Latest news with #ExcellenceAwards

Kuwait Times
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Kuwait Times
Kuwait football's brightest stars shine at Zain's annual Excellence Awards
KUWAIT: Zain Kuwait, the strategic partner of the Kuwait Football Association, honored the stars of the 2024-2025 Zain Premier League (Dawri Zain) season during the annual Excellence Awards, which brought together an elite group of Kuwaiti sports stars, media figures and sports personalities. The event marked the conclusion of the third season of Zain's strategic partnership with the KFA, reaffirming the company's commitment to supporting sports and youth in Kuwait, contributing to the development of Kuwaiti football, and encouraging players and coaching staff to achieve peak performance. The event was attended by Sheikh Ahmad Al-Yousef Al-Sabah, President of the Kuwait Football Association; Waleed Al-Khashti, Chief Corporate Affairs & Relations Officer at Zain Kuwait; senior KFA officials; members of the technical committee responsible for selecting this year's award winners; honored players; along with sports leaders and media representatives. In his opening remarks, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Yousef Al-Sabah stated: 'I am very pleased to be here today at Zain, this leading company that has provided tremendous and impactful support to the Kuwait Football Association over the past three years.' He added: 'I extend my sincere thanks to the Chairman, members of the Board of Directors, and Bader Al-Kharafi for this fruitful collaboration. This outstanding event and its excellent organization truly reflect their genuine commitment to the advancement of football in Kuwait.' He continued: 'It also brings me great joy to see this talented group of young players, who represent the future of Kuwaiti football. I wish them continued success and progress, to see them in the Premier League and eventually in our national teams.' He concluded: 'In collaboration with Zain, we at the KFA promise to provide even greater support in the upcoming season, which kicks off on September 14, aiming for an even more competitive and successful league. We will also place special focus on further developing the Under-20 League. Our heartfelt thanks go to everyone who contributed to this success.' In his remarks during the event, Waleed Al-Khashti said: 'It is my pleasure to welcome you all to Zain's Wonderful World, where we gather to celebrate the conclusion of an exciting sports season and to honor an elite group of athletes from the 2024-2025 Zain Premier League.' He added: 'We believe that the role of the private sector in supporting youth and sports is not optional, but a national responsibility and a cornerstone for building a vibrant and ambitious society. For this reason, we remain committed to supporting and motivating sports talent to excel, so that Kuwait's name continues to shine in regional and international arenas. One clear example of this is the great success of the Khaleeji Zain 26 tournament held earlier this year, which united the GCC nations here in Kuwait.' He further stated: 'At Zain, we view sports support as more than just a marketing partnership. Our aim is to instill a spirit of achievement and contribute to building an integrated sports ecosystem that leaves a positive impact on society. We take great pride in our partnership with the Kuwait Football Association, which has resulted in key milestones in recent years, and we look forward to an even more distinguished season ahead.' He added: 'We also believe that sports is an effective platform for instilling values such as teamwork, perseverance, and discipline, values we are equally committed to fostering within our work environment at Zain.' He continued: 'Today, we honor an outstanding group of players and athletes who excelled last season, recognizing their exceptional performance on the field. We are also pleased to introduce a new addition to this event — honoring a group of talented youth players from the age categories — a gesture aimed at encouraging them at the start of their careers and nurturing their talents to become future stars.' He also said: 'I would also like to take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the Kuwait Football Association and the members of the technical committee who worked tirelessly with great professionalism to select this year's Excellence Award winners in a transparent manner.' He concluded: 'At Zain, we renew our deep commitment to supporting everything that helps elevate Kuwait's name, whether on the sports field or in the fields of innovation and technological progress.' This year, Zain