Press Release

Rizwan Sajan named ‘Businessman of the year’ at Ahlan! Masala Awards 2010

Chairman of Danube Building Materials lauded for effective leadership and pioneering efforts in construction building materials industry

December 18, 2010

Danube Building Materials, the leader in construction, building materials and shop fitting industries, has announced that its Chairman, Rizwan Sajan, has been named ‘Businessman of the year’ at this year’s edition of the Ahlan! Masala Awards 2010, which was held last night (December 17, 2010) at the Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai, UAE. Sajan was cited for his leadership in increasing the growth of the Danube Group into a AED 1 billion conglomerate – effectively driving in growth and increased revenues with the launch of the Danube BUILDMART chain despite the global financial crisis.

In securing the ‘Businessman of the year’ award, Sajan’s excellent leadership, dynamism in strategy, and ability to expand on the growth of Danube, both in terms of people and partnerships, were key factors in bagging the award. Within the last five years, Danube has registered exponential growth in revenues, which has exceeded AED 1 billion in 2009, an investment of AED 100 million in the expansion of the ‘Danube BUILDMART’ concept across the GCC, and the addition of 350 staff during the height of the recession. The company, which is known to provide world class construction building materials and interiors and exteriors products and services, recently inaugurated its AED 50 million ‘Danube BUILDMART’ in Dalma Mall, Abu Dhabi, the largest of all showrooms opened by the company, and prior to that the opening of its AED 15 million store under the same banner in Ibn Battuta Mall, Dubai.

“I am very humbled with this award and the confidence they have placed in me not only recognizes the hard work I have put into the company but also affirms the dedication of Danube’s employees in helping us achieve success and growth,” said Rizwan Sajan, Chairman, Danube Building Materials. “Having been also recognized recently in the MRM Business Awards and the Dubai Quality Awards demonstrates our continued commitment towards providing our customers with world class construction building materials, interiors and exteriors products and anything they will need to improve infrastructure and the aesthetic value it holds.”

Bollywood’s top celebrities graced the evening’s affair with no less than living legend Amitabh Bacchan leading the list; followed by Hrithik Roshan, Karan Johar, Manish Maihotra, and Riya Sen. Also present during the awards were the honorable panel of judges headed by eminent personalities in Dubai including: Rekha Tourani, Falguni Mehta, Imran Choudhary, Raju Shroff, and K Rajaram. Sponsors for the event included Petrochem (Headline Sponsor), Audi Middle East, Exclusive Yachts, World Gold Council, Sukar.com, Supermax, Shoemart, Splash, Alkozay Tea, Dubai Outlet Mall, Prestige and Philips.Media Sponsors included Cool 94.7 FM, Khaleej Times and Zee Network.