Government | Saturday 3 October, 2015 11:43 am |

Dubai Customs has bagged five trophies from the 6th  Ideas America summit, held in Hanover, Maryland from 15 to 17 September, 2015.

Notably, Dubai Customs bagged a high profile award in the innovation category, through its Director, His Excellency Ahmed Mahboob, who was awarded the Best Executive Leadership Award 2015. The other four awards included the Advocate Award, Idea of the Year (for its amphibious lab-vehicle), the Best Suggestion System Manager, and the Communication Excellence Award. With such achievements, DC helps promote UAE’s position around the world, thanks to DC’s recognizable participation in major international competitions, along with other remarkable international entities.

Recognizing his significant role to support and motivate employees as well as customers to unleash their innovative spirit, His Excellency Ahmed Mahboob received the Best Executive Leadership Award in the Innovation Category of Ideas America 2015. His Excellency Ahmed Mahboob was also praised for taking the risk in implementing unprecedented, one-of-a-kind  ideas, not to mention his continuous efforts to develop the customs performance by applying the World’s best practices using UAE innovations complying with the international standards of Ideas America.

On the other hand, Ideas America’s Awards Committee stated that Ahmed Mahboob distinguishably applies the best international standards of  effective leadership and continuous institutional development by being a professionally  good example for his team, especially when it comes to timely propose and implement  new ideas . This was only possible through his direct and concentrated follow-up for the application of new ideas and initiatives in all customs centres. Mahboob is also keen to engage his employees while applying such ideas so that they can earn the knowledge and  expertise they may need to strengthen their future ideas and professional skills, related to the team work spirit.

Mr. Saeed Ahmed Al Tayer , the Executive Director of Policies and Legislation Division at Dubai Customs, has received the Best Executive Leadership Award, on behalf of H.E. Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, from Ideas America awards.

Moreover, DC has been awarded the first golden category in Ideas America summit 2015, through winning the Advocate Award 2015, that was achieved by Khaled Al Moazeen, Senior Inspection Manager of Customs Cargo Operations.  This award is usually granted to the advocate or the provider who effectively implements ideas, is highly capable of marketing them, and greatly contributes in enhancing the organizational suggestions system performance. Personally, Al Moazeen has contributed in providing more than 100 useful ideas, in addition to applying 78 ideas in the course of the past three years.

DC has also been awarded the Idea of The Year Award 2015, for the “Amphibious Lab-Vehicle” which was invented by Sami Essa, the Manager of Intelligence Operation at the Customs Intelligence Department. The amphibious lab-vehicle is the first-of-its-kind nationally and internationally in the customs field. It helps to save time, and detect the marine hazards in vessels and wooden ships which come to Dubai ports in large numbers, as the amphibious lab-vehicle can surf the regional waters near the wooden ships and vessels to detect the prohibited and smuggled materials at the bottom of the ships, equipped with developed inspection devices and specific cameras to remotely discover the drugs and radiant materials. The capture processes can also be documented and screened at the same time of the inspection process at the operation room in Dubai Customs. Accordingly the DC’s officials can simultaneously  follow up the process at the operation room.

Moreover, Dubai Customs has been awarded the Lead Award for The Best Suggestions System Manager 2015, and The Communication Excellence Award, given by Ideas America to the suggestions system manager who is able to motivate and encourage employees  to propose  new ideas and communicate with them via the latest means and technologies. This was possible through the implementation and use of the best global practices regarding suggestions systems, creativity, innovation, excellence and performance development  management. These two awards have been awarded to Hussein Al Fardan, Manager of the Suggestion and Complaint Section in the Strategy and Corporate Excellence Department at Dubai Customs, who played a major and effective role in adopting, following up, and implementing new ideas, using the World’s  best means and standards, as well as stimulating the creators of such ideas with creative and new techniques that fulfil whatever DC’s  innovative personnel may need.

Commenting on these awards, His Excellency Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, DP World Chairman and Chairman of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, said: "We are delighted over Dubai Customs winning these five awards. This coincides with declaring 2015 the ‘Year of Innovation’ in the UAE, under the guidance of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the declaration made by the UAE Cabinet in November 30th, 2014, chaired by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai."

For his part, His Excellency Ahmed Mahboob Musabih expressed his happiness over Dubai Customs winning these five awards, by saying: "DC is working to enhance the status of the UAE, regionally and internationally, in the field of new ideas and innovations. It was able to win the most prominent global awards presented by major international organizations for ideas for several years. We, at Dubai Customs, apply a system that stimulates creativity and innovation and ensures the follow-up on the proposals and suggestions made by both employees and customers, their studying and implementation in order to turn them into viable innovations and added value to customs processes."

The employees, winners of Ideas America awards for 2015, expressed their happiness over winning and their utter appreciation for the support the management team at Dubai Customs has shored up to creators and inventors. They added that the management was keen on implementing their ideas and turning them into practical experiments, which enables creators and inventors to contest the most prominent global awards and raise high the name of the UAE in the field of creativity and innovation.

It is worth mentioning that Ideas America is an international, non-profit organization involved in the support and promotion of employees’ initiatives around the world in sophisticated techniques. The contributions of the organization have continued for 72 years in the field of supporting of ideas and creative sense around the world. It stimulates organizational members by providing them with the latest suggestion programs and offering them a good opportunity for sharing knowledge and expertise among various government and private organizations from around the world.

Dubai Customs has been participating in this summit and contesting the award for the last six years, starting from 2010, wining 16 awards in various categories.