2024 WINNERS
Celebrate the Champions! See who took home the prestigious awards in 2024.
Outstanding Marina Award
Gold
D-Marin Turgutreis,
Türkiye
Silver
D-Marin Göcek,
Türkiye
Bronze
D-Marin Didim,
Türkiye
Employer Excellence Award
Gold
Palm Jumeirah
Marina, UAE
Silver
Yas Marina,
UAE
Bronze
Aldar Marina,
UAE
Health & Safety Award
Gold
Dubai Harbour,
UAE
Silver
Palm Jumeirah
Marina, UAE
Bronze
Emirates Palace Marina,
UAE
Customer Experience Award
Gold
D-Marin Göcek,
Türkiye
Silver
Dubai Creek Marina,
UAE
Bronze
Jeddah Yacht Club & Marina, Saudi Arabia
Innovation Award
Gold
Yas Marina,
UAE
Silver
Dubai Harbour,
UAE
Bronze
The Pearl Island Marina,
Qatar
Sustainability Award
Gold
D-Marin Didim,
Türkiye
Silver
The Pearl Island Marina,
Qatar
Bronze
Ayla Marina,
Jordan
Most Popular Marina Award
Gold
Ayla Marina,
Jordan
Silver
The Pearl Island Marina,
Qatar
Bronze
Abu Dhabi Marina,
UAE
2024 Juries
Prof. Elhadi Etigani
VP - Corporate Excellence, Business
Development & Excellence
Dubai Electricity & Water Authority
Capt. Salmeen Alhammadi
Head of Business Development
Emirates Classification Society
Capt. Saif Al Mheiri
CEO of Abu Dhabi Maritime and Chief
Sustainability Officer
AD Ports Group
Ahmed Al Khayat
SVP - Excellence Management
AD Ports Group
Isra’a Mobideen
Middle East Regional Director
EFQM
Tony Dye
CMM
TD Marina Consultancy Limited, UK
Capt. Michael Jude Fetton
Managing Director
JLS Yachts
Farrokh Golchin
Managing Director
StratConn LLC
Wyndham Tops
Senior Director of Maritime and Marina Affairs
Red Sea Global
Capt. Salmeen Alhammadi
Capt.Salmeen Alhammadi is Head of Business Development at Emirates Classification Society. He is a seasoned professional with a robust background in the field of business development and operations, particularly within the onshore and offshore sectors, marine, shipping including oil and gas, with more than 18 years of experience.
Career highlights include his role as Head of Business Development/ISD at Emirates Classification Society where he was responsible for coordinating activities to ensure high standards, conditions and safe operation of marine operations and activities.
During his tenure as VP - Business Development/Head of Marketing/Dept. Head of Port & Offshore Commercial at ADNOC L&S, his strategic acumen came to the forefront, navigating the complex landscape of logistics and compliance, forging connections across multiple entities for the cohesive execution of regulatory activities and seamless logistics operations.
Ahmed Al Khayat
Ahmed Al Khayat currently serves as the Senior Vice President of the excellence management division in Abu Dhabi Ports Group. He established the quality assurance function back in 2012.r. Alkhayat is the founder of ADPorts Group Internal Excellence Award(MAFNOOD). He graduated from Crawley college in the UK and continued his studies in the United Arab Emirates. Ahmad comes with 25 years of experience out of which 21 years were in the quality assurance and excellence fields.
He is a certified EFQM assessor and a certified auditor and was one of the main drivers that helped Abu Dhabi Ports Group winning the Main Award in Abu Dhabi Award for Excellence in Government Performance in 2017.
Ahmad worked in different complex fields such as aviation, maintenance, and ports. He held several positions in huge organizations such as Dubai Airports as the Vice President – Excellence Programs & Government Relations.
Capt. Michael Fetton
Capt. Michael Fetton is from Ireland and began working in the Marine Industry over 3 decades ago.
The first few years provided him excellent training in seamanship along with the experience of traveling the world. During these years, Mike has challenged himself to learn every aspect of this industry, having worked on a wide range of boats from power to sail, high speed to displacement, and everything in between. In 2006 Mike moved to ashore and held positions of Project Manager, Business Development Manager, and Operations Manager.
