Hosam Alqurashi, vice president marketing & external affairs at Nahdi, received the most prestigious "Retail Professional of the Year 2015" award, as part of the 2015 Middle East and North Africa Shopping Center and Retailer awards, held in Dubai at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, DIFC. Alqurashi, said: "I am honored to receive this prestigious award from ICSC and MECSC and be recognized at this esteemed event. Working for the biggest health and wellness retailer in the Middle East and North Africa region has been very challenging, yet rewarding to me personally and professionally in terms of the learnings and experience I gained. Moreover, I would not have been able to do it without the amazing team at my disposal, who worked, and continue to work, very hard to transform Nahdi to a leading retailer of international standards." Throughout his professional career, Alqurashi played a major role in equipping the companies he worked for with strategies that enable them to compete on a global level and be socially responsible. At Nahdi, Hosam orchestrated a number of key initiatives that quickly became major milestones in the company's journey towards success. Some of these initiatives include Nahdi's rebranding campaign that took place in 2013-2014, development and deployment of the company's community and CSR strategy and plan, revamping and creating a new marketing function comprising of over 200 employees to ensure delivery on the new strategy and Nahdi's new vision and business objectives, development. He was also to the fore in the implementation of ‘Nuhdeek', Nahdi's award-winning CRM/loyalty program that captured a massive customer base within a period of 18 months, establishing an award winning corporate communication function and more recently the launching of a major Diabetes CSR program, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Joslin Diabetis Center, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School. The awards ceremony was held as part of Recon MENA 2015 Conference and exhibition, a leading regional educational and networking conference for the shopping center industry professionals, retailers and owners in the Middle East & North Africa. The awards ceremony is organized by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and Middle East Council of Shopping Centers (MECSC) and honors the best in the industry and recognizes their achievements in marketing, retail and design. Nahdi is a Saudi retail pharmacy chain that was founded by Sheikh Abdullah Amer Al Nahdi in 1986 as a sole proprietorship. In 2004, the company witnessed an important transitional phase whereby it became a limited liability company and from then on it was recognized as a vital part of the healthcare sector in the Kingdom. The journey of expansion continued with a clear vision, and has now placed Nahdi as the largest pharmacy retail chain in the Middle East and North Africa, where it represents many of the world's major medical companies. Today, Nahdi manages and operates a nation-wide network of pharmacies making it one of the most prevalent and fastest growing companies in the region, which offers the finest product range, including cosmetics, baby care and medical equipment. In addition to the high-quality healthcare products and services it offers, Nahdi is keen to provide community service and health awareness and preventative campaigns. Nahdi follows the concept of acting as a "community pharmacy," where it does not solely serve the community, but also educates it.
