Emirati students become CEOs for one day at private sector companies

The program, which is aligned with the UAE's strategy to position the private sector as an attractive employment proposition for UAE nationals, is supported by an increasing number of local and multinational companies from banking & finance, retail, hospitality, logistics, technology, aviation, telecommunications and other growth sectors of the country's economy.

Dubbed 'CEO For A Day', the campaign aspires to develop into an annual occurrence providing authorities with a long-term marketing tool which will help promote awareness of the private sector's employment opportunities amongst UAE nationals and a platform of interaction between them and their prospective employers.

According to the program, undergraduates of Zayed University will submit their nominations to a dedicated Facebook page for consideration by a team of experienced ENDP human resource specialists who will shortlist candidates on a set of qualities that are associated with corporate leaders worldwide.

"This is a truly unique concept that supports our Emiratisation strategy from a multidimensional viewpoint," said Essa Al Mulla, Executive Director, Emirates Nationals Development Programme. The campaign appeals to under graduates because of its top to bottom approach giving them priceless insights into the career development of successful captains of industry whilst at the same time making a pool of talented, educated Emiratis available to private companies in an interactive way."

This year, the CEO For A Day campaign will culminate with the placement of the successful candidates at the respective private sector companies in the time window between December 4 - December 6.

"We are very confident that this campaign will grow from strength to strength and eventually gain a momentum that would help us achieve our objectives; today's youth have a propensity and the social media tools to share their experiences with peers and other members of the community. The awareness we want to achieve will be propagated through word of mouth marketing and viral activity, but we are also investing in print and TV ads to maximize its impact," said Rafic Saadeh, Chairman and CEO of Horizon Group, the parent organization of HorizonDraftFCB, BrandConnection, Blue Barracuda as well as PR agency GolinHarris, the instigator of the initiative.