Chinese home appliances giant Hisense recently won the Dubai Quality Global Award for its excellent practices and alignment with economic development and social happiness in the United Arab Emirates.

The company, headquartered in Qingdao, Shandong province, is the only Chinese company to win the award this year, outperforming a number of competitive global rivals such as Sony and Samsung.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice-president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, presented the award to Jason Ou, president of Hisense Middle East and Africa, at a ceremony on Wednesday.

The award is "well-aligned with the vision and strategy guiding Dubai to be a future hub of business and industries, a smart city, and a digital economy", said Helal Saeed Al Marri, director general of the Department of Economy and Tourism of Dubai, organizer of the annual campaign.

He said that excellence is more relevant today as the city accelerates into the new post-pandemic reality, and "Dubai's reputation on the global stage has been further bolstered by this excellence in approach and we are seeing this across many areas -- strong economic rebound, leadership in tourism, and in attracting new companies, investors and talent".

Initiated in 1994, the award is based on the Excellence Model by the European Foundation for Quality Management. It uses a rigorous methodology and follows a strict process of paperwork submissions. Participating companies must undergo an evaluation process lasting about four months, underlying the principle of scoring that includes management interviews, documentations and consultants reporting followed by an evaluation and rating system.

The jury panel, formed by government officials, veteran business managers and experts, evaluated Hisense in areas including leadership, strategy, people, partnerships, resources and innovation, and applauded its unique UAE-focused initiatives. Such initiatives include the HiME app, a digital platform for customers to connect with Hisense on a real-time basis. It allowed Hisense to provide quick responses to consumers.

Hisense has ambitious plans to elevate its brand awareness across the Middle East, with a vision to grow and to be recognized as a high-quality and technologically-advanced brand among its competitors.

It opened its first franchise store in Dubai in June 2019, and became the fastest-growing TV brand in the UAE that year, securing more than 10 percent of the market. It has since sponsored a number of popular sport events and teams in the region, including the Abu Dhabi Cricket Team in the 2020 Abu Dhabi T10 League and, most recently, FIFA World Cup 2022.

"Focusing on brand development and brand equity has resulted in increase of brand recognition. It also underlines that our business is stable and growing in the right direction," said Jason Ou, president of Hisense Middle East and Africa.