Gulf Times Community won the award for SME Digital Transformation of the Year at Qatar Digital Business Awards (QDBA) Friday.
The 2019 edition of Qitcom concluded Friday with the announcement of the winners of the QDBA and the Qitcom awards in a gala presided over by HE the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti.
The award for SME Digital Transformation of the Year is given to an SME that has successfully deployed innovative digital tools to enhance their operations and services. Now in its fifth year, the annual QDBA is one of the most prestigious awards for the digital industry in Qatar, and comes as part of the Ministry of Transports and Communications’ (MoTC) eff orts to honour and recognise corporate entities, SMEs, and startups that have contributed to the development of the digital industry in Qatar.

HE the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti presenting the Best Accessible Booth award to QNB


HE the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti presenting the Best Booth (between 95sq m and 300sq m) to Ooredoo


HE the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti presenting the Best Interactive Booth award to Vodafone


HE the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti presenting the Best Engaging Booth award to Huawei Qatar

For this year’s awards, MoTC received 150 nominations for the various categories of the awards. The nominations, which came from 76 public and private entities, including four major banks, were reviewed by a jury made up of industry experts, university professors and government offi cials. Al-Sulaiti and MoTC’s Digital Society assistant undersecretary Reem al-Mansoori presented the awards in 10 categories: ICT Service Provider of the Year, Systems Integrator of the Year, Mobile App of the Year, Cloud Solution of the Year, Digital Startup of the Year, Smart Solution of the Year, SME Digital Transformation of the Year, E-commerce Solution of the Year, Innovative Fintech Solution of the Year, and ICT Exporter of the Year.
 Al-Mansoori said: “The fifth edition of Qitcom was held in a nod to what Qatar is aspiring to achieve and excel at regionally and globally, and that is the building of safe, smart cities the citizens of which enjoy a high quality of life and services, as well as a robust, diverse, and sustainable economy. “The notable annual growth in the outcomes of Qitcom is a key indicator of the progress Qatar has made on its journey towards digital transformation and of the developments in the Qatari market and infrastructure, which render it an attractive destination for local and international investments, with the potential to build an exciting future.”
The ICT Service Provider of the Year award, which recognises the role played by ICT service providers in supporting organisations with the timely provision of services, was presented to A101 after being shortlisted alongside Ali bin Ali Technology Solutions and GBM Qatar.
The Systems Integrator of the Year award goes to the enterprise systems integrator that can demonstrate high levels of customer satisfaction. This year, the award went to Mannai Trading Company after becoming a finalist alongside GBM Qatar and Meeza.
The Mobile App of the Year award goes to a business that has pioneered an original mobile app that has enhanced the services offered to its customers.
This year, 23 entities were nominated for this award, and while Doha Bank and Commercial Bank reached the final stages, the award went to Hamad International Airport.
Meeza bagged the award for Cloud Solution of the Year, which recognises organisations that provides excellence in cloud-based solutions, services and infrastructure. Other finalists included ADGS and emdad.
The Digital Startup of the Year award, which goes to a new product or service that has delivered measurable benefit for customers, went to urbanpoint, after a tough competition with 30 nominees, with applab and Modaris reaching the shortlist.
Smart Solution of the Year award, which is given to businesses or government entities in the transport, logistics, environment, healthcare or sports sectors – priority sectors targeted by the Smart Qatar programme Tasmu – went to Bonocle after being shortlisted with Hamad Medical Corporation and Kinecto Technology and Trading.
The award was given to Gulf Times Community after being shortlisted alongside QGrabs and Royal Art Kitchen Equipment Co. Meanwhile the E-Commerce Solution of the Year was awarded to E-Butler after being shortlisted alongside getit.qa, QGrabs, and QTSouq.
 Innovative Fintech Solution of the Year, which goes to organisations that have disrupted the Fintech space through the implementation of new and innovative solutions, went to debito after being shortlisted alongside Fatora.io, and Qatar Islamic Bank. Finally, ICT Exporter of the Year went to modaris, after competing in the final stages with Maskan and Qtickets and Events.
The gala dinner also witnessed the awarding of the Qitcom 2019 awards, which went to eight companies whose booths stood out during the exhibition.
The awards were given in six categories: Best Innovative Booth (Hamad Bin Khalifa University), Best Interactive Booth (Vodafone), Best Accessible Booth (QNB), Best Sustainable Booth (Qatar Rail), and Best Engaging Booth (Huawei Qatar). The Best Interactive Booth award was given in three subcategories based on the size of the booth between 36 and 95sq m (Cisco), booths between 95 and 300sq m (Ooredoo), and booths larger than 300sq m (Microsoft).