DIFC Governor H.E. Ahmed Humaid Al Tayer highlights practical challenges and shares leadership insights during Dubai Policy Watch Forum

February 09, 2010

Mohammed Bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development (MBRCLD) has revealed that the present challenges in the global financial and banking sector and the experience of incumbent leaders in addressing such pressing concerns are crucial in enhancing the leadership acumen of Dubai’s pool of future leaders. In view of this, MBRCLD announced that it recently discussed critical issues in the global financial and banking sector and their impact on Dubai during a new session of the Dubai Policy Watch Forum for all participants at the Center, who have exceeded 150 participants enrolled in the leadership programs: Government Leaders; Young Leaders; Promising Leaders; The Elite; UAE Women Leadership program; Hamdan Bin Mohammed Program for Sports Leadership Development and Qeyadi Leadership Skills Development Programme.

H.E. Ahmed Humaid Al Tayer, Governor of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), served as keynote speaker of the event where he highlighted practical challenges and shared  leadership insights and also offered invaluable advice about banking and finance and other key industries to participants. A former UAE Minister of State for Finance & Industry and a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from “Banker Middle East” magazine in 2007 and “The Arab Banker for 2006” award, Al Tayer has extensive senior leadership experience in both the public and private sectors.

In addition to being DIFC Governor, Al Tayer is Chairman of the Board of both Emirates NBD and the Commercial Bank of Dubai, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Aluminium Company (DUBAL) and Member of the Board of the Investment Corporation of Dubai. Concurrently, Al Tayer is also Chairman of several leading institutions, including the Board of Trustees of the Emirates Nationals Development Programme, Emirates Institute of Banking & Financial Studies, Higher Committee for Human Resources Development in the Banking Sector and the National Human Resource Development & Employment Authority (Tanmia). He is also Deputy Chairman of the Emirates Banks Association and the Emirates National Oil Company (Enoc) and a member of Board of Directors at Zayed University.

H.E. Ahmed Humaid Al Tayer said: “The unprecedented challenges faced by the global banking and financial sector and its effects on various sectors of the economy, urged us to work on developing and strengthening the UAE’s financial and banking systems. At the same time, these challenges necessitated a thorough review of many plans and programmes in order to explore the future outlook for socio-economic development. We picked up valuable lessons from the experience, which have helped us better prepare against similar unpleasant incidents in the future. It has been a pleasure for me to support MBRCLD’s programs by sharing the experiences and expertise gained during a career that covers more than 40 years of work in the public sector and state-institutions. I believe that it is important for government leaders to pass on their knowledge to the younger generation who will soon take responsibility in steering our society towards sustainable development.”

Adel Al Shared, Executive Chairman of MBRCLD, “One of our main objectives is to ensure a smooth transition from one generation of leaders to the next. This is why we constantly invite high-level government officials to serve as keynote speakers of the different forums that we organize. H.E. Ahmed Humaid Al Tayer has established himself as one of the pillars of government having assumed different leadership positions in nearly four decades of service in the public sector. The new session built on his vast experience to inspire and help equip future leaders with the necessary skills, knowledge and attitude to be successful in government service.”

MBRCLD has been established in line with the vision and directions of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai; who has underscored the critical importance of a highly competent national professional workforce to ensure the country’s global sustainability.

Comprehensive recycling program to complement annual investments of over USD 415 million in UAE’s paper industry

February 02, 2010

Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Leadership Development (MBRCLD) has today launched the “Green Paper” project as the pioneering project of the newly formed “Green Team,” a group of MBRCLD program participants established to pursue pro-environment activities in Dubai. The “Green Paper” project aims to mobilise Dubai’s publishing sector to adopt a comprehensive paper recycling program, while delivering value-added benefits to all project participants, including increased subscription rates for newspaper publishers, expanded media mileage for sponsoring business organisations, more business opportunities for waste management companies and discount coupons and other merchandise offerings for newspaper subscribers.

H.E. Rashid Ahmad bin Fahad, Minister of Environment and Water; Salah Abdel Rahman Al Amiri, Assistant Director General, General Support Services Sector, Dubai Municipality; Dhaen Shaheen, Editor-in-Chief of Al Bayan; and Adel Al Shared, Executive Chairman of MBRCLD attended the launch event at The Monarch Hotel in Dubai to discuss the role of the different participating sectors in the ground breaking project. MBRCLD revealed during the press briefing that it will initially partner with Al Bayan newspaper and will eventually tie up with other publications in Dubai for the paper recycling drive, which is expected to complement the robust growth of the UAE’s paper industry wherein over USD 415 million is invested annually.

