Inspiring Leaders, Organisations Win Big at the First-Ever UAE-India Awards

The first-ever UAE-India Awards, presented by UK-headquartered India Global Forum (IGF), brought a high-powered week of engaging dialogues and insightful discussion at IGF UAE 2022 to a close.

Leading UAE and Indian companies and high achievers were honoured across a range of categories for their work in the UAE-India corridor at a glittering awards night hosted at the Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, The Palm, Dubai, on the evening of 15 December 2022. It brought together an array of VIP guests, celebrities and influential figures from the world of business, politics, and the arts for a premier black-tie evening celebrating the dynamic bilateral partnership as “Partners for Global Impact”.

The awards covered the whole spectrum of UAE-India cooperation as a celebration across the fields of investment, legal services, banking, business promotion and technology.

Professor Manoj Ladwa, IGF Founder & Chairman, said: “The first-ever UAE-India Awards celebrate the special relationship between the two countries and the high achievers adding to the momentum behind our strengthening ties."

“As the theme of IGF UAE reflects, the UAE and India have ideally suited ‘Partners for Global Impact’ and the awards are here to spotlight those working towards making that partnership truly impactful.”

The UAE-India Awards 2022 Winners are:

• Investment of the Year
  • Emmar
• New Market Entrant of the Year
  • Lenskart
• Legal Practice of the Year
  • Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas
• Banking Organisation of the Year
  •  Emirates NBD
• Business Promotion Organisation of the Year
  • Dubai Chambers
• Technology Company of the Year
  • TCS
• Investor in Climate Action Award
  •  Ola Electric
• Social Impact Projects of the Year

- Faizal & Shabana Foundation
- Aster DM Healthcare

• IGF UAE Young Leader of the Year Award
  •  Alisha Moopen
• IGF Significant Contribution to UAE India Relations
  • H.E. Ambassador Dr Ahmed Al Banna

• IGF Special Award for Contribution to Cultural Understanding
  • BAPS Hindu Mandir, Abu Dhabi

• IGF Lifetime Contribution to UAE India Relation

• Yusuf Ali MA

The winners have been chosen by an eminent UAE-India Awards 2022 Jury:

• H.E. Ambassador Dr Ahmed Al Banna, Former Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to India
• Nikhil Kamath, Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer, Zerodha & True Beacon
• Zubin Jal Karkaria, Founder & CEO, VFS Global
• Eman Abdulrazzaq, Group Chief Human Resource Officer, Emirates NBD
• Sunil Kaushal, Regional CEO, Africa & Middle East, Standard Chartered Bank 

The awards gala brought the second UAE edition of India Global Forum to a close at the end of a week of keynote addresses, fireside chats, roundtables and studio conversations, with senior ministers, business leaders, lawmakers and influential thought leaders covering diverse subjects from climate change to geopolitics, fintech innovations to greentech challenges.

In his Keynote Address to formally kick off IGF UAE 2022 at the start of the week, the event’s headline speaker – Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar – highlighted new areas of UAE-India cooperation such as Education, Artificial Intelligence, Health, and Start-ups in addition to traditional sectors like energy, trade, and investments.

The senior Indian Minister said: “The UAE and India share intrinsic and intuitive trust leading to immense comfort in relations between both nations. Today, the UAE is India’s third largest trade partner, second largest export destination and also hosts the largest community of Indian diaspora."

“As both nations transform, we remain committed to expanding our partnership to other partners. We have a trilateral partnership with France and are also collaborating with Africa on healthcare. We have also established a unique I2U2 mechanism comprising India, Israel, UAE, and the USA. India can play a big role in bridging relations between nations.”

Some of the other high-profile speakers over the course of the week included:

• Hon. Bhupendra Yadav, Minister of Labour & Employment and Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India
• Hon. Sunjay Sudhir, Ambassador of India to UAE, Government of India
• H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for AI, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, UAE
• H.E. Reem Bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, Government of UAE
• Dr Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Skill Development, Entrepreneurship, Electronics and IT, Government of India
• Michael Bloomberg, Founder, Bloomberg

A full list of speakers can be accessed here at India Global Forum/ Speakers and to review any missed sessions, click here.

For more information on the event and a full programme, click here.