| q1, 2019 - maldives business awards › files › 2018-mba-suppliment.pdfconcept, the reveries...

28 | Q1, 2019

Q1, 2019 | 29

For years, the Maldivian business community has faced one major hurdle in its journey towards a wholesome community, that celebrated new ideas, and the growth of old. Our business com-munity have come a long way, growing and ven-turing off into areas that none thought possible. And yet, a platform that gave them a prestigious recognition for their excellence and discipline still eluded them. It was only a dream in the minds of those who built our business community from the ground up. And today, their dream is taking shape into reality with Maldives Business Awards.

Maldives business awards recognizes and ac-claims businesses who have shown exceptional performances in their respective fields and gives them the edge, required to outshine their peers. The awards recognize excellence and create a healthy competition among businesses operat-ing in Maldives while promoting innovations and business intelligence. With Maldives Business Awards we wanted to acknowledge and show-case outstanding achievements by the business community and also recognize their progress; be it individuals or businesses in their respective fields.

With the help of our endorsing partners, and a panel of expert judges, we formulated a very carefully set criteria and a standard for Maldives Business Awards. Our biggest challenge was to alleviate the skepticism towards concurring awards in general. Involvement of third parties

and transparency of the judging process ensured the fairness and the objectivity of the awards.

While selecting the judge’s panel, we made sure to cover all industries and business disciplines, and to recruit those with integrity, and respect among the business community. With these judges and this set standard we hope to realize that recognition would bring merit and raise the stature of the businesses and individu-als who win the awards.

In making this awards a great success, and add-ing to its credibility a vital role was played by those who sponsored, partnered and endorsed us. Our title sponsor, STO, Platinum Sponsors Dhi-raagu and Allied Insurance, Gold Sponsors MPL, Coreline, AtollMarket and Print Lab are the main reasons why this award has taken the form of re-ality from the written papers of its concept. With 13 partners who worked collectively together, and 10 endorsing partners, Maldives Business Awards had left no stone unturned to make it as prestigious as possible.

We appreciate their support to the business com-munity of Maldives and encouraging programs that help businesses thrive. With over 180 ap-plications for 25 categories, Maldives Business Awards is only getting started. A stepping stone in creating a community beneficial not only for us, but also the generations after us.

FOREWORD BY ORGANIZER

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REMARK BY THE JUDGES

The Winners of Business Awards are selected only from those who nominated them-selves. That’s an important fact that needs to be remembered. We are, in fact fully aware, that there are many worthy con-tenders, who if only had they submitted their nominations, had every opportunity to be se-lected as Winners in their cat-egories. This reticence arises mainly because of the shared experience of tainted judging processes and the eventual se-lection of the winner in other similar awards.

However, as judges we can at-test that the organizers did not attempt, in any form or man-ner, to offer advice or guidance as to who are best suited to be selected as winners. The judges were left free to first decide on

the marking criteria in an open and transparent fashion. Judg-es were then left to their own counsel in deciding on the win-ners, or even if a winner is to be selected or not. When category judges felt that the offered in-formation was not adequate or when some corporates shied away from disclosing required data, we were only counselled to take decisions by ourselves.

Additionally, the organizers ensured that each judge of-fer marks on a separate sheet, which was then to be tallied separately by the organizers and the results and the process audited by an independent ex-ternal auditor. Therefore, we can attest to a fair treatment of all entrants.

This process, should go a long

way to remove skepticism of the larger corporate world about the Maldives Business Awards by Blazon Inc. and will, hope-fully encourage more parties to nominate themselves for future awards, thereby ensuring that the winners in categories are truly leaders in their selective category.

We would like to commend Bla-zon Inc. for having the courage to hold the Business Awards in a truly fair and transparent manner. We offer our thanks to those entrants who faced up to the scrutiny and queries of the judges in good humor. We look forward to a more crowded field next time and wish the best of Business for those who won the awards.

Q1, 2019 | 31

JUDGING PANEL

H.E Hamdun A. HameedFormer Ambassador

To Singapore

Dr. Aishath MuneezaAssociate Professor

(INCEIF)

Dr. Mariyam WaseemaManaging Director

Life Support

Dr. Azmiralda ZahirManaging Partner

Litica Law Associates

Mr. Ahmed MaazinChairman

CMDA

Uz. Ashraf RasheedFounder

The Lawhouse

Mr. Abdulla GiyasPresidentMATATO

Ms. Fathimath Shaanaa Director General

Ministry of National Planning

Mr. Ibrahim Athif Shakoor Managing Director

United Food Suppliers

32 | Q1, 2019

FEAT

URES

SPONSORS & PARTNERS

Q1, 2019 | 33

ENDORSING PARTNERS

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State Trading Organization’s newest Managing-Director, Hussain Amru has revealed the compa-ny’s future plans during the Maldives Business Awards Gala.

Initiated by Blazon Inc., the Maldives Business Awards had STO as a main sponsor of the event. Whilst speaking at the Gala Night, the managing director stated that the country is entirely depen-dent on foreign imports for its basic living needs.

“Staple food stocks in the Maldives lasts for only two months. It was saved in the recent rainfall due to the cooperation of our employees. Truth be told, we live in a very delicate landscape which can be provoked at any given moment. We need to be prepared for such events before it occurs”.

