15 March 2015
Doha - HEC Paris School of Management, ranked number one in the world for Executive Education by the Financial Times in 2014, and King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSH&RC) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have successfully completed 'Keep the Lead', a custom-designed management training program targeted for the top 150 executives of the organization.

Developed jointly by KFSH&RC in partnership with HEC Paris, the program's ultimate goals were to promote the hospital's culture of operational excellence, fostering a sense of commitment to the organization, and achieving better performance. Accordingly, it was built around three main areas: Strategy, Performance Management, and Leadership.  The program also included two overlapping sub-themes: Change Management and Decision Making Excellence.

Following the completion of the final module of the program, a Project Challenge was organized, which also coincided with the distribution of the certificates to all its participants.

Present during the distribution of certificates ceremony were H.E. Dr. Qasim Al Qasabi, CEO, Dr. Rashed Al Hmaid, COO KFSH&RC Riyadh, and Dr. Tariq Linjawi, COO KFSH&RC Jeddah as well as Marina Kundu, Associate Dean of Executive Education of HEC Paris and Raja Assili, COO of HEC Paris in Qatar. There were also brief messages from these officials, which reflected their praise and satisfaction over the program, as well as a push for future collaboration between KFSH&RC and HEC Paris in research and new programs.

The Project Challenge involved participants being invited to work individually on a project related to a problem in their work environment, complete with analysis and action plan using the learnings from the program.

A jury composed of members from HEC Paris and KFSH&RC assessed presentations from the authors of the 12 shortlisted papers   in Riyadh and Jeddah on 14 December 2014. This was followed by a Q&A session from the jury and the audience. The quality of the presentations made it a difficult task to pick the top three; however, Dr. Nezar Khalifah of KFSH&RC Riyadh was ranked first, with Rola Al Tawil and Dr. Muntazar Bashir, both from KFSH&RC-Jeddah, ranked joint-second, and Jasmin Jawdat from KFSH&RC Riyadh coming third.

"We are honored to have been chosen and entrusted by KFSH&RC to work closely in the development and implementation of such a unique and custom-designed program," Mr. Assili said. "For HEC Paris, the end of this comprehensive program marks the continuation of a successful relationship, where other areas of mutual interest can flourish. We also congratulate KFSH&RC on the huge success of the 'Keep the Lead' program and thank them for such a productive partnership."

For his part, Dr. Abdulkader Al Attas, Director of Training and Development of KFSH&RC, commented that: "The 'Keep the Lead' program demonstrated our resolve at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSHRC) of investing in the continued and advanced education of our staff. With our strong desire of implementing high levels of excellence across the board, our partnership with HEC Paris and maximizing their expertise in the field of executive education has undoubtedly benefited the goals and objectives we had set for this program.

"We are therefore excited and encouraged to explore further opportunities of collaboration with HEC Paris on more of such custom-designed programs, as well as research, and thank them for a job well done," he added. 

Keep the Lead program was delivered across three distinct groups of participants: Executive Directors and Deputies, Medical Chairs and Deputies, and Directors and Department Heads.

-Ends-

About HEC Paris
A leader in Europe, HEC Paris specializes in management education and research. Founded in 1881, HEC Paris offers a full, unique range of courses to the leaders of tomorrow, including: Masters Degrees, MBA, PhD, Executive MBA and TRIUM Global Executive MBA. In June 2010, HEC Paris joined Qatar Foundation and brought world-class Executive Education programs and research activity to Doha and the region. By February 2011, HEC Paris launched Qatar's first international EMBA. The HEC Executive MBA (EMBA) is a part-time program which provides executives with a set of fundamental skills to expand their knowledge and leadership capabilities. In addition to the EMBA, HEC Paris provides in Qatar a Specialized Master Degree in Strategic Business Unit Management. The institution also offers non-degree management programs for executives, in the form of open enrolment programs as well as custom-designed programs for individual companies. The programs and research activities of HEC Paris in Qatar build corporate competitiveness within the global economy and are fully aligned with Qatar National Vision 2030 to support the transformation of Qatar into an advanced, competitive and knowledge-based economy. HEC Paris was ranked number one in the world for Executive Education in 2014 by the influential UK-based Financial Times media group. http://www.exed.hec.edu/hec-qatar

About Qatar Foundation
Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development is a private, non-profit organization that serves the people of Qatar by supporting and operating programs in three core mission areas: education, science and research, and community development. The Foundation strives to nurture the future leaders of Qatar. By example and by sharing its experience, the Foundation also contributes to human development nationally, regionally, and internationally. In all of its activities, the Foundation promotes a culture of excellence in Qatar and furthers its role in supporting an innovative and open society that aspires to develop sustainable human capacity, social, and economic prosperity for a knowledge-based economy. http://www.qf.org.qa/

Media inquiries:
Salwa Ghorayeb
Account Manager, Action Qatar
Tel: 00974 44361499
Email: salwa.g@actionprgroup.com

© Press Release 2015