Khaldoun Tabari scoops Lifetime Achievement Award

By Anil Bhoyrul  www.arabianbusiness.com

Drake & Scull boss Khaldoun Tabari has scooped the prestigious “Lifetime Achievement Award” at the CEO Middle East Awards.

Tabari was presented with the award at a special ceremony held on Monday night at The Armani Hotel, Dubai.

The judges remarked that “under Tabari’s stewardship Drake & Scull has become one of the Gulf region’s most prominent MEP contractors.”

The ceremony also featured a speech by His Highness Sheikh Maktoum Bin Hasher Al Maktoum. Later in the evening, His Highness also received a special award in recognition of his humanitarian work, with the judges remarking:  “Equally important and less known is the good work he has personally been undertaking on a humanitarian level, particularly in the fields of Down’s Syndrome and Autism.”

In total, 15 awards were made. DFSA boss Paul Koster took the award for Financial Services, while Etihad boss James Hogan received a special “Visionary of the Year” award, with the judges stating: “Since  taking the helm of Etihad Airways when it launched just seven years ago, the company’s CEO has excelled in all these fields. While the company has made headlines for the number of planes it has bought and new routes it has launched, the real work has been behind the scenes: in customer service, in staff conditions – right down to their housing and training.”

Meanwhile,  Gulf Air boss Samer Majali – also in attendance – picked up the award for “Aviation CEO of the Year,” with the judges saying Majali  “has probably had to make more difficult decisions than anyone else in this room tonight.”

Noor Islamic Bank CEO Hussain Al Qemzi received the award for Islamic Banking, while, Qtel CEO Nasser Marafih collected the top award in the telecoms sector. Rubicon’s Randa Ayoubi won “Businesswoman of the Year.”