Amru further stated that reducing the dependen-cy on foreign countries is essential for the growth of the country.

“We should conduct research onto the types of food that are grown in the Maldives. Self-sustain-ability has to be the key for our country’s develop-ment.” He mentioned that to give encouragement for the efforts of self-sustainability, STO would be initiating a lot of work to guarantee food security.

Amru also highlighted the reality of climate and monsoon change and the effect it has on the country, yet the dependency for fuel still remains tragically high. The new managing director STO furthered noted the company’s future plans to in-vest in renewable energy sources and academic

institutes.

While stressing on the predicaments faced by the corporation and the country itself over insufficient stock on staple foods, Mr. Amru proclaimed the company is moving towards implementing food security. The decision comes as a means of the company’s initiative to push towards self-sustain-ability of Maldives.

Highlighting on the importance of economic de-velopment and its correlation to self-sustainabil-ity of the country, Mr. Amru also pressed on the vital role education plays. He also stressed on the preservation of the environment in the country’s quest to achieve economic stability.In his remarks, the managing director of STO urged every potential player in the country’s eco-nomical backdrop to invest in the future of educa-tion. Mr. Amru had acknowledged the efforts by Honorable Qasim Ibrahim, who won the lifetime achievement award at MBA, in expanding the ter-tiary educational grounds in Maldives.

STO’s managing director had revealed that the company in future will be providing scholarship opportunity to the highest achiever in Advanced Level exams to pursue higher education from anywhere in the globe.

In addition to this, Mr. Amru also noted that the company will be initiating special training pro-grams for laboratory technicians to make them better equipped for the work.

STO AND THE FUTURE OF MALDIVIAN ECONOMY

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COMPANY BACKGROUND

Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) was incorporated in 2004, by a Presidential Decree under the Companies Act (Act No. 10/96). HDFC’s commercial operations commenced on 29th March 2004 with hundred percent shareholding by the Government of Maldives which later in 2008 was privatized with the shareholding from ADB, IFC and HDFC Investments Ltd., (India) holding 51% of the shares, and 49% of the shares by the Government of Maldives. Having restructured its capital and with new lines of long-term funding. HDFC re-entered the market for mortgage loans for housing needs of individuals and families. HDFC is the only specialized mortgage housing Finance institution in the Maldives.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS AND REASON FOR WINNING

HDFC’s milestone achievements to name a few includes: Issuing of the first ever rated and listed bond and Sukuk in the Maldives, achieving the International Star Award for Quality in the Gold Category and AMNA achieving the GOLD Award for the Islamic Finance Turnaround Entity of the Year. Further in rewarding customer loyalty, during 2015, HDFC introduced the first ever rate cut in the Maldives by providing 25 basis points to all the customers.

Category Name:

Company Name:

Year Founded:

Managing Director:

Address:

Contact:

Excellence in Finance (Banking & Finance)

Housing Development Finance Corporation

2004

Raheema Saleem

H. Mialani, 4th Floor

Sosun Magu, Male’, Maldives

+960 333 4666 / [email protected]

38 | Q1, 2019

COMPANY BACKGROUND

In 1985, Allied Insurance Company of the Maldives started off as a joint venture between Commercial Union Assurance Company, UK and State Trading Organization (STO), the nationwide leader of all commercial activities in Maldives. In early 1987, STO bought back shares of Commercial Union Assurance chartering Allied Insurance to continue doing the business as a subsidiary of the organization. Today with a local management, the company is one of the largest financial institutes and the most prominent insurance brand contributing to the growth and development of the country.


Allied’s notable milestones include introduction of new products such as Kamana, Secondary Education Plan for individuals and guesthouse insurance and disaster takaful for businesses. They have also introduced toll free hotline and online bot for customer convenience in addition to online Travel, Motor, Hajj and Umra Takaful services. Their E-Stickers for Motor Insurance customers have also been one that was received greatly by the public. Their CSR initiatives adhere on creating and maintaining a strong relationship with our community and becoming the preferred company for our customers, employees and other stakeholders.

Category Name:

Company Name:

Year Founded:

Managing Director:

Address:

Contact:

Excellence in Finance (Insurance)

Allied Insurance Company of the Maldives

1985

Ahmed Ameel

City Sqaure, 3rd Floor

Chaandhanee Magu, Male’, Maldives


Q1, 2019 | 39

COMPANY BACKGROUND

Reveries Diving Village is a Subsidiary of Bison Maldives Pvt Ltd which is one of the leading organization in Maldives engaged in resort construction, aluminum & glass fabrication, retail fashion, travel & tourism and restaurant business. As per the management concept, The Reveries Diving Village is the first of its kind to be opened in Maldives on an inhabited local island in February 2012. It is the ideal blend of island life coupled with the modern world. The purpose was to introduce tourism to new untouched areas of the country making Reveries the very first Guest House to be opened in Laamu Atoll.


Some of their achievements include; longest running guest house in Laamu atoll, proud accommodation and logistics partner for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Winner of MATATO Maldives travel Awards 2016 – Leading Guesthouse and Leading Innovation in Guesthouse Design, Winners of South Asian Travel Awards 2017 – Leading Guesthouse/ Tourist Inn, Maldives and South Asia, Winner of Maldives Travel Awards 2017 – Leading Adventure Guesthouse, Winner of South Asian Travel Awards 2018 - Leading Guest House/ Tourist Inn and Leading Boutique Hotel.

