NEWS | Wednesday, 28 November 2007

TECOM Investments praised by global business leaders at EFQM forum in Athens

TECOM Investments’ unprecedented success in its concept of industry clusters won the operator of knowledge based free zones further international acclaim at the recently held annual forum of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) in Athens.
The EFQM Athens Forum saw 800 global business leaders coming together to discuss ‘Building high performing organisations in Europe’. Key parameters to establish quality excellence in a competitive and global environment were identified.
EFQM, a not-for-profit membership foundation, is the driving force for sustainable excellence in organizations across Europe. It is the creator of the EFQM Excellence Model that provides organizations with a guideline to achieve and measure their success.
Abdullatif Almulla, CEO of TECOM Investments, member of Dubai Holding, said: “While Dubai has gained a global standing as a credible business hub, the competition will intensify as more and more countries seek a similar position on the international arena.
“However, by working closely with government initiatives, TECOM Investments demonstrates a unique business framework that consistently drives its strong global brand identity,” he added.
Hussain Dawood, Director of Quality, TECOM Investments, said: “Dubai has successfully created a business-friendly environment to attract foreign direct investment.
Setting up free zones to cater to various industry segments was one of the key measures initiated by TECOM Investments in line with the Dubai Government policy to draw investors.”
TECOM Investments’ industry clusters, including the Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City and Knowledge Village, have registered remarkable annual growth over the years, resulting in new overseas ventures such as SmartCity Malta and SmartCity Kerala.
Its business models have been commended by high-ranking delegations from countries such as France, South Korea, Malta and El Salvador that recently visited TECOM Investments to review its offerings.
Most of the new industry clusters including DuBiotech, Dubai Studio City and the International Media Production Zone (IMPZ) were also showcased at the forum, drawing heightened interest from some of the world’s leading organisations. The visitors were provided with an insight into the EFQM model of global best practices that is deployed at TECOM Investments’ free zones.
TECOM Investments’ free zones – Dubai Media City and Dubai Internet City – host nearly 80 per cent of Fortune 500 companies. In addition, Knowledge Village, Dubai International Academic City, DuBiotech and Dubai Studio City have generated phenomenal global interest.
Several academic, media, IT and biotechnology brands have located their regional headquarters at the TECOM clusters that is set to become the global destination for top of the range knowledge-based institutions.