Dubai World top talent return from Global Learning Journey

Held under the Dubai Leaders' Program, a high-end leadership development initiative launched by the Dubai-based holding company in cooperation with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

The group spent three days in Singapore and three days in Hong Kong and China, during which they visited major corporate houses and ports in the region and interacted with senior business leaders and technical experts. As part of Dubai World's desire to reach out to and support the wider UAE community, the cohort included one participant sponsored by Dubai World from Tamkeen, the Knowledge Village-based centre for the visually impaired,

The Asian Learning Journey was part of the Dubai Leaders' Program designed to fine-tune leadership skills through observation, interaction, probing and sharing of experience. It helped participants optimise their own skills in face to face with some of the top business minds in Asia. The visit also helped members sharpen their intuitive powers and relate what they learned to business in Dubai.

H.E. Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman, Dubai World, expressed his aim to propel Nationals to take future leadership positions and become global players. 'Learning from experience in a new place is the best way to strengthen one's capabilities,' said bin Sulayem. 'The Global Learning Journey is planned in such a way that the participants become familiarized with how business thrives in other growing economies. There are vital lessons to be learned, which will benefit not only the participant, but also Dubai World and Dubai in general.'

'I am happy that the Dubai Leaders' Program is succeeding in its primary goal of developing excellent leaders who can keep up with the pace of Dubai's growth, and meet its skill and expertise requirements. Perfecting the excellent talent pool that we have in this country is the best we can do for our future.'

'The main aim of the Dubai Leaders Program has been to make our young leaders think globally and expose them to different cultural settings,' says Mahmoud Saleh, an Executive Director at Dubai World. 'Through this initiative we are building a chain of creative, visionary leaders.'

The visit to the companies and the ports provided the group with a picture of how corporate functioning there is shaping the booming economies of Singapore, Hong Kong and China. This part of the trip was especially significant to the group since it provided a firsthand view of the responsibilities as well as challenges involved in contributing to the growth of Dubai. The tour offered new ideas and strategies that will enhance the participants' leadership qualities.

The program included visits to Subana Corporation Pte Ltd, International Enterprise Singapore, DBS Bank, Creative Technology, CapitaLand, SembCorp Industries Ltd, and Temasek Holdings in Singapore. In Hong Kong they visited HK Standard Bank, HK Stock Exchange, OOCL, New World Development Real Estate, the Chinese University and DP World HK. In China, the group visited the Yantian International Container Terminal.

The group held talks with Hong Kong's Secretary of Finance. The visit also included highly useful networking dinners.

Awatif Akbari a participant from Tamkeen felt that the journey was one of the best experiences of her life. 'The tour made me stronger and more determined to take on challenges,' said Akbari. The interaction with senior business leaders provided valuable lessons in decision making and responding to crises. The meetings were confidence-boosting for me.'

Another member of the group, Shehab Sultan Mesmar of Jafza, Dubai World's flagship freezone operator, described the tour as 'invigorating.'

'The Asian field tour was an eye-opener for me,' said Mesmar. 'The visits to the companies and the meetings with senior executives gave me a clear picture of the changing scenes in the globalised business community. In spite of the uniqueness in corporate management styles in different parts of the region, there are common areas of functional similarity. The sharing of experience is very useful in sharpening my own skills.'

This is the second cohort of the Dubai Leaders' Program to take part in the Global Learning Journey. The program has become the primary tool to strengthen the foundation for a new generation of excellent leaders.

The program is a comprehensively tailored development plan in keeping with Dubai World's objectives. It is interactive and is aimed at analysing the capabilities of the selected professionals to measure their responses to critical situations in corporate life. The Wharton School, one of the most highly respected business schools in the world, is actively involved in designing and delivering the program.