Category Name:

Company Name:

Year Founded:

Managing Director:

Address:

Contact:

Excellence in Hospitality (Hotels & Guest Houses)

Reveries Diving Village

2012

Mr. Mohamed Abdul Majeed

Monaan, Laamu Gan Thundi,

Namoona Magu


40 | Q1, 2019

COMPANY BACKGROUND

Inner Maldives Holidays is the leading and multi-award winning company in the travel and tourism industry in Maldives. A company that was founded in the year 1998 with the dedicated objective of providing travel services to the booming tourism industry in the Maldives. In the years Inner Maldives have grown to become one of the market leaders in the industry with annual turnover of over USD$ 10 million in 2012, and today has become a dynamic and strategically diversified group of companies with primary interests in tourism, aviation, logistic, solutions and trading.


Their achievements these past years include; Leading Tour Operator in South Asia at SATA 2017, Leading Tour Operator in Maldives at SATA 2017, Awarded Gold 100 at the Gold 100 Gala 2016 by Corporate Maldives, Leading Low Cost Carrier for flydubai at the 5th edition of the MATATO Maldives Travel Awards 2016, Indian Ocean’s Leading Travel Agency at World Travel Awards 2007 and Indian Ocean’s Leading Travel Agency at World Travel Awards 2009.

Category Name:

Company Name:

Year Founded:

Managing Director:

Address:

Contact:

Excellence Hospitality (Tour Operators)

Inner Maldives Holidays

1998

Mohamed Firaq

H East Light,

Ameer Ahmed Magu, Male’, Maldives


Q1, 2019 | 41

COMPANY BACKGROUND

Founded in 2002, Ensis Fisheries is the largest fish processor and exporter in the Maldives and is widely recognized as a pioneer in the industry. As part of Ensis Group of companies, Ensis Fisheries is fully Maldivian owned, employs over 500 staff with modern processing facilities and maintains offices in USA, Germany and Sri Lanka. Working in partnership with more than 5000 dedicated local fisherman, Ensis Fisheries is fully committed to sustainable fisheries. A recipient of many local and international awards, Ensis Fisheries aims to lead the industry with eco friendly and sustainability focused operations.


Ensis Fisheries has grown rapidly since its founding to become the largest fish processor and exporter in the Maldives, maintaining this position for every year since 2012. With 50% of export market share, export volumes increased from 15MT to 300MT per month within a short period of time. Combining strict quality control and its investment in infrastructure, Ensis Fisheries is highly competitive and is the preferred choice for many international buyers. Ensis Fisheries opened the 9th EU certified fresh processing plant in the Maldives for which they received the public service award from the government of Maldives.

Category Name:

Company Name:

Year Founded:

Managing Director:

Address:

Contact:

Excellence in Fisheries & Agriculture

Ensis Fisheries

2002

Mohamed Waseem Ismail

Hulhumale’ Industrial Zone M1-15,16

Midhili Magu


42 | Q1, 2019

COMPANY BACKGROUND

Established on the 1st of April 1995, Male’ Water and Sewerage Company is the pioneer organization in the Maldives to institute a water production and waste water management system. Since then, the Company has worked diligently to provide the people of Male’ with potable water and manage waste water sustainably, and at present serves approximately more than 50% of the Maldivian population. Since the inception of the Company, it has built all its strategies around the corporate objective of providing safe water and sewerage services which are sustainable, affordable and environmentally friendly.


Throughout the 23 years’ history of the company, MWSC has achieved many notable milestones with lots of hard work and struggle. Started out to cater 60,000 people with only 60 employees, the company has grown to have the capacity of catering 350,00 people with more than 800 employees. MWSC has always held corporate social responsibilities close to heart. As one of the corporate objectives of the Company, MWSC focuses on CSR activities with an earnest approach. Learning from the experience of being a utility service provider, MWSC also began expanding its horizon into being an engineering company.

Category Name:

Company Name:

Year Founded:

Managing Director:

Address:

Contact:

Excellence in Utilities

Male’ Water & Sewerage Company

1995

Adam Azim

Fen Building, 5th Floor,

Ameenee Magu, Male’, Maldives


Q1, 2019 | 43

COMPANY BACKGROUND

SASe, was registered in year 2013 for the purpose of doing construction in the country. As a new building contractor, SASe is not only been doing business in construction industry, but also by introducing new technologies to deliver a quality, creativity, and a role model to the fast-growing industry in the country. By having the advantage of working with the major stakeholders in the industry, the two shareholders dedicated their works for achieving the target of becoming the most reliable, respectable, trustable and inspirational company in the field of Construction and Real Estate.


Running simultaneous projects in 9 islands, 32 locations rain water harvesting with in the budget and completing on time with the complete satisfaction of the donor (LECReD), project manager (UNOPS), Maldivian government and the island communities. The sewerage of Utheemu, Landhoo, Rasmaadhoo have also been contracted competing major stake holding contractor of the country and doing the work as the main contractor.

