IOD excellence awards inspire UAE corporates

Dubai - Dr Ahmed Al Banna, Mohamed Yahya Kazi honoured with Distinguished Fellow accolade

A couple of big names have been added to the Institute of Directors' (IOD) very long list of recipients of its Distinguished Fellow accolade.
Dr Ahmed Al Banna, Ambassador of the UAE to India, and Mohamed Yahya Kazi, director and group CEO of Galadari Brothers Co, were honoured with the IOD Distinguished Fellowship award for 2019 for their achievements and dedication to business excellence.
Each year, the Executive Council of the IOD selects persons of eminence who will be conferred with the Distinguished Fellowship award for their outstanding contribution to public service and society.
Among those in the elite list of this honour roll since 1994 - among several others - are Dewa managing director and CEO Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Dubai Aluminium president and CEO Abdulla J.M. Kalban, Dubai Multi Commodities Centre executive chairman Ahmed bin Sulayem and London Stock Exchange group chairman Donald H. Brydon and former Indian president Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the first-ever recipient.
Kazi dedicated the award to his father, who he said had been instrumental in shaping him into the successful professional that he is today. "He would also tell me to challenge what people say. You may be talking to industry leaders, but chances are that they are not always going to be right about everything. I have kept this lesson very close to my heart."
"Another thing that he used to say to me, which I like to pass on to young entrepreneurs, is to be humble, honest and transparent in everything that you do," he added. "It is important to be surrounded by good mentors in the business world today. For me, and many others, our parents are our first mentors. As you progress in your career, you will come across many other experts that will become your mentors. It is important to learn from them and from their experiences."
Speaking about the way that the world is changing today, as far is business is concerned, Kazi said that businesses have no choice but to be innovative and ready for change.
"No matter what product or service that your business specialises in, you have to be ready to tackle disruptive changes in the industry. You can identify the true measure of a leader by what he decides to do at any particular moment in time, how fast he reacts to disruptions in the industry and how he comes to a decision that is backed by the insights he has collected on the issue," he added.
- rohma@khaleejtimes.com