WINNERS: Man At His Best 2016

Middle East Man of the Year – Ashish J Thakkar –
The founder of Mara Group, headquartered in Dubai, has created a sprawling empire that, through its investments, operates in 25 countries across Africa and employs over 11,000 people. He’s a member of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders and the chair of the UN Foundation’s Glo

International Man of the Year – Ranveer Singh – Our International Man of the Year reminds us that to be really successful you need one part grit and two parts stubbornness — mixed with an insane helping of drive and talent. After a bumpy start to his acting career, hustling for roles in TV soaps and music videos, Ranveer Singh’s determination finally paid dividends in Bollywood, gathering numerous accolades, including Best Actor for his latest film Bajirao Mastani.
He’s also a style icon, a permanent fixture in the gossip columns — for all the right reasons — and a fine ambassador for his country. He’s self-made, independent, smart and supremely talented. And, at 31, he still has many more years in which to grow and develop.

Contributions to the Art – Mattar bin Lahej – The arts award is dedicated to those who have promoted a very important aspect of society: its culture and art. Our winner fits this description to a tee. This Emirati is a true renaissance man.
An active painter, sculptor and photographer, he has been recognised over the last few years through his participation in exhibitions both locally and internationally, such as Abu Dhabi Art and the Berlin Art Fair, as well as prestigious shows in Morocco and Kuwait. And he also gives back to his society, through his annual kids’ summer camps, his workshops across the UAE and many exhibitions inside and outside his gallery. Mattar Bin Lahej is a true ambassador for his chosen field and for the UAE.

Woman We Love – Paige Spiranac – Leading a new generation of professional golfers, the social-media-savvy American has amassed a sizeable army of online followers and uses it to show the world how much fun golf can be. Known for her trick-shots on YouTube, which easily rack-up millions of views, it’s easy to see why she’s so popular. She recently competed in the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters, and for being a fine ambassador for the game, as well as a terrific sport, she is our Woman We Love.

Athlete of the Year – Mutaz Barshim – Mutaz has racked up some incredible achievements in his short career. He is the national record and Asian record holder; he won the Asian Indoor and World Junior champion in 2010, and he won gold medals at the 2011 Asian Athletics Championships and 2011 Military World Games. If that list isn’t already impressive enough, he won a silver medal at last summer’s Olympic Games in Rio and a bronze at the 2012 London Olympics.
And, at 25, he still has many more years to fly the flag for this region at the very highest level.

Team of the Year – Fiji Rugby Team – This year’s winners belong to a tiny island in the South Pacific, with a population of fewer than a million. But despite the odds, the team picked up the first two World Cup wins in history of their squad.
This year they once again displayed incredible team spirit, beating all their bigger rivals to win gold at the Olympics in Rio.

Lifetime Achievement – George Horan – The lifetime achievement award celebrates individuals who have shown excellence and dedication in their chosen field. Our winner, who arrived in Dubai 33 years ago, has done just that.
Along with two other like-minded countrymen, dubbed ‘the Irish Trinity’, they created a business — Dubai Duty Free — that in its first year alone made $22 million. Not a bad figure, but consider that their sales figures for 2015 were $1.88 billion, making it the world’s biggest single airport retail business. Last year, our winner finally decided to bow out as president, leaving an incredible legacy behind. And as a nice parting gesture, the award was presented by the executive vice chairman of Dubai Duty Free, and a previous Esquire Lifetime Achievement winner, the legendary Colm McLoughlin.

Up and comer Award – Bader Najeeb – Our winner is a 20-year-old Emirati who as a teenager developed an intense interest in cooking. By the time he was 18, he was fronting two TV cooking shows. He represented the UAE in Saudi Arabia and at EXPO Milan, appeared on America’s The Today Show, and won first place at the Dubai World Hospitality Championship. He has over 80,000 Instagram followers, thanks to his inventive and engaging videos. He’s a shining example of the new generation of Emiratis breaking new ground and spreading positive messages to the world.

International woman of the year – Deepika Padukone – One of the highest-paid actresses in India and one of the nation’s most popular and attractive personalities. She is the recipient of multiple awards for her work. Alongside her acting career, our winner participates in stage shows, has written columns for an Indian newspaper, is a prominent celebrity brand endorser, and is vocal about issues such as feminism and depression. She has multiple film releases scheduled for 2017, including her Hollywood debut alongside Vin Diesel.

Businessman of the Year – Osman Sultan – This Lebanese businessman has had a massive impact on the UAE, since being appointed in 2006 to be CEO of a new company, challenged with the task of taking on the country’s only telecoms company. Our winner not only did this successfully, but has stayed on ever since to lead the massive changes that have reshaped his industry — and all of our lives. He’s a visionary, he’s got staying power. He’s a credit to the company he runs, du, and the city he has helped develop.