honored winners in the following main categories, as announced at the beginning of the season: At the senior level, Mohammed Daham of Kuwait SC was named Player of the Season, receiving a prize of KD 10,000. His teammate Yousef Nasser earned the Top Local Scorer title, along with KD 5,000. Vitor Vieira from Fahaheel SC was recognized as the Top Professional Scorer, also receiving KD 5,000. The Goalkeeper of the Season award went to Saud Al-Houshan of Kuwait SC, who was awarded KD 5,000. Nebojša Jovović, also from Kuwait SC, was honored as Coach of the Season, taking home KD 3,000. The Rising Star of the Season title was awarded to Jassim Matar of Qadsia SC, with a prize of KD 2,000. Zain also celebrated standout performers in the youth divisions. In the Blue League (Under 21), Saleh Al-Mutheb of Kazma was named Best Player. His teammate Hussein Kankouni received the award for Best Goalkeeper, while Abdullah Al-Awadhi from Qadsia SC was the Top Scorer. In the Under 19 League, Fadhel Al-Sarraf of Qadsia SC claimed the Best Player title and also emerged as Top Scorer. His teammate Abdulaziz Abdeen was named Best Goalkeeper. In the Under 17 League, Abdullah Al-Rasheedi from Al-Arabi SC won Best Player. Ahmed Al-Hazzaa of Al-Salmiya SC was awarded Best Goalkeeper, and Jaber Sanan of Kazma was the league's Top Scorer. In the Under 15 League, Saad Al-Shammari of Qadsia SC was recognized as Best Player. His teammates Hussein Dashti received the Best Goalkeeper award, and Mohammed Al-Yousef earned the Top Scorer title. To ensure the highest level of transparency in the selection process, the KFA formed a technical committee at the beginning of the season, consisting of distinguished former national players and experts: Thamer Enad (Committee Head), Jamal Mubarak, Faisal Borqaba, Waleed Ali and Mubarak Al-Woqayan. Zain extended its sincere thanks and appreciation to them for their great efforts and high professionalism throughout the season. Zain expressed its pride in this partnership with the Kuwait Football Association, which has elevated the professional standards of Kuwaiti football competitions. This season, matches featured strong performances and widespread fan engagement. Zain firmly believes that the private sector plays a vital role in supporting sports and youth, not only through financial sponsorship, but by actively contributing to the creation of a sustainable sports environment that fosters excellence, innovation and higher competition levels locally. As this season concludes with the Excellence Awards, Zain reaffirms its commitment to continuing this leadership role in cooperation with the Kuwait Football Association, under a strategic partnership that includes sponsorship of the Premier League (Dawri Zain), HH the Amir's Cup, HH the Crown Prince's Cup and the First Division League. Zain affirms that its support for Kuwaiti sports will remain a fundamental pillar of its social responsibility strategy, with the goal of elevating national sports, inspiring future generations to excel, and helping Kuwaiti sports achieve honorable representation in regional and international competitions.


Arab Times
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Arab Times
Kuwait Football's brightest stars shine at Zain's annual Excellence Awards
KUWAIT CITY, June 25: Zain Kuwait, the strategic partner of the Kuwait Football Association, honored the stars of the 2024-2025 Zain Premier League (Dawri Zain) season during the annual Excellence Awards, which brought together an elite group of Kuwaiti sports stars, media figures, and sports personalities. The event marked the conclusion of the third season of Zain's strategic partnership with the KFA, reaffirming the company's commitment to supporting sports and youth in Kuwait, contributing to the development of Kuwaiti football, and encouraging players and coaching staff to achieve peak performance. The event was attended by Sheikh Ahmad Al-Yousef Al-Sabah, President of the Kuwait Football Association; Waleed Al-Khashti, Chief Corporate Affairs& Relations Officer at Zain Kuwait; senior KFA officials; members of the technical committee responsible for selecting this year's award winners; honored players; sports leaders; and media representatives. In his opening remarks, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Yousef Al-Sabah stated: 'I am very pleased to be here today at Zain, this leading company that has provided tremendous and impactful support to the Kuwait Football Association over the past three years.' He added: 'I extend my sincere thanks to the Chairman, members of the Board of Directors, and Mr. Bader Al-Kharafi for this fruitful collaboration. This outstanding event and its excellent organization truly reflect their genuine commitment to the advancement of football in Kuwait.' He continued: 'It also brings me great joy to see this talented group of young players, who represent the future of Kuwaiti football. I wish them continued success and progress, to see them in the Premier League and eventually in our national teams.' He concluded: 'In collaboration with Zain, we at the KFA promise to provide even greater support in the upcoming season, which kicks off on 14 September, aiming for an even more competitive and successful league. We will also place special focus on further developing the Under-20 League. Our heartfelt thanks go to everyone who contributed to this success.' In his remarks during the event, Waleed Al-Khashti said: 'It is my pleasure to welcome you all to Wonderful World, where we gather to celebrate the conclusion of an exciting sports season and to honor an elite group of athletes from the 2024-2025 Zain Premier League.' He added: 'We believe that the role of the private sector in supporting youth and sports is not optional, but a national responsibility and a cornerstone for building a vibrant and ambitious society. For this reason, we remain committed to supporting and motivating sports talent to excel, so that Kuwait's name continues to shine in regional and international arenas. One clear example of this is the great success of the Khaleeji Zain 26 tournament held earlier this year, which united the GCC nations here in Kuwait.' He further stated: 'At Zain, we view sports support as more than just a marketing partnership. Our aim is to instill a spirit of achievement and contribute to building an integrated sports ecosystem that leaves a positive impact on society. We take great pride in our partnership with the Kuwait Football Association, which has resulted in key milestones in recent years, and we look forward to an even more distinguished season ahead.' He added: 'We also believe that sports is an effective platform for instilling values such as teamwork, perseverance, and discipline, values we are equally committed to fostering within our work environment at Zain.' He continued: 'Today, we honor an outstanding group of players and athletes who excelled last season, recognizing their exceptional performance on the field. We are also pleased to introduce a new addition to this event — honoring a group of talented youth players from the age categories — a gesture aimed at encouraging them at the start of their careers and nurturing their talents to become future stars." He also said: 'I would also like to take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the Kuwait Football Association and the members of the technical committee who worked tirelessly with great professionalism to select this year's Excellence Award winners transparently.' He concluded: 'At Zain, we renew our deep commitment to supporting everything that helps elevate Kuwait's name, whether on the sports field or in the fields of innovation and technological progress.' To ensure the highest level of transparency in the selection process, the KFA formed a technical committee at the beginning of the season, consisting of distinguished former national players and experts: Thamer Enad (Committee Head), Jamal Mubarak, Faisal Borqaba, Waleed Ali, and Mubarak Al-Woqayan. Zain extended its sincere thanks and appreciation to them for their great efforts and high professionalism throughout the season. Zain expressed its pride in this partnership with the Kuwait Football Association, which has elevated the professional standards of Kuwaiti football competitions. This season, matches featured strong performances and widespread fan engagement. Zain firmly believes that the private sector plays a vital role in supporting sports and youth, not only through financial sponsorship but by actively contributing to the creation of a sustainable sports environment that fosters excellence, innovation, and higher competition levels locally. As this season concludes with the Excellence Awards, Zain reaffirms its commitment to continuing this leadership role in cooperation with the Kuwait Football Association, under a strategic partnership that includes sponsorship of the Premier League (Dawri Zain), H.H. the Amir's Cup, H.H. the Crown Prince's Cup, and the First Division League. Zain affirms that its support for Kuwaiti sports will remain a fundamental pillar of its social responsibility strategy to elevate national sports, inspire future generations to excel, and help Kuwaiti sports achieve honorable representation in regional and international competitions.


The Sun
25-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Sun Life celebrates 14 wins at Bloomberg Businessweek Financial Institutions Awards 2025
HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 24 June 2025 - Sun Life once again demonstrated excellence at the Bloomberg Businessweek Financial Institutions Awards 2025, winning 14 awards. Among these, the 'International Insurance Company of the Year – Excellence Award' stands out as one of the most coveted accolades in the industry. This achievement marks a historic new high for Sun Life, highlighting its market leadership in the insurance sector and widespread industry recognition. Sun Life received seven Excellence Awards and seven Outstanding Awards, spanning multiple domains including digital innovation, talent recruitment, training and development, product innovation and development, corporate social responsibility, cross-border insurance services and ESG sustainability. This is a testament to Sun Life's strong business operations, drive for innovation, and high-quality service standards across the company. Recognition for Digital Innovation Achievement Sun Life is committed to a customer-centric approach and continuously innovates through digital transformation, striving to create a seamless one-stop digital customer journey. Receiving the 'Digital Innovation – Excellence Award' and the 'Online Platform – Excellence Award' further affirms Sun Life's strong capability to integrate digital innovation into the core of its business strategy. The digital platform 'SunWallet' was also recognized for breaking geographical boundaries to provide Clients with a comprehensive range of features, including the ability to manage their policies anytime, anywhere. Products and Services Garner Multiple Awards Through its focus on product innovation and customer service, Sun Life has been honored with the 'MPF Provider of the Year (Investment Sector) – Excellence Award,' the 'High Net Worth (Product) – Excellence Award' and the 'Client Service – Outstanding Award.' These awards underscore the company's commitment to fully meeting Clients' protection needs by offering flexible and high-quality MPF solutions alongside superior service standards. Sun Life engages with Clients through a wide variety of distribution channels, continually expanding its team of professional financial advisors and proactively offering training to enhance the Client experience. The company's outstanding performance this year has been widely acknowledged, as reflected by its receipt of the 'Recruitment Program of the Year – Excellence Award', the 'Training and Development Achievement (Agency Force) – Outstanding Award' and the 'Broker Support – Outstanding Award'. Mr. Clement Lam, Chief Executive Officer of Sun Life Hong Kong Limited, said: 'We are deeply honored to receive a record-breaking number of prestigious awards from Bloomberg Businessweek. These accolades are a testament to our relentless dedication and exceptional achievements across multiple fields. This year, we are particularly proud to receive the 'International Insurance Company of the Year – Excellence Award' for the first time, highlighting our team's impressive performance and inspiring us to pursue further innovation and excellence. Additionally, the 'Recruitment Program of the Year – Excellence Award' recognizes the importance of recruiting top talent for driving innovation and business growth. In 2024, our gross new recruits increased by 35%, leading the industry¹.' 'I sincerely thank our team for their collaborative efforts that have led to this remarkable success. Looking ahead, we will continue to enhance our client-oriented products and services, leverage digital technology to offer a more personalized experience, and help Clients achieve lifetime financial security and live healthier lives.' Our awards received include: Excellence Awards for --> International Insurance Company of the Year --> MPF Provider of the Year (Investment Sector) --> Recruitment Program of the Year --> ESG Sustainability of the Year --> High Net Worth (Product) --> Digital Innovation --> Online Platform Outstanding Awards for --> Digital Transformation Strategy --> Corporate Social Responsibility --> Training and Development Achievement (Agency Force) --> Integrated Marketing (Product) --> Broker Support --> Client Service --> Cross-border Insurance Services (Mainland to Hong Kong) The Financial Institutions Awards 2025, organized by Bloomberg Businessweek/Chinese Edition, is among the most renowned annual industry events. Through a rigorous screening process, the awards recognize outstanding performance in the banking, insurance and investment/securities sectors over the past year. The awards aim to enhance industry standards, drive continuous development in the financial sector, and encourage the active nurturing of talent, thereby injecting new momentum into the Hong Kong financial industry. ¹Sun Life achieved the number one position in the insurance industry for new recruit growth percentage from Q4 2024 to Q2 2025. About Sun Life Sun Life is a leading international financial services organization providing asset management, wealth, insurance and health solutions to individual and institutional Clients. Sun Life has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of March 31, 2025, Sun Life had total assets under management of $1.55 trillion. For more information, please visit Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF. Sun Life Financial Inc. is the holding company of Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada. Sun Life Hong Kong Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada.


Scoop
18-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Cost-Saving Water Project Sets Examples For Small Councils Nationwide
Hurunui District Council's award-winning Water Safety Project for protozoa compliance has been recognised yet again - this time for the impressive cost savings it's delivered while meeting new water standards. Council won the Excellence in Cost Effective Impact Award at the 2025 LGFA Taituarā Local Government Excellence Awards held last week. The category is new to the awards and recognises programmes or projects that generate significant and demonstrable reduction in costs without compromising the achievement of the desired outcome. Hurunui's Water Safety Project previously won the Excellence in Water Project Award at last month's Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA) Excellence Awards. Council's Chief Operations Officer Dan Harris said winning the Excellence in Cost Effective Impact category award was especially meaningful as the project had been born out of the challenges of meeting the costs of impending drinking water standards, which, for many of the districts' smaller supplies, would have been unaffordable. The project involved upgrades to 16 water treatment plants at a total cost of $24 million to comply with water safety regulations requiring protozoa protection for each of these plants. 'It was an ambitious project by any standard but especially challenging for our district with its population of around 13,800 residents spread across 8,641 km2,' Harris said. In 2015, Council consulted with its communities on a way forward to meet protozoa compliance. 'We agreed to implement a district-wide equitable rating system for all drinking water supplies. This combined all finances for all but one of our schemes,' Harris said. To keep costs down, Council established an in-house Project Management Office (PMO), which significantly reduced the reliance on external consultants. Judges at the awards recognised the project as a 'prime example of how rigorous project management and quality engagement can enable a council to meet both a critical regulatory requirement and a significant community expectation'. Council CEO Hamish Dobbie said Hurunui is proud to be leading the way in developing a model of water delivery that is uniquely tailored to the district and has resulted in significant cost savings. 'Judges at both awards have commented that our model can be replicated by other councils, and is especially valuable for smaller councils managing multiple schemes,' Dobbie said. Hurunui Mayor Marie Black said delivering robust infrastructure with good financial management sits at the heart of Council's strategic vision. 'As a smaller council, we're showing that through collaboration and strong financial management, it's possible to deliver innovative solutions with benefits well beyond our own district.' This is the second year in a row Hurunui District Council has won its category at the Taituarā Local Government Excellence Awards, having previously won the Community Engagement category last year.


Scoop
13-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Predator Free Wellington Wins The Supreme Award At The 2025 LGFA Taituara Local Government Excellence Awards
Wellington City Council's groundbreaking initiative, Predator Free Wellington, has claimed the highly coveted Taituarā Supreme Award for Local Government Excellence at last night's Taituarā Excellence Awards event. Predator Free Wellington was selected from a field of 60 entries submitted by councils from across the sector, underscoring its exceptional impact and innovation. The judging panel praised the initiative, stating 'Predator Free Wellington is an exemplar of building social licence and deputising the community to assist with delivery. The clear and meticulous plan for rolling this programme out is both readily scalable and highly transferable to projects of any type. We were also highly appreciative of the clear and unambiguous evidence of the success of this project.' The Supreme honour follows Predator Free Wellington's success in also securing the GHD Award for Excellence in Environmental Leadership. This marks the second year in succession that the winner of the Environmental Leadership category. Last night's ceremony marked the 11th year of the Excellence Awards in their current format. Over this period, a remarkable 11 different councils have proudly taken home the Supreme Award, showcasing the diverse and widespread excellence within New Zealand's local government. Other entries recognised with Excellence Awards last night were: The Beca Award for Placemaking: Ashburton District Council for Te Whare Whakatere – Recreating the Heart of Ashburton The Award for Excellence in Collaborating for Results: Hastings District Council, Napier City Council and Hawke's Bay Regional Council, Stronger Together: Council's buyout puts people at heart The Datascape Award for Excellence in Digital Local Government: Auckland Council, Buzzly The FrankGroup Award for Excellence in Community Engagement: Wairoa District Council for Wairoa Whakapiri - Uniting Through Recovery Te Tohu Waka Hourua (the Buddle Findlay Award for Māori/Council Partnerships): Taupō District Council for He Whare Hono o Tūewharetoa The Award for Excellence in Cost Effective Impact: Hurunui District Council for Hurunui District Water Safety Programme. In addition to winning the Placemaking category, Ashburton District Council's entry won the Members' Choice Award – voted for by the members of Taituara. Other winners announced on the night: The Sheffield Emerging Leader of the Year Award – Ashley Hurua, Horowhenua District Council. The AskYourTeam Overseas Manager Exchange to Queensland – Brent Harvey, Horowhenua District Council The AskYourTeam Overseas Manager Exchange to Victoria – Steven May, West Coast Regional Council The Civic Financial Services Overseas Manager Exchange to the United States – Steve Gibling, Selwyn District Council The Marsh Overseas Manager Exchange to British Columbia – Jenni Cochrane, Matamata-Piako District Council The Auckland Council team, Rarunga, won the NZ leg of the Australasian Management Challenge from a field of 14 teams. Rarunga will represent New Zealand at the Australasian final in the finals in Perth.