Dany Safi, CEO of Tabreed, the Middle East’s pioneering district cooling company, has clinched the prestigious ‘Unsung Hero’ award for 2006 from the sector’s leading industry body, becoming its first regional winner.

The awards committee of the US-based International District Energy Association (Idea), which works to advance global environmental quality through efficient district energy, nominated Safi for the prestigious honour.
“The Unsung Hero award is given to an Idea member in recognition of his or her performance above and beyond the call of duty on behalf of the industry and the association, without seeking recognition for the efforts put in,” said Cheryl Gomez, chair, Idea.
“Dany has been instrumental in alerting the district energy industry and Idea to the Middle East’s great potential for district cooling and the importance of Idea’s involvement and support to promote this concept regionally.
“He has kept the Idea board informed about industry developments regularly and has called for the establishment of a regional chapter to ensure the quality and consistency of district cooling initiatives.”
Safi is the 20th winner of Idea’s Unsung Hero honour. He has also been re-elected to the Idea board for another three-year term. Safi was first elected to the board in 2003 becoming its first Arab representative – a distinction he holds still.
“It is an honour to be re-elected to Idea’s Board of Directors. This confirms the growing importance of the Middle East on the global district cooling map,” said Safi.
Tabreed, headquartered in the UAE, has been at the forefront of the Middle East’s district cooling industry and has joint ventures in Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia.   
Tabreed posted a gross profit of Dh52.3 million ($14.2 million), up from Dh41 million in 2005, while net profit increased to Dh17.9 million compared with Dh17.1 million. At the end of March 31, the company’s total assets grew to Dh2.7 billion from 2.6 billion on December 31, 2005.