His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, honoured the winners of the Minister of Finance Award for Institutional Excellence 2025 at a ceremony held in Dubai, underscoring the leadership’s commitment to embedding a culture of excellence, enhancing the Ministry’s competitiveness, and strengthening its readiness to participate in national excellence awards. His Highness congratulated the award winners, expressing appreciation for their efforts and the professional models they presented, which reflect commitment and responsibility in government work. Their performance demonstrates the capability of national talent to translate visions and policies into tangible achievements that support the development of institutional performance and serve the country’s strategic objectives. Integration of Roles His Highness praised the outstanding performance demonstrated by the award winners, noting that the award has become a key driver for strengthening the government financial ecosystem by embedding advanced performance standards that link efficiency with sustainability, transforming excellence from temporary achievements into accumulated institutional capability that supports the quality of financial policymaking. His Highness noted that building flexible financial institutions capable of anticipating changes constitutes a key benchmark for achieving national financial targets. He added that adherence to governance principles, integration of roles, and clarity of priorities reinforce the Ministry’s readiness to address global financial shifts and enhance the country’s competitiveness. He affirmed that the award reflects the State’s approach to improving government spending efficiency and advancing regulatory frameworks by promoting leadership thinking, embedding a culture of institutional responsibility, and linking institutional excellence to tangible outcomes that serve society and the national economy, support sustainable financial growth, and strengthen confidence in the government financial system. The ceremony was attended by His Excellency Mohamed bin Hadi Al Hussaini, Minister of State for Financial Affairs; His Excellency Younis Haji AlKhoori, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance, assistant undersecretaries; department directors, section heads, and Ministry employees. The event included the announcement of winners and participants in two main award categories: the individual “Stars of Excellence” category and the institutional “Outstanding Achievement” category, in addition to honouring the external evaluation team from the Ministry of Interior. Institutional Readiness His Excellency Mohamed bin Hadi Al Hussaini affirmed that launching the Minister of Finance Award for Institutional Excellence 2025 reflects a firmly established strategic direction aimed at embedding a culture of advanced performance in government work, serving as a key driver for strengthening institutional readiness and keeping pace with rapid transformations in the public sector environment. The Ministry views excellence as a sustainable pathway built upon an integrated system characterised by clarity of objectives, flexibility in execution, and the ability to anticipate challenges and transform them into opportunities for development and growth. He noted that investment in human capital represents the cornerstone of any successful institutional transformation, emphasising that empowering national talent and fostering initiative and professional responsibility are fundamental pillars for sustaining distinguished performance and strengthening trust in the government financial ecosystem. The award encourages strategic thinking, supports continuous development, and advances government work towards higher levels of efficiency and effectiveness in alignment with the UAE’s vision for building agile institutions capable of achieving comprehensive and sustainable development. Stars of Excellence Recognising the importance of human capital as the primary enabler of the Ministry’s objectives, the “Stars of Excellence” category highlights outstanding employee contributions and achievements in alignment with the Government Excellence System. The award aims to drive qualitative improvements at the individual level by recognising distinguished achievements, promoting a culture of excellence across all levels, and creating a positive and motivating competitive environment among employees. The supervisory category winners included Asma Alzarooni, Director of the International Tax Department (first place); Azza Aljassmi, Director of Government Communication (second place); and Amna Al Shamsi, Director of Fiscal Policies and Government Accounting Standards (third place). Abdullah Al Zaabi, Director of Treasury Department, received the Long Service Star Award in recognition of his enduring contributions. Within the non-supervisory category, Dr Sahel Al Rousan received the Specialist Star of Excellence Award; Nouf Al Hammadi won the Young Employee Star of Excellence; Shamsa Alraeesi received the Future Employee Star of Excellence; Iman Abdulla won first place in the Government Communication Star of Excellence category; and Khulood Karmustaji received the Innovative Employee Star of Excellence Award. The Stars of Excellence category also includes dynamic subcategories aligned with national priorities. In line with the “Year of Community,” the newly introduced Volunteer Work Star Award honoured Hamama Alqubaisi and Mariam Al Hosani for their impactful contributions to community service and strengthening social cohesion and responsibility. Outstanding Achievement The “Outstanding Achievement” category reinforces excellence as a sustainable institutional approach that goes beyond individual accomplishments to building comprehensive organisational capabilities that enhance government performance. The award recognises initiatives and programmes implemented by organisational units and work teams. Seven institutional awards were presented, with the “Federal Public Debt Instruments Programme” winning first place in the “Best Achievement in Enhancing Competitiveness” category. The “Development and Enablement of the Federal Government Digital Asset Management Ecosystem” initiative won first place as “Best Digital Enabler,” while the project “Specialised Emirati Financial Leadership in International Forums” received first place as “Best Transformational Project.” The initiative “Development of Global Minimum Tax Rules” was awarded first place in the “Best Impactful Legislation” category. The project “Restructuring and Automation of the Final Accounts Preparation Process for Federal Entities” won first place as “Best Innovative Initiative.” The initiative “Transforming Dormant and Unutilised Cash in Federal Government Accounts into Returns” received first place in the “Best Partnership for Sustainability and Quality of Life” category. The “Federal Governance Framework for Managing Federal Assets and Properties” won first place as “Best Application of Governance and Resilience Practices.” Additionally, three awards were granted under the Internal Zero Bureaucracy category: first place to the Internal Audit Office for risk management processes; second place to the Digital Transformation Department for self-repair technical fault processes; and third place again to the Internal Audit Office for internal audit procedures. The Minister of Finance Award for Institutional Excellence 2025 also presented the “Unsung Hero” award under the Best Administrative and Institutional Support Employee category, recognising Omar Elezzaby from the Government Assets Department, alongside a special recognition awarded to Mohammed Al Mokhaini from the Financial and Administrative Affairs Department. In the Best Customer Service Ambassador category, dedicated to the contact centre, Fatima Abdul Rehman won first place, with special recognition awarded to Ahmed Othman for his outstanding dedication. It is worth noting that the Minister of Finance Award for Institutional Excellence has been further developed to align closely with the Government Excellence System and government priorities across individual and institutional categories. The roadmap focuses on transitioning from individual and institutional participation towards a sustainable excellence ecosystem, enhancing the Ministry’s competitiveness in the Prime Minister’s Medals and the Mohammed bin Rashid Government Excellence Award.
