UAE consortium formed for INSEAD executive leadership programme

Translating the UAE’s leadership vision of establishing the country to be the centre of leadership excellence in the region, du, Dubai Holding, DUBAL and First Gulf Bank have formed a UAE-based consortium of principal companies in the country, and launched an Executive Leadership Programme in collaboration with INSEAD, one of the world’s largest and leading graduate business schools. 

The INSEAD Executive Leadership Programme (ELP) was conceived and designed to bring a higher level of training to executives at the Vice President and above levels in the UAE. 

‘INSEAD’s Executive Education Programmes create an environment where individual, group and organisation-wide learning is achieved simultaneously. We are honoured to partner with the consortium made up of leading UAE companies, in order to bring comprehensive leadership training to future leaders,’ said Dipak C. Jain, Dean of INSEAD.     

With an aim to expound upon the skill set already demonstrated by those in senior executive managerial levels, the ELP, which will be delivered by INSEAD, will hone the attributes necessary to becoming a company leader, focusing on Strategy and Planning; Customer Centricity; Financial Management; Strategic Human Resources and Supply Chain Management. In addition, the course develops team building leadership and incorporates personalised executive coaching, with participants taking part in live case studies and CEO panels. 

The ELP will be an ideal executive experience exchange hub for senior Emiratis and Expatriates, which will offer Emirati leaders an exposure to executive experience from around the globe. 

“The INSEAD Executive Leadership Programme is a superb opportunity for all UAE-based companies to develop their top executives,” said Fahad Al Hassawi, Chief Human Resources and Shared Services Officer, du. “It is designed to build a leadership pipeline, to improve continuity and succession within corporations, while also being an ideal vehicle for cross-corporation relationship building to nurture relationships between top-level executives. This is in line with our own sustainable development practices, to ensure stability as our executives and company develop and grow.” 

Nasser Al Awadhi, Chief Human Capital officer, Dubai holding said, “Our partnership with INSEAD demonstrates Dubai Holding’s commitment to investing in our people. The Executive Leadership program, supported by leading organizations in the UAE, combines the best of local knowledge and international expertise. Our participation will help ensure we have a leadership pipeline that can effectively execute our business strategy and continue to deliver sustainable profitability in the future.” 

“In an increasingly globalised world, it is our belief that the partnership with INSEAD for Executive Leadership programme will prove to be a veritable training ground in terms of equipping our future leaders with the requisite skills in the field of international management practices, which will prove to be invaluable for the UAE and the region,” said Ibrahim Nassir, Executive Vice President, Human Resources, DUBAL. 

Gareth Powell, Head of Human Resources at First Gulf Bank (FGB), commenting on the leadership programme said, “FGB is committed to people, both its employees and the communities within which it operates.  The INSEAD Executive Leadership Programme offers participants a unique chance to develop their strategic leadership skills to support both business growth and career development.”      

INSEAD’s ELP is a two year programme, with a maximum of 30 participants from a diverse spectrum of industries including banking and financial services, telecommunications, FMCG, media, oil and gas, real estate and aviation. The programme will be delivered by seven of INSEAD’s renowned faculty with the first cohort beginning on 10^th October, 2011; other cohorts of the programme will be announced later. The ELP is entirely based in the UAE, with courses taking place in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. 

The ELP’s steering committee consists of du, DUBAL, Dubai Holding and First Gulf Bank. Other Consortium Members include ENOC, wasl, Nokia Siemens Network, NEORIS, Ericsson and MBC, with the opportunity for additional members to participate. It is the intention of the consortium to not only further educate their executives in preparation for the next career step, but also to establish connections with key partners and major companies within the UAE, building networks and stronger relationships between top-level national corporations.