The Tiger Woods Dubai And Al Ruwaya Golf Club Continue To Mark Steady Progress

The Tiger Woods Dubai, a member of Tatweer, today affirmed that consistent progress continues on its centerpiece, the Al Ruwaya Golf Club, and confirmed it is committed to the completion of the first golf course designed by Tiger Woods Design.

A number of key benchmarks have been achieved at the landmark golf course, including bulk earthworks of 25 million cubic feet of earth, rough shaping of 18 holes, and the detailed shaping of 10 holes. Three holes – 4, 5, and 6 – have been completed with an impressive 1,500 yards of grass in three different varieties obtained from Atlanta, Georgia, in the US. Construction is progressing on the streams and lakes as well, comprising 3.3 million square feet of water features. Meanwhile, the course already boasts over 2,200 trees that have been planted to complement the evolving landscape.

The Tiger Woods Dubai has contracted IMG Course Management, a world leader in providing golf course management services, to run the Al Ruwaya Golf Club. In addition, Patrick Bowers, who brings 20 years of operating experience in the global golf industry, has been appointed as General Manager of the golf club. The Board of Governors for the club is also in the process of being established.

The strong partnership between Tiger Woods Design and The Tiger Woods Dubai remains the key to realizing success on the ground. Bryon Bell, President of Tiger Woods Design, said: “We are very pleased by the progress that continues to be made at Al Ruwaya and are looking forward to celebrating the course’s full completion.”

Abdulla Al Gurg, Project Director of The Tiger Woods Dubai, said: “The Tiger Woods Dubai is an essential part of Dubai’s Strategic Plan to drive tourism to the region and will be completed in line with the new market demand. We are entirely committed to completing the project to the highest standards of quality. The opening timeline will be announced in conjunction with IMG and Tiger Woods Design closer to the opening date.”

While work continues on the course, construction has commenced on the 132kV electrical substation. To date over 6,500 tonnes of concrete and 460 tonnes of steel have been used to raise the structure that will be located on a plot spanning 3,800 sq feet. All major equipment for the substation is scheduled to be installed shortly.

Located at Dubailand, the landmark leisure, tourism and entertainment destination, The Tiger Woods Dubai will feature dramatic elevation changes and lush landscaping with over 11,000 trees and 140,000 shrubs. It will also boast an overall design that will challenge and entertain golfers of all playing abilities.

Index To Put School Rents On Level Playing Field Launched By KHDA And RERA

A rental index for schools and other education centres in Dubai is to be developed following the signing of an agreement by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) and the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA).

The unified index will establish appropriate levels of rent for different areas with a view to achieving stability in the rental market for public, as well as private, educational buildings.

At present rents for adjacent schools can vary significantly, which in the case of private schools has a knock-on effect on the level of tuition fees. The new scheme, which will involve the development of long-term rental contracts, is intended to smooth out such disparities and inconsistencies.

The authority believes the unified index will assist private schools and investors and support them in confronting unjustified rent increases. The scheme is also intended to benefit parents.

The KHDA will contribute to the rent regulation and contract registration processes and in addition identify rented units and determine their usage, the facilities attached to them and the clauses and conditions of rental contracts.
The agreement covers universities and training institutions as well as schools. 72% of the total number of private schools in Dubai have rental agreements, which is 103 out of 144 schools.

“Developing a unified rental index is part of a comprehensive system,” said Dr Abdulla Al Karam, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General of the KHDA. “We are working towards a time when parents choose a school for its quality alone.

“The scheme aims to define the prices of educational services among various education providers, attracting investment in education to Dubai and enhancing quality in all areas within schools, from the educational to the administrative levels.”

He said the KHDA was taking into account the interests of everyone involved in the sector, including parents and investors, by cooperating with RERA over the regulatory procedures for education facilities.

“This enhances the KHDA’s principle of commitment to transparency and accountability highlighted in the Dubai Strategic Plan 2015,” added Dr Al Karam. “In addition it will elevate Dubai’s position in the field of education on both the regional and international levels as well as increasing competition within the sector.”

RERA is part of the Dubai Land Department, whose Director General, Sultan bin Butti bin Mijren, said: “The role that the Dubai Land Department undertakes in regulating the real estate market is not limited to the commercial and residential buildings only, it also extends to the usage of land and facilities in Dubai”

He added: “This agreement with the Knowledge and Human Development Authority aims at enhancing the role of the Land Department in the registration of educational facilities including properties and rent contracts, through utilizing an extremely transparent approach in defining the rent index for the rents of those facilities. This paves the way for all related parties to develop long term rent contracts, which will eventually stabilize the educational sector and benefit all stakeholders.”

