For the third consecutive year, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has been awarded the British Governance Standard (BSi 13500) Certification, becoming the first organisation in the GCC region to receive it in 2019. The achievement highlights DEWA’s leadership in implementing the highest international corporate governance standards. DEWA received the certification after a thorough auditing process by the British Standards Institute (BSI) to ensure DEWA’s processes are in line with the highest effective governance standards.
"DEWA is committed to adopting and implementing best international standards and practices in line with the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who emphasises the need to apply the highest standards of good governance in government work. Receiving the BSi 13500 for the third year in a row, confirms our success in implementing best practices in effective governance, based on an integrated framework that covers all our activities and operations. DEWA follows the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guidelines on Corporate Governance for State Owned Enterprises, World Bank guidelines, and other international standards. These efforts contribute to achieving the objectives of the Dubai Plan 2021, which aims for the Government of Dubai to be pioneering, excellent, transparent, reliable, sustainable and innovative in the management of its resources, as well as DEWA’s vision to become a globally leading sustainable innovative corporation,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.
Al Tayer emphasised that DEWA’s governance model has become a role model for organisations worldwide. He noted that it keeps pace with the rapid global changes based on the four pillars of Trust, Accountability, Transparency and Fair Practices.
“DEWA is one of the leading utilities in the world in terms of governance. The top management is committed to implementing the highest international standards of good governance and full compliance in all areas of our work. This has led to greater efficiency and productivity, for the best global results. We have launched the Governance and Compliance Ambassador Programme, which draws upon the best talent in DEWA in governance and compliance. The Ambassadors spread the word and spirit of good governance and compliance across DEWA in order to make a positive impact on productivity and customer experience,” said Waleed Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development & Excellence at DEWA.
Implementing effective governance practices has helped DEWA achieve global competitive results that outperform leading European and American utilities. DEWA recorded 3.3% losses in its electricity transmission and distribution networks compared to 6-7% recorded in Europe and the USA. Water network losses decreased to 6.5%, compared to 15% in North America. DEWA also reduced its Customer Minutes Lost (CML) to 2.39 minutes, compared to 15 minutes recorded by leading utilities in the European Union. The UAE, represented by DEWA ranked first globally for getting electricity, for the second consecutive year, according to the World Bank’s Doing Business 2019 report.
