The “Animalis” edition of the World Branding Awards saw 92 brands from 35 countries named “Brand of the Year” in a ceremony held at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna. The “Animalis” edition of the awards focused on pet and animal brands.
Animal Planet, FURminator, Hill’s Prescription Diet, Kong, Orijen, Pedigree, Petplan, Purina Pro Plan, Red Dingo, Tetra and Whiskas were announced as global winners. Equi-Trek (UK), Evidensia (Sweden), Fressnapf Maxi Zoo (Germany) and Horze (Finland) were also championed.
National tier winners from the UAE were Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo for Animal Education — Public Aquarium, and Dubai Kennels and Cattery, in the Travel Services — Relocation category.
Four NGOs — the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (Indonesia), The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (Kenya), The Jane Goodall Institute (United States) and Wildlife Friends Foundation (Thailand) — were also recognized for their work.
The awards celebrate the achievements of some of the greatest brands around the globe. Winners are judged through three streams: brand valuation, consumer market research, and public online voting. Each was named “brand of the year” in their respective categories.
The awards are organized by the World Branding Forum, a global non-profit organization dedicated to advancing branding standards for the good of the branding community as well as consumers. It organizes and sponsors a range of educational programs, and has joint collaborations with leading universities and museums. The forum also publishes branding news on its website that reaches a global audience of over 4 million visitors.
“The Animalis edition of the awards pays tribute to the achievements of pet and animals brands from around the world. Consumer votes count toward 70 percent of the final score, so winning brands have to have built a strong relationship with their customers in order to win,” said Richard Rowles, chairman of the World Branding Forum.
“Over 60,000 pet and animal lovers from around the world voted for more than 800 brands from 35 countries. Winning brands have had to work hard to stand out from the tough competition,” said Peter Pek, chief executive of the forum.
UAE brands among winners of ‘World Branding Awards’
UAE brands among winners of ‘World Branding Awards’
25,000 attend Social Development Bank’s DeveGO25 forum
The Social Development Bank concluded the second edition of the Entrepreneurship and Modern Business Practices Forum — DeveGo 2025 — announcing the achievement of high-impact outcomes that further reinforced the forum’s position as the largest national platform in the region dedicated to entrepreneurship, innovation, and freelance work in Saudi Arabia and beyond.
The forum witnessed broad participation from local and international experts, investors, entrepreneurs, and representatives of local, regional, and international institutions.
Over three days at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center, the forum drew 25,000 participants and visitors, who benefited from over 45 specialized workshops and over 2500 advisory sessions delivered by more than 70 consultants and experts.
The sessions covered key areas including entrepreneurial planning, business models, venture capital, digital platforms, freelancing, and emerging technologies.
The forum also featured 20 panel discussions with leading local and international speakers, addressing major global trends in entrepreneurship, including the future of artificial intelligence, the creative economy, digital transformation, and venture investment.
The forum saw the launch of the Saudi Empretec Fellowship, in the presence of Rebeca Grynspan, secretary-general of the UN Conference on Trade and Development.
The partners in success within the Social Responsibility Portfolio supporting entrepreneurs were honored.
It also saw the honoring of 13 winners of the Handicrafts Competition, representing various regions of the Kingdom, the announcement of winners of the Salam Award for Promising Projects, and the recognition of leading entrepreneurial projects fund under the Enterprises Track.
In addition, the NEXT UP Challenge concluded on the third day of the forum with 20 startups presenting their projects to more than 500 investors, enhancing opportunities for networking and partnership building.
As part of efforts to strengthen the support ecosystem, the forum witnessed the signing of 51 agreements, along with the launch of a suite of new financing products. These included the Capital Expansion Product with a ceiling of up to SR10 million, the Payroll Product with a ceiling of SR2 million, and the Rental Product with a ceiling of SR1.5 million, aimed at supporting enterprises in asset development and covering operational costs.
This reflects the bank’s direction toward offering more specialized financing tools that respond effectively to market needs.
The forum concluded by reaffirming its role as a unifying national platform for entrepreneurship, where accompanying activities and events provided direct engagement opportunities between entrepreneurs, investors, and experts.
The forum also highlighted success stories and practical experiences that reflect the scale of entrepreneurial momentum in the Kingdom and the growing role of the Social Development Bank in supporting a national economy driven by innovation and knowledge.