Mike Fetton joined JLS Yachts in November 2015. Mike took on his current role for JLS Yachts in 2019 he become the Managing Director of JLS Yachts and its 5 divisions namely Superyacht Middle East, JLS Yacht Training Institute, The Yacht & Charter Management Company, Crew Placement Middle East and the newly opened Waypoint Trading.
Mike’s role as an MD of JLS Yachts is to control and oversee all business operations of the Company and its divisions. He provides inspiration, motivation and guidance to the managers in the company to be able to achieve its objectives effectively and efficiently.
Farrokh Golchin
Farrokh Golchin B. Eng. Civil, is the Managing Director of StratConn LLC, supplier of equipment and services to marinas in GCC and beyond.
As a professional with over 20 years of leisure marine industry experience, he has held senior positions within associations and companies in the leisure marine sector and has developed an in-depth and nuanced understanding of marinas and their impact on the greater marine industry.
Currently Farrokh sits on the Advisory Board of Global Marina Institute (GMI) as representative from the Middle East, which delivers globally recognized CMM and IMM certification and marina training with the aim of maintaining and increasing standards in marinas across the world as well as the Board of the Leisure Marine Association MENA.
Captain Saif Al Mheiri
Captain Saif Al Mheiri is the CEO of Abu Dhabi Maritime, the primary custodian of Abu Dhabi’s waterways, tasked with helping position Abu Dhabi as a leading global maritime capital. He is also the Acting Chief Sustainability Officer at AD Ports Group responsible for ensuring the execution of the Group’s Environment, Social and Governance Strategy and compliance to sustainability best practices.
Captain Al Mheiri brings over 20 years of professional experience, which includes multiple senior positions at the Department of Municipalities & Transport, ADNOC Logistics & Services, ADNATCO and NGSCO. His experience spans different industries and covers a variety of areas including strategy, planning, business development, mergers and acquisitions, and transformation.
His work portfolio includes project management relating to ship operations, digitalisation and innovation, oil and gas, and industrial sectors. Furthermore, he served with distinction in his role as one of the leaders that assisted in developing the Abu Dhabi Plan Maritime, which serves as the main strategy for the development of Abu Dhabi’s maritime sector.
Captain Al Mheiri holds an Executive MBA Degree in Strategic Management, Certificates of Competency (CoC) in Master Mariners, CoC Chief Mate, an Advanced Diploma of Applied Nautical Science, CoC Second Mate, and Diploma of Applied Nautical Science.
Tony Dye
Tony has been involved in the marina industry for over 22 years, and set up his own consultancy in 2012, having previously been Operations Manager for an independent group operating 7 marinas, both coastal and inland in the UK with over 1700 wet berths and moorings and a boatyard.
He has extensive coastal and inland marina management and operations, and marketing knowledge together with developing marina strategies and implementation.
He joined TYHA ( The Yacht Harbour Association) in the UK in 2013 as Consultant assessing marina and boatyards travelling extensively between the Mid-East conduction both Gold Anchor and International Clean Marina accreditations. He is a regular face within the Mid-East conducting assessments and attending Boat Shows having visited on numerous occasions in the past 12 months.
While being a resilient force behind the In addition , he is current Chair of the Global Marina Institute, UK, Europe, and Mid-East partly delivering the range of IMM & AMM marina manager courses in conjunction with British Marine and the MIA.
Prof. Elhadi Mohamed Ahmed Etigani
Professor Hadi Eltigani is A full fledged academician as well as all round practitioner in the field of Quality Management and Business Excellence for more than 30 years in UK, Europe , GCC as well as the Middle East.
As an Academic he was and still is a Professor of Business Development at key European Centres such as Hertfordshire University as well as a member of the International Academy for Quality IAQ established by the original Quality Gurus such as Dr. Deming , Joe Juran and Val Feigenbaum in the early 1950s .
