News Archive - Page 2 of 2 - Al Rostamani Group
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Emiratisation set to herald a transformative era for private sector

Dubai, UAE – Al Rostamani Group, one of the leading UAE family businesses, revealed that Emirati Nationals make up 12 per cent of its skilled workforce. This news comes ahead of the group’s appearance at the annual – Ru’ya Careers UAE Redefined’ 2023 fair.

Al Rostamani Group fully supports the UAE government’s Emiratisation plan and anticipates that it will significantly enrich the country’s private sector, creating a uniquely skilled and diverse talent pool.

Abdul Rahman Saqr, Chief Human Capital Officer at Al Rostamani Group, said: “As one of the earliest established Emirati companies, we are deeply committed to nurturing Emirati talent, a cornerstone in strengthening our local economy and making us resilient against global challenges.”
Abdul Rahman Saqr, Chief Human Capital Officer at Al Rostamani Group, said Al Rostamani Group is actively investing in the development of local expertise.

“Guided by our core principles of commitment, care, and vision, we are actively investing in the development of local expertise. Emiratis possess the skills and ingenuity to thrive across diverse sectors, thereby enriching our national economic landscape,” he said.

“Saqr added, ‘Al Rostamani Group fully supports the government’s Emiratisation initiatives and remains dedicated to playing an integral role in shaping the future of the UAE and Dubai by fostering a skilled, engaged, and empowered workforce. These efforts benefit everyone: Emiratis gain more job opportunities, and the private sector enjoys a more diverse and talented workforce, ultimately strengthening our entire country.”

According to the UAE’s Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, more than 20,000 Emiratis have joined the UAE’s private sector since the beginning of 2023, bringing the total number of Emirati employees in the private sector to over 79,000, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 57 per cent in the first quarter of 2023.

Adding immense value

Prabash Manthara, General Manager of Emirates Electrical Engineering (EEE), said: “At EEE we provide complete energy management solutions with a focus on solar energy. Having Emiratis in our workforce adds immense value to strengthening our relationship with government and local sector clients. Their skills, work ethic and understanding of doing business in the region enhances communication and deepens mutual trust.”

Prabash Manthara, General Manager of Emirates Electrical Engineering (EEE), said, his company guides and supports Emiratis towards more specialised jobs.

“We take great pride in contributing to the growth of our local economy through the development of our talented Emirati workforce. We guide and support them towards more specialised jobs, providing them with a promising career path and valuable experience through workshops, field visits and strategic client interactions,” he said.

Bringing unique mindset

Youssef Fawaz, General Manager of Al Rostamani Communications, said: “In Al Rostamani Communications, diversity is a foundational element that drives our success. As a prominent provider of technology solutions and system integration within the nation, our Emirati workforce contributes an invaluable perspective that spurs creativity and innovation.

The inclusion of Emirati professionals enhances our ability to cater to the diverse needs of our customers and partners. By encouraging a multicultural work environment, we nurture an atmosphere where ideas flow freely, leading to ground-breaking solutions and services.”

Youssef Fawaz, General Manager of Al Rostamani Communications, said relying solely on the public sector for employing Emiratis is no longer sufficient.

Fawaz continued, saying, “Relying solely on the public sector for employing Emiratis is no longer sufficient. Employing them in the private sector is one of the pillars of this sector’s functioning. We have already started to feel the positive results of integrating of skilled Emiratis into our workforce.

“We believe the Emiratisation drive brings several economic benefits, including higher economic productivity due to a deeper understanding of the local market, enhanced economic diversification through specialized skills and entrepreneurship, and improved talent retention, leading to higher consumer spending and a positive business reputation.”

Al Rostamani Travel and Holidays and Saudi Tourism Authority unite to bolster Saudi Arabia tourism in the UAE

Dubai, UAE – Al Rostamani Travel and Holidays, a leading travel agency in the UAE and part of Al Rostamani Group and the Saudi Tourism Authority are excited to announce a new strategic partnership. This cooperative endeavour focuses on promoting tourism in Saudi Arabia to UAE residents. Bimal Jain, General Manager of Al Rostamani Travel and Holidays, and Khalid Khan, GCC Trade Director for the Saudi Tourism Authority, officially signed the agreement at the Arabian Travel Market event.

Under this agreement, Al Rostamani Travel and the Saudi Tourism Authority will work together to showcase the natural wonders, cultural heritage, and unmatched hospitality of Saudi Arabia to travellers from the UAE. The goal is to create unparalleled travel experiences, fostering deeper connections and understanding between the two nations.

