Dutch soccer superstar to host The Maritime Standard Awards

Industry-backed gala awards announces celebrity superstar as master of ceremony.

Press Release : 16 September 2015, Dubai UAE: One of the most famous football players of all time, Ruud Gullit, will host The Maritime Standard awards, which take place at the iconic Atlantis Ballroom, The Palm, on November 9th 2015. Ruud had an accomplished playing career with a host of leading European clubs, including PSV Eindhoven, AC Milan, Sampdoria and Chelsea, as well as the Dutch national team, winning numerous trophies along the way, including the UEFA European championships in 1988, in which he scored during a 2.0 win over the Soviet Union. He then enjoyed a successful spell as a manager, with Chelsea, Newcastle, Feyenoord and LA Galaxy, before carving out a career as a well-respected football pundit on TV.

Ruud Gullit is sure to bring a touch of glitz and glamour to the awards event, which is being held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, and which already boasts a line-up that is virtually a ‘Who’s Who’ of the shipping and maritime industries in the Middle East and Indian Subcontinent. Ruud Gullit has expressed his excitement at making his trip to Dubai, “I am looking forward to coming to Dubai and hosting The Maritime Standard Awards at the Atlantis on 9th November. It is a big night in one of the World's key shipping hubs. Hope to see you there,” said Gullit.

Endorsed by the Federal Transport Authority (FTA), The Maritime Standard Awards aims to recognise the achievements of organisations and individuals in the region’s shipping, ports and other maritime sectors. Supporting organisations include BIMCO, The UAE Shipping Associations (UAESA), The Dubai Council for Marine and Maritime Industries (DCMMI), Dubai Shipping Agents Association (DSAA), and The Organisation of The Islamic Ship-owners Association (OISA). Many of the region’s leading shipping and ports organisations and companies have also agreed to sponsor this event, which features a total of 25 different awards.

The star-studded Maritime Standard Awards is organised and run by Flagship Events, a Dubai-based company. Managing director, Trevor Pereira, says, “We are honoured that the event will be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, who is one of the most inspiring business leaders in the region. The fact that His Highness has agreed to bestow his patronage on the Awards for the second year in a row validates the importance of the region’s shipping and maritime industry.”

Trevor also expresses his delight at having such a well-known celebrity as Ruud Gullit on-board as master of ceremonies. Trevor adds, “Ruud was an inspirational footballer and is an equally inspirational speaker. He will bring a further touch of class to the proceedings I am sure.”

This year the awards have attracted a huge amount of attention with a record number of nominations coming in from an extremely high calibre of entrants. Chairman of the judging panel, and editor of The Maritime Standard, Clive Woodbridge, says, “We have been overwhelmed with entries from across the industry, which shows that these awards are already widely perceived to have real value and to be worth competing for. It will be a hard job for the judges to select the winners from the many high quality entries we have received, and I am looking forward to an exciting night.”

For further information about The Maritime Standards Awards please go to: www.tmsawards.com

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About Flagship Events

Flagship Events is a Dubai-based events management company, which over a short period of time has established itself as one of the leading companies organising specialist shipping and maritime conferences, exhibitions and awards in the region. Flagship’s highly experienced team also has the expertise to run dedicated events tailored to the needs of third party companies.

The Maritime Standards Awards, organised for the first time in 2014, is already recognised to be the biggest and most prestigious shipping awards covering the Middle East and Indian Subcontinent. The 2015 event, which takes place on November 9th at the Atlantis, Palm, Dubai, will be held once again under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and Chief Executive of the Emirates Airline and Group. His Highness also extended his patronage to the inaugural event and was centre stage at the awards and gala dinner. Around 24 different awards, including some selected specially by the judging panel, will be presented for high levels of achievement within the industry before an audience that will include many of the region’s leading officials and executives.

A subsidiary of Flagship Events, The Maritime Standard (TMS) publishes a regular e-newsletter aimed specifically at the shipping and maritime community. It is delivered fortnightly, on the 1st and 15th of every month, and includes up-to-date news and analysis from the shipping and ports industries and related sectors. With a readership of over 40,000 individuals, TMS is edited by Clive Woodbridge, a journalist who has been writing about the maritime sector in the Middle East for over 20 years. Within just 18 months since its launch, TMS has become a must read source of news for busy executives in this sector.