Category Name:

Company Name:

Year Founded:

Managing Director:

Address:

Contact:

Excellence in Construction & Real Estate

SASe Construction

2013

Saudulla Ahmed

M. Ebage, 1st Floor,

Iramaa Magu, Male’, Maldives


44 | Q1, 2019

COMPANY BACKGROUND

Atollmarket Pvt Ltd is a company established in 2003, dedicated to provide you a better tomorrow in the field of Office Automation. We have established strategic relationships directly with manufacturers and producers of office automated products to curtail unnecessary costs and to satisfactorily meet the high expectations of our well-understood customers and clients. We are the sole distributors of the brands Xerox and HID. We are also the authorized service center for Xerox and HID as well.


Their achievements include; Gold 100 Award in 2017, Xerox Year Champion 2016, Xerox Partner Award for Achieving Target 2017, HID Partner Award for Achieving Target 2017 among others. Their reason for winning this award has been the consistence excellence they have shown in their industry with their values in addition to being one of the leading companies in the field of Office Automation in Maldives.

Atollmarket employees 100% Maldivian staff and all their technicians are Authorized Technicians for Xerox and HID products.

Category Name:

Company Name:

Year Founded:

Managing Director:

Address:

Contact:

Excellence in Wholesale & Retail

AtollMarket

2003

Ahmed Hafeez

Male’ Square, A-112

Male’, Maldives


Q1, 2019 | 45

COMPANY BACKGROUND

Ooredoo Maldives Plc. is a leading international communications company delivering mobile, fixed, broadband internet and corporate services tailored to the needs of its consumers and businesses. Guided by its vision of enriching lives and its belief that it can stimulate human growth by leveraging communications to help people achieve more, Ooredoo has transformed the telecommunications industry of the Maldives. As a full-fledged ICT company with the aim to open up the vast opportunities of the digital age to all, Ooredoo continues to make strong investments in bringing the latest technologies and innovations to the country. Subsequent to launching the first nationwide 4G+ network, it is now preparing to connect Maldives to the 5G revolution.


As a community-focused company, Ooredoo Maldives believes in the power of digital technology as an enabler of social and economic progress. Its continued dedication to this vision and innovative way of work has won the trust and support of local communities. This is strongly depicted by the company’s record breaking growth trajectory which was once again echoed in 2017, and the unprecedented support from customers and in-vestors.

Category Name:

Company Name:

Year Founded:

Managing Director:

Address:

Contact:

Excellence in Information & Communication

Ooredoo Maldives

2005

Najib Khan (CEO)

H. Sunleet Building, Boduthakurufaanu Magu

Male’, Maldives


46 | Q1, 2019

COMPANY BACKGROUND

Total Transport Solutions Group Maldives (TTSG Maldives) is one of the largest end-to-end logistics services provider in the Maldives, serving for over 25 years. TTSG has four subsidiaries representing renowned Global Brands in Shipping and Logistics. The Group have shown significant growth since inception and attributes its success to the highly skilled and dedicated team personnel who work round the clock in keeping our customers delighted at all times.


TTSG have received Awards and Testimonials from some of the top clients in the Maldives - namely, BHM Traders, Rainbow Constructions and MNDF. TTSG won Best Management Team, Customer Centric Organisation and Maldives Business Of The Year (under the Transportation Category) by the Maldives Business And Customer Experience Awards in 2018.

Category Name:

Company Name:

Year Founded:

Managing Director:

Address:

Contact:

Excellence in Transport & Logistics

Total Transport Solutions

1993

Mohamed Nabeel

5th Floor, Ma. Bodudhaharaage,

Chandhanee Magu, Male, Republic of Maldives


Q1, 2019 | 47

COMPANY BACKGROUND

Medica is a multispecialty hospital providing outpatient services, advanced diagnostic service, preventive healthcare. Established with the vision of providing reliable and quality health care services, the Hospital offers a series of preventive programs, important diagnostic services through its modern facilities and surgical services in a variety of areas. For the first time in the Maldives the Hospital provides day surgery services in areas including General Surgery, Orthopaedics and Gynaecology performed under general and local anaesthesia. Other surgical operations may also be undertaken on a case-by-case basis.


Since it’s inception, Medica has remained a reliable and competitive player in the medical service industry. With the aim of providing quality medical services focusing to concentrate on areas lacking in the existing services, Medica has proved to be a vital player people can rely on. During the past 5 years their services have improved considerably and their customers have out numbered their targets. This proves the efficient business strategy and planning executed by the management of Medica.

Category Name:

Company Name:

Year Founded:

Managing Director:

Address:

Contact:

Excellence in Healthcare

Medica

2012

Abdulla Shahid Mohamed

H. Valhufehi, Buruzu Magu,

Male’, Maldives


48 | Q1, 2019

COMPANY BACKGROUND

MHPA is an Auditor General’s Office licensed and MIRA Approved ‘A’ Category Audit firm providing audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services to a large number of clients in multiple industries. Initially registered in 2008, MHPA is the first 100% Maldivian owned and operated professional audit firm with qualified professionals to offer specialized assurance and advisory services. Some of our services include Internal Audits, External Audits, Tax, Valuation Services, Feasibility Studies and Due Diligence Services to a wide range of business enterprises in the country and overseas.


Some of their notable achievements include; being among the few local firms which have been awarded one of the largest ever audit contracts assigned to a private sector audit firm in the Maldives by the Maldives Auditor General’s Office, only local audit firm providing services to the world’s largest accounting/audit network firm Deloitte in the Maldives and being an Auditor General’s Office licensed and MIRA Approved ‘A’ Category Audit firm.

Category Name:

Company Name:

Year Founded:

Managing Director:

Address:

Contact:

Excellence in Pofessional Services

MHPA LLP

2006

Mr. Rifaath Jaleel, CPA

01st Floor, Ma. Rangiri, Rahdhebai Magu,

Male’, Maldives


Q1, 2019 | 49

COMPANY BACKGROUND

Dhiraagu is the leading and the largest provider of telecommunications and digital services in the Maldives offering a comprehensive range of mobile, internet ,data, fixed line and TV services throughout the Maldives. Their customers include individual consumers, small to medium businesses, corporate and government institutions. They provide total solutions and cater to specific needs ranging from simple telephone services to complex integrated private networking solutions for global corporate customers.


In 2017, Dhiraagu enabled seamless connectivity via 3G services covering 100% population across all inhabited islands, airports, resorts and industrial zone. In 2015, Dhiraagu became the first country to provide LTE-A services in South East Asia. Further with the upgrade of Radio Access Network, in 2018, 4G services are now available across the nation in all inhabited, all resorts, and industrial islands. In 2016, Dhiraagu introduced Fibre Broadband service and within just 2 years Dhiraagu has covered 66% of the population.

Category Name:

Company Name:

Year Founded:

Managing Director:

Address:

Contact:

Public Enterprise of the year

Dhiraagu

1988

Ismail Rasheed

Dhiraagu Head Office



50 | Q1, 2019

COMPANY BACKGROUND

In 1985, Allied Insurance Company of the Maldives started off as a joint venture between Commercial Union Assurance Company, UK and State Trading Organization (STO), the nationwide leader of all commercial activities in Maldives. In early 1987, STO bought back shares of Commercial Union Assurance chartering Allied Insurance to continue doing the business as a subsidiary of the organization. Today with a local management, the company is one of the largest financial institutes and the most prominent insurance brand contributing to the growth and development of the country.


Allied’s notable milestones include introduction of new products such as Kamana, Secondary Education Plan for individuals and guesthouse insurance and disaster takaful for businesses. We have also introduced toll free hotline and online bot for customer convenience in addition to online Travel, Motor, Hajj and Umra Takaful services. Our E-Stickers for Motor Insurance customers have also been one that was received greatly by the public. Our CSR initiatives adhere on creating and maintaining a strong relationship with our community and becoming the preferred company for our customers, employees and other stakeholders.

Category Name:

Company Name:

Year Founded:

Managing Director:

Address:

Contact:

Innovative Business of the Year

Allied Insurance Company of the Maldives

1985

Ahmed Ameel

City Sqaure, 3rd Floor

Chaandhanee Magu, Male’, Maldives


Q1, 2019 | 51

COMPANY BACKGROUND

Established on the 1st of April 1995, Male’ Water and Sewerage Company is the pioneer organization in the Maldives to institute a water production and waste water management system. Since then, the Company has worked diligently to provide the people of Male’ with potable water and manage waste water sustainably, and at present serves approximately more than 50% of the Maldivian population. Since the inception of the Company, it has built all its strategies around the corporate objective of providing safe water and sewerage services which are sustainable, affordable and environmentally friendly.


Throughout the 23 years’ history of the company, MWSC has achieved many notable milestones with lots of hard work and struggle. Started out to cater 60,000 people with only 60 employees, the company has grown to have the capacity of catering 350,00 people with more than 800 employees. MWSC has always held corporate social responsibilities close to heart. As one of the corporate objectives of the Company, MWSC focuses on CSR activities with an earnest approach. Learning from the experience of being a utility service provider, MWSC also began expanding its horizon into being an engineering company.

Category Name:

Company Name:

Year Founded:

Managing Director:

Address:

Contact:

Excellence in Utilities

Male’ Water & Sewerage Company

1995

Adam Azim

Fen Building, 5th Floor,



52 | Q1, 2019

COMPANY BACKGROUND

Ooredoo Maldives Plc. is a leading international communications company delivering mobile, fixed, broadband internet and corporate services tailored to the needs of its consumers and businesses. Guided by its vision of enriching lives and its belief that it can stimulate human growth by leveraging communications to help people achieve more, Ooredoo has transformed the telecommunications industry of the Maldives. As a full-fledged ICT company with the aim to open up the vast opportunities of the digital age to all, Ooredoo continues to make strong investments in bringing the latest technologies and innovations to the country. Subsequent to launching the first nationwide 4G+ network, it is now preparing to connect Maldives to the 5G revolution.


As a community-focused company, Ooredoo Maldives believes in the power of digital technology as an enabler of social and economic progress. Its continued dedication to this vision and innovative way of work has won the trust and support of local communities. This is strongly depicted by the company’s record breaking growth trajectory which was once again echoed in 2017, and the unprecedented support from customers and in-vestors.

Category Name:

Company Name:

Year Founded:

Managing Director:

Address:

Contact:

FDI of the Year

Ooredoo Maldives

2005

Najib Khan (CEO)

H. Sunleet Building, Boduthakurufaanu Magu

Male’, Maldives


Q1, 2019 | 53

COMPANY BACKGROUND Ember Fire and Safety was established in 2014 to develop and carry out fire and safety measures across the nation. The Owner and Chief Instructor of Ember Fire and Safety is a well experienced personality in Maldives. “The ultimate solution” which is, continuous flow of trainings from experienced instructors and innovative engineers. Those who could cater to develop the fire safety systems that are obligatory to Tourism, Construction and Business Industry buildings. The core value of Ember Fire and Safety is believing “proper growth and standard of services can only be maintained by team work”


Ember Fire & Safety has became one of the well-known and reliable fire safety service providers in Maldives. All their clients and customers who seek their services are perfectly attended and they have managed to deliver their services on time efficiently. Evident to this is majority of their clientele chooses them for this sole reason. They deliver all their services with the best quality and are known for efficient and unchallenging communication throughout. During the last four years they have kept this service consistent and provided the best of services for clients.

Category Name:

Company Name:

Year Founded:

Managing Director:

Address:

Contact:

MSME of the year

Ember Fire & Safety

2014

Muhammad Waheed

H. Huba,

Male’, Maldives


54 | Q1, 2019

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In 1985, Allied Insurance Company of the Maldives started off as a joint venture between Commercial Union Assurance Company, UK and State Trading Organization (STO), the nationwide leader of all commercial activities in Maldives. In early 1987, STO bought back shares of Commercial Union Assurance chartering Allied Insurance to continue doing the business as a subsidiary of the organization.

Today with a local management, the company is one of the largest financial institutes and the most prominent insurance brand contributing to the growth and development of the country. Allied has had tremendous growth over the past decades, both in terms of the volume and business profitability.

Our customers are well spread across the geographical divides of the tiny island nation. From the fisherman who owns small fishing boats to the major resort operators, our clients are varied in their trades and in their size.

In this business, trust and strong relationships are paramount. We believe this trust and goodwill we carry along with our core business can only be maintained by valuing our Corporate Social Responsibility. CSR is one fundamental dynamic of our business. We believe connecting with our community and our stakeholders is not just a business concept. It’s a mission we ought to carry on.

It is our sense of duty to play an important role in protecting the environment,

supporting the community in which we operate, and more broadly helping to create a more aware and a more educated business ecosystem.

Our CSR initiatives adhere on creating and maintaining a strong relationship with our community, long-term business retention and becoming the preferred company for our customers, employees and other stakeholders.

In recent times Allied has introduced new products such as Kamana, Secondary Education Plan for individuals and guesthouse insurance and disaster takaful for businesses in addition to toll free hotline and online bot for customer convenience. They also introduced online Travel/Motor/Hajj and Umra Takaful services and E-Stickers for Motor Insurance customers.

Introduction of such services is what brought the business to the forefront of the Maldivian business industry as a leader, and is what cemented their place amongst many as a business to look up to. Their works in providing their customers with the best of the service at all times, have contributed towards their achievements – especially their great nods at Maldives Business Awards.

Having gathered and recognized the experience of the local market, developing professionalism and expertise in the field, we are poised to play a responsible role in the development of the insurance industry in Maldives and its economy as a whole.

Business Of The YearALLIED INSURANCE COMPANY

56 | Q1, 2019

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After completing his education Mr. Qasim Ibrahim began his career as a clerk at the Government Hospital in Male’. Upon completion of a professional course in Accountancy, he was promoted to the post of Accountant in 1972. In 1973, after he left his job in the Government Hospital, he took up an appointment as Manager at M/S Alia Furniture Mart and subsequently worked for Crescent - a trading organisation, for a short period.

In 1974, he joined an outlet of the Maldivian Government Bodu Store (MGBS) presently known as the State Trading Organisation (STO). His business skill as a retail shop manager emerged at this stage and was reflected in the sharp improvement in the performance of this outlet, which was ranked, as STO’s most efficient. This was the first evidence of his inherent entrepreneurial skills.

The experience gained during this period provided the motivation for setting up his own trading business in 1976, with an initial borrowed capital of US$ 2,000, which was then equivalent to 15,000 Maldivian Rufiyaa. He traded in commodities such as rice, tobacco, diesel and kerosene, which proved to be profitable, and the business experienced rapid growth. During the initial stages, the business was a complete one-man-show and it was Mr. Qasim’s perseverance, wisdom, and vision that helped it to grow to its current stature.

As a result of his financial prudence, after only four years in business, Mr. Qasim was able to accumulate adequate funds to purchase his first shipping vessel, an old fishing vessel converted to carry

cargo and oil, to facilitate oil imports. By April 14, 1986, Mr. Qasim Ibrahim’s business had expanded to such an extent that a decision was taken to register his business under the name of Villa Shipping and Trading Company Limited (Villa). Thus came in to existence a company, which later went on to be one of the largest in the Maldives. Since then, the Company has diversified its business to include tourism and inter island marine transport under its umbrella. In addition, the Company trades in an increasing number of products in the Maldives. “Shell” and “Agfa” are two such renowned brand names represented by Villa in the Maldives, as a Sole Agent.

On the Registration the shareholders were Mr. Qasim Ibrahim and Mrs. Rabia Hussein holding 95% and 5% respectively of the share capital. For strategic reasons, Villa Shipping (Singapore) Pte Limited was incorporated in Singapore on December 19,1991 with Villa holding a major interest. The paid-up capital by Villa shipping (Singapore) now stands at US$ 500,000.

In October 1996, representative office, with the primary objective of promoting Villa resorts, opened in Frankfurt, Germany. Constraints on the activities permitted through the representative office led to the creation of a company with wider objectives. Villa Holidays Touristik GmbH was incorporated by Mr. Qasim Ibrahim on 23rd July 1997 with a paid-up capital of DM 500, 000. The purpose of establishing this private limited company registered with German authorities is to act as a wholesaler for Holiday packages to the Maldives, an agent for sales of

Lifetime Achievement AwardHON. QASIM IBRAHIM

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hotel rooms in the Maldives, sale of air tickets, and a vehicle for acquiring and trading of tourism related properties and real estate such as hotels and resorts worldwide.

In the year 2001 and 2002 Villa Hotels, Tokyo and Villa Hotels, Hong Kong were established respectively. The objective is to further strengthen the flow of tourists to Villa Hotels from the Asia Pacific markets.

In terms of keeping abreast in the Maldives, Villa is in the process of filling its senior cadre with Professionals in their respective fields. Over a period of

time, Mr. Qasim Ibrahim has emerged as a well-recognised and respected personality in the Maldives, culminating in his election as a Member of Parliament in 1989. He was subsequently elected in 2004 to the People’s Special Majlis which has been assembled by President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom to amend the present Constitution of the Maldives to pave way for Maldives to become a full-fledged liberal democracy. In addition, he has held and still holds various other posts in a number of Government committees and regional bodies. The following are some of the key positions held by him, bearing ample testimony to his business acumen and leadership.

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Mr Mohamed Ali Janah is the Chairman of Hotels and Resort Construction Pvt Ltd which operates in Maldives and overseas, with a current project portfolio of over USD 300 Million. Twenty one years experience at the executive level of management with exposure to Project Conceptualization, Design, Contract Documentation, Implementation, Requirement/Scope Analysis, Quality Management, Development, Supplies and Logistics. Capable of managing multiple projects simultaneously. Mr Janah is excellent at people management and other resource allocation and management. He has widely travelled including USA, UK, Italy, Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Turkey and many other destinations. He also have studied very closely the functioning of the building industry in these countries and is well linked to world famous investors in these countries. In addition Mr Janah is into real estate where he buys and sells properties, including hotels and resorts. In 2018, Mr Janah was appointed the President of the International Federation of Asian and Western Pacific Contractors’ Associations (IFAWPCA). The 2020 convention of IFAWPCA is set to be held in the Maldives – marking the first time a convention of such grandeur is to be held in the island nation, that too under the presidency of a Maldivian.

“It is a privilege to be hosting the 45th IFAWPCA Convention (IFAWPCA 2020) in the Maldives. We will be hosting this prestigious event in the Maldives for the first time since our entry in to the IFAWPCA community in 2007. “Construction with Conservation- Endless Opportunities” will be the theme of the convention, which has been carefully chosen to highlight the importance of conservation when we are developing our country, your country, and the world where we have finite resources. It is imperative to preserve the heritage of our nations and maintain the protected sites of the world, such as UNESCO declared sites. We have endless opportunities in development whilst also preserving the beauty of mother nature and conserving the world for our future generations,” The Maldivian behind the organization of the convention, closely overseen by Mr Janah said. His vision was to build a dream project in a world famous location outside Maldives. As Chairman of Hotels and Resort Construction Pvt Ltd, a company that built the largest resort construction project so far in Maldives, he feels that he has achieved his goal. Mr. Janah, has been actively involved in the Maldives Association of Construction Industry (MACI), a standard bearer of the second largest industry in the Maldives since 2001 and currently he is serving as Executive Board Member.

Entrepreneur of the YearMOHAMED ALI JANAH

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Ali Haris, 24, is an immensely enthusiastic Youth Entrepreneur and a seasoned Software Engineer who shares a great passion for the art of creating a positive impact on the entrepreneurial world of today & tomorrow. Raised in Malè, Maldives, he always felt an incredible inclination towards the concept of entrepreneurship. Graduated with a first-class honors in Software Engineering from Staffordshire University, UK, Haris had always been inspired by the idea of formulating products which could address the ever-evolving needs of the general public in the most effective manner. Ali Haris embarked on his entrepreneurial journey at a young age of 17 with merely nothing except a strong determination & a will to succeed. Starting from the grounds up, Haris went on to formulate Kodefly in the year 2011 – A startup which catapulted his way into the highly competitive entrepreneurial world of today. A business which started as a side hustle with no capital soon transformed into a full-stack software enterprise within a span of one year. Haris is motivated & inspired by the drive to contribute to the digital transformation of the world with the sole purpose of simplifying the lives of the generations to come. Following Kodefly, Haris went on to formulate his second company under the name of Lavafoshi in the year 2016. – Lavafoshi provides the largest collection of Dhivehi music through a mobile application. He acquired a great deal of recognition & acclamation for his work with Lavafoshi – A company

