Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has named six winners of the first Dubai-it Award, honouring people and companies that turned big ideas into results in record time. The announcement, made on 4 November 2026, completes the list of winners for the award’s first edition. It follows earlier announcements naming Emaar in real estate and Ziina in business.
The six winners span banking, trade, property, retail, entrepreneurship and hospitality. They are Emirates NBD, Ahmed Bin Sulayem of the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, Mahdi Amjad of OMNIYAT, the luxury shopping platform Ounass, Charlie Wright of Humantra, and Chef Izu Ani. Sheikh Hamdan said the award was launched to showcase Dubai’s philosophy of work in action across every field: extraordinary achievement, in record time, with excellence.
What Emirates NBD and DMCC were recognised for
Emirates NBD took the award for institutions in the economic field. The bank doubled the size of its business over the past years, became first in the UAE for revenue, deposits and profitability, and is now the country’s highest-ranked banking brand. Its digital services adoption rate reached 91 percent, and it built one of the largest integrated digital banking ecosystems in the region, with more than 220 services.
The bank also expanded into Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Kingdom, India, Singapore and Türkiye. Ahmed Bin Sulayem, executive chairman and chief executive of the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, won the award for project managers. Under his leadership, the centre grew to more than 26,000 companies from over 180 countries, employing more than 90,000 people, and Dubai became the world’s largest hub for trading rough and polished diamonds.
How OMNIYAT and Ounass turned design and speed into landmarks
Mahdi Amjad, founder and executive chairman of OMNIYAT, won the award for real estate projects. He founded OMNIYAT in Dubai on the idea that architecture should drive the value of a development, working with names such as Zaha Hadid, Foster + Partners, Gilles and Boissier, and Dorchester Collection. He turned Zaha Hadid’s design for The Opus into one of Dubai’s most prominent landmarks, and The Lana hotel entered the list of the world’s 50 best hotels within eight months of opening.
Ounass, developed by Khalid Al Tayer, won the award for services. The luxury shopping platform offers more than 1,300 regional and global brands and delivers in Dubai in an average of 89 minutes. Within a short period, its sales doubled and its customer base grew, making it the region’s leading platform for digital luxury commerce.
Why Humantra won the entrepreneurs prize
Charlie Wright, founder of Humantra, won the award for entrepreneurs. He started the electrolyte brand from a single office in Dubai and built it into the leading brand in the UAE electrolyte market, with a share of more than 80 percent. The brand now reaches 10 global markets and more than two million customers within 15 months, and it became the most searched brand globally in the electrolyte category.
Wright founded Humantra in Dubai in 2022, and the brand has since grown from a local startup into an international wellness business. The award citation praised him for turning a personal experience and a simple idea into a global brand, and for building a product that can compete in international markets.
Chef Izu Ani took the hospitality prize to six cities
Chef Izu Ani won the award for hospitality, in recognition of a series of restaurants that started in Dubai and reached global stature in record time. His projects include Carine, Gaia, Shanghai Me, La Maison Ani, Alaya, La Petite Ani, Sirene by Gaia and Kigo. Their presence has extended to Monte Carlo, London, Marbella, Miami, Bodrum and Saint-Tropez.
Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, chairman of the Executive Office of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, said the diversity of the winners reflects what Dubai’s leadership has offered as a development experience. The real value of the recognition, he said, is that it opens the door to new achievements, and that individual successes turn into broader progress across the emirate’s sectors.
