Mohammed bin Rashid: Building Leaders is a Guarantee of Excellence

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, stressed that investing in people is the most beneficial, and most rewarding.

His Highness said: «Our goal is to graduate new and continuing leaderships in the second and third grades. We will continue to search for the young leaders ... and prepare them to assume new responsibilities in a country that cannot stop. ”

This came during the honor of His Highness 32 graduates in the second batch of the Effective Leadership Program, which was launched by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development, in the presence of Mohammed Al Gergawi, Chairman of the Executive Office of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Al-Gergawi said that the thought of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is a distinguished approach and style of leadership, and an inspiration for leaders who seek to influence and achieve excellence in their work path. It also constitutes the main pillar around which programs revolve around to build generations of leaders in all fields, in the governmental and private sectors, capable of transforming His Highness's vision into achievements, through which the distinguished position of the UAE is strengthened regionally and globally.

And that the UAE, thanks to the vision of its leadership that believes in the capabilities of its people, provides an innovative global model in preparing future leaders, who are able to deal with all the changes and developments taking place in the sectors, and turn challenges into opportunities, which contributes to enabling them to provide the best solutions to serve man and advance society .

The training journey for employees of the second batch of the influential leaders program lasted for a full year, as the program was designed based on the elements of the leadership system of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, according to specific and major courses, in partnership with three international universities: the strategic leadership course in cooperation with the Institute International Management Development (IMD), from Switzerland, and the leadership course in cooperation with the Imperial College London, and the leadership course in cooperation with UC Berkeley, in the United States of America.

The program also included international trips, where, during their visit to the Dutch city of Amsterdam, the second group got acquainted with a group of leading practices and experiences, in addition to holding a number of meetings and workshops with major international companies. The associates visited the Dutch parliament building, learned about its working mechanisms, and met a group of workers in the building.

The associates also participated in a session of the Dutch Police Innovation Department, which focuses on developing the boundaries of police work, and the session "Technology, Philosophy and the Future of Humanity, a multidisciplinary view of the future world", during which the participants reviewed their experience in the Dutch capital, through a visual presentation to a group of officials In the government and private sectors in the Netherlands.

During the visit to a charity concerned with hosting and empowering refugees in the Netherlands, the program members learned about the mechanisms of their work, how they can empower the refugees in the center, and how they can prepare them to lead a normal life, to be active players in society. They also visited a store set up by one of the refugees, and reviewed his experience, the circumstances and challenges he faced so that he could open his first project and acquire it.

The second batch includes 32 associates representing 10 different sectors, and they belong to 28 local, federal and private entities, at the country level. Miniature task forces have been formed from the associate, and assigned to develop six research projects throughout the year, dealing with strategic topics, including advanced science, the legal system, future technology, the global environment, social innovation and the future economy.

Each member was also assigned to develop a project that benefits his workplace, during which he will overcome a challenge in it, present it at the end of the program’s term to the rest of the associate, and approve it from the Mohammed bin Rashid Center team to prepare leaders, and then provide his employer with it.

The associates gained 32 new skills on a personal level, as each member was assigned a new personal development project, and six affiliates gained new languages, namely, Russian, French, Chinese, and Spanish, given the need of some of them in their work, and six associates participated in new sports, such as Skydive , Climbing, diving, swimming, and horse riding, and others joined impressive speech courses, and one of them traveled to Nepal to participate and volunteer in humanitarian organizations.

In addition, 32 international executives were coordinated to be guided during the affiliates ’journey throughout the year. Each associate has the right to 10 directive hours of his own, in which he discusses the obstacles and challenges facing him in his professional and public life, and ways to overcome them.

All members were subjected to a physical examination, as well as workshops for developing media skills, speaking to the media, and delivering speeches, with exercises on "mental fitness" to develop the way of thinking, and to overcome the stresses facing leaders. The program also included qualitative sessions, during which more than 60 personalities and officials from the governmental and private sectors, at the local and international levels, were hosted to assess the actions of associates throughout their affiliation period and at various stages.

The influential leadership program was launched in its first edition in 2017, to prepare leaders that stimulate innovation in work methods and creativity, and achieve qualitative transformations in the paths of empowering cadres and work environments, and contribute to the outlook and industry of the future, and the program received more than 4000 requests in the first and second sessions.