The partnership aims to offer UAE travellers the chance to immerse themselves in Saudi Arabia’s diverse landscapes, including the awe-inspiring rock formations of Al Ula, the bustling streets of Riyadh, the tranquil Red Sea coast, and the breathtaking archaeological marvels of Madain Saleh. Al Rostamani Travel and the Saudi Tourism Authority are committed to providing seamless travel experiences that exceed expectations with tailor-made itineraries, curated tours, and exceptional customer service.

Expressing gratitude for the trust placed in Al Rostamani Travel, the organization acknowledges the significance of this partnership in supporting Saudi Arabia’s vision to establish itself as a leading global tourism destination. By leveraging their expertise and resources, both entities will work towards raising awareness about the incredible tourism offerings of Saudi Arabia and inviting UAE travellers to embark on unforgettable journeys.

As this collaboration unfolds, the public can look forward to more exciting updates and initiatives to showcase the wonders of Saudi Arabia’s tourism industry. Al Rostamani Travel and the Saudi Tourism Authority are determined to create memorable experiences and forge enduring connections between the people of the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

 

Al Rostamani International Exchange wins, Dubai Economy & Tourism “Best Service Performance Brand 2023” Award

Dubai, UAE – Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) has honored 46 winners in eight categories of the 29th Business Excellence Awards during a virtual ceremony held on Monday, 13 March in the presence of more than 1,000 individuals and companies. The event seeks to improve the quality, productivity and competitiveness of UAE-based businesses by recognizing service excellence in business establishments and organizations.

The Award comprises two components – the Dubai Service Excellence Scheme, launched in 2002 to promote excellence in customer service standards in the business community, and the Dubai Quality Award, which was launched in 1994 to promote organizational excellence in businesses through the EFQM Excellence Model.

26 winners were honored in two categories of the Dubai Service Excellence Scheme and 20 winners were honored in six categories of the Dubai Quality Award.

His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), commented: “Dubai’s commitment to excellence is deeply ingrained in its DNA, and this dedication to achieving the highest standards has earned the city a well-deserved reputation on the global stage. Inspired by the visionary leadership of our wise leaders, Dubai has become a benchmark for excellence, creativity, and productivity, which are key drivers of a successful and sustainable business ecosystem. The annual hosting of the Business Excellence Awards serves as a testament to the resilience of Dubai and its pioneering approach to promoting public-private partnerships, which have played a pivotal role in enhancing the competitiveness of business establishments. The Business Excellence Awards perfectly align with Dubai’s vision and strategy of becoming a future hub of business, talent, and tolerance. This is even more significant in light of the recent launch of the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33, by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. This groundbreaking economic strategy aims to consolidate Dubai’s position as one of the top three global cities, and the awards serve as a crucial component of this strategy, ensuring that the emirate remains an oasis of prosperity that fulfils the ambitions and aspirations of future generations.”

His Excellency continued: “As we extend our heartfelt congratulations to the winners of the Business Excellence Awards, it is important to acknowledge that the positive momentum currently prevailing across sectors in Dubai is largely due to the passion and perseverance of these companies. These businesses have demonstrated a steadfast commitment to excellence, ensuring that it is at the heart of everything they do, thereby contributing to the preservation of Dubai’s international standing. Moving forward into 2023 with renewed vigor and determination, we are grateful to our businesses and enablers for their pivotal role in transforming Dubai into a leading global economic and tourism hub.”

Best Service Performance Brand 2023

The ‘Best Service Performance Brand 2023’ award of the Dubai Service Excellence Award, which Al Rostamani International Exchange was awarded, is aimed at promoting excellence in customer service standards in the private sector and recognizing businesses that offer excellent service for their customers.

This year’s awards highlighted an impressive increase of 30% in the number of applicants, showcasing the growing level of awareness and the desire of companies to embrace and adhere to quality. Over the past 29 years, the Dubai Quality Awards have experienced a net increase of more than 120%, reflecting the consolidation of these concepts in the local business landscape. Over the years the event has honored more than 700 winners, who were carefully selected from a competitive pool of 23000 applicants across various editions of the award. In addition to recognizing outstanding performance, the awards also involved training over 500 mystery shoppers, 3000 evaluators, and 130,000 performance evaluation reports highlighting areas for improvement for applicants in the award categories. These initiatives are aimed at nurturing a culture of continuous improvement and driving sustainable growth in the region’s business sector.

The Dubai Service Excellence Scheme is an innovative and unparalleled initiative aimed at elevating the standard of customer service in the business sector while fostering a culture of trust, ethical behavior, and best practices. The scheme recognizes and rewards businesses that align with Dubai’s vision for quality and customer service, while also promoting organizations that strive to exceed expectations and maintain the high reputation of the Service Excellence Scheme members.

