After attending the RDB awards ceremony at Serena last Friday, I came to one conclusion, RDB must have closely studied the fundamentals that informs the stringent process of the  East Africa’s Most Respected company awards.

I say this due to the fact that for the very first time in corporate Rwanda awards were given after a more elaborate and rigorous selection process was instituted.

This process entailed   among other things flying in a panel of judges drawn from the ranks of some of highly respected figures  within East Africa.

The outcome was a completely new selection criteria that can be said to be a radical departure from all the other awards that corporate Rwanda has had before.

RDB sought the services of Delloite and Touche, another very reputable accountancy and consultancy firm to guide and to put a highly polished and professional touch to the process. Because this was RDB’s first award ceremony it did not want to leave anything to chance.

Captains checked in late

One thing that was noticeable was that the programme could not be strictly followed as some dignitaries checked in late. The programme spelt out that the bash would kick off at 6.30 p.m. We checked in at a few minutes after six thinking that I will have a casual chat with other members of the media ahead of the kick-off time as is normal for such events.

To my amazement I was just about the only person at the ball room who checked in at this time. Luckily I was joined by another member of the press and we decided that we head to Karibu Restaurant to have a few rounds of drinks while waiting. We came back at around 7.45 p.m   and took to our seats. By 8.30 p.m I noticed that some captains of industries were still checking in.

Jokes and surprises

One unique thing I noticed was the relaxed manner in which the ceremony was conducted. Which gave it a more polished touch altogether. Jokes were cracked here and there. Not to be left out on that was none other than the chief guest the Prime Minister himself.

Personally my biggest surprise and that went with my other colleagues within the media was Fina Bank taking up the lead within banking. We had expected Banque de Kigali (BK) to take this coveted position.

Our reasoning being that BK is the most profitable bank and has actually repositioned in tune with changes unfolding within the banking sector. However much as there was meticulous planning the event also registered some goofs here and there.

Ojiwah@gmail.com

What the judges looked for:

• Profitability
• Productivity
• Employment
• Innovation and technology transfer
• Corporate Social Responsibility

"There was a lot of wisdom behind (the judging process). It was done meticulously. Because of the background information our work was of final quality”

Robert Mathu, Chairman Panel of Judges

Ends