The program also organized more than 60 specialized training workshops, and forged strategic partnerships with 10 global strategic partners, and organized four international visits for its affiliates to learn about leading global experiences in areas such as digitization, technology, artificial intelligence and sustainability, and other sectors vital to the human future.

600 leaders

Since its establishment in 2003, the Mohammed bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development has witnessed the graduation of more than 600 leaders in various vital fields and sectors, and many of them have become leadership positions in the first ranks, within the governmental and private sectors.

The center offers qualitative programs and targeted activities that contribute to the qualification of leadership figures with diverse vital skills, in practice and in life, and can adapt to developments and deal with changes in flexibility and intelligence, and have the efficiency and awareness capacity that qualifies them to make fundamental decisions and devise solutions to future challenges.

Influential leaders

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the second batch of graduates, graduated from the influential leadership program at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development, namely: Hanan Suleiman Al Suwaidi (Assistant Professor at the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences and the physician of the UAE astronaut Hazaa Al Mansouri), Sheikh Salem Khaled Al Qasimi (Assistant Undersecretary for the Heritage and Arts Sector, at the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development), Dr. Karima Matar Al Mazroui (Executive Director of the Education and Knowledge Department, and the owner of the “Education without Borders” initiative), and Bader Ahmed Anouhi (CEO in Global Village).

His Highness also honored Dr. Hazaa Khalfan Al Nuaimi (General Coordinator of the “Dubai Government Excellence Program” in the Executive Council of the Dubai Government), Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Jallaf (Executive Director of Air Navigation Services at the General Authority of Civil Aviation), and Jamal Zaal Al-Muhairi (Vice President for Safety, Environment and Health Sustainability at Dubai Airports), Engineer Hamid Yousef Al Ajmani (Vice President of Quality, Business Transformation and Excellence at Emirates Telecommunications Corporation), and Saeed Mohammed Al Falasi (CEO of Future Platforms at Dubai Future Foundation).

His Highness also honored Muhammad Saeed Bin Sulaiman (Head of Digital Solutions at Dubai Electricity and Water Authority), Samah Mohammed Al Hajri (CEO of Innovation in the Ministry of Economy), Khalid Ahmed Al Jaber (Senior Vice President of Operations at Dubai Air Navigation Services Corporation) and Ibrahim Hamza Qasim (Director of the Future Department at the Ministry of Cabinet and Future Affairs), Aisha Hassan Al Bastaki (Senior Director of Strategic Infrastructure Planning at Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company - du), and Hamad Thani Mubarak (Senior Director of Communication and Corporate Marketing in Dubai Courts).

He also honored, Nasser Salem Al Ali (Head of Commercial Banking in the country, at HSBC), Dr. Shamsa Abdullah bin Hammad (Executive Director of Operations at Medcare Women and Children Hospital), and Haifa Muhammad Al-Simatah (Head of Design Department at North 25 ), Khalid Rashid Al Shehhi (Director of the Center for Digital Communication at the Public Diplomacy Office), Abdul Rahman Muhammad Al Janahi (Director of Facilities and Facilities Management at the Roads and Transport Authority), and Majid Saif Al Shamsi (Senior Director of Operations Consulting at the Economic Balance Council).

Mona Saeed Al Kindi (Director of the Strategic Communication Center in the Executive Office of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Secretary General of the “Arab Reading Challenge” initiative), Engineer Adel Mohamed Shakeri (Director of Planning and Business Development at the Roads and Transport Authority), and Al Mayedi Ali Al-Badwawi (Director of Projects Management Office at the Ministry of Cabinet and Future Affairs), Officer Khaled Ali Al-Basti (from Dubai Police), and Ahmed Abdul Karim Al-Fahim (Senior Vice President, Business Development, Dubai International Financial Center).

Karma also honored Hessa Mohammed Bin Ghurair (Head of Human Resources in the General Authority of Civil Aviation), Khalid Ahmed bin Brik Al-Braiky (Senior Director - Consulting Services Middle East at PricewaterhouseCoopers), and Nouf Ahmed Al-Suwaidi (Director of Strategy Management at the Development Authority Society), Officer Ali Hamad Al-Rahoumi (from Dubai Police), Maria Mohammed Al-Rayes (Director of Business Development Department in the Department of Economic Development), and Engineer Faisal Abdul-Ghaffar Al-Hobbyist (Director of Digital Transaction Product and Trust Services from Dubai Smart Office).