The Dubai Quality Award encourages and motivates companies and institutions to adopt an international framework, with best practices, to achieve excellence and be recognized as role models, honor leading institutions for their services, ensure a mechanism for institutions to evaluate performance and provide organizations with a roadmap to achieve excellence through the adoption of good practices and approaches that are used systematically and continuously measured and reviewed.

Dubai attracts the world’s pioneer business school

Dubai, UAE – The ESCP Business School, one of the world’s oldest and top ranked business and management schools, is set to commence its operations in the UAE, with the first batch of students to be enrolled this year.

In association with Al Rostamani Group, the ESCP will open its seventh campus in Dubai — first outside Europe after Paris, Berlin, London, Madrid, Turin, and Warsaw.

The flagship inaugural programme will be launched in May this year. A total of 200 of the brightest and talented Emiratis, following a vetting process by the university, are identified as the first cohort batch to be enrolled in the Master of Science degree in Big Data and Business Analytics.

Al Rostamani Group has offered grants for the entire batch in celebration of the UAE’s 50th jubilee, and in memory of the group’s founder, the late Abdulla Hassan Al Rostamani, who avidly supported and believed in the power of education and knowledge in advancing societies.

The ESCP leadership expects strong demand for enrolment in its UAE campus, given that it is a favourite destination for youth and students from around the world. It is also a testament to Dubai’s reputation as a global destination for talent, creativity, knowledge sharing, and capacity-building uniquely distinguished opportunities.

Additional degrees will soon be added in a number of areas including master degree in family business management, business analytics, AI, big data, cybersecurity, digitalisation, plus others, with plans for a full-fledged campus to be established in the future.

Philippe Houze, chairman of ESCP Business School, said the vibrant eco-system of the UAE and the distinguished spirit of innovation, talent honing, creativity, and diversity that Dubai and the Emirates are known for, make this a uniquely fitting destination for our joint educational and capacity-building innovation.

“We are particularly pleased to announce the inaugural launch of our first branch campus outside Europe in collaboration with Al Rostamani Group and the advent of our globally renowned business school programs in Dubai,” Houze said.

“This strategic collaboration that we announce in association with Al Rostamani Group and with the Inaugural Cohort designated as the ‘Abdulla Hassan Al Rostamani Inaugural Cohort’ in recognition of the late founder of the group , will encourage knowledge exchange and will bring best-in-class education closer home not only to the youth from the UAE but also for all the aspiring young minds from across the world who consider Dubai and the UAE as a favoured destination for their innovative ventures, their state-of-the-art businesses, and their educational pursuits. These reputable course offerings and innovative programmes will drive innovation and cater par excellence to the learning needs of the financial services industry, the technology and innovation hub, and the wide community of learners and aspiring talents in the UAE, the wider region, and well beyond,” he said.

“We are grateful for the UAE leadership for this opportunity. We are particularly pleased that our first campus to be established outside Europe is being launched in Dubai, which is deploying uniquely distinguished initiatives which are especially dedicated to nurturing global talent and establishing itself as the hub for talent enhancement, and knowledge sharing from world-class educational institutions,” said Houze.

Strong inaugural cohort

Professor Frank Bournois, executive president and dean of ESCP, thanked the UAE authorities for the uniquely warm welcome that had been extended to the school in the Emirates and expressed his gratitude to Al Rostamani Group in association with whom the school’s branch campus was being launched in Dubai.

He expressed his pride in the uniquely strong inaugural cohort which the school was particularly privileged to welcome for its inaugural launch in Dubai, a commemorative batch of the best and brightest young minds of the UAE emanating from across the UAE. It also reflected an impressive gender-balanced distribution of young men and women, which brings a wonderful testimonial to the preparedness these talented young leaders had received and their continued aspiration to learn and develop, excelling in gaining admission to the most reputable world-renowned institutions, on par with their best and brightest counterparts across the globe.

“I have no doubt youth from across our European campuses will yearn to join this newly inaugurated seventh campus in Dubai as a destination of choice,” said Bournois.

We are working to promot our national talents: Marwan Abdullah Al Rostamani

Marwan Abdullah Al Rostamani, chairman of Al Rostamani Group, said commitment to support education, Emiratisation and talent development have always been part of Al Rostamani Group’s principles.

“The collaboration with ESCP and our contribution to attract the school to the UAE and the region will bring great possibilities. We are grateful for the opportunity,” Al Rostamani said.

“This endeavour comes in honor to our late father Abdulla Hassan Al Rostamani, the founder of the group, as the first inaugural cohort of the school’s educational programme will bear his name. He received basic schooling and began working at around the age of 14 to support the family out of hardship. All he learnt was due to his persistent determination and personal aspirations.

“And this was reflected when he established Al Ahliya Library in Dubai in 1954-56. It was the foundation to build his business which grew to become Al Rostamani Group. Throughout his life, our father gave education care and continuous support in the belief that knowledge and education are essential in opening the doors of opportunities and progress for individuals,” he said.

