Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Celebrates Graduation of Dubai Family Business Management Programme’s Third Cohort
His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai, attended the ceremonial graduation of twenty-seven second-tier leaders who have completed an intensive programme designed to nurture the next generation of family business stewards and ensure continuity of Dubai's most enduring enterprises.
His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai, graced the graduation ceremony of the third cohort of the Dubai Family Business Management Programme, a distinguished initiative organised by the Dubai Centre for Family Businesses in partnership with the Mohammed bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development. The twenty-seven graduates represent the emerging generation of second-tier leaders within Dubai’s family businesses, having completed an exceptionally comprehensive curriculum designed to equip them with the sophisticated management acumen and governance expertise essential for contemporary enterprise stewardship.
The graduation took place during the Mohammed bin Rashid Leadership Forum, an esteemed annual convocation that assembled one thousand prominent leaders from Dubai’s governmental and private sectors. This premier gathering served as the ideal backdrop for celebrating the programme’s achievements whilst advancing the visionary aspirations of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, to reinforce Dubai’s pre-eminent global position as a centre of excellence and innovation.
Addressing the occasion, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum emphasised the profound significance of family businesses to Dubai’s economic prosperity. He observed that these enterprises constitute a driving force within the emirate’s economy and represent a testament to Dubai’s sophisticated development model and distinguished standing upon the international economic stage. He reaffirmed Dubai’s unwavering commitment to supporting family businesses and ensuring the forthcoming generation of leaders possesses the advanced management capabilities and contemporary knowledge requisite of the highest international standards.
Family businesses demonstrate extraordinary importance within the Emirati economic landscape, accounting for approximately ninety percent of all private companies throughout the United Arab Emirates. Their investments permeate diverse sectors, contributing around forty percent of the nation’s gross domestic product whilst providing employment to more than seventy percent of the workforce, rendering them indispensable to the nation’s continued prosperity and international competitiveness.
The programme’s comprehensive curriculum encompassed sophisticated training modules, virtual learning sessions and individualised mentoring arrangements, all meticulously calibrated to prepare participants for the complexities of generational leadership transitions and to cultivate effective leadership capabilities. Participants benefited from an exceptional educational experience at SDA Bocconi School of Management, one of the world’s most prestigious institutions specialising in business administration, economics and law.
The programme featured educational field visits to several internationally renowned Italian family businesses, including Lavazza, the venerable coffee producer established in eighteen ninety-five; Mapei, a global leader in building materials founded in Milan in nineteen thirty-seven; and Brembo, the distinguished specialist in braking systems established in nineteen sixty-one and collaborating with most Formula One teams and leading automotive manufacturers globally. Participants also engaged with representatives of Assolombarda and the Garrone family, proprietors of ERG Group, enriching their understanding of international best practices and sustainability strategies.
The curriculum encompassed an intellectually rigorous examination of family business governance, wealth management and family offices, generational leadership development, ownership succession planning, sustainable and responsible investment practices, and sophisticated conflict resolution methodologies. Through applied learning, individualised coaching and mentoring support, the programme cultivates leaders equipped to navigate the intricate challenges of contemporary family business stewardship whilst contributing meaningfully to Dubai’s continued economic development.
Source: WAM