Double Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes (DBE) has been confirmed to join the judging panel of the 2015 Daman Corporate Health Awards.

Holmes will help select UAE companies with outstanding achievements in improving  employee health and wellness in the workplace, along with other noted experts and personalities such as Dr Michael Bitzer, chief executive officer, Daman; Brad Boyson, executive director, Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) MEA; Fatima Al Houti, director of Human Resources, Federal Authority of Government Human Resources; Ahmed El Hadidi, executive committee Member for the UAE Branch, Institution of Occupational Safety and Health; Thomas Nagle, senior advisor, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi; and Farhana Bin Lootah, specialist internal medicine, Imperial College London Diabetes Centre.

A highly accomplished athlete, Holmes achieved fame when she won gold medals in the 800-metre and 1,500-metre races at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens - the first British athlete to do so at the same games since 1920.

She finished her career with twelve major championship medals from the Olympics, World Championships, Commonwealth Games and European Games.

Her athletic achievements were recognised in 2005, when she was awarded with Damehood from the Queen of the UK.


“I’m a huge advocate for adopting a healthy lifestyle and see the importance this brings to everyday life. It’s great to bring a campaign like this over to the corporate sector, where most people spend a third of their waking lives,” said Holmes.

“I am firmly convinced the recognition of organisations and individuals for their outstanding corporate health initiatives will go a long way towards a greater adoption of employee wellness programmes in the UAE,” she said.

The Daman Corporate Health Awards will recognise outstanding achievements in the following categories - Daman Award for Corporate Health and Wellness (Organisation), Daman Award for Corporate Health and Wellness Initiative (Initiative), Daman Award for Improved Corporate Health and Wellness Performance, Communications Campaign of the Year, Corporate Wellness Leader of the Year, Corporate Wellness Team of the Year, Corporate Wellness Rising Star of the Year, Innovation in Work Culture, Workplace of the Year, Health & Safety Initiative of the Year, CSR Employee Engagement of the Year. - TradeArabia News Service