20 PRESS 18 BOOK
French Business Council Dubai & Northern Emirates Contact: Claire-Anne Russelle claireanne.russelle@fbcdubai.com +971 (0)4 312 6709
Presided over by Maurice Gourdault-Montagne, the Secretary General of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and Personal Representative of the President of the French Republic to the UAE, the event partnered with corporate biggies such as Schneider Electric, Dulsco, BNP Paribas, Chalhoub Group, and Fedex. During the glittery evening, FBC also launched the first edition of their publication FBC Insights under the theme of ‘Diversity and Inclusion means Business,’ and also organized (for the first time) a silent auction during the evening to give back to the community. However, a highlight of the evening, especially for SMEs and startups, was the announcement of the winner of the second edition of the FBC French Tech Award, an initiative floated by the Council to highlight the “vitality of the ecosystem, and the French tech, digital and entrepreneurial community” of Dubai. “We have amazing innovative startups in the UAE in different fields- e-commerce, fintech, healthcare, blockchain, cryptocurrencies…everything is moving very fast and the local authorities are fully supporting the trend,” says Lopez Cruz. “The tech ecosystem of the UAE is definitely booming, and this is good for us as France is also a startup nation…we have now around 50 SMEs and startups in Dubai, promoting the French innovation, creativity, excellence.” This edition of the FBC French Tech Award saw eight finalists, selected under the monitoring of partner entity KPMG, make their pitches to the gathering, from which Bodyo, a French startup in the healthcare sector, emerged as the winner of the French Tech Dubai UAE Award, presented by Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation, and H.E. Ludovic Pouille, Ambassador of France to the UAE. Founded by French national Patrice Coutard in 2016, and managed by CEO Tariq Hussain, CEO, according to a statement, Bodyo has developed patented health analysis pods that use non-invasive technology to measure blood pressure, blood sugar, fat mass, muscle mass, bone density, hydration, height and weight, and then through their apps, provide tools to monitor and prevent serious illnesses.
BodyO pod. Image credit: FBC Dubai.
From not more than four permanent staff in 2008, the French Business Council- Dubai and Northern Emirates (FBC) is today a 16-employee organization with 800 members representing 450 companies including a diverse portfolio of startups, SMEs, and MNCs. The FBC has also marked 30 years of working together towards the growth of the UAE, and the French business community in the Middle East, and at this juncture, recalling its evolution over the years, Agnes Lopez Cruz, MD, French Business Council, says, “In 2008, I settled down in Dubai with my family, and came to the FBC for the first time in May the same year to drop off my CV and benefit from their recruitment service dedicated to job seekers.” She soon landed a freelance gig in the telco sector to organize a program for a French company, and post the successful project, FBC offered her a permanent job to create its business consulting department from scratch, and the rest, as they say, is history. Lopez Cruz is now the Managing Director of the FBC since July 2013, and she views the organization as an SME by itself, with a special DNA that works for the common interests of both the UAE and France. “We operate two business centers in Dubai, we organize more than 50 B2B missions in the UAE per year, we organize an average of 100 events per year, we launched our own business magazine a few days ago, [and] we run 14 different committees and working groups,” she says. “Managing the FBC is not a job, it’s a passion,” she adds, stressing on FBC’s diversity, and its particular resonance to the UAE, on both a social and business level, where people of more than 200 nationalities co-exist. Indeed, perhaps this is why, the 2018 French Business Council Gala that took place in April recently, was held under the theme of “An evening to embrace diversity,” and gathered over 1,000 guests. “The Gala is much more than a glamorous evening with fine cuisine,” says Lopez Cruz. “It is an effective lobbying tool for the French authorities to showcase the know-how of our French business community in the UAE; it is as well an event dedicated to our members: 90% of the tables are booked by corporates to reward their main partners, clients or even as a team building event. At the end of the day, the audience is a real melting pot.”
BodyO, winner of the French Tech Dubai UAE award. Image credit: FBC Dubai.
Lopez Cruz believes that the award will provide Bodyo with visibility among both their network in the UAE and at an international level through French Chambers of Commerce aboard. “Bodyo will as well represent the UAE for the worldwide Trophee des Trophees, which is an award for la crème de la crème of our French companies in the world, and will be delivered during a ceremony in Paris,” she says. As for bilateral relations between France and the UAE -two countries that Lopez Cruz considers quite similar in their ambitions and ideals- the FBC MD considers them to be “excellent,” drawing attention to the recent official visit by French president Emmanuel Macron to inaugurate Louvre Abu Dhabi, and Prime Minister Edouard Philippe’s visit to Abu Dhabi, as well. “The level of bilateral trade represented EUR2.3 billion in 2017,” she says, adding that the FBC looks forward to the project to organize the second UAE-France Business Engagement Summit on urban mobility and public-private partnerships (PPP), before 2019. And, as for the businesswoman’s tips for aspiring entrepreneurs in the UAE, Lopez Cruz urges innovators to focus on coming up with a product or idea that offers a “real competitive advantage” in the UAE market. “Be aware of the cultural diversity of the country; be patient; at the end of the day you have to invest in the country and be the best,” she concludes.
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PRESS RELEASE The French Business Council Dubai and Northern Emirates receives the Dubai Quality Appreciation Award for Representative Entities during the DED Business Excellence Awards Ceremony The French Business Council Dubai and Northern Emirates receives the Dubai Quality Appreciation Award for Representative Entities during the DED Business Excellence Awards Ceremony Dubai, 24th April 2018 - The French Business Council Dubai and Northern Emirates (FBC) has received the Dubai Quality Appreciation Award for Representative Entities, presented by HH Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, and HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation. This award was given during the Business Excellence Awards Ceremony held on Tuesday, 24th April 2018 at Dubai Opera. The Dubai Quality Award is an initiative created by the Department of Economic Development (DED) to promote quality and excellence. It provides organizations a tool to benchmark performance and document existing gaps, but also give a framework to ensure that all different initiatives are pulling in the desired direction. The category dedicated to business councils and groups, from which the French Business Council has been awarded, looks at how the organization engages with its members and offers added-value. “It’s a prestigious award and we are honored by this distinction from the DED which is the recognition of years of development and improvement of our internal and external processes.” said Agnes Lopez Cruz, Managing Director of the FBC. She added that this award is also a responsibility and the French Business Council will become an ambassador for other business groups, councils and associations to support the Dubai Quality Award initiative. Since 1987, the French Business Council Dubai and Northern Emirates aims to build, develop and sustain prosperous Franco-Emirati relationships. About the French Business Council Dubai and Northern Emirates (FBC) The French Business Council Dubai and Northern Emirates is part of the French Chambers of Commerce network, ranking 10th largest French Chamber of Commerce abroad and the largest French Chamber of Commerce in the Middle East. The non-profit organization is now made of more than 400 companies, French and International, and organizing more than 100 events per year. The French Business Council is also opening a business center in Dubai Silicon Oasis. About the Dubai Quality Award The Dubai Quality Award, initiated in 1994, organized by the Department of Economic Development (DED), is based on the Excellence Model used by the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM). This model provides a holistic framework for organizational excellence. The Dubai Quality Award is presented to organizations from different sectors of the economy, such as manufacturing, service, tourism, construction, finance, professional, healthcare, higher education and trade.
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The 24th annual Business Excellence Awards was recently hosted by the Department of Economic Development (DED) in Dubai, which honoured 40 winners under Dubai Quality Award (DQA), Dubai Human Development Award (DHDA), Dubai Service Excellence Scheme (DSES) for their outstanding pursuit of excellence during 2017. Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE vice president, prime minister and ruler of Dubai, the ceremony was attended by Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, deputy ruler of Dubai, and Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, chairman of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation. Emirates Gas (from the manufacturing – oil & gas sector) and Transguard Cash (service sector) received the coveted Dubai Quality Award 2017 from Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Fujairah Police General Headquarter (government sector), The National Bank of Ras Al Khaimah (finance sector), Aster Hospital – Mankhool Branch (healthcare sector), Deyaar Owners Association Management (service sector), Gulf Medical University (education sector) and Global Green Bridge Contracting (construction sector) received the Dubai Quality Appreciation Award based on highest score by sector. The French Business Council (Dubai & Northern Emirates) was also awarded the Dubai Quality Appreciation Award for Representative Entities. Dubai Courts (government sector), AW Rostamani Group (trade sector), Union National Bank (finance sector) and Al Ain Hospital and Corniche Hospital from (healthcare sector) received the Dubai Human Development Award. Network International (finance sector), Al Gharbia Hospitals (healthcare – hospitals), Aster Pharmacy Group (healthcare – pharmacies), British Orchard Nursery – Dubai Silicon Oasis Branch (education sector) and Thumbay Group (service sector) received the Dubai Human Development Appreciation Award based on highest score by sector. Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum honoured the 18 Best Service Performance Brands from participants in the Dubai Service Excellence Scheme (DSES) during 2017. The winners included Arabian Automobiles – Nissan (automobile showroom), EROS ELECTRICALS (electronics), The Bagel Bar Coffee House (café), Pure Gold Jewellers (jewellery), National Bonds Corporation (contact centre), National Bank of Ras Al Khaimah (banking services), Al Fardan Exchange (money exchange services), Dnata Travel Services (travel services), aafaq Islamic Finance (services), DANUBE HOME (furniture), Al Jaber Optical (opticals), Life Pharmacy (pharmacies), India Palace Restaurant (restaurant), Springfield (clothing), Nine West (footwear), The Face Shop (general retail), Global Village (leisure & entertainment) and aswaaq (hypermarket). Three winners among DSES participants who introduced the Happiness Meter initiative in their outlets were also honoured. The winner with the highest overall happiness index score was Arab Bank for Investment & Foreign Trade (Al Masraf), while the winner of the highest number of happiness meter votes received from customers was aafaq Islamic Finance. Dubai Islamic Bank (Widest implementation of Happiness Meter) was also a winner. “The winners of the Business Excellence Awards represent a measure of organisational performance and a catalyst in the race towards excellence, further development and prosperity,” said Sami Al Qamzi, director general of DED, while adding that the success of Dubai’s quality and excellence journey depends on productive public and private sectors.
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PRESS RELEASE French Business Council Inaugurates its “Business Centre” at Dubai Silicon Oasis Wednesday, June 06, 2018 Dr Mohammed Al Zarooni, Vice Chairman and CEO of Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), the regulatory body for Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), the integrated free zone technology park, today inaugurated the “Business Centre by FBC” initiated by the French Business Council of Dubai and Northern Emirates (FBC) to attract French companies to the UAE . Ludovic Pouille, Ambassador of France to the UAE, Majdi Abed, Consul General of France in Dubai, Bruno de Reneville, President of FBC Dubai and Northern Emirates, Patrice Pous, the Chief Economic Counselor to the Embassy of France in the UAE, Hassan Al Hashemi, Vice President – International Relations at Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, senior officials from DSOA and FBC attended the official opening ceremony, as well as representatives of French companies. The DSO-based business centre seeks to offer hands-on support to French companies setting up operations in Dubai through providing office space and administrative assistance. In addition, its members benefit from networking opportunities with other partners, and privileged access to 100 annual events, as well as FBC’s mentoring program “ Synergy Club” – an entrepreneurs’ club aspiring to build partnerships among peers and help them accelerate their growth. Speaking at the inauguration, Dr Al Zarooni said: “DSOA is a key supporter to the vision of establishing the UAE as one of the best countries in the world for entrepreneurship. Our collaboration with FBC Dubai and Northern Emirates will further assist us in connecting with French investors and in attracting new business partners to DSO.” He added: “We are pleased to welcome yet another French entity to our fold. The “Business Centre by FBC” is the latest addition to more than 75 French companies that operate out of the technology hub. In 2016, trade between the UAE and France exceeded US$5.6 billion – with the UAE’s investments in France accounting for 35% of the total investments from the region. As a leading free zone entity, we are keen on strengthening bilateral relations between our two countries especially in the fields of technology and entrepreneurship.” Bruno de Reneville, President of FBC Dubai and Northern Emirates explained: “Beyond the opening of a business center dedicated to French companies, FBC’s ambition is also to contribute to the UAE vision and to animate the French business community in DSO by connecting MNC’s, SME’s and startups through a wide range of services and events.” Currently boasting more than 800 members and 450 companies, FBC has been representing the French Chamber of Commerce in Dubai and Northern Emirates for more than three decades. Over the years, the Council has expanded its operations in the country, becoming the largest chapter of the Chamber in the Middle East and the tenth-largest in the world. As a self-financed organization, FBC aims to promote business relations between the UAE and France, and connect companies based in France with markets in the GCC region. Its Business Consulting Department organizes individual trade missions for French companies interested in meeting partners, distributors, or clients in Dubai.
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DSOA proactively focuses on collaborating with entities that share the same vision and contribute to enriching its integrated ecosystem that benefits all business partners. The Authority has developed several initiatives that improve ease of doing business in Dubai and facilitate direct investments, including the Dubai Blockchain Business Registry Project, launched in May 2018 in partnership with the Department of Economic Development (DED), Smart Dubai, and IBM.
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