Leadership by innovation
dubai — The fifth edition of the Global Innovation Summit, organised by SPI GreatSands Group in partnership with Dubai SME, was held against the backdrop of the growing emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship across the UAE.
Echoing the message of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to “innovate or become irrelevant” and highlighting the National Innovation Strategy of the UAE, speakers at the summit shed light on the innovation route to business leadership.
The primary objective of the annual summit is to celebrate innovation and focus on most pertinent and disruptive technology and cultural trends that are reshaping corporate strategy and decision making.
“Globally, development strategies are being anchored on the symbiotic relation between entrepreneurship and innovation. The Dubai SME2021 Plan draws on the emphasis given to innovation in Dubai and the UAE in general. The Global Innovation Summit is a productive platform for us to showcase our experience and learn from the success of successful entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship promotion strategies
Development strategies are being anchored on the symbiotic relation between entrepreneurship and innovation Abdul Baset Al Janahi, CEO of Dubai SME
world over,” said Abdul Baset Al Janahi, CEO of Dubai SME.
Shantanu A.P., CEO and partner at SPI GreatSands, said: “We understand that running a company is lonely and entrepreneurs must make difficult decisions every day with imperfect information. In our experience the best safety net is the advice and experience of fellow entrepreneurs, that is why we organize these large format summits and bring together thousands of entrepreneurs to share their expertise and experiences.”
Saud Abbasi, managing director of Toyota at Al Futtaim, added: “Our longstanding relationship with Global Innovation Summit is built on shared commitment to support SMEs in the UAE.”
Danube Group chairman and founder Rizwan Sajan added: “The summit acknowledges the importance of the SME sector, which is the bedrock of any economy and adds significantly to the growth of the economy. I think this sector has created jobs, growth and income; entrepreneurs are transforming the lives and the communities they live in.”
Nitin Anand, executive director and chair of the executive council of Skyline University College, said: “The Global Innovation Summit is one of the biggest events that we highly support for this is an excellent platform to recognise the SME sector in the UAE.”
The event also hosted Creative Innovation Awards 2017, aimed at recognising budding innovators in the UAE, increase awareness about the latest innovations, foster a culture of innovation and create a sense of community.
Due to overwhelming response and quality of entries, two awards were given for each category. The winners in the category of healthcare were Ajurn Bhorkar from The Millennium School and Vishweswar Eswaran. In the category of sustainability, Dubai Police and Dubai Municipality bagged the awards. For business growth, the winners were Swisslog Middle East and Redington. Canon Middle East and Tazeen Sharif were the winners in the public good category. The winners in education were Dr Frithi Herbert from Cambridge High School, Abu Dhabi, and a team of three students, Rashi Dhenia, Shiza Khalid and Aseal Elhilaly from The Westminster School.
— business@khaleejtimes.com