MEED, the region’s leading business intelligence organisation, is proud to announce the opening of entries for its SME Awards 2022.

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, August 3, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- MEED, the region’s leading business intelligence organisation, is proud to announce the opening of entries for its SME Awards 2022.

Recognised as the UAE’s pre-eminent small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) awards event, interested SMEs have until 26 August to submit their nominations.

There are 17 categories to enter, including the prestigious SME Business of the Year, Business Leader of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Emirati Business of the Year and FedEx Start-Up Business of the Year, as well as awards across a range of sectors such as fintech, edutech and technology.

This year will be the 11th edition of the SME Awards. Last year’s winners included one-stop gourmet food shop Hayawiia, which won FedEx Start-Up Business of the Year; Entrepreneur of the Year Mohammed Absi Halabi, founder and CEO of e-commerce fulfilment and delivery business Swftbox; and online rewards points firm PointCheckout, awarded Disruptor of the Year.

The development of SMEs is a government priority, as shown by recent initiatives to support and promote the sector. These include the National SME Programme to develop general frameworks and guidelines; the establishment of the UAE SME Council to create strategic plans and policies for the sector; and the launch of Operation 300bn, under which Emirates Development Bank will contribute to financing 13,500 SMEs.

“The MEED SME Awards 2022 is the most illustrious SME awards event in the calendar, having received more than 1,000 entries over the past decade,” says Sonia Kerrigan, Group Commercial Director at MEED.

“According to government data, there were 350,000 active SMEs in the UAE in 2020, representing more than 94% of all companies in the economy. Collectively, they employ some 86% of the private sector labour force and comprise over 60% of total GDP. It’s therefore important for all of us to acknowledge and celebrate the tremendous contribution they make.

“To underline this, MEED is launching two new elements to support our community," adds Kerrigan. “Each finalist will receive feedback from their live judging sessions, and our winners will be offered the chance to engage with a mentor – a member of the business community with the skills, knowledge and experience to help support ongoing success.”

Nominations to any category of the SME Awards 2022 are free, with entrants welcome from any sector. Entries will be assessed by a 30-strong panel of independent judges looking at broad business metrics such as financial performance, employee development, corporate culture, innovation, expansion and strategy.

Esteemed judges this year include Dr Hamed Ali Al-Hashemi, Advisor and Digital Health Programme Lead at the Abu Dhabi Department of Health; Dr Essam Disi, Director of Strategy and Policy at Dubai SME; Khalifa AlJaziri, AlShehhi, Advisor, Commercial Affairs Regulatory Sector at the Ministry of Economy and co-founder of the Dubai Blockchain Center and Smart IoT; and Salah Makkouk, Senior Director at Careem Incubator.

Finalists for each category will be announced on 19 September, while the winners will be revealed at the Awards reception on 9 November 2022.

SMEs interested in knowing more about the Awards can visit https://www.reports.meed.com/meed-sme-awards-pr/ to view the categories and criteria, and to submit their entries.

About MEED:
Operating for over 65 years, MEED is one of the most respected business media brands in the Middle East. Backed by disruptive data services company GlobalData, MEED is uniquely able to drive high-value business development programmes across the world that provide measurable outcomes. The MEED brand reputation combined with our Middle East expertise, vast experience in building and engaging high-level business communities, and GlobalData’s proprietary marketing technology makes us a uniquely powerful partner to support strategic communications in the region and beyond.

MEED Events delivers highly focused programmes of activity on the key themes driving the region forward. To ensure continuous service to our communities of business leaders, our events give hyper-targeted opportunities to interact with potential business partners, clients and peers.
MEED is differentiated by the quality of its content, its capability and experience in engaging digital communities, and its ability to target and drive qualified leads from global audiences.

MEED SME Awards 2022 Sponsors:
Official Logistics Sponsor: FedEx
Technologies Category Sponsor: Gulf Capital
Association Partner: Dtec
Endorsing Partners: Dubai Angel Investors, Dubai Cultiv8, Dubai SME, in5, Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, Start AD, Tie Dubai, Young Arab Leaders

For media enquiries, please contact:
For MEED
Vignesh Satyarajan
Events & Digital Marketing Executive
E: Vignesh.satyarajan@meed.com

Vignesh Satyarajan
MEED
vignesh.satyarajan@meed.com