As a Practioner in the Quality and Excellence Awards industry in the UAE and the region, he established the Dubai Quality Award DQA in its new Criteria back in 1997, the Dubai Government Excellence Program where he was a member of the technical committee which established its new criteria in 1998 . Moreover , he also established the Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award in 1999, the Abu Dhabi Government Excellence Award -ADAEP in 2006 , Sheikha Fatima Excellence Award for Arab Youth in 2011, in addition, he helped established the Sharjah Excellence Award, RAK Government Excellence Award, Ajman Government Excellence Award and Fujairah’s Chamber Excellence Award for the private sector.
In terms of Jury role, he worked as a Jury Chairman or member in almost All Local Awards in Dubai , Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman and RAK. In KSA he worked as Jury Chairman for King Abdalaziz Quality Award for more than 5 cycles running as well as many internal awards in the UAE with notable organisations both in Government as well as the private sector.
Isra'a Mobideen
With over 20 years of diversified experience in the public and private sectors, a senior executive and a quality and excellence expert passionate about improving organizational performance and achieving a sustainable future. As the EFQM Middle East Regional Director, Ms. Isra’a led the company's market development and value proposition in the Middle East and beyond.
She has a strong track record of spearheading major initiatives in quality management, business excellence, performance management, and service improvement, using the EFQM and other Excellence models.
Under her leadership, EFQM worked with industry experts to develop various models and awards such as Hamdan- EFQM Global Education Award and Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Environmental Award in Abu Dhabi.
Wyndham Tops
Wyndham Tops, the Senior Director of Marine and Marina at Red Sea Global, brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his role. His journey in the maritime industry began at a young age, teaching at a sailing school and delivering yachts worldwide. His time at the prestigious Italian Ferretti Yacht Group solidified his passion for project management, complex construction, high-value sales, and multidimensional luxury. From 2008 to 2016, Wyndham served as the Group Operations & Facilities Manager at RDK Commercial Investments, overseeing a diverse portfolio of Residential & Commercial Buildings, Private Family Palaces, multiple Embassies, and luxury Super Yacht & Super Car fleets. With over 20 years of successful management experience under his belt, Wyndham then took on the role of Director of Leisure at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi, before moving on to build the Marinas portfolio at Abu Dhabi Maritime, where he managed 29 marine facilities.
Red Sea Global, where Wyndham is currently based, is at the forefront of luxury, sustainability, and innovation in development. Spearheading new tourism models, Red Sea Global prioritizes the well-being of customers, communities, and environments in its projects. As part of Saudi Vision 2030, Red Sea Global is owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia and chaired by HRH Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud. The organization is committed to transforming the nation, creating economic opportunities for the people of Saudi Arabia, and enhancing the Kingdom's environmental and cultural heritage. With a diverse portfolio of world-leading destinations along Saudi Arabia's west coast, Red Sea Global is set to redefine luxury tourism and sustainability offerings, while actively protecting and enhancing the natural environment for future generations. Stay tuned for more exciting developments along the coastline as Red Sea Global continues to push the boundaries of responsible tourism.
2024 ASSESSORS
Abdou Fahd
Ali Nimer
Ashraf Yaseen
Baha Mohammed
Hanan Al Hashmi
Hussam Al Razem
Ivaylo Kishkov
Jiri Michael Nilsen
Mahmoud Garad
Mark Hamill
Mohammed Al Mutawa
Rafat Tahboush
Shehab Sharafeldin
Slim Saidi
Souraj Salah
Najood Al Reyami
Abdou Fahd
With over 18 years of experience in both B2B and B2C environments, Abdou is a renowned customer experience specialist who has driven high-profile transformational projects across banking, government, automotive, and trading industries in the UAE, UK, and Palestine. His focus on creating seamless customer journeys and operational processes has helped organisations foster deeper connections with customers, resulting in sustained engagement and loyalty. Globally recognised as a thought leader, Abdou has served as a judge and chair for prestigious international customer experience awards.
