Dubai, UAE; November 30, 2023:  Strathclyde Business School (SBS), located in Dubai Knowledge Park, Dubai, is set to hold a series of workshops and seminars on sustainability next week, alongside COP28 taking place in Dubai.

December 7: Exploring Sustainable Futures
Professor Emma Macdonald, Charles Huang Chair in International Business at Strathclyde Business School in Glasgow, will host a workshop on Exploring Sustainable Futures.

Emma Macdonald was co-investigator on a 3-year EU FP7 project on ‘Sustainable Lifestyles’, presenting ‘The Sustainable Futures Game’ in the Green Zone at Glasgow’s COP26. Emma’s publications in sustainability and marketing have appeared in top-ranked academic journals and one of her papers on partnerships for sustainable innovation has recently received a 5-Year ‘High Impact’ Prize in the Journal of Product Innovation Management. Her most recent paper on policy for sustainable entrepreneurship appears in Journal of Cleaner Production.

Professor Macdonald will be hosting and facilitating a workshop on Exploring Sustainable Futures for invited leaders and alumni. This workshop utilises a gamified approach to enable participants to engage in strategic decision-making methods for a sustainable future. Participants will interact with policymakers, entrepