ALBAYAN MEDIA GROUP

Arabian Car of the Year took off with speed and style recently at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC). Described as the first of its kind, the event aimed to cater to the general public, motor manufacturers and dealerships in the Gulf. A total of 23,000 votes were cast in the five contested categories. Twenty-two cars competed for the people’s choice in the Arab countries within a period of five months through a combination of WAP, phone, SMS and website voting. Eleven cars were chosen for jury members to test drive. The jury members comprised auto journalists, motor experts and personalities representing Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Yemen, Oman, UAE, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt. Albayan Media Group CEO Hamid Alasfoor said: “Organizing this event at the BIC lent credibility to benefit the general public and the automotive industry in the region. Our future plan is to enter into more regional media partnerships to ensure wider participation from manufacturers in the automotive industry and also the general public.”

MARAFIQ

Marafiq, the Power and Water Utility Company for Jubail and Yanbu, has been awarded OHSAS 18001 certification, making it one of the few companies in the region to have been awarded all three certifications: ISO 9001:2000 (Quality), ISO 14001:2004 (Environment) and OHSAS 18001:1999 (Occupational Health and Safety). OHSAS 18001 is the recognized standard on which most companies base their occupational health and safety systems. OHSAS 18001 has been developed to be compatible with the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 management systems standards. It makes it easier for companies to coordinate their quality, environmental and occupation health and safety management systems and integrate them into a single, comprehensive management system. OHSAS 18001 has been developed in response to companies’ need to meet their health and safety obligations in an efficient manner. OHSAS 18001 gives requirements for an occupational health and safety management systems. This enables the company to control its occupational health and safety risks and improve its performance. Marafiq President and CEO Thamer S. Al-Sharhan expressed his happiness with the company’s OHSAS 18001 certification and said it demonstrated Marafiq’s commitment to occupational health and safety.

BIW

Bahrain Investment Wharf (BIW) is participating in the Bahraini trade mission that is on a week long visit the United States till March 11. The visit is organized by Bahrain Economic Development Board. Sheikh Salman ibn Hamed Al-Khalifa, crown prince and commander-in-chief of Bahrain Defense Force, is heading the delegation to Chicago and Houston along with a team of ministers, businessmen as well as economic development board members. It will showcase investment opportunities existing in Bahrain. Its primary objective is to promote Bahrain as the destination of investment and trade hub in GCC region by promoting the free trade agreeement (FTA), and also to establish contacts with US counterparts as well as initiate matchmaking for Bahraini entrepreneurs in the US. BIW Chairman Ahmed Al-Qattan said: “The FTA will contribute toward developing and enhancing the cooperation between the two countries in various fields, especially, trade, financial and investment sectors.”

AUDI

Audi Saudi Arabia (ASA) marked the launch of its operations with a reception in Riyadh recently. ASA was awarded a license by the Capital Market Authority of the Kingdom to provide a full range of investment services. Audi Saradar Group (ASG) has 70 percent of ASA’s capital with the remaining 30 percent owned by Saudi individuals and business groups. ASA offers a variety of securities business. The new entity will strive to become a major financial services provider across the Kingdom. Its aim is to introduce innovative classes of assets and investment opportunities that would increase the financial markets depth and contribute to the expansion of products and services offered in the Saudi market. The reception was attended by Raymond Audi, chairman and GM, Bank Audi sal-ASG, ASA Chairman Abdallah Al-Hobayb, Samir Hanna, group CEO, Bank Audi sal-ASG, and Bassam Yammine, CEO, ASA.

DHL

The Youth Welfare Presidency and SNAS/DHL recently welcomed back the Saudi representatives to the “2007 Connecting Cultures Expedition” held in Oman. The expedition, which was endorsed by the presidency in partnership with SNAS/DHL, saw 16 boys from six nations spend a week together in the desert of Oman, including three representatives of the Kingdom. The trip stimulated discussion, including a vision of the world in 2030 while focusing on communication and decision making skills. Mohamed Al-Dabasy, GM, youth activities commission at the presidency, said: “Based on the directives of Your Welfare Presidency President Prince Sultan, we fully supported the initiative to allow for a multi-cultural dialogue among Saudi participants and other young men from around the world.” Paul Chader, SNAS/DHL sales and marketing manager for the Kingdom, said: “As the leading express and logistics provider in the Kingdom, we take every opportunity to support local communities across the region.” Mark Evans, founder of Connecting Cultures, said: “ Everybody agrees that education of the young is crucial, but very few programs bring young people face to face the way Connecting Cultures does.”