Ali Nimer
Ali Nimer has 26 years of experience in quality management and more than eight as an assessor for various awards programmes, including the Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award (SKEA) and the King Abdullah II Government Excellence Award. He specialises in service excellence, business process reengineering, and strategic planning, with a focus on customer experience and continuous improvement. Ali is an accredited EFQM Assessor and certified lead auditor for ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and OHSAS 18001, demonstrating expertise in Lean Six Sigma and business process management.
Ashraf Yaseen
Ashraf Yaseen is a recognised expert in excellence assessments with over 22 years of experience across government, transportation, logistics, maritime, education, and manufacturing sectors. Holding a Master’s degree in Quality Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, he combines strategic insights with hands-on expertise. Ashraf has successfully led evaluations for prestigious awards like the Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award (SKEA), King Abdulaziz Quality Award, and ASQ Innovation Award. An EFQM-certified Assessor, ASQ CMQ/OE, and ISO Lead Auditor, Ashraf is known for his relentless pursuit of organisational excellence, pushing boundaries to foster sustainable, data-driven growth while ensuring fairness, transparency, and a forward-thinking approach.
Baha Mohammed
Baha Mohammad is an accomplished industrial engineer with more than 18 years of experience in organisational development, specialising in driving excellence and integrating quality and customer experience (CX) transformation programs. His expertise covers international standards, excellence models, policies, process management, and continual improvement. A licensed EFQM Assessor, COPC Implementation Leader, excellence models assessment team leader, certified lead auditor, and trainer, Baha is dedicated to operational excellence and sustainable growth. overseeing the implementation of international management systems, industry best practices, and excellence frameworks with a strong focus on innovation, digital transformation, sustainability, and CX strategies.
Hanan Al Hashmi
Hanan is a dynamic leader with significant expertise in business excellence, strategic planning, and policy. Despite a mobility disability, she excels in boosting organizational productivity and efficiency for excellence.
With over 20 years of experience in both government and private sectors, she is an expert in business excellence and quality across diverse sectors: including trade, social, vocational education, and health.
As a professional assessor, Hanan has 12 years of experience evaluating excellence awards internationally and locally, including Uzbekistan Quality Award, Mohammed Bin Rashid Government Excellence Award, Dubai Government Excellence Award, Fujairah Government Excellence Award, Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Excellence & Community Intelligence Award and Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award.
She is also highly accomplished academically, holding a Master of Science in Organizational Excellence and Quality with honors and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from United Arab Emirates University followed by a Professional Diploma in Teaching.
Hussam Al Razem
With 18 years of experience, Hussam Alrazem has extensive expertise in consultancy, auditing, and training for ISO standards and excellence frameworks. As a certified EFQM Assessor and ISO Lead Auditor, he has contributed to prestigious awards programmes like the Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award (SKEA) and the King Abdullah II Award for Excellence in Jordan. Hussam has managed over 50 projects related to ISO certifications (ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, and others) and over 25 projects on excellence models across the UAE, Jordan, and Sudan. His skills extend to strategic planning, performance management, and quality management, making him a leading figure in operational excellence.
Jiri Michael Nilsen
Michael Nilsen is an established professional in customer experience, quality management, and process improvement with over 20 years of experience in renowned hospitality brands such as Jumeirah Group and Emirates Palace Abu Dhabi. Driven by a passion for customer care, he aspires to deliver top-level customer service. Michael is a certified EFQM Assessor and Six Sigma professional and has been a senior assessor for the Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Awards since 2017.
Mahmoud Garad
Mahmoud Garad is a seasoned Customer Experience leader with 15 years of expertise in shaping and executing customer-centric strategies that drive organisational success. He designs and implements innovative solutions that elevate end-to-end customer journeys. His strategic focus on aligning customer experience initiatives with business objectives, combined with his proficiency in leveraging data-driven insights, has consistently delivered measurable improvements in customer satisfaction, loyalty, and engagement across the EMEA region.
Mark Hamill
Mark Hamill has 15 years of experience in customer experience, service excellence, and business performance management across the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas. He has led over 30 global awards programmes, including the Customer Centricity World Series and the International Business Excellence Awards. Mark specialises in customer service assessment, business process review, and digital transformation. His expertise extends to implementing standards like the International Customer Service Standard (ICXS) and managing large-scale benchmarking projects.