And Mohamed Khaleefa bin Hamad, Director of RERA’s Owners’ Relationship Management Department, said: “The KHDA will provide lists and records of the types of rented units, their usage and the facilities attached to them. RERA will review and use this information as a reference in the classification process for facilities and register the rental contracts.

“RERA will in addition grant preliminary approval for educational entities that provide education and training for the real estate sector.”

Mohammed Darwish, Chief of Licensing at the KHDA, said: “The unified index being developed in collaboration with RERA will benefit all education sector stakeholders through its impact on school tuition fees. It will provide a methodology and mechanism to evaluate and regulate the rents of educational facilities.”

The agreement is in line with Law No 26 of 2007, which requires all rental contracts to be registered with RERA.
The agreement was signed by bin Mijren of the Land Department and Dr Al Karam of the KHDA in the presence of Engineer Marwan bin Gulaita, CEO of RERA, bin Hamad of RERA and Darwish of the KHDA.

This signing follows the KHDA’s recent agreement with the Dubai Department of Economic Development (DED) on providing common mechanisms to facilitate licensing procedures for institutions providing educational services or any other activities related to KHDA.

The DED agreement calls for the sharing of the records of more than 500 educational facilities, creating an electronic system linking the entities to encourage cooperation for providing preliminary approvals for educational facilities.

Sheikh Maktoum Honours 769 Emirati Graduates

A ceremony to honour 769 Emirati graduates was held today (Sunday, May 24) in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai

The ceremony, held at Maktoum Hall at Dubai World Trade Centre, included the first batch of 139 young people to graduate from the National Institute of Vocational Education (NIVE) in Academic City, Dubai, an initiative of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). They have been taught skills to begin careers in banking.
Fifty of the graduates were from Tamkeen, also an initiative of the KHDA, which prepares visually-impaired students for the workplace. These graduates had received training in English language and office skills.

The remaining 580 graduates were from the Emiratisation and National Development Programme (ENDP). They will enter the tourism, banking, insurance and retail sectors.

Dr Abdulla Al Karam, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General at KHDA, said: “We thank His Highness Sheikh Maktoum for attending this important ceremony and we send every graduate our good wishes for their future careers.”

Essa Al Mulla, Executive Director, National Workforce Development, added: “We are pleased to be developing so many young Emiratis and preparing them for their chosen careers. All of our students have done their very best and now can be proud to be graduates. Our work does not stop here. We will support these young people in any way they want once they are in the workplace, and wish them luck in the future.

“We have a responsibility to give Nationals the chance to take their place in the workforce. These graduates will all have different roles to play in Dubai’s future. They will add to the quality of the work which will take Dubai towards fulfilling the ambitions of the Strategic Plan 2015.”

Dubai Bank Strengthens Customer Relationships With Monthly Customer Consultant Awards

Dubai Bank today announced the winner of its Customer Consultant Award for May, 2009. Mr. Abdulla Al Falasi became the first UAE national to win the award. His feedback led to the improvement of the banks operational systems, ensuring an enhanced customer experience.

Salaam Al Shaksy, CEO of Dubai Bank presented the Customer Consultant Award May 2009 to Mr. Falasi.

Introduced earlier this year, the Customer Consultant Award provides a way for the bank to reward its customers. All customers providing feedback are eligible for the award, which is presented to the individual whose input contributes to enhancing the bank’s service standards or business processes.

“The value of direct feedback from our customers cannot be underestimated. We have always followed a customer-centric approach, and the ‘Customer Consultant Award’ initiative has integrated it further into our overall growth strategy,” said Mr. Mohammad Amiri, Head of Retail Banking, Dubai Bank. “As the Islamic banking industry becomes more competitive, there is a growing need to innovate and enhance our existing operations”, he added.

The winner of the award, Mr. Abdulla Al Falasi, said: “Receiving customer feedback is one thing and actually putting it into practice is another. It is great to see that Dubai Bank does both. I have been banking with Dubai Bank since 2004, and programs like the Customer Consultant Awards show that the bank truly cares.”

KKR Granted License To Operate From The Dubai International Financial Centre

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. (“KKR”), a leading global alternative asset manager, today announced that KKR MENA Limited has been granted a license by the Dubai Financial Services Authority to operate from the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

Abdulla Al Awar, Managing Director of the DIFC Authority, pointed out that: “The MENA region, and especially the Arabian Gulf, has been relatively less impacted by the ongoing global financial crisis than North America, Europe or Asia. The Gulf has been particularly well-cushioned by the windfall revenues from the high oil prices witnessed during most of 2008. This surplus income has been earmarked for continued investments in infrastructure projects to upgrade existing ones and build new capacities.

“Concurrently, our region is also witnessing a deepening of the financial markets and private equity is not only abundant here, but is fairly active. We are pleased to note that a globally respected firm such as KKR has chosen Dubai as their base to operate across the MENA region. We wish them the very best and offer all support for their continued success as we welcome them to the DIFC,” Al Awar said.

Led by Makram Azar, Managing Director and Head of Middle East and North Africa, KKR MENA is a newly formed subsidiary of KKR, especially created to do business from the DIFC. Its area of operations will cover the entire Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. KKR MENA Limited will pursue private equity and infrastructure transactions in the MENA region and engage in the distribution of various KKR products.

Mr. Azar said: “We are delighted to officially launch KKR’s office in the DIFC and our operations in the rapidly developing Middle East and North Africa region. There are a wide variety of attractive opportunities in these markets and our professionals here look forward to capitalizing on KKR’s global resources to build an exceptional franchise.”

Dubai eGovernment Hosts Session For 3rd Emirati-American Young Leaders Cultural Exchange Program

Dubai eGovernment (DeG) recently hosted a special session as part of the 3rd Emirati-American Young Leaders Cultural Exchange Program at its headquarters in the Ruler’s Court in Dubai. The event was attended by DeG Director-General H.E. Ahmed Bin Humaidan and DeG CEO Thani Abdulla Al Zaffin.

During the session, Bin Humaidan discussed Dubai’s pioneering experience in digital transformation, outlining DeG’s strategies for enhancing the performance and efficiency of eServices and its methodologies for restructuring and automating government transactions, thereby upgrading its public services.

Bin Humaidan said: “Based on our belief in the role of technology in easing the lives of people, we were keen on developing more than 2,000 online services with the aim of upgrading Dubai’s government services in terms of speed and quality of performance. From this perspective, we affirm our constant endeavour to be closely familiarized with our customers’ viewpoints, develop our services and adopt means of modern technology in line with their requirements and in support of the eTransformation process in the emirate. We hope that the outline we have offered to our American guests will help give them a general idea about the development of eServices in the UAE.”

The meeting discussed the numerous achievements of the UAE in general and Dubai in particular, specially in fostering economic openness to the global markets as well as adopting the best and latest practices and concepts that support the economic growth in the UAE, including those related to governance and transparency. The session also threw light on the role of online services in facilitating and upgrading government transactions and procedures to live up to the highest criteria of quality and excellence. The meeting also featured a presentation about the eServices provided by DeG to the different sections of the society, be they nationals, residents, visitors and businesses, as well as the core services oriented to the government departments.

Meanwhile, Thani Abdulla Al Zaffin said: “Dubai eGovernment is at the forefront of the emirate’s efforts to establish an integrated knowledge-based economy by upgrading the standard of online services. We are confident that meetings such as these will support our future aspirations for building a generation capable of leading the UAE to new levels of growth and development and consequently carrying on the process of development and excellence.”

Dubai eGovernment’s comprehensive web portal, www.dubai.ae, provides citizens, residents, visitors and businesses access to electronic services which include payment of municipality fees and RTA fines, visa application for relatives, health card renewal, and company registration, among others.

First Comprehensive Out-patient Medical Standards in the region

Dubai Healthcare City’s Center for Healthcare Planning and Quality (CPQ) Accepted into the International Society for Quality in Health care’s (ISQUA) International Accreditation Programme

Dubai Healthcare City, a member of Tatweer, today announced that its regulatory body – the Center for Healthcare Planning and Quality (CPQ) – has been accepted into the International Accreditation Programme of the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua).

CPQ received the ISQua recognition for formulating a set of comprehensive standards for outpatient healthcare facilities, the first organization in the world to create such guidelines. Healthcare facilities that fully comply with these standards are certified by CPQ.

