContinental Hotels at Dubai Festival City
Highly Commended – Fernandez Nicholas, Director of Engineering, Mercure Dubai Barsha Heights – Hotel Suites & Apartments

Safety & Security Person of the Year
Winner
 – Muhammad Waqar Azeem Qamar, Risk Champion / Learning & Quality Manager, InterContinental Jeddah
Highly Commended – Onkar Sawant, Director of Security, Taj Dubai

HR & Training Person of the Year
Winner
 – Feryal Haddon, Cluster Director of Human Resources, Hilton Dubai Jumeirah, Hilton Dubai The Walk, Hilton Dubai Creek
Highly Commended – Yasmine Farouk, Director of Human Resources, Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC)

Procurement Person of the Year
Winner
 – Alan Lewis, Purchasing Manager, Fairmont Dubai

Finance Person of the Year
Winner
 – Mazen Salha, Director of Finance, Swissotel Al Ghurair & Swissotel Living Al Ghurair
Highly Commended – Joanna Talegon, Assistant Credit Manager, TIME Oak Hotel & Suites

Concierge/Guest Services Person of the Year
Winner
 – Kamal Kariyawasam, Chief Concierge, InterContinental Hotels at Dubai Festival City
Highly Commended – Swapnil Patrikar, Complex Guest Services Manager, The Westin Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina
Special Mention – Vinay Govande, Front Office Manager, Taj Dubai

Fitness/Spa Person of the Year
Winner
 – Rosemary Read-Larsen, Director, Wellness at Atlantis Dubai
Highly Commended – Majd Kassab, Recreation Supervisor, TIME Oak Hotel & Suites

Sales Person of the Year
Winner
 – Valentina Sobeshchuk, Director of Sales and Marketing, Rixos Bab Al Bahr and Regional Director of Sales, Rixos Hotels UAE
Highly Commended – Ileshaa Nijhawan, Multi-Property Senior Sales Groups & Events Manager, Le Méridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre and Le Méridien Fairway

Marketing & PR Person of the Year
Winner
 – Shamia Abdul Aziz, Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications, Sofitel Dubai The Palm
Highly Commended – Ahmad Jaber, Cluster Director of Marketing, Digital & Communications, InterContinental Hotels at Dubai Festival City
Special Mention – Richard Thorburn, PR & Marketing Manager, Six Senses Zighy Bay

Executive Chef of the Year
Winner
 – Jay Williams, Complex Director of Culinary, Le Meridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina and The Westin Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina
Highly Commended – Luigi Vespero, Executive Chef, Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC)
Special Mention – Nasser Lamei Rayes Khalil, Executive Chef, Crowne Plaza Dubai-Deira

F&B Manager of the Year
Winner
 – Emad Ramzy, F&B Manager, Crowne Plaza Dubai-Deira
Highly Commended – Jodie O’Meara, Hotel F&B Operations Manager, Zabeel House by Jumeirah, The Greens

Young Hotelier of the Year
Winner
 – Bhavesh Tanwani, Assistant Front Office Manager, Bab al Qasr Abu Dhabi
Highly Commended – Tatiana Radchenko, Revenue Manager, W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island

Unsung Hero of the Year
Winner
 – Leonora T. Manuel, Senior Nurse, Raffles Dubai
Highly Commended – Simone Troxler, Sustainability Manager, Six Senses Zighy Bay
Special Mention – Myra Macalma, Hotel Nurse, Fairmont Dubai

General Manager of the Year
Winner
 – Christophe Schnyder, General Manager, Sofitel Dubai The Palm
Highly Commended – Luke James, General Manager, Zabeel House by Jumeirah, The Greens

Mid-Market Hotel Team of the Year
Winner
 – Zabeel House by Jumeirah, The Greens
Highly Commended – Radisson RED Dubai Silicon Oasis           

Hotel Team of the Year
Winner 
– Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, Dubai
Highly Commended – Al Baleed Resort Salalah By Anantara

source: hoteliermiddleeast.com

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