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Pride of industry recognition and old fashioned hard work were among the comments of the winners of Facilities Management Middle East magazine’s awards last night in Dubai.
In the third year of the awards, recognizing performance, innovation, and a drive towards sustainability among other categories in the facilities management community, jubilant winners reflected on the year so far and the position of their respective companies to face a changing industry.
To start, Emaar won the award for Education & Development Initiative of the Year. Jeevan J. D Mello, senior director of communities management at the developer, accepted the award for the developer, and was pleased to do so.
“It’s been a great year and we’ve achieved a lot for the community. We’ve always promised a ‘lifestyle’ and it’s been important to show this to homeowners.
Smashing! Cleaning Services won GCC Cleaning Contractor/Service Provider of the Year. The award was collected by Lena Dey who said, “I think it’s all about going the little extra things for the client. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was a big job for us and we did everything in 21 days: it went from a total mess of a building site, to a well presented venue. Right up to the day of the race, they were still building – and there were places that we’d clean several times. But it was all part of the job, and the time pressures meant we just had to get on and do it.”.
For the competitive FM Consultancy of the Year award, in which five companies were shortlisted, Mace Macro came out on top, winning for the third time in a row. Managing director Bill Heath represented on stage. “Winning for the third year in a row, we are very pleased. Thanks go to all at Macro as they make it work, as well as our clients for their faith in us."
Deffufa Décor LLC then won the GCC Landscaping Contractor/Service Provider of the Year. Samira W. Fahim collected the award, saying: "It's our quality, cost efficiency and sustainability that make us stand out. We love what we do.”
Al Shirawi US Chillers won is GCC MEP Contractor/Service Provider of the Year. Navin Valrani said: “I’m very proud that we won. It’s a challenging environment but we are well placed.”
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Thiess Services Middle East won GCC Sanitation & Waste Management Contractor/Service of the Year. The Dubai based firm, which also is prominent in utilities and remediation, was represented by waste services manager Steve Patterson.“It’s a real honour, and it’s important to be recognised within a very competitive industry. Thiess only came to the UAE in late 2007 and we’ve come a long way since.
“We’re very small, but very aggressive in our approach but we couldn’t have established ourselves any other way. It [the award] shows that hard work, dedication and loyalty pays off.”
The award that generated the most interest and competition was the the Sustainability Initiative of the Year, acknowledging company efforts to reduce their carbon footprint through corporate social responsibility, energy and water reduction, recycling or procurement practices. Drydocks World Dubai came out as the winner. “It’s been a good year with many innovations, including the implementation of six steps for sustainability.”
Gulf Fidelity Security Services LLC then won the GCC Security Contractor/Service Provider of the Year, followed by nominations and avnnouncements for the the Green FM Contractor of the Year. Reliance Facilities Management came out on top for that award. Company representative Dilip Khatwani said, “I didn’t expect this at all, it’s most unexpected – but a real honour. It’s been a long year, with a lot of time spent in the office and away from our families – but at least I can tell my wife that it was all worth it!”
Drydocks World Dubai then made it two awards for the night, scooping the prize for the important Health & Safety Initiative of the Year. Phil Barren, safety officer, told reporters: “It’s excellent for us. We are endeavouring to improve systems, which is vital in a high hazard environment such as ships.”
He added that one of his proudest moments has been recognising when the company’s diverse staff really grasp the initiative of the company’s work.
Next was the Innovative Use of IT in FM, an award that recognizes a particularly effective application of IT in FM showcasing technical excellence, cost-effectiveness and energy efficiency. the Parks & Recreational Facilities Directorate of Abu Dhabi Municipality. Hussain Al Saeedi, who worked on the project and accepted the award, said: “It was a real push to get our project off the ground but we had the confidence from our management that it was a worthwhile project. The award is justification for that confidence, and I’m very happy to receive it.
“There were four of us on the design side of the project but we expect to expand that in August with a staff of 18.”
Naganandh Muthulakshmanan, of Emaar Properties PJSC, won Young Middle East FM of the Year. The prize recognized an individual who could had a positive attitude towards service, a team player who could also key an eye on costs. Comments from the Dubai Marina focused assistant manager can be found on constructionweekonline.com.
Another critical award followed: Middle East Facilities Manager of the Year. In a six-strong shortlist Jawed Khan, of Idama Facility Services came out on top. Khan has been responsible for implementing a selection of plans to reduce the consumption of water and electricity within his site and has successfully saved the environment from wastage and helped cost reduction for the landlord. These initiatives have saved more than AED30 million through energy conservation.
Finally, Imdaad walked away with Overall GCC FM Company of the Year. CEO Jamal Abdulla Lootah credited the hard work of the company and said regional recognition for the company’s work in facilities management was just the beginning.
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