Dr. Muhadditha Al-Hashimi, CEO, Dubai Healthcare City said: “We are privileged that CPQ has been accepted into the International Accreditation Program of ISQua. This is another achievement that marks our regulatory authority’s continuous efforts to ensure that high quality standards are being set at DHCC.”
ISQua is a non-profit independent organization with members in over 70 countries that works to achieve excellence in healthcare service delivery.

Dr. Ayesha Abdulla, CEO of CPQ, said: “CPQ’s acceptance into ISQua’s International Accreditation Programme initiates a process that will eventually lead to the certification of all its programmes and standards for meeting international requirements in best practice. This will benefit those healthcare organizations that are regulated by CPQ.

“Across the world, external assessment of healthcare services is considered the best way to assure patients about a service provider’s commitment to quality. In addition, CPQ will soon develop a set of standards for hospital accreditation which, along with our out-patient standards, will empower us to offer unique world-class accreditation services across the entire GCC region.”

With the support of the World Bank and the involvement of the World Health Organization (WHO), ISQua provides an international accreditation programme that certifies health care standards and ensures programmes from regulatory bodies like CPQ match global guidelines.

Established in 2004, CPQ ensures high-quality patient care throughout DHCC, while offering tools and measures to healthcare providers to drive continuous improvement.
 

Palm Monorail Open To The Public

Nakheel officially opened the Palm Monorail to the public at a ceremony held at Gateway Station, Palm Jumeirah Thursday April 30, 2009. Mr. Marwan Al Qamzi, Executive Managing Director of Nakheel Southern Projects, and other Nakheel officials were joined by honored guests Nazek H. Al-Sabbagh, Trakhees Managing Director, Mr. Amair Saleem Director of RTA Safety Regulation & Planning Department, and Col. Abdulla Ali Abdulla Al Ghithi, Deputy Director of Protection & Security at Dubai Police.

The monorail, which is the first transport system of its kind to open in the Middle East, is now running four trains between the Gateway Towers and Atlantis stations, with a capacity of 2,400 passengers per hour per day. The service runs from 8:00am-10:00pm daily with tickets costing AED15 for a single journey and AED25 for a round trip. The system will be increased to a total of nine trains per hour with a capacity of 6,000 passengers per hour per day once connected to the Dubai Metro.

Marwan Al Qamzi, Executive Managing Director of Nakheel Southern Projects comments:“It is a very exciting day for us. The Palm Monorail is now open to the public after months of rigorous testing and trials. The opening is a significant step in the creation of a fully integrated public transport system for Dubai.”

State-of-the-art technology has been employed to overcome a number of challenges including running 1,000m of rail over-sea, meeting Dubai’s unique climatic conditions, and protecting the communities of Palm Jumeirah from noise pollution by using a virtually silent track system.

Developed by a consortium of leading international companies, led by the Marubeni Corporation, the Palm Monorail’s system is fully automatic and driverless, although an attendant will be on board at all times. The monorail will initially carry up to 2,400 passengers per hour per direction in four separate trains, each made up of three cars. At full capacity, the figure will rise to a maximum of 6,000 people in nine vehicles. Palm Monorail will connect to Dubai Metro and is able to increase its capacity to nine trains carrying 6000 passengers per hour per day.

DUBAL Votes Earth!

