Young Arab Leaders and Daimler AG partner for developing talent and cross-cultural dialogue

The Program, which was first launched in partnership between YAL and Daimler AG in 2007, is structured into two modules and runs over a six-month period both in Stuttgart (Germany) and Dubai.

Module 1 took place in Stuttgart last June and sought to introduce participants to each other's cultures via intensive networking and valuable insights. Beneficiaries were divided into several teams to work on case studies that cover various areas of the operations of multinational companies in different cultural and business environment.

Module 2, which was sponsored by Philips Middle East, was accomplished this week in Dubai where beneficiaries had the chance to exchange ideas, thoughts, findings and trends of the case study topics whereby a global understanding of the thematic and emerging professional challenges is created. The main themes that participants focussed on encompassed CSR and Business Ethics, Competition and Marketing Strategies, Leadership, HR Retention & Development and Change Management, Mergers and Acquisitions, and Governments, NGOs and Business Process Reengineering.

"Top Talent Camp is another initiative that fulfils YAL's mission to empower young Arabs and bridge cultural gaps between the Arab world and other world's regions. Initial feedback from beneficiaries showed that the program has a solid and sound basis as they all praised the cultural diversity aspect and the great learning opportunity our partnership with Daimler provided. We're indeed grateful to Daimler and also Philips without whose contribution the program wouldn't have been accomplished,"

said Assem O. Kabesh, Chief Executive Officer, YAL.

"This is a very strategic program as it engages beneficiaries in project-teams of different cultural and business backgrounds and tackles interesting subjects through the case study technique, which is an efficient learning method in modern business management education," added Kabesh.

Among the 27 beneficiaries 14 were selected from among Daimler's staff around the world and 13 were young Arabs selected by YAL and originated from Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, KSA, Lebanon, Palestine, UAE and Yemen.

"Daimler AG has the pleasure to partner for the second consecutive year with YAL on providing this strategic opportunity for young Arab and Daimler professionals. The encouraging feedback from beneficiaries gives us a sense of self-satisfaction and more confidence to maintain the program for years to come,"

said Dr. Rüdiger Grube, Member of the Board of Management, Daimler AG.

Commenting on the Program, Mr. Louis Hakim, Vice President, Royal Philips Electronics and CEO of Philips Middle East and YAL Member of the Board of Directors said, "Philips Middle East was keen to sponsor this strategic Program that positively impacts the future of individuals and businesses from the Middle East region as it is our firm policy to engage in activities that reach out to our community and benefit this region."