Six-day field tour takes DLP members to Singapore, Hong Kong and China
A group of 45 senior executives from various Dubai World business units returned recently from a six-day Global Learning Journey to Singapore, Hong Kong and China, held under Dubai Leaders Program (DLP).
The tour is an integral part of DLP, the highly acclaimed leadership development initiative of Dubai World.
The group spent three days in Singapore and three days in Hong Kong and China during which they visited major business houses and ports in the region and interacted with senior corporate leaders and technical experts.
As part of Dubai World's commitment to reach out to and support the wider UAE community, the DLP group included a participant from Dubai Autism Center, a nonprofit organisation serving children with autism spectrum disorders.
The Global Learning Journey is designed as a high-end field tour for DLP members, to help them strengthen their leadership skills through observation, interaction, probing and sharing of experience. The executives interacted with top business leaders in Asia to learn from their success and gain practical knowledge. The visit helped them sharpen their intuitive powers and find areas where the experience can be used for their own career development as well as for Dubai's economic progress.
Bedoor Khouri, Manager of Dubai World Leadership Center, said the Global Learning Journey will benefit the participants in many ways. "It was a highly meaningful exercise. Despite the pressures caused by the current global economic situation, I am happy that Dubai Leaders Program is succeeding in its strategic goal of grooming leaders who can keep pace with Dubai's growth and meet its requirements for talent and expertise.
"The programme is planned to familiarise the participants with how business thrives in resonant economies. The visit to the companies in Singapore, Hong Kong and also the ports in Hong Kong and China provided the group with firsthand knowledge of responsibilities as well as challenges involved in running a business through good and hard times, which will help them greatly not only to develop their own career, but also to support Dubai's growth. This journey offered the DLP participants new ideas and strategies to enhance their leadership qualities," she added.
The DLP members visited SingTel, IE Singapore, SMRT Corporation, JTC International, Singapore Sports Council, Temasek Holdings, Surbana Corporation, Civil Service College, and SembCorp Industries in Singapore. In Hong Kong, the programme included visits to Credit Suisse, MTR Group, Hang Seng, Chinese University HK and DP World HK. In China, they visited the Yantian International Container Terminal.
Sarah Al Marzouqi, participant from Dubai Autism Center, said that the Global Learning Journey revived her spirits and made her more determined to take on challenges. "The interaction with senior business leaders provided valuable lessons in decision making and in responding to fluctuations in the economy, including the current global crisis. The journey also exposed me to different cultural settings. Now I can truly think global," she added.
Another member of the group, Jamal Lootah, CEO of Imdaad, said: "The Global Learning Journey took me closer to the changes happening in the globalised business community. There were areas from where I could gain valuable tips that will help me sharpen my own skills. The trip also gave a very good opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge about Asian market."
This is the third DLP batch to take part in the Global Learning Journey. The program has become an excellent tool in perfecting the capabilities and strengthening the foundation for a new generation of leaders.
Dubai Leaders Program, custom-made to suit Dubai World's corporate goals, was launched in 2006 in association with Wharton School, aiming to enhance the strategic thinking and leadership capabilities of the hand-picked participants from the holding company's various subsidiary units. Wharton Executive Education employs specially-developed methods to hone their skills and enable them to assume future leadership positions in the group. The first two batches graduated in 2007 and 2008 respectively.
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© Press Release 2009