Speaking at the event, H.E. Rashid Ahmad bin Fahad said: “I commend MBRCLD for developing leaders who are sensitive and responsive to the environmental issues and challenges of our society. The ‘Green Paper’ project is a step towards the right direction in our efforts to cultivate the private sector’s support in various environmental programs. I am confident that we will see more innovative and creative campaigns from MBRCLD that will promote a clean and environment-friendly society.”

Adel Al Shared added: “This project has been initiated by the Government Leaders program participants of MBRCLD themselves, which I believe manifests their broad understanding of the different concerns that we are facing as a society. Through the Green Paper project, we initially aim to highlight the role of the publishing sector in protecting the environment. Moreover, this project will be part of a series of activities that ultimately seek to promote the long-term sustainable development of the emirate and support the Dubai Strategic Plan 2015, particularly its provisions that concern the environment.”

Under the Green Paper project, participating news organisations will give a “green bag” to each household or office that is subscribed to the paper. The newspaper subscribers will fill the bags with old newspapers, which will then be collected periodically. Subscribers will get a certain number of discount coupons and other merchandise offerings depending on the quantity of old newspapers in the green bag.

MBRCLD has been established in line with the vision and directions of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai; who has underscored the critical importance of a highly competent national professional workforce to ensure the country’s global sustainability.

Duke instructors facilitate Government Leaders level’s concluding module on the theme ‘Leading Change & Innovation, Leading Across Boundaries’

February 1, 2010

Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Leadership Development (MBRCLD) has recently held the concluding module for the two-year Government Leaders program with the theme “Leading Change & Innovation, Leading Across Boundaries.” MBRCLD further revealed that the new module reflects the prevailing economic realities and emerging challenges of Dubai, and underscoring MBRCLD’s continued success in developing new modules and custom-built activities that help maintain the highest level of quality and excellence in the capabilities of Dubai’s incumbent and future leaders.

MBRCLD invited renowned Duke instructors Lisa Bodell, CEO and Founder of consulting firm Futurethink; Elisa Alabaster, COO of business simulation specialist OsoSim; and James Gardener, a leading global consultant in change management services and executive coaching, to serve as speakers during the three-day sessions. Bodell, the opening-day presenter on the topic “Creating, executing and sustaining growth through innovation,” offered a leadership perspective on the key concepts of successful innovative strategies, identifying the right skills and abilities, evaluating ideas, innovation governance and innovation risk management.

The day-two session, on the other hand, focused on the topic “Leading Change” with Alabaster facilitating a study of a major organizational change within a simulated environment. Gardener, the main orchestrator of the three-day module, discussed the topic “Leading across boundaries” during the final day, which was very exercise-heavy and featured individual and team feedback. Gardener also facilitated discussions that will help build a link among the different topics covered by the module and establish their relevance to Dubai’s own leadership requirements.

Adel Al Shared, Executive Chairman of MBRCLD, said: “We have assembled a formidable line-up of speakers for the seventh and final module of the Government Leaders level, which is again another shining example of MBRCLD’s continued success in developing customized modules and organizing world-class activities for the different leadership development programs. It has been an exciting journey the past two years for the Government Leaders level and I am confident that the concluding sessions will serve as an excellent capper for all participants. On the other hand, the concluding module manifests our strong commitment to continue developing innovative modules and activities for the Government Leaders program.”

Yousef Alneaimi, Government Leaders level participant who is also an HR and administration advisor, said: “The unprecedented economic challenges of the past year have underscored that great need to focus on innovation and organizational change. In addition, the present realities have highlighted the importance of building strong relationships and understanding the workings of societies beyond our boundaries. We have learned how problems and challenges faced by other economies can ultimately affect us and it is our goal to learn from this experience, which I believe will help prepare us to overcome similar situations in the future. The new module encapsulates these critical areas of concern and I certainly look forward to a highly informative, engaging and thought-provoking discussion with the panel of speakers.”

Government Leaders program is a level of Mohammed Bin Rashid Programme for Leadership Development (MBRPLD) that aims to qualify the future leaderships of Dubai Government departments. The program also aims to establish an assembly of unique talented individuals having distinguished potentials, knowledge, skills and experience at all government departments.

MBRCLD has been established in line with the vision and directions of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai; who has underscored the critical importance of a highly competent national professional workforce to ensure the country’s global sustainability.

The applications for the program were submitted through MBRPLD`s website (www.mbrpld.ae). Further details of the program and the evaluation process are also available on the website.

Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Leadership Development highlights the need for leaders to confidently face harsh realities and difficult challenges

January 23, 2010

Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Leadership Development (MBRCLD) is now focusing on reinforcing the skills and knowledge of Dubai leaders that enable them to confidently face and overcome difficult challenges and the sometimes harsh realities in their pursuit of progress and sustainable development for the emirate. In the recently concluded Reader Today…Leader Tomorrow session for the Young Leaders level participants of Mohammed Bin Rashid Programme for Leadership Development (MBRPLD), the participants discussed Dean Williams’ ‘Real Leadership: Helping People and Organizations Face Their Toughest Challenges’, which offered a new paradigm that redefines the proper function and purpose of leadership based on the concept of “responsible leadership”.

 Real Leadership argues that it is irresponsible and ultimately ineffective for any leader to let people sidestep the sometimes harsh truth of reality. The book introduces the concept of responsible leadership, which is a leadership approach that aims to get people to face difficult realities and mobilise them to address the most pressing challenges in order to achieve progress.

 Adel Al Shared, Executive Chairman, MBRCLD, said: “Leaders must not only perform superbly during boom times; they must also successfully fulfil their leadership duties during the most challenging period. In light of the recent global financial downturn that has affected economies all over the world, I believe that this is a very timely and topical subject for our leadership development program. As our incumbent leaders have been successful in overcoming the great challenges of the global downturn, it is MBRCLD’s mission to develop future leaders who are equally capable of leading Dubai and the country amid the changing conditions and new demands of the future.”

 “I agree with the book that our society needs leaders who have the passion for insight and an unrelenting commitment to discover the underlying features of the challenges people face. In this respect, this session helped us strengthen our resolve to face any kind of problem and cultivate our passion when it comes to searching for innovative solutions to our greatest challenges. I was likewise pleased to find several case studies and real-life examples featured in the book, which further enlightened us on what it really takes for responsible leadership to work in the real world,” said Sultan Lootah, Young Leaders level participant and Vice President for Employment and Entrepreneurship Sector of Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation.

 Reader Today…Leader Tomorrow aims to cultivate the program participants’ analytical, communication, comprehension and social skills through interaction and discussions of highly informative and thought-provoking books.

 MBRCLD has been established in line with the vision and directions of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai; the initiator of the MBRCLD who has underscored the critical importance of a highly competent national professional workforce to ensure the country’s global sustainability.

 The applications for the programs were submitted through MBRCLD`s website (www.mbrcld.ae). Further details of the programs and the evaluation process are also available on the website.

Dubai Opening study tours come in line with the common objective of developing leaders to achieve higher levels of success, complementing the Dubai Strategic Plan

Mr. Adel Al Shared, Executive Chairman of MBRCLD handing a trophy to Obaid Al-Shamsi, Assistant Director-General of Administrative Affairs and Services at Dubai Municipality during the ceremony.

Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Leadership Development (MBRCLD) Read the full story

Participants discuss and debate on ‘why EQ outweighs IQ’ and what separates the good companies from the great

Mr. Adel Al Shared, Executive Chairman of MBRCLD

The Elite Program, a specialised program initiated by the Executive Office of Dubai and managed by Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Leadership Development (MBRCLD), Read the full story

Dileep Nair shares exclusive insights about Singapore’s successful fiscal, transport, public housing, healthcare and education policies

Mr. Dileep Nair, the Republic of Singapore's Consul-General in Dubai.

Mohammed Bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development (MBRCLD) has recently concluded a series of forums wherein Dileep Nair, the Republic of Singapore’s Consul-General in Dubai, Read the full story

MBRCLD top officials to speak before 500 private and public sector leaders during Khazanah Megatrends Forum 2009

Mr. Adel Al Shared, Executive Chairman of MBRCLD

Mohammed Bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development (MBRCLD) has announced that it had been invited to conduct a presentation about “Leadership and Society” during the Khazanah Megatrends Forum (KMF) 2009, which was recently held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia . Read the full story

Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Leadership Development (MBRCLD) participated in the 5th anniversary Gala Dinner of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP), Read the full story

12-month Master of Management Science program will commence in 2010

Mr. Adel Al Shared, Executive Chairman of MBRCLD and Prof. Blair H. Sheppard, Dean and professor of Management, Duke University; at the event of signing the Memorandum of Understanding.

Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Leadership Development (MBRCLD) has, recently, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Duke – Fuqua School of Business for a joint initiative that will offer a Master of Management Science program to UAE nationals and students from other Arab countries.  Read the full story