Entrepreneur of the Year – Ahmad Ashkar – The founder and CEO of the Hult Prize Foundation, a company selected by Time as one of the top five initiatives changing the world. He specialises in innovation and is on the advisory board of the United Nations Development Programme. He is one of the world’s foremost experts in venture philanthropy and has been recognised as one of the top 10 entrepreneurs in the Middle East.Ashkar has worked closely with the Clinton Foundation and appeared as a coach and speaker at the World Economic Forum and UN. As a Palestinian-American, he serves as an independent advisor to the municipality of his hometown in the West Bank, where he is also an active entrepreneur.

Footballer of the Year – Ali Mabkhout (collected on his behalf by Anas Bukhash) – Our footballer of the year is an Emirati who plays for Al Jazira and the UAE national team and has fast become a national treasure. Last season was his best yet, with the striker scoring 24 goals and collecting the Emirati Player of the Year prize.
He scored five goals at the 2014 Gulf Cup (to finish as the tournament’s top scorer), five goals at the 2015 Asian Cup to head the charts, and another five goals thus far during the World Cup qualifiers. Unfortunately he couldn’t be there on the night, due to a match in Abu Dhabi, but his good friend and previous award winner, Anas Bukhash, collected on his behalf.

Comedian of the Year – Ali Al Sayed – The founder of Viva Arts and co-director of Dubomedy Arts, the first comedy and urban arts school in the region. Throughout his career, he has performed alongside great international comics as well as raising the bar for the local scene. He performed in, and co-produced, the first weekly comedy and variety night in the UAE, and produced Funny Girls — the first all-female stand-up comedy tour in the region. He’s an acting and comedy coach and is currently working on TV and film projects. Most important of all, he’s helping us to see the lighter side of life and bridge cultural divides with laughter.

International Fashion Designer – Mauro Ravizza Krieger – The Italian designer has rebooted Pal Zileri, one of Italy’s finest luxury menswear labels, for the modern age. This is a brand that prides itself on its rich heritage and native fabrics. It has helped define casual and elegant wardrobe essentials since the 1980s, and last year enjoyed its first ever runway show under Krieger. That show, and the ones that have followed, have been universally praised for maintaining all that was good about the brand, but firmly placing it in the present moment. Pal Zileri is now very much about today’s man and Krieger’s artistic vision helped make that happen.

Regional Fashion designer – Ahmed Abdelrahman – This UAE-born designer is the founder of Thamanyah. He took the clean, white kandora we all know and love and reimagined it for the fashion world, combining Italian tailoring with Middle Eastern sensibility to create a dark, modern aesthetic with attractive silhouettes. Abdelrahman has broken into international markets, from Selfridges in London, to Barneys in New York, Maxfield in Los Angeles and Ink-Clothing in Beijing, and his brand was nominated for the prestigious Woolmark Prize. He is now preparing to launch an online store, haute couture and made-to-measure lines, and expand his footwear business.

Woman We Admire – Alex Johnson – The wife of a hugely successful Rugby League player, Andy Johnson. The couple enjoyed a comfortable life, topped off with the birth of their sons, Jack and James. However their world was turned upside down in 2011 when Jack was diagnosed with a progressive muscle-wasting condition. The couple was devastated, but it spurred them on to raise money for awareness and research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. They created Joining Jack, a charity that our winner has tirelessly devoted her time to building. Leveraging their rugby contacts, they are highly active in the UK and all over the world. They’re also make a regular appearance here at Dubai Sevens.

Humanitarian Award – Omar Samra – An adventurer, mountaineer, entrepreneur, inspirational speaker and tireless charity worker, Samra is the first Egyptian to climb Mount Everest, conquer the Seven Summits and ski to both Geographic Poles, known as ‘the explorer’s Grand Slam’. He also founded the region’s first carbon-neutral travel company, specialising in ethical adventure travel. In his role as a successful motivational speaker, his aim is to convince the youth in this region that, in his own words, “Impossible is nothing, with hard work and perseverance”. In short, he’s a fantastic role model for anyone in the region who dreams big, whatever their circumstances.

Music Award – Mo Zowayed – This hugely talented singer, musician and songwriter from Bahrain honed his bluegrass and folk sound while living in Canada. He attended the awards having just got back from his first UK tour, supporting British music legend, Jools Holland. We’ve known about him for a while and feel that the rest of the world will soon discover the talents of our music winner.

CEO of the Year – Dr Michael Bitzer – Although we are celebrating his contribution to helping set up the Daman health insurance company in Abu Dhabi back in 2006, what really sets Dr Bitzer apart from many business leaders is his long-term commitment to the region. Where many industry chiefs parachute into the region hoping to make a quick impression, Bitzer has devoted the past decade of his life to building an institution that works hard to better the lives of the UAE’s residents. Daman has become the country’s largest health insurer, offering cover to almost a third of the UAE’s population. Most importantly, through its Active Life programme of free activities, the company works to encourage UAE citizens to lead a healthier lifestyle. Our winner, himself a fitness enthusiast, knows that these lifestyle changes will benefit the country as a whole, and for that reason he thoroughly deserves this award.

QUICK LINKS

Esquire Weekend celebrates all things British

Three of the best summer scarves

What to do in Madrid