Vandana Gandhi Becomes First Ever Indian Woman to Receive Dubai Government's Prestigious 'Emirates Woman Award'

BANGALORE, July 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Vandana is Founder & CEO of British Orchard Nursery - Middle East's only ISO-certified Nursery Chain

Vandana Gandhi, Founder and CEO of Middle East's only ISO certified nursery chain, British Orchard Nursery, made India proud recently by becoming the first ever Indian woman to receive Dubai Government's coveted "Emirates Woman Award" for business excellence. The Indian-born woman entrepreneur was the "Overall Winner in Business Category" for excelling and providing innovation in preschool education and was selected by the jury based on various criteria like leadership, strategy, community service and innovation.

Expressing her gratitude Ms. Vandana Gandhi, Founder and CEO of British Orchard Nurseries said, "It is a special honor and I feel proud to be part of this great initiative by the Dubai Government. This award truly motivates and encourages women from different walks of life to excel in their respective fields. Even though am an expatriate, have always felt very welcomed here and the government does provide excellent opportunities for business growth and innovation. I am also thankful to all my staff at British Orchard Nursery who have helped made this accomplishment possible."

About Emirates Woman Award:

Started in 2003, Emirates Woman Awards is an initiative by Dubai Quality Group (DQG) to encourage women, both UAE nationals and residents, to be actively involved in social and economic development initiatives in the country. DQG is a non-profit organization that advances learning, promotes quality improvement and business excellence practices under the patronage of H.H Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Airports, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman & CEO of Emirates Airlines. It aims to inspire and encourage the future generation of women leaders to achieve their true potential and advance their status in the society. The winners are selected and verified by the EWA assessment jury after conforming to all criteria and conditions of the award.

The award has two main categories-business owners and professionals. DQG's Emirates Woman Award honors local and expatriate business achievers from diverse fields.

About Vandana Gandhi:

Vandana is a versatile personality with varied interests in calligraphy, yoga, scriptural studies, squash, table tennis etc, other than creating stimulating surroundings and interesting concepts for the young minds. A Masters in Education with distinction, she is currently perusing Doctorate of Education from the University of Birmingham, U.K. After initial schooling in Dubai, she completed her Bachelor's from Mithibai College, Mumbai and thereafter did her Post Graduate Diploma in International Business Administration from NMIMS University, Mumbai. Vandana conceptualized and introduced GymJuniorz - a first of its kind children's Gym and Fitness center into the curriculum. She also introduced the idea of Corporate Franchising for Road Transport Agency (Government of UAE) and Dubai Water and Electricity Authority, to successfully run and operate a work place nursery for children of their women employees. She enjoys traveling and experiencing different cultures and is committed to making a difference to the society by ensuring that the children at her nursery grow as competent and confident learners.

About British Orchard Nursery:

British Orchard Nursery is the region's leading nursery chain with 10 branches across Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi including Government franchises. The first nursery chain to be ISO 9001:2008 quality certified, it has won many awards from the UAE government for quality childcare and partnerships. It follows British National Early Years Curriculum, with the addition of structure and progression, whilst still adhering to OFSTED (The British regulatory body) guidelines. It provides a holistic approach to learning, working on cognitive, physical, creative, personal, social and emotional development. The nursery facilities include comprehensive creative spaces that offers role play to develop children's social and imaginative skills; soft play; swimming pools; construction area where children recreate real life events and situations; a library, a water play area where they can develop understanding of challenging concepts in a 'hands on capacity'; sand area to explore scientific and mathematical concepts; messy play or painting area to develop creativity; grass area etc. Highly trained staff look after the children. The school also offers Arabic lessons, ballet, and gym lessons as well as computer classes. For more details, visit www.britishorchardnursery.com or call 800-PRE SCHOOL.

Primary Media Contact: Nancy, [email protected], 91-9962866755

Secondary Media Contact: Sonam Motreja, [email protected], 91-9945017180