INSEAD, one of the world’s leading and largest graduate business schools has announced the fifth edition of its Global Business Leaders Conference to be held in Abu Dhabi’s ‘Jumeirah at Etihad Towers’ hotel on October 20, 2015.
Presented under the patronage of H.E. Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, and with the support of Abu Dhabi Education Council, the conference will examine the leadership attributes and best practices necessary for organisations to implement, nurture and exploit innovation in the Middle East’s unique economic environment.
The programme will include a C-suite roundtable presentation during which experts such as: Khalid Al Mudaifer, President and CEO, Ma’aden; Said Darwazah (MBA’84D), Chairman and CEO, Hikma Pharmaceuticals; Majid H. Jafar, CEO, Crescent Petroleum; Arjen Radder, Chief Executive Officer, Philips Middle East & Turkey; and Tarek Sultan, Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman, Agility will consider innovation, strategic renewal and competitive advantage in mature industries.
Andreas Jacobs, INSEAD Chairman, Chairman of Barry Callebaut AG, and a Member of the Board of Jacobs Holding AG, who will join the discussion, said, “INSEAD through this year’s GBLC edition reinforces its strong commitment to the government’s visionary initiative to encourage innovation. As the UAE marks 2015 as the Year of Innovation, it is critical for industry leaders to start working more closely towards ensuring that innovation can be a key differentiator in making the UAE a global market-leading economy. As a truly international business school we are keen to bring together communities and incubate ideas in this space.”
Other programme participants include Ilian Mihov, Dean of INSEAD, Professor of Economics, and The Rausing Chaired Professor of Economic and Business Transformation, who noted, “Through annual editions of the Global Business Leaders conference INSEAD has been bringing together local business leaders and academia to develop strategies that are universally applicable and can advance a prosperous and sustainable future in the GCC.”
Peter Zemsky, INSEAD Deputy Dean, Professor of Strategy, The Eli Lilly Chaired Professor of Strategy and Innovation, Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation will preside over the day’s proceedings along with Henrik Bresman, INSEAD Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour, a Director of the school’s Management Acceleration Programme and Academic Director of the, INSEAD Global Leadership Centre, INSEAD and Miguel Lobo, INSEAD Associate Professor of Decision Sciences and Director of the Abu Dhabi Campus.
The illustrious lineup of speakers includes, Dr Rafic Makki, Chief Strategy Officer, Abu Dhabi Education Council and Liri Andersson, Founder, this fluid world.
Innovation specific to the media sector will be deliberated in a panel-discussion by Mohammed Al Otaiba, Editor-in-Chief, The National; Fida Chaaban, Editor-in-Chief, Entrepreneur Middle East; and Rasha Rteil, Head of Innovation, UM MENA.
The UAE has declared 2015 as the Year of Innovation with a strategy that includes 30 country-wide initiatives to help reach global benchmarks. This year’s Global Innovation Index, co-published by Cornell University, INSEAD and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), surveyed 141 economies around the world, and ranked Saudi Arabia as 43rd, United Arab Emirates as 47th and Qatar as 50th across the region.