Al Rostamani concluded by saying: “As one of the leading local family businesses, and as part of our responsibility and social role, we are keen to work towards promoting our national talents, who have proven their ability to progress, develop, learn, and compete, regionally and globally. We are also particularly proud of the UAE and Dubai’s capability to attract this prestigious international educational institution, and express our earnest gratitude to the UAE government for welcoming this step and providing full support to the School. We also want to thank ‘ESCP’ for its confidence in the ecosystem of the UAE, and we are honored to be part of it as it based on our foundational belief that education is for all.”

From the library to the university: Abdullah Hassan Al Rostamani remains a beacon of light

Born in Shindagha area in Dubai in 1931, the late Abdulla Hassan Al Rostamani believed that education and knowledge are core to an individual’s growth as it powers the progress of societies. He gave education special attention and unlimited support because it enabled everyone greater opportunities and possibilities in life.

Abdulla received basic schooling during a time when formal schooling was not yet established in the UAE. He attended Al Falah school in Dubai, and used to teach his peers math.

He started working at the age of 14 to support his family, and to change the harsh living conditions at the time. Abdulla used to teach Arabic language in exchange for learning English. He believed the latter to be essential to reach out to the world, a language he mastered eventually through practice and reading.

In 1949, he worked as an accountant and clerk for a salary of 30 rupees (the currency in use at that time) for a major pearl dealer, importer, and supplier; Ali bin Abdullah Al Owais, father of the renowned writer, poet, and merchant Mr. Sultan bin Ali Al Owais, with whom he became close friends.

He realised early on that his ambitions and aspirations were broader than the job, so he opened a kioskp with a capital of 200 rupees.

He later on established Al-Ahliya Library in Dubai between 1954-56, as the first modern bookshop, after contracting with Farajallah Press in Egypt, to distribute Egyptian and Lebanese newspapers, magazines and books.

At the beginning of the sixties, he sought and obtained multiple agencies to import several electronics and products. In 1957, the “Central Trading Company” was opened as a general trading enterprise, which was the first building block for the establishment of Al Rostamani Group.

He was recognised and honoured by numerous educational and cultural entities and establishments, and was awarded the “Distinguished Personality of the Year” for the year 2000-2001, by the Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Educational Excellence. The late Abdulla Hassan Al Rostamani passed away in 2006, after a life full of giving.

Key takeaways

• Inaugural programme launched in Big Data and Business Analytics

• Inaugural lecture to be held in newly-inaugurated Museum of the Future Auditorium with Foundational Cohort of 200 young Emirati leaders named after the late Abdulla Hassan Al Rostamani

• The ESCP Business School, one of the world’s oldest and top ranked business and management schools, is set to commence its operations in the UAE, with the first batch of students to be enrolled this year.

• The ESCP Business School is a pioneer of business, entrepreneurship, and management, for the past 200 year.

• Pan-European institution is consistently ranked among the best business schools globally, with France recently issuing a commemorative stamp in celebration of its bi-centennial anniversary

• ESCP’s new campus outside Europe is the seventh for the school globally, electing Dubai as their new global destination for a vibrant hub for innovation and talent development

• The first cohort will include 200 of the best and brightest of Emirati talents from across all of the Emirates, and gender-balanced distribution of young men and women

• Selected from amongst the up-and-coming young talents of the most competitive talent hubs, such as MBRCLD, the UAE Young Economist Programme, and the Ministry of AI designees, the inaugural batch will offer a unique co-development set of learning opportunities

 

Al Rostamani Group donates Dh10 million to UAE’s ‘1 Billion Meals’ initiative

Dubai, UAE – Al Rostamani Group has announced a donation of Dh10 million to the ‘1 Billion Meals’ initiative, the largest of its kind in the region, which aims to provide food support to the underprivileged in 50 countries.

Al Rostamani Group’s donation, equivalent to 10 million meals, is one of several UAE companies that are making a significant financial contribution to 1 Billion Meals, which is helping to alleviate the hunger experienced by people worldwide every day, especially vulnerable groups such as children, refugees, displaced persons and those affected by disasters and crises.

Marwan Abdulla Al Rostamani, Chairman of Al Rostamani Group, said: “The 1 Billion Meals initiative, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum [Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai] and organised by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, is a channel of direct food support from the UAE to 50 countries around the world.”

He added: “Al Rostamani Group is proud to contribute to the humanitarian effort and the noble global message of this initiative, and the one before it, the ‘100 Million Meals’ campaign, to reach the needy wherever they are without discrimination. This translates to the values of giving that are deeply rooted in the UAE and its people.”