The Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group (ADSG) announced today the winners of its 7th Annual Abu Dhabi Sustainable Business Leadership Awards 2021. The online ceremony took place on 23rd November where the winners were announced by Her Excellency Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, Secretary General of the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD). The annual event is a unique award and recognition scheme that is designed to celebrate sustainability best practices and to raise awareness about the benefits of sustainability management in the region.
Organised by the ADSG, and run annually since it was launched in 2015, the Abu Dhabi Sustainable Business Leadership Awards are the region’s only independent annual awards for sustainability achievements.
“I am always inspired to see companies from near and far making significant strides towards sustainability. The efforts of the people in those organisations are recognised through our sustainability awards. On behalf of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, I congratulate each and every one of them - it is the teamwork that goes on behind the scenes that I want to highlight and celebrate here. Every single entry is a credit to those organisations. We must remember that this is a journey, one of inspiration and dedication. We are all doing all this to give future generations a safe home in our planet and a bright and resilient future,” said H.E. Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, EAD’s Secretary General, during the event.
The annual awards are open for all large (c.250+ employees) organisations who operate within Abu Dhabi and the region. This year the award categories required a demonstration of the sustainability achievements during the calendar years of 2020/21 -an extended time period to allow companies to showcase their achievements during the pandemic.
Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) was awarded the Best Sustainability Initiative Award for their tremendous progress in delivering clean electricity to the UAE. His Excellency Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) commented: “It is with pleasure that we accept ADSG’s Best Sustainability Initiative Award. It reflects our commitment towards protecting Abu Dhabi’s precious environment and finding innovative ways to continually enhance our sustainability programmes, in addition to significant decarbonization of the UAE’s power grid. Together, organisations across the UAE are achieving remarkable milestones in environmental protection and emission reductions, which is absolutely critical to not only achieving the UAE’s Net Zero targets, but to tackle climate change globally.’’
Dolphin Energy was awarded the Best Sustainability Report Award. Commenting on winning the ‘Best Sustainability Report’ award, Mr. Obaid Al Dhaheri, CEO, Dolphin Energy Limited said, “I would like to thank the ADSG for this award and for the recognition received from our peers. After more than a decade of reporting, we have built a strong sustainability culture across the company and by highlighting our successes and acknowledging where improvements are required, we can track our performance and sustain our commitment. We are proud to support Abu Dhabi’s sustainability agenda and we look forward to a long association with the Group.”
Borouge- Sustainable Campus Initiative (SCI) was awarded the Best Sustainability Communication Programme Award.
Winston Cowie, Section Manager of Marine Policy Regulations and Planning in Terrestrial Marine and Biodiversity at EAD was awarded the Sustainability Manager of the Year Award. Commenting on his win, he said, “I am honoured to receive the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group Sustainability Manager of the Year award. I believe that environmental leadership is the demonstration of a consistent commitment to a course of action – sustainability – and I can say hand-on-heart, every day I work hard to achieve positive outcomes for the ocean and society, and issues like climate change and Antarctica, by using documentary film as a positive behavioral change mechanism.
‘‘As the Marine Policy Manager at the EAD – I am grateful to work with such a passionate team on fisheries policy; maritime governance; aquaculture; and threats to biodiversity, like climate change, single use plastic and invasive marine species. We have made a lot of progress on these issues, but with the likes of climate change happening quicker now than ever before, together we need to work even harder on impactful solutions.’’
Sami Al Angari, Vice Chairman and CEO of Algihaz Holding and the winner of the Sustainability Leader of the Year Award, said: “I am delighted to receive the Sustainability Leadership Award for the year 2021. I thank the ‘Award Committee’ for this honor and their trust. Algihaz Holding has been investing in sustainable energy aspects locally and internationally for several years, and we will remain committed to sustainability and renewable energy implementation in the future, aligned with the “Saudi vision 2030”.
ADNOC Gas Processing was awarded the Best Energy Management Initiative Award - a category launched in partnership with the Energy Institute (EI) in the UK for their initiative on 'Paradigm shift in Energy Management through Real time Optimization for Enhanced Profitability and Sustainability.
“In line with the UAE’s ‘Net-Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative’ and ADNOC’s 2030 Sustainability Goals and we are actively reducing the Green House Gases intensity of our operations, supporting the growing demand for more energy with fewer emissions. The Real Time Optimization Project leverages the power of digitalization and process automation in the pursuit of energy efficiency and emissions reductions across our facilities. As a first of a kind initiative in ADNOC we continue to pursue technology innovations, partnerships and new business models to accelerate our decarbonization strategy,” said Dr Saif Sultan Al Nasseri, CEO, ADNOC Gas Processing and GM, ADNOC Industrial Gases.
The awards are reviewed and scored by an independent expert panel of judges. The ADSG extended its thanks for the judges’ efforts, expertise, and commitment towards sustainability. The judges for 2021 were:
- Mercedes Vela Monserrate, Head of Sustainable Finance, Abu Dhabi Global Markets, United Arab Emirates.
- Ibrahim Al-Zu’bi, Chief Sustainability Officer at Majid Al Futtaim-Holding, United Arab Emirates.
- Dr Jenny Davidson, Senior Lecturer, Leadership Development and Organisation Futures, New Castle University, United Kingdom.
- Abdullatif N. Albitaw, Secretary General and Honorary Vice Chair of Energy Institute Middle East Branch
- Piotr Konopka, Senior Manager at DP World, Board Member of the Energy Institute ME and Vice Chair of the Young Professionals Network
The online event also recognised ADSG member organisations who published sustainability reports during the previous 18 months. Those were:
- Emirates Palace Hotel
- Dolphin Energy Ltd
- ADNOC-Distribution
- Aldar Properties
- Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
- Schneider Electric
- Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD)
- First Abu Dhabi Bank
- Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation
“I would like to recognise our member organisations here. They are a beacon of hope, as they continue to drive change, transparency and integrate sustainability management ethos into their governance and decision-making processes. These companies successfully combine innovation, competitiveness, and outstanding sustainability performance consistently. Congratulations to each one of them,” - said Huda Al Houqani, Director, Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group.
The Abu Dhabi Sustainable Business Leadership Awards aim to encourage systemic implementation of integrated sustainability management practices. The ADSG would like to thank its stakeholders and members for their continued support and for their efforts towards building a sustainable future for all, particularly when faced with the unprecedented challenges encountered during 2020/21.
