Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) officially launched the Strategy Pioneers Group in the presence of the Groups founding partners, at a meeting held at Park Hyatt Dubai. The meeting was attended by HE Seed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.

The launch ceremony was also attended by Waleed Salman, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, Dr. Yousef Ibrahim Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Human Resources, Khawla Al Mehairi, Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications, Dr. Abdulla Al Hammadi, Vice President of Strategy and Performance Management at DEWA, and group members and representatives.

The Strategy Pioneers Group members include national and regional organisations including DEWA, the Executive Council of Dubai, Dubai Municipality, Dubai Police, Emirates Global Aluminium, Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, the Electricity and Water Authority of Bahrain, and the Ministry of Works of Bahrain. These leading institutions co-founded the Strategy Pioneers Group and formed the board of directors and the general secretariat to manage the Groups daily tasks.

The Strategy Pioneers Group has been officially launched in accordance with the vision and guidance of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to improve government work to the highest international standards. This follows extensive efforts by all parties to outline the Groups primary goals, strategies and future work plans, said Al Tayer.

The launch underlines the members determination to take this ambitious project forward. It will make a valuable contribution to the regions institutions by driving strategic organisational planning and developing work mechanisms to achieve excellence, added Al Tayer.

The Strategy Pioneers Group was established as an independent organisation according to Dubai laws after all members signed a partnership and co-operation charter. This envisions the Group as a leading international, non- profit institution that promotes the essential role of organisational strategic planning and serves as a platform for exchanging knowledge, expertise and best international practices in strategic planning, by highlighting the latest developments and research, said Al Tayer.

The Strategy Pioneers Group seeks to consolidate the role of organisational strategy management and add momentum to members cooperation, which in turn boosts organisational performance. The Group will share its knowledge and experiences with all the organisations involved in strategy development and hold training programmes and conferences on a regular basis to advance the business environment in the UAE and the region, he added.

Al Tayer said that the Group will conduct periodic training programmes and courses to boost business in the UAE and the region. He said that the Group has also launched its official interactive website, which will serve as a platform for exchanging information and ideas between the Group members and with all relevant bodies. The website also provides common ground for creative ideas and suggestions to improve the Groups performance.

Last year, DEWA added a new accolade to its successful track record by entering the UK-based Investors in Excellences Hall of Fame of and being recertified to the Investors in Excellence Standard in recognition of DEWAs continued achievements in organisational excellence. DEWAs participation in founding the Strategy Pioneers Group builds on our model of achieving excellence in management, operations and services and promoting its global position as an organisation that adopts the latest development strategies across all its operations, concluded Al Tayer.

"DEWA's step forward to launch the Strategy Pioneers Group is another demonstration of its commitment to be at the forefront of excellence in Strategy Execution. As the first GCC winner of the prestigious Palladium BSC Hall of Fame for Strategy Execution, gathering a group of peers, who are Hall of Fame winners as well, to exchange ideas, best practices, create and disseminate new knowledge in the field of strategy, will surely contribute to achieving better strategic results for all the members of the group, said Esteban Gmez, Managing Director of Palladium EMEA.

Making available that knowledge to other organisations through regular publishing of the conclusions of the Strategy Pioneers Group's work will also revert in a general improvement of strategy execution skills in the region. We at Palladium, congratulate DEWA and members of the Strategy Pioneers Group for their initiative and look forward to further collaboration with them," added Gmez.