News Highlights
Author:
Dina Abou Salem,
Web Editor,
Office of Information and Public Relations,
da09@aub.edu.lb
 EMBA Website
EMBA Program Requirements
EMBA Application Form
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The Executive MBA program acclaimed as gateway to career opportunities
An estimated 300,000 new executive positions will be created in the GCC countries in the next five years, according to the McKinsey report of 2007. In response to the growing need for talented executives, AUB's Suliman S. Olayan School of Business (OSB) created the Executive MBA (EMBA) Program to train the brightest brains in the region and equip them for the myriad challenges that lie ahead.
AUB's EMBA program teaches state-of-the-art management concepts with direct relevance to the needs of the Middle East. Since its start in spring 2004, the program has graduated 90 executives, who have benefited tremendously from the program and unanimously endorse the positive impact of the program on their careers. |
 | Riad Dimechkie
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"The program is rigorous and caters to the executive needs of the region," said program director Riad Dimechkie. "We graduate more effective executives by enabling them to identify issues inside and outside the company. We teach analytical techniques and organizational skills to solve complex business problems. We help executives develop strategies, apply resources effectively, and build organizational capabilities. Also, we develop business insight and self-confidence in our graduates," he added.
AUB maintains its position as the regional leader in teaching effective management concepts with direct relevance to the needs of MENA executives and their organizations, by ensuring that graduates make a significant impact on their organizations and their communities. This program builds leadership skills through "actionable knowledge." The emphasis is on applying lessons learned in the work place, and on providing the underlying conceptual framework for effective decision making. |
 | Amal Al Mannai
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The EMBA is structured to accommodate the busy schedule of its student-executives. Over a period 20 months, students attend a weekend session held every three weeks. "Given that I live and work in Qatar, the program structure has enabled me to pursue the EMBA comfortably. I need not be away for a long period of time," said Amal Al Mannai, a Qatari general manager at the Social Development Center of the Qatar Foundation.
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 | Mounira Al Musnid
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Mounira Al Musnid, chair of the Social Development Center, sensed tangible progress in her function as a leader in her corporation. "I am more confident with the decisions I make, and I feel I have what it takes to compete with high level executives in the region; all thanks to the skills I have learnt at the EMBA program," she said.
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Diversity and valuing differences is built into the EMBA program. Executive-participants come from different industries including banking and insurance, consulting and auditing, healthcare and pharmaceutical, manufacturing and service, hi-tech and low-tech, telecommunications and construction, media and advertizing; from different functions such as general management, sales and marketing and advertizing, manufacturing, HR, IT; from different educational backgrounds of business and economics, engineering, architecture and science, liberal arts, medicine, law; and from different types of organizations working in manufacturing and service, multinationals and mid-sized regional and small entrepreneurial companies, for profit and NGOs. EMBA professors are skilled at leveraging the significant and varied experience of the participants to enrich the learning experience for all.
"Typical students are of the average age of 40 years; they are graduates from good universities, have 10 years of managerial experience, and more than half live outside Lebanon," said Dimechkie. "Our selection criteria are demanding -- we turn down up to 40 percent of our applicants -- since we are keen on maintaining our quality standards," he added. |
Students joining the program are taught by more than 20 distinguished faculty members. They also get the chance to interact with prominent world businessmen and CEOs such as Carlos Ghosn (Renault/Nissan), Fadi Ghandour (ARAMEX), and Ibrahim Dabdoub (National Bank of Kuwait) through EMBA's lecture series.
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 | Fadi Hajal
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Effective communication skills, and competent decision making, enable AUB graduates to advance their careers. Fadi Hajal was appointed as general manager of a multinational consulting firm, Webb MENA, as soon as he graduated from the EMBA program last year. "In addition to the challenging class discussions, I learnt valuable lessons from my classmates whose diverse background broadened my perspectives. The business knowledge that I internalized at the EMBA program has enabled me to better manage my business in Saudi Arabia and to deal confidently with world class executives from around the globe," said Hajal.
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 | Ayman Chouman
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As for Ayman Chouman, who is currently pursuing his EMBA, the "soft and hard skills" he acquired so far have enabled him to better manage his own business. "Already, my business profit increased significantly and it is thanks to the comprehensiveness of the program which enables me to deal more effectively with different business issues including marketing, human resources, organizational issues, finance and accounting--surrounding my work," said Chouman.
Similarly, Hussein Mirza from Kuwait anticipates significant career growth at the National Bank of Kuwait. "The longer I am in the program the more confident I am that I will benefit from it, that I will become a more effective executive," said Mirza who is now assistant general manager of NBK's IT Department. |
Despite the abundance of EMBA programs in the region, Dimechkie believes that "the EMBA program at AUB is the most viable option for candidates in the Middle East since other programs in my opinion are not as committed to, nor as knowledgeable of, the region as we are," said Dimechkie.
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 | (L-R): Boulos, Papazian, and Nehme
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Indeed, whether it is Boulous Boulous, a Lebanese private investor in Nigeria; Pascal Nehme, a senior officer at Audi Bank in Lebanon; Bassel Al Haroon, manager at the Central Bank of Kuwait; or Pateel Papazian a CFO at a multinational company, they all concur that by joining the EMBA at AUB they made "the right choice given all the options."
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Boulos: "I think this is a great class due to the diversity of its content and of my classmates' professional backgrounds. I am learning executive perspectives of architects, medics, and engineers, and this exchange in knowledge is very enriching."
Nehmeh: "I like the pragmatic approach in teaching. Theory supplements practice, and this technique instills knowledge more effectively."
Papazian: "My plan to leave the auditing domain to become a CFO by joining the EMBA program was a success."
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 | Bassel Al Haroon
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Al Haroon: "I researched possible EMBA programs in the region and I found that AUB's is the most prominent in its competitiveness and is extremely well positioned among them."
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