Mohammed Al Mutawa
With 20 years of experience in excellence assessment, Mohammed Khamis Al Mutawa has led evaluations for high-profile awards, including DGEP, SKGEP, and SKEA. He holds a Master’s degree in Quality Management and is pursuing a PhD in Autonomous AI Management. Mohammed is a certified EFQM Assessor and a certified innovation manager, specialising in digital transformation, strategic planning, and quality management. He has assessed over 95 organisations, ensuring transparency and best practices across various industries. His expertise extends to business continuity, risk management, and process reengineering, making him a key contributor to excellence and innovation in both governmental and private sectors.
Rafat Tahboush
A quality management expert with more than 23 years of experience and a Master's degree in Engineering from the University of Waterloo, Canada, Rafat is skilled in transformation, strategic planning, excellence models, ISO standards, and project management. He is also certified in PMP, Scrum, and Lean Six Sigma. An award-winning project manager in Ontario and co-founder of ISOMAN Software, he has led excellence and certification assessments based on DGEP, EFQM, Customer Experience models, ISO 9001 and other standards.
Shehab Sharafeldin
Observer
Shehab is a distinguished advertising and marketing professional known for his blend of creativity and analytical acumen. He aims to foster a culture of productivity in the workplace, empowering colleagues to realise their potential while consistently delivering outstanding results. Project manager for the Abu Dhabi Maritime Awards programme, he serves as an observer on its assessment team, committed to ensuring its success.
Dr. Slim Saidi
Dr. Saidi holds a PhD from the Polytechnique Montréal, Canada, a Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (DSA) from HEC Montréal, and a degree in Industrial Engineering from ENIT, Tunisia. Dr. Saidi has held several senior executive positions in government and private organisations across the Middle East and Africa and was a partner with global management and strategy consultants KPMG and Arthur D. Little. He has been associated with universities in Canada, Tunisia, and the UAE. His expertise includes strategy articulation and implementation, customer experience, operational efficiency, cost optimisation, supply-chain strategy, general board and executive advice, excellence programs, and quality management. He has been a judge, assessor, coach, or trainer in multiple awards programmes, assessing major organisations globally.
Dr. Souraj Salah
With 25 years of experience, Dr. Souraj Salah is an expert in logistics, services, and quality management. He holds a PhD in Industrial Engineering and has authored two books and over 30 papers. Dr. Salah is certified as a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt (LSS MBB), Lead IMS QHSE ISO Auditor, and EFQM Assessor. He has contributed to awards like SKEA, the Ajman Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Award, and the IBX International Business Excellence Award, demonstrating his commitment to excellence in diverse sectors.
lvaylo Kishkov
With an MBA in Hospitality Management from Glion Institute of Higher Education, and CMM certificate from British Marine, lvaylo Kishkov brings a unique blend of strategic acumen and a passion for guest service to the hospitality and marine industries. Throughout his career, lvaylo has developed expertise in hotel and restaurant management, marina operations, event planning, and customer experience enhancement.
lvaylo has accumulated extensive experience managing marinas, where he has demonstrated a commitment to excellence and innovation. His ability to navigate the complexities of marina management from overseeing docking operations and maintenance to enhancing the overall guest experience has positioned him as a leader in the field. lvaylo's strategic vision and operational expertise have led to significant improvements in marina efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Known for his strong leadership skills and collaborative approach, lvaylo excels in building and mentoring high-performing teams, fostering a culture of service excellence, and delivering results that exceed expectations.
In addition to his professional pursuits, lvaylo is passionate about sailing, diving, and fishing, and sustainable tourism, further enriching his perspective on the ever evolving hospitality and marina management landscape.
Testimonials
Hear what past participants say about the Abu Dhabi Maritime Awards.
Wayne Shepherd
Director – Marinas,
Dubai Harbour
Marina & Operations Manager,
Aldar Marinas
Country Manager,
D-Marin,Türkiye
VENUE DETAILS
Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre ADNEC Group
Khaleej Al Arabi Street
P.O. Box 5546
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates