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| Bader Abdullah al-Darwish |
The Arabian Business award is a premier event in the regional business calendar, which consistently attracts and honours the biggest names in the Gulf business community. Previous winners have included Prince Al-Waleed, King Mohamed VI of Morocco, and King Abdullah of Jordan. In 2008, HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum won a special Lifetime Achievement award for his outstanding contribution to global business over the past two decades.
Darwish Holding vice chairman Saoud Abdullah al-Darwish received the award on behalf of Bader al-Darwish, who described the award as an honour for the entire Darwish Holding, as it is a solid testament to the fact that Darwish has been a key partner for the development and recognition of Qatar on the regional and international business map.
“Our name has been closely linked to that of our country owing to a stellar track record with milestones that have helped raise the bar in the industry.
“We are now gearing up towards the launch of Qatar’s newest retail destination, Lagoona, which is really a labour of love for Darwish Holding and a culmination of the company’s vision and belief over the past nine decades.”
This award is one in a series of accolades that reflects Bader al-Darwish’s outstanding business achievements stemming, particularly, from the innovative retail concepts that he introduced to Qatar such as the Fifty One East, the largest multi-brand luxury store in the Middle East, which has also been recognised as the Best Retail Project of the Year.
Born in 1959, Bader Abdullah al-Darwish is the son of Late Abdullah al-Darwish Fakhroo, a pioneering leader in the region since 1920 who, along with his brothers, Jassim and Abdul Rahman, built the Darwish Group of Companies in Qatar with interests extending throughout the Gulf. Their business operations were not only limited to shares and investments in financial institutions but also included trading, automobiles, property development, construction and contracting, hotels, travel and tourism with properties throughout the Middle East, Europe and the US.Over the past eight years, al-Darwish achieved a 40% year-on-year growth for the Darwish Holding despite a harsh economic backdrop between 2008 and 2011.
In 2011, al-Darwish drove the group to another outstanding milestone with an increase of 30%, a central accomplishment that led to this latest award.
Other big winners at the Arabian Business Achievements Awards included Qatar Foundation for a special CSR award; Hisham al-Mana for the Visionary of the Year; and Al Jazeera English for International Achievement. A special award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Business’ was also given to the Qatar 2022 Fifa World Cup Bid Committee. The Best Real Estate Investment Strategy of the Year award was given to Mazaya Qatar Real Estate Development; Best Logistics Company of the Year for Gulf Warehousing Company; Best Islamic Bank of the Year for QIB; Bank of the Year for Doha Bank; Retail Bank of the Year for IBQ; Financial Services of the Year for QFC; Telecom Company of the Year for Qtel; Best Real Estate Company of the Year for Ezdan Real Estate; Energy Company of the Year for RasGas and Hospitality Company of the Year for Ritz-Carlton, Doha.
Buthaina al-Ansari was also recognised as the Businesswoman of the Year.
