Three Pinoys in UAE cited in Asian book of achievers

Three Filipinos who are making a name for themselves in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were featured in a book highlighting the contribution of young Asian expatriates in the Arab country, the news site “Emirates 24/7” said on Wednesday.   Titled “Young Asian Achievers,” the 165-page coffee table book, authored by UAE-based journalist Meraj Rizvi, features “the success stories of 25 expatriates from eight Asian countries” who have made a mark in various fields like business, fashion, and journalism.   During the launch last December 12, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman Abdul Rahman Saif Al Ghurair said the featured achievers’ “growth is synonymous with the rise of the city which is today a global destination for business and commerce.”   The book includes Filipinos:

• fashion designer Furne One,
• chemist Mary Jane Alvero-Al Mahdi, and
• engineer Manuel Mike Perito.

Pinoy achievers   Though his haute couture label, Amato, “caters exclusively to an elite Arab clientele,” One’s creations have been worn by chart-topping performers Katy Perry, Jennifer Lopez, and Shakira.    One has also become “quite a celebrity” in Germany after supermodel Heidi Klum picked him to design all the gowns for the final round of Germany’s Next Top Model.    Meanwhile, Alvero-Al Mhadi, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Geoscience Testing Laboratory in Dubai, was the first Filipino woman to win the Emirates Business Women Award (EBWA), bagging first runner-up in the Professional Category in 2008.    On the other hand, Perito, who hails from Samar, is the senior manager of the Risk Management Unit of Oman Insurance Company.   In 2008, his comic project, “Super-Oman,” won a special award in the Health and Safety category of Ideas Arabia, an annual citation given to the “brightest ideas suggested by employees from any UAE establishment.”    Young Asians   Aside from the three Filipinos, the book also featured 15 young achievers from India, including:

• filmmaker and social activist Soniya Kirpalani,
• television anchor Uma Ghosh Deshpande,
• Danube Group founder and chairman A. Rizwan Sajan,
• fashion designer Beena Soni, and
• journalist Faarah Mehta.

  Completing the list were two achievers from Pakistan and one each from Bangladesh, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Afghanistan.