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The Executive MBA Program acclaimed as gateway to career opportunities
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| Left to right: Boulos, Papazian, Nehmeh |
An estimated 300,000 new executive positions will be created in the GCC
countries in the next five years, according to the McKinsey report of
2007. In response to the growing need for talented executives, AUB's Suliman
S. Olayan School of Business (OSB) created the Executive MBA (EMBA) Program
to train the brightest brains in the region and equip them for the myriad
challenges that lie ahead.
AUB's EMBA program teaches state-of-the-art management concepts with direct
relevance to the needs of the Middle East. Since its start in spring 2004,
the program has graduated 90 executives, who have benefited tremendously
from the program and unanimously endorse the positive impact of the program
on their careers.
"The program is rigorous and caters to the executive needs of the
region," said program director Riad Dimechkie. "We graduate
more effective executives by enabling them to identify issues inside and
outside the company. We teach analytical techniques and organizational
skills to solve complex business problems. We help executives develop
strategies, apply resources effectively, and build organizational capabilities.
Also, we develop business insight and self-confidence in our graduates,"
he added.
AUB maintains its position as the regional leader in teaching effective
management concepts with direct relevance to the needs of MENA executives
and their organizations, by ensuring that graduates make a significant
impact on their organizations and their communities. This program builds
leadership skills through "actionable knowledge." The emphasis
is on applying lessons learned in the work place, and on providing the
underlying conceptual framework for effective decision making.
The EMBA is structured to accommodate the busy schedule of its student-executives.
Over a period 20 months, students attend a weekend session held every
three weeks. "Given that I live and work in Qatar, the program structure
has enabled me to pursue the EMBA comfortably. I need not be away for
a long period of time," said Amal Al Mannai, a Qatari general manager
at the Social Development Center of the Qatar Foundation.
Mounira Al Musnid, chair of the Social Development Center, sensed tangible
progress in her function as a leader in her corporation. "I am more
confident with the decisions I make, and I feel I have what it takes to
compete with high level executives in the region; all thanks to the skills
I have learnt at the EMBA program," she said.
Diversity and valuing differences is built into the EMBA program. Executive-participants
come from different industries including banking and insurance, consulting
and auditing, healthcare and pharmaceutical, manufacturing and service,
hi-tech and low-tech, telecommunications and construction, media and advertizing;
from different functions such as general management, sales and marketing
and advertizing, manufacturing, HR, IT; from different educational backgrounds
of business and economics, engineering, architecture and science, liberal
arts, medicine, law; and from different types of organizations working
in manufacturing and service, multinationals and mid-sized regional and
small entrepreneurial companies, for profit and NGOs. EMBA professors
are skilled at leveraging the significant and varied experience of the
participants to enrich the learning experience for all.
Students joining the program are taught by more than 20 distinguished faculty members. They also get the chance to interact with prominent world businessmen and CEOs such as Carlos Ghosn (Renault/Nissan), Fadi Ghandour (ARAMEX), and Ibrahim Dabdoub (National Bank of Kuwait) through EMBA's lecture series.
Effective communication skills and competent decision makingb enable AUB graduates to advance their careers. Fadi Hajal was appointed as general manager of a multinational consulting firm, Webb MENA, as soon as he graduated from the EMBA program last year. "In addition to the challenging class discussions, I learnt valuable lessons from my classmates whose diverse background broadened my perspectives. The business knowledge that I internalized at the EMBA program has enabled me to better manage my business in Saudi Arabia and to deal confidently with world class executives from around the globe," said Hajal.
As for Ayman Chouman, who is currently pursuing his EMBA, the "soft and hard skills" he acquired so far have enabled him to better manage his own business. "Already, my business profit increased significantly and it is thanks to the comprehensiveness of the program which enables me to deal more effectively with different business issues including marketing, human resources, organizational issues, finance and accounting--surrounding my work," said Chouman.
Similarly, Hussein Mirza from Kuwait anticipates significant career growth at the National Bank of Kuwait. "The longer I am in the program the more confident I am that I will benefit from it, that I will become a more effective executive," said Mirza who is now assistant general manager of NBK's IT Department.
Despite the abundance of EMBA programs in the region, Dimechkie believes that "the EMBA program at AUB is the most viable option for candidates in the Middle East since other programs in my opinion are not as committed to, nor as knowledgeable of, the region as we are," said Dimechkie.
Indeed, whether it is Boulous Boulous, a Lebanese private investor in Nigeria; Pascal Nehme, a senior officer at Audi Bank in Lebanon; Bassel Al Haroon, manager at the Central Bank of Kuwait; or Pateel Papazian a CFO at a multinational company, they all concur that by joining the EMBA at AUB they made "the right choice given all the options."
Boulos: "I think this is a great class due to the diversity of its content and of my classmates' professional backgrounds. I am learning executive perspectives of architects, medics, and engineers, and this exchange in knowledge is very enriching."
Nehmeh: "I like the pragmatic approach in teaching. Theory supplements practice, and this technique instills knowledge more effectively."
Papazian: "My plan to leave the auditing domain to become a CFO by joining the EMBA program was a success."
Al Haroon: "I researched possible EMBA programs in the region and I found that AUB's is the most prominent in its competitiveness and is extremely well positioned among them."