Sponsored by A.Ronai and Steelite, Stwewarding Person of the Year went to Mokhter Hossain, Dar Al Hijra InterContinental Hotel, Saudi Arabia.
The judges chose Mokhter as the winner because they were so impressed by his food safety record, the minimisation of fuel consumption, the training he provides to his team of stewards and his commitment to Dar Al Hijra InterContinental’s charity activities.
Unfortunately he was unable to attend the awards, but Khalid Basalama, HR manager at Dar Al Hijra accepted the award on his behalf. He said of his colleague Mokhter: "He’s been at the hotel for 12 years, and he’s really self-educated. He’s very knowledgeable about health and saftey and other areas in the kitchen. He's been developing other colleagues as well, he’s a real team player. I'm very proud to accept the award on his behalf."
Lalith H Kulatunga, Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi and Ziyad Hejamady, Hilton Dubai Jumeirah were both Highly Commended.