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DUBAI / Emirates Business
Proving self-funded, small businesses can eventually be big, UAE small- and micro-enterprises and entrepreneurs took the spotlight at the recently concluded Gulf Capital SME Awards.
RSA Logistics, a self-funded enterprise co-founded by Abhishek Ajay Shah in 2009, was named Gulf Capital Business of the Year. Through key partnerships and collaborations, RSA Logistics and its affiliate brands have now come together under the RSA Global banner, thus consolidating its comprehensive suite of supply chain solutions under one name. Headquartered in Dubai, RSA currently employs over 300 people.
Sharing the limelight at the event honouring the success, growth and innovation of the SME sector in the UAE was Amiri Gandhi who was named Entrepreneur of the Year, presented in association with Ccerebrate Business Consulting. An inventor and a businesswoman, Gandhi set up the children’s edutainment facility called Kidz Factory in Abu Dhabi in 2014 which now has become a popular venue for children’s art, entertainment and creativity. A self-funded enterprise, Kidz Factory was set up with AED1.2mn as initial investment.
“We congratulate all the winners of this year’s edition of the Gulf Capital SME Awards. SMEs and entrepreneurship are key to ensuring economic growth, innovation and job creation in the region. In the UAE, SMEs make up 95% of all enterprises, employ 42% of workforce and contribute over 60% to country’s GDP. SMEs are clearly the engine of growth for the local economy and we need to actively support and encourage them and celebrate their achievements. We are delighted to be supporting SMEs in country and the awards for the sixth consecutive year,†says Dr Karim El Solh, CEO of Gulf Capital, one of the largest and most active alternative asset management firms in the Middle East and the headline sponsor of the awards.
Bait Al Kandora Gents Tailoring, one of the thousands of SMEs supported by the Khalifa Fund Enterprise for Development, was honoured with the Emirati Business of the Year award for its achievements in creating quality traditional menswear known
for its style, craftsmanship and
carrying with pride the national identity of the UAE.