Running alongside the HR Summit and Expo 2014 and during a Gala Dinner at the H Hotel in Dubai, the awards showcased the best talent in people management in the Middle East while honouring the region's HR professionals in the public and private sectors.

The highly regarded ‘Employer of the Year’ award went to the UAE’s national carrier, Etihad Airways, for demonstrating superior people development strategies resulting in a productive, engaged and motivated workforce.

“We are delighted to be named ‘Employer of the Year’ at the Awards this year, as it recognises an unwavering commitment to our people. We received this award for our dedication to being an employer of choice both in the UAE and worldwide by providing our people with global opportunities for development and progression, a culture of performance and reward, best-in-class services and unique benefits”, said Ray Gammell, Etihad Airways’ Chief People and Performance Officer.

The award for the ‘Nationalisation Initiative of the Year’ went to Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) for their Emiratisation programme ‘Tamooha’. Abdulaziz Almoosa, Head of Recruitment at ADCB said, “ADCB is proud to have won the Nationalisation award. Our Tamooha programme will allow any Emirati female with the willingness and capability to work to contribute to the Nation’s economy.”

The Dubai-based Al-Futtaim Group received the ‘Innovation in Learning and Development’ award. John Harker, Group HR Director said that "Al-Futtaim is delighted to be recognised as an innovator of learning in the region. This is testimony of the commitment between the Learning and Development team and group businesses working in partnership to achieve success together.”

Splash, the fashion retailer, received the newly introduced ‘Innovation in Employee Engagement’ award that recognised their achievement in improving engagement levels within their workforce. “Being an emotional comfort to our team has been our biggest struggle and winning this award endorses the fact that our actions have been well received by industry experts. We hope to use this recognition to better our efforts and to celebrate with our team” said Raza Beig, CEO for Splash & Iconic.

The HR Excellence Awards have been recognising the outstanding achievements of organisations that have contributed to the growth and development of the profession for 4 consecutive years. “This year’s awards rewarded some of the most influential HR initiatives across the region. The entries have been extremely focused and of high standards. We have also seen strong participation from across the GCC which helped the ceremony position itself as the Middle East’s most anticipated celebration of human resources” said Ramy Bayyour, Show Director at Informa Middle East, the organisers.

Some of the other winners announced during the ceremony included Ahmad Al Akayleh from Gulf Precast Concrete who was awarded the ‘HR Professional of the Year’. Whereas, FRHI Hotels & Resorts took home the new ‘HR Team of the Year’ award. Recognising emerging talent with high potential for future achievement, the award of ‘HR’s Rising Star’ went to Lamees Al Kindi from Protiviti Member Firm. Kuwait’s National Petroleum Company (KNPC) and Tenaris won the awards for ‘Innovation in Executive and Leadership Development’ and ‘Innovation in Recruitment’ respectively.

While the winners proudly took home their trophies and awards, the ceremony was very well received by the attendees and judges. The Awards were sponsored by Frazer Jones, CEB, Ramco Systems, and Vision Executive Search.

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