Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) | MD & CEO of DEWA receives First-Class Certificate of Honour and Appreciation from EFQM delegation

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), received a high-level delegation from the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM), headed by Russell Longmuir, CEO of EFQM. The delegation included Dr Geert Opdenbosch, COO of EFQM, and Isra'a Mobideen, EFQM Middle East Office Manager in Dubai.

Longmuir presented Al Tayer with a first-class certificate of honour and appreciation from EFQM, in recognition of DEWA’s major role played in supporting excellence locally, regionally, and globally, with international excellence initiatives to develop basic concepts and principles as well as new EFQM 2020 standards. The certificate was also granted in recognition of DEWA’s role in practical testing, as one of the winners of the Global Excellence Award that was granted by EFQM in 2017.

"We are working to achieve the directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the leader of excellence, to anticipate the future and adopt innovation to enhance sustainable development in all global competitiveness sectors and achieve the objectives of the UAE Centennial 2071 for long-term government work and a brighter future for generations to come. His Highness’ vision is our guiding light in our excellence pathway to achieve first place in all our operations,” said Al Tayer.

Al Tayer stated his determination to win the European Quality Management Excellence Award 2020, and that the target score is 800 points, which will be one of the highest levels ever achieved. DEWA’s decision to participate in the development of the updated EFQM model confirms the international standing that it achieved in various areas of excellence, especially having received the highest EFQM score in 2017. DEWA was the first non-European organisation to receive this prominent award and the first in the Award’s history to win it on first application, achieving the Platinum category along with leading companies and institutions that promote sustainable excellence.

“At DEWA, we consider excellence a means of achieving our vision to become a globally leading sustainable, innovative corporation. The EFQM framework is an integral part of our excellence pathway. We are participating in the Award’s current challenge, which includes many subjects, such as customer experience and integrated economies. This shows our determination to fairly and meticulously win the award, adding to the many achievements that we are proud of that helped us elevate the UAE’s and Dubai's position in so many aspects related to the quality of electricity and water services.” Al Tayer added.

On receiving this certificate, DEWA has become the only non-European member to prepare the model as a strategic partner in all international activities and programmes related to the EFQM 2020 model, which contributes to promoting DEWA as a leading international corporation.

Al Tayer expressed his gratitude for the great honour that DEWA received from EFQM, stressing the importance of continuously achieving world records in global excellence by attracting best practices and applying them to DEWA’s operations. During the meeting, Al Tayer invited Longmuir and his team to attend the Excellence and Sustainability Summit, which DEWA intends to organise in November to officially launch the EFQM 2020 model from DEWA’s platform, along with other distinguished local and global delegations.

The meeting also discussed joint cooperation between DEWA and the EFQM on implementing best practices. To achieve additional cooperation between both parties, Al Tayer praised the idea of establishing the first virtual council of experts and professionals that serves as an advisory board for DEWA, to be an international reference for best standards and practices in excellence.