By Abdul Rahman M. Baig
JEDDAH – Toastmasters District 104 celebrated a year of leadership, achievement and collective success at its 2025–2026 Year-End Recognition Ceremony, themed “Rise, Lead and Inspire,” held at Casa Di Ora Hotel in Jeddah.
The ceremony brought together district leaders, division and area directors, club representatives and members to recognize outstanding contributions to communication, leadership development, club growth and organizational excellence throughout the year.
A major highlight of the ceremony was District 104’s achievement of three significant milestones: earning Smedley Distinguished District recognition for the second time, receiving the Excellence in Leadership Award for the first time, and securing the District Club Retention Award for the first time. The district also received the President’s Extension Award for the first time, recognizing its net growth of 10 new clubs.
These achievements reflected the collective commitment of district leaders, club officers and members who worked together to strengthen clubs, improve member engagement and advance the district’s strategic goals.
Outstanding Club and Individual Recognitions
Jeddah English Toastmasters Club received the prestigious Club of the Year award, while Mazin Al-Motairy was named Toastmaster of the Year in recognition of his contributions and commitment to the Toastmasters fraternity.
TM Raihanath Saheer was recognized as the Best Division Director of the Year, while TM Saheer Abdul Khader received the Best Area Director of the Year award. TM Saheer Abdul Khader also received the Special District Service and Membership Excellence Award, alongside DTM Abdullah Filimban, in recognition of their sustained support and valuable contributions to the district throughout the term.
Recognizing Distinguished Divisions and Areas
The ceremony recognized clubs and leaders across Divisions C, G, H, I and K for their distinguished performance, membership growth, leadership and overall club excellence.
The Division Directors who received mementos in recognition of achieving President’s Distinguished Division status were Fatmah Azam Ali, Thasneem Zohra Rashid Ali and
Raihanath Saheer
Abdulellah Mohamed Alamin received a memento in recognition of achieving Distinguished Division status.
Area Directors who received mementos for their achievements were recognized in the following categories:
President’s Distinguished Area
Aslam Javed Qureashi
Abdurhman Hassan Omar Haroun
Sheik Mohamed
Saheer Abdulkader
Bilal Ahmad Sarwar
Ahmed Abdu Mobarki
Select Distinguished Area
Raghad Abdullah Zarei
Nikkath Naaz
Najeeb Khan
Saly S Basha
Fatma Sirajuddin Hafiz Asad
Distinguished Area
Rahaf Fahad Muhalhal
Hussein Al Ahdal
Arshad Ali Javed
Ghaydaa Abd Aljaleel Kaaki
Salman S. Alkhanani
These recognitions celebrated the dedication of division and area leaders in supporting clubs, strengthening membership and helping members achieve their communication and leadership goals.
Celebrating Club Excellence and Membership Growth
As part of the recognition, clubs achieving Smedley Distinguished status received club officer pins. President’s Distinguished Clubs were presented with timer fans and golden gavels, while Select Distinguished Clubs received golden gavels and Distinguished Clubs received timer fans from District 104.
Selected clubs also received the District 104 Premier Club Growth Award, accompanied by club officer pins, timer fans and gavels in appreciation of their efforts to strengthen membership and promote club development.
Membership sponsors were honored with Toastmasters membership pins, Toastmasters 100-year pins and coins in recognition of their contributions to membership growth across clubs during the term.
Appreciating District Officers and Volunteers
The ceremony also acknowledged district officers and committee members for their contributions to education and training, public relations, club growth, club retention, marketing, logistics, administration, finance and other district operations. Certificates of appreciation were presented in recognition of their dedication and service.
Special recognition was extended to the district leadership team for guiding the organization throughout the 2025–2026 term. The presentation acknowledged District Director DTM Balasubramaniyan V, Program Quality Director Tariq Al Madani and Club Growth Director DTM Ilyas Bakhsh, along with other district leaders and volunteers who contributed to the district’s progress.
Their collective efforts, together with the commitment of club officers and members, helped advance the district’s priorities and foster a culture of collaboration, accountability and continuous improvement.
Rising, Leading and Inspiring Together
The theme “Rise, Lead and Inspire” captured the central message of the celebration: meaningful achievements become possible when individuals work towards a common goal and support one another’s growth.
The ceremony served not only as a platform to honor outstanding performance but also as a tribute to the volunteers who create opportunities for people to develop public-speaking skills, build confidence and become more effective leaders.
District 104’s achievements during 2025–2026 underscored the importance of teamwork, perseverance and shared responsibility. The celebration concluded with a strong sense of collective pride, reinforcing the spirit of rising together, leading together and inspiring together.