As a responsible and caring corporate citizen, Dubai Aluminium Company Limited (“DUBAL”) – the world’s largest modern aluminium smelter with a captive power station – is committed to minimising the impact of its operations on the environment. With this in mind, the company whole-heartedly endorsed the Earth Hour 2009 campaign, which took place from 8:30 to 9:30 pm on Saturday 28 March 2009, by switching off all unnecessary lights, air conditioners, office computers and other non-vital equipment in a united stand with millions of people across the world.“Being a 24-7 operation, the DUBAL plant cannot be switched off on an ad hoc basis,” says Abdulla J M Kalban (President and CEO). “However, we acknowledge that certain non-critical items can be turned off temporarily without compromising individual safety and/or plant security; or affecting production and plant efficiencies. Our individual operating departments identified these items in advance of Earth Hour, and flicked the proverbial switch accordingly.”Kalban adds that staff in DUBAL’s administration areas were encouraged to turn off their personal computers, printers, scanners, lights and other equipment for the entire weekend. In addition, DUBAL’s Residential Area – which is home to some 1,600 bachelor employees – marked Earth Hour with 60 minutes of complete darkness across the camp. “While communicating DUBAL’s participation in Earth Hour 2009 through personalised letters, posters, PC wallpaper and our electronic signboard, we urged all of our 4,100 people to make a point of supporting the initiative wherever they found themselves at 8:30 pm on Saturday evening.”Now in its third year, Earth Hour began in Sydney, Australia, in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses voluntarily switched off their lights for one hour. In 2008, the message had grown into a global sustainability movement, with over 50 million people switching off their lights. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Coliseum, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca-Cola billboard in Times Square all stood in darkness.This year, the World Wildlife Fund-sponsored initiative aimed to have 1 billion people switch off their lights for at least an hour, as participants in a unified vote against global warming. Over 1,800 cities across more than 80 countries and territories pledged their support to Earth Hour 2009. In Dubai, the lights at Burj Al Arab and Burj Dubai – the tallest under-construction building in the world – were switched off for Earth Hour.“According to the organizers, the overall goal of Earth Hour is to encourage people to take simple steps everyday that collectively reduce carbon emissions and halt climate change – from businesses turning off their lights when their offices are empty, to households turning off appliances rather than leaving them on standby,” adds Kalban. “Our sincere hope is, that by participating in Earth Hour 2009, DUBAL’s people will be inspired to make conscious lifestyle changes that will make a lasting difference to the planet as a whole.”
 

DUBAL Takes Five Awards, Receives Special Recognition At Ideas.Arabia 2009

Five suggestions submitted by Dubai Aluminium Company Limited ("DUBAL") have garnered the top honours in the annual Ideas.Arabia Idea of the Year competition, which took place this year on 20 and 21 April. This remarkable achievement highlights the proven capacity of the DUBAL Employee Suggestion Scheme to leverage employee talent to achieve continuous improvement; and re-affirms the company’s status as the regional leader in the employee involvement movement.The winning suggestions, which were recognised during a dedicated award ceremony at Al Bustan Rotana Hotel, Dubai, as part of the 4th Ideas Arabia International Conference, and their respective award categories, are: 1. Idea of the Year Award – "Optimisation of RAM Units", submitted by S M Ali of Casthouse Services.2. Health ’&’ Safety Award – "Special rig for oregate replacement", submitted by M E Martonito, J G Rocaberte and R N Sotaso of Potroom Maintenance 3. Technology Award – "Provide threaded inserts to moulds fixing plate", submitted by B C Rao and M Asi of Casthouse Services.4. Technology Award – "Dirt elimination at emulsion tank", submitted by C M Hugos and J C Ybanez of Casthouse Maintenance 2.5. Productivity Award – " Arrest heat reject section tube leak", submitted by Altaf Hussain of Desalination Operations.In addition, DUAL was awarded a "Special Recognition Trophy" to acknowledge the support extended by the company to Ideas.Arabia since its inception in 2006. Not only did DUBAL take a lead role in Ideas.Arabia by initiating its formation with the aim of spreading knowledge and experience about successful employee involvement schemes in the Gulf region; but the company was also the main sponsor of Ideas.Arabia for the first three years of the event.Commenting on DUBAL’s record-breaking performance at Ideas.Arabia 2009, Abdulla J M Kalban (President ’&’ CEO) said, "This is truly a wonderful achievement. It reflects both the level of creativity within our organization and the inherent potential of inviting employees to engage with the company. It also proves that DUBAL has immense potential for the future and confirms that which we have always believed, namely that our employees are our greatest asset." He adds that the success of the DUBAL Employee Suggestion Scheme, which was established in May 1981, is further testament to this: in 2008 alone, a commendable 18,883 suggestions were submitted to the scheme, of which a record 10,725 were implemented and awarded. The overall employee participation rate also reached the 100 per cent mark for the third consecutive year (i.e. each employee had at least one suggestion implemented and awarded suggestion during 2008) and the number of awarded suggestions per employee rose to 4.27. Moreover, the audited savings potential of the suggestions implemented in 2008 amounted to AED13.17 million, bringing the total savings achieved through the scheme to AED86 million over the years.Importantly, the DUBAL Employee Suggestion Scheme has been used as a model by a large number of organizations, both locally and internationally. "We gladly share our experience and knowledge with others because we can attest to the rich rewards of effective employee involvement in terms of improved productivity, minimised energy usage, enhanced operating efficiencies, better environmental protection and safety performances, and greater profitability," says Kalban.