Dubai: In the presence of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, presented the inaugural Mohammed bin Rashid Leadership Medal to His Excellency Eng. Marwan bin Ghalita, Director General of Dubai Municipality.
Launched by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the medal is the highest accolade within the Government of Dubai.
The award ceremony was attended by His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Olympic Committee; Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority; and His Excellency Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Chairman of The Executive Office of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Chairman of the Mohammed bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development.
The medal was awarded in recognition of HE Bin Ghalita’s efforts to develop and empower second-tier leaders, promote a culture of institutional empowerment, and drive government excellence.
The ceremony took place during the Mohammed bin Rashid Leadership Forum, the premier annual gathering dedicated to management and leadership. Organised by the Mohammed bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development (MBRCLD), the event brought together 1,000 government and private sector leaders in Dubai to discuss the future of leadership and management, while advancing the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to reinforce Dubai’s position as a global hub for excellence and innovation.
Empowering talent
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said: “Empowering second- and third-tier leaders is our guarantee for ensuring the continuity of our institutions and safeguarding our achievements.
“Our goal is to ensure that Dubai’s institutions and departments remain continuously revitalised through the vision of their leaders, the ambitions of their youth and the ongoing development of their teams.”
His Highness added: “A true leader is not one who centres the institution around their person, but one who fosters a culture of teamwork, ensuring that even after their departure, the institution’s performance continues to grow stronger, greater and more sustainable.”
Comprehensive evaluation
The selection of His Excellency Marwan bin Ghalita as the recipient of the medal followed a comprehensive evaluation process involving 32 Directors General and second-tier leaders.
The Supervisory Committee of the Mohammed bin Rashid Leadership Medal implemented a multi-stage evaluation methodology based on objective indicators and specialised interviews to assess the sustainable impact of leadership on developing and empowering future leaders.
The evaluation included a review of more than 4,000 documents and supporting materials submitted by participating government entities, alongside over 100 interviews with Directors General and second-tier leaders to verify leadership practices, assess their impact and finalise evaluation files. The process engaged 10 independent global leadership experts, ensuring the highest standards of objectivity and accuracy.
The assessment focused on a number of key pillars measuring the tangible impact of leadership in preparing and empowering second-tier talent, including competency development, fostering trust within teams, expanding authority and responsibilities, and involving promising leaders in decision-making.
His Excellency Marwan bin Ghalita received the Mohammed bin Rashid Leadership Medal in recognition of his role in empowering talent and developing second-tier leaders. The evaluation highlighted his distinguished approach to embedding a culture of empowerment within the institutional framework and transforming it into a sustainable practice.
This approach has helped create a work environment that encourages initiative and accountability, reinforces learning and knowledge transfer, and provides talent with meaningful opportunities for growth and experience to support their professional and leadership development.
His Excellency Bin Ghalita’s leadership practices demonstrated a strong commitment to empowering second-tier leaders by entrusting them with expanded roles and responsibilities and involving them in strategic matters. This strengthens their readiness to navigate challenges and assume advanced leadership positions, while ensuring the continuous transfer of knowledge and accumulation of expertise across the organisation.
Leadership empowerment ecosystem
The Mohammed bin Rashid Leadership Medal aims to establish a leadership empowerment ecosystem within every government entity through clear plans and standards. The initiative strengthens leadership development efforts and positions Dubai’s experience as a global benchmark in leadership development, measured against international best practices.
It also highlights successful examples of leadership empowerment across government entities, encouraging other organisations to adopt and replicate these approaches.
The medal is awarded annually to the Director General within the Government of Dubai who demonstrates the strongest contribution to developing, empowering, training and championing second-tier leaders. This is achieved by fostering trust within teams and institutions, inspiring employees to realise their full potential, driving high levels of performance and innovation, and promoting a culture of institutional empowerment based on delegated authority, expanded responsibilities and decentralised decision-making.