Prince Faisal Bin Saud Bin Musaed Bin Abdulaziz presenting the National Cultural Award to B.R. Shetty, chief executive officer and managing director of New Medical Center Group of Companies and UAE Exchange, at a ceremony held in Jeddah on Thursday. — SG photo Hassan Cheruppa Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – Abu Dhabi-based Indian business tycoon B.R. Shetty, chief executive officer and managing director of New Medical Center Group of Companies and UAE Exchange, was honored with the National Cultural Award. Prince Faisal Bin Saud Bin Musaed Bin Abdulaziz presented the award to Shetty at a colorful ceremony at Park Hyatt Hotel here on Thursday. The ceremony was attended by Prince Saud Bin Musaed Bin Abdulaziz, president of the Gammon Group. The program started with recitation of a few verses from the Holy Qur'an by Saeed Saleem Al-Hindi. Dr. Fahd Al-Hudali, chief editor of Lisan Al-Arab magazine, and Dr. Faiz Al-Abideen, CEO of Gammon Group, introduced the guests. Several prominent Saudi and UAE business leaders and cultural figures were present on the occasion. They included Sheikh Muhammad Bin Salim Al-Harbi, Sheikh Hamad Bin Naji Al-Mubarak, Dr. Ahmed Farouqi, Dr. Zaid Alkhamali, Mohammed Korath, chairman & managing director of UAE's K.M. Trading Group, US Vice Consul Jeffrey Morency and Sheikh Rafik Mohammed, chairman of the Gammon Group. Speaking on the occasion, Shetty, whom Forbes Magazine listed the fourth richest expatriate billionaire in the UAE, announced his group's plan to spread its wings to the Kingdom by ensuring affordable world-class quality service in the fields of healthcare, education, and money exchange. “This is a great moment in my life to be blessed with this prestigious honor in the Kingdom, which is God blessed country. This gives me further boost to my decision to share my success in Abu Dhabi with other Gulf countries, especially Saudi Arabia.” Shetty said that his group will build hospitals in Jeddah, Riyadh and other cities in addition to having stake in joint ventures. “The UAE, under its founder President Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, and the Gulf gave me everything and now I am giving them back. I promise you to make available affordable quality healthcare facilities in Saudi cities and even in remote regions,” Shetty, a pharmacist-turned-tycoon, said. Meanwhile, Sheikh Rafik told Saudi Gazette that Shetty's group has made tieup for the first joint venture project in Jeddah. He agreed to have a joint venture with the management of Jeddah's Dr. Khalid Idriss Hospital. According to the agreement, Shetty's group will have the stake in the renovation and development of the hospital. Shetty has already announced plans to build SR1 billion Neopharma plant and a 250-bed hospital, costing SR1 billion, both in Jazan.