which won #1 award in The Best App Challenge organized by the Ministry of Economic Development in 2017. The remarkable success of Lavafoshi encouraged Haris to strive for greater things in the world of entrepreneurship and inspired him to assist the fellow aspiring entrepreneurs in their pursuit of professional business career success. The triumphs of the past fortified his faith and enabled him to pursue a venture which could help in the development of the startup ecosystem in the country. This led to the formation of Spark Hub – A business whose primary objective is to cultivate the growth of an entrepreneurial mindset and create better opportunities for the entrepreneurs of today & tomorrow. Spark Hub is currently working with both local and international companies such as TechStars, Angel Hack, Dhiraagu, etc. with an aim to help organize encouragement programs for the promising entrepreneurs of the country. Serving as an ambassador for the Angel Hack, Ali Haris is currently working on his new tech startup called Payer which offers one-stop payment solutions all over the Maldives. His goal is to tonic his business ventures to a whole new level and make an impact on a global scale. Haris is inspired by the amazing works of the entrepreneurs in shaping up the future of the coming generations and is always on the lookout for an opportunity to contribute and work for the betterment of the community.

Young Entrepreneur of the YearALI HARIS

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Graduating from the Academy of Design in 2010 Raidha came back to Maldives with the hope of launching her own brand and to create a label that speaks to modern women in a way that no other designer has ever done before. Her youthful charm, her elegance, her eye for beauty has made her an expert on making woman beautiful. She dresses women who are confident and who never shies away from taking risks. And now after spending the last few years working on perfecting her craft Raidha is back to amaze us with her mesmerizing debut ready to wear collection. Her belief in hard work has paved her the way to make her lifelong dream become a reality.

“Waiting for the launch of the brand has been nerve wrecking as everything has to be perfect” says the enthusiastic designer. “I have to know every single detail of every single piece. The type of fabric, the quality of the fabric and where it comes from. Everything matters, and having travelled all parts of the world finding the best material, I am very proud of what I have produced. This is a proud moment for me”. “It is all about the timing, a year ago or two years ago I wouldn’t have been ready but now I am and I am looking forward to what awaits me. My creativity knows no boundaries and I am looking forward to taking my brand internationally. I pray to god, who has been my confidant and my inspiration, that that day comes very soon.” Her enthusiasm and her exuberating confidence are some of the strongest suits she has and she wears them extremely well. The passion she

has for art and design and how she sees the world and takes inspiration from the earth to the air she breathes in manifests on the ramp.

Channeling Coco Chanel in her work studio to feeling like Diane Von Furstenburg the princess of fashion. She is one designer to watch. Drawing inspiration from Donatella Versace, Riccardo Tisci of the Givenchy label and Naeem Khan to name a few, her collection is one that women cannot afford to miss. She is welcoming all women to her atelier opened since January of 2015 to view her collections and place custom bespoke orders.

Focusing on girls and women from the ages 15 and above, Raidha’s Atelier is fast running and open for business and she plans on connecting to her niche and selling her collection via her online shopping portal which was established on the 15th of November and her soon to be flagship store in the city. Bringing modernity and elegance into modern Maldivian women making them feel at ease while looking their absolute best, Raidha plans on staying for long and will stay for long.

Some of her notable achievements include; being selected to Mercedes Benz Fashion runway 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 in Sri lanka, WOB Annual Award 2016 - Distinction and Award for best young women professional in fashion designer and WIM award of Professional and career women award as Youth Young Leadership award 2018

Business Woman of the YearRAIDHA SHAFEEG

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Mr Abdul Majeed is a professional with verifiable year-after-year success in achieving revenue, profit, and business growth objectives within start-up, turnaround, and rapid-changing environments. He has extensive experience with highly engineered construction of resorts, which require deep understanding of critical business drivers in multiple challenging environments. Apart from that, Mr Majeed has also been highly successful in building relationships with cross- border investors and decision makers, by being fully client focused, and delivering on customer commitments way ahead of scheduled time. Mr Majeed, today, is the Managing Director and CEO of Bison Maldives Pvt Ltd, and is currently marking his 32nd year in the construction industry. He works hard with passion and demonstrates professional integrity, anddisplays a can-do attitude, which has an overall positive effect on each team member. From a mere construction company which started from the bottom by constructing residential buildings, to signing as the main contractor for some of the biggest resort projects, he makes sure all members of his team can rely on each other to get the work done. In their line of work, teamwork is very important in ensuring that their

projects go smoothly, thus he places a great deal of importance to empower his team members by honing their leadership skills as well as team skills. With a completely different scene in the industry today compared to when he started, work has become more efficient and easier. In his words, he had helped the company define themselves by endlessly re-investing their knowledge and capital. By continuing to do so, Bison has been able to evolve from what they began as – and today it has enabled them to work with various international contractors, with opportunities in executing some of the most prestigious building and resort projects in the company. He keeps motivating team members to work hard and bring out the best in them by offering constructive feedback, which improves the team’s performance, productivity, and morale significantly. One of the best traits about him is that he rewards his staff for performance, thus motivating them to work harder and be more committed to their tasks. Mr. Majeed is a true leader who listens and involves his staffs in the decision-making process. From the very bottom to the very top, he is one who listens to the concerns of all equally – he ensures a cohesive and collaborative decision-making process of all staff.

ABDUL MAJEEDInspirational Leader of the Year

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