Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, DEWA, recently hosted the HYPE Innovation Managers Forum at DEWA’s Sustainable Building in Al Quoz, which was attended by experts and specialists in innovation from a number of major organisations from across the world.

They exchanged views, experiences, best practices, and success stories in innovation.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA inaugurated the forum. Present on the occasion were, Dr. Ahmed Al Nuseirat, Coordinator General of the Dubai Government Excellence Programme, and official from DEWA and HYPE Innovation.

In his opening speech, Al Tayer said he was pleased to host the forum at DEWA’s Sustainable Building, which is the first sustainable government building in the UAE, and the largest government building in the world to receive a Platinum Rating for green buildings from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, LEED.

He added, "Our wise leadership emphasises the importance of innovation. This is clearly evident in the National Innovation Strategy, which was launched by Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, aims to make the UAE one of the most innovative countries in the world, and the Dubai Innovation Strategy, which was approved by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation, aims to make Dubai the most innovative city in the world.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum once said that, "The future is not something we wait for, but something we make. We look ahead into the future and predict and shape it by being proactive in innovating and employing future technologies to bring about development and growth, and build a knowledge-based economy.

"DEWA supports the efforts of our wise leadership to establish the UAE as an innovation enabler and an incubator of creativity. We have an integrated strategy to encourage and implement innovative ideas and creative suggestions, to promote research in energy, renewable energy, and water. We have incorporated innovation in DEWA’s vision, and raised its importance as a theme to encompass 40 percent of our strategy map for 2021. We have developed a comprehensive strategy to drive organisational innovation and empower DEWA to achieve its vision to become a sustainable innovative world-class utility," Al Tayer noted.