DUBAI: Business-sector news magazine Fast Company, which launched its Middle East edition this year, has unveiled its 2022 list of the Most Innovative Companies in the region.
It said the 42 companies on the list helped to reshaped their businesses and industries in 25 categories, including media, entertainment and e-commerce.
“Most Innovative Companies is one of our highly anticipated editorial efforts,” said Ravi Raman, publisher of Fast Company Middle East.
“It provides a snapshot and a road map for the future of innovation across the most-dynamic sectors and we were enthused by both the quantity and quality of the nominations received.
“Innovation is at the heart of everything we do and this list best reflects that.”
In the media category, Asharq News and Augustus Media were recognized for introducing vertical streaming and adapting to the changing world, respectively.
In the entertainment category, TikTok and OSN+ were identified as being the most innovative companies. The latter was chosen for its recent revamp, unconventional screening locations, and the augmented reality initiatives it developed ahead of the release of “House of the Dragon,” HBO’s prequel to “Game of Thrones.”
TikTok earned its spot for “placing power in the hands of the masses” by putting a studio in every content creator’s pocket, Fast Company said.
Advertising agency TBWA\RAAD ranked top in the advertising category for “re-engineering brand experiences.”
Reda Raad, the agency’s CEO, said: “We are very thrilled to be number one in the advertising sector and to be recognized for our commitment to innovation and to the power of disruptive creative ideas on behalf of our clients.”
In the artificial intelligence category, IBM, SAS and Crayon DMCC made the list for “applying AI to everything — from property valuations to detecting mortality risks and reducing carbon emissions.”
In the e-commerce section, which has surged since the start of the pandemic, Noon and Rabbit were recognized. The former was chosen for helping micro-entrepreneurs through its Mahali initiative, which provides Emirati and Saudi entrepreneurs with assistance and support to build their enterprises online.
Delivery company Rabbit was lauded for disrupting the quick-commerce model. It offers the promise of deliveries of groceries and other consumables within 20 minutes and after only a year of operation boasts a success rate of 94 percent.
Other companies on the list include Aramex, Sony PlayStation, Chalhoub Group, L’oreal Middle East, PepsiCo, Barakat Group, Pickl, MonkiBox, Independent Food Company, Technology Innovation Institute, RedSea, Aster DM Healthcare, G42 Healthcare, FIVE Hotels and Resorts, Cafu, GMG, Virgin Mobile UAE, Justlife, Virtuzone, Dulsco, Emirates National Oil Company, Pure Harvest Smart Farms, Peacefull, Huspy, Masdar City, Balinca, ZainTech, NOMADD Desert Solar Solutions, BitOasis Technologies, Mamo, Stripe and Zuhair Fayez Partnership Consultants.
Fast Company Middle East unveils its 2022 list of Most Innovative Companies
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Fast Company Middle East unveils its 2022 list of Most Innovative Companies
- The business news magazine’s list recognizes 42 companies in 25 categories it believes have reshaped their businesses and industries
Gems of Arabia magazine launched to spotlight talents shaping Saudi Arabia’s evolving cultural landscape
- The publication features established and emerging talents elevating the region across design, fashion, art, tech, music, architecture and media
- Saudi fashion designer Hatem Alakeel seeks to highlight the richness of the Kingdom, and wider modern Arab culture to global audiences
DUBAI: When Saudi fashion designer Hatem Alakeel interviewed Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud before her appointment as Saudi ambassador to the US, the longtime advocate of women’s empowerment made a powerful prediction: “I look forward to the day that the Saudi woman is no longer the story but rather a phenomenal achievement.”
That moment would become the foundation for Gems of Arabia, an arts and culture audio-visual podcast that spotlights the creative talents shaping the landscape of Saudi Arabia and the broader region.
Over six years, Gems of Arabia has documented the sweeping transformation of the Kingdom’s art and culture scene, and is now evolving into a full-fledged magazine.
“It started off as a column I used to write, and from there, it turned into a podcast. Now it is growing into a magazine,” Dubai-based Alakeel, the magazine’s founder and editor-in-chief, told Arab News ahead of the launch of the digital publication on Thursday.
Besides spotlighting celebrated regional artists, Alakeel said Gems of Arabia is in search of the “hidden gems” elevating the region across design, fashion, art, tech, music, architecture and media.
The magazine serves as a platform for talented, authentic creatives and tech entrepreneurs unable to articulate their work “because they don’t have the public relations or capacity to promote themselves even through social media.”
Alakeel added: “Our job is to identify all these authentic people; you don’t have to be famous, you just have to be authentic, and have a great story to tell.”
The digital publication offers a dynamic blend of short-form podcasts, coverage of regional cultural events, in-depth features and editorials, long-form interviews and artist profiles — spotlighting both celebrated and emerging talents. This is complemented by social media vox pops and bite-sized coverage of art events across the region.
Alakeel, who also runs Authenticite, a consulting and creative production agency connecting creators and brands who want to understand Saudi culture, said the magazine content is “carefully curated” to feature topics and personalities that resonate in the region.
What differentiates Gems of Arabia, he said, is its story of continuity and substance amassed over the years that has captured the evolution of the wider regional landscape.
“The website represents an archive of nearly 150 articles compiled through years of podcasts and long-form conversations that show continuity and depth changes,” he said.
“So, it’s an evolution and it’s another home for all our content and our community.”
Growing up in France, Alakeel said his mission started early on when he felt the need to represent his Saudi culture “in a way where it can hold its own internationally.”
Through his first brand, Toby, he sought to bring the traditional thobe into modern designs and introduce it to the luxury fashion world. This mission was accomplished when his thobe designs were placed alongside global labels such as Harvey Nichols, Dolce & Gabbana and Prada.
What began as a personal design mission would soon expand into a broader platform to champion Saudi talent.
“I was articulating my culture through fashion and it just felt natural to do that through the incredible people that the region has,” Alakeel said, adding that the magazine aims to highlight the richness of the Kingdom, and wider modern Arab culture to global audiences.
“Art is such a great way of learning about a culture and a country,” he said.
On the ground in Saudi Arabia, the publication hosts GEMS Forum, a series of live cultural gatherings that bring together prominent artistic figures for in-depth conversations later transformed into podcast episodes recorded with a live audience.
Alakeel said the print edition of Gems of Arabia will debut in March, designed as a collectible coffee-table quarterly distributed across the Gulf.
He envisions the platform growing into a long-term cultural record.
“It's a Saudi-centric magazine, but the idea is to make it inclusive to the region and everyone authentic has a seat at the table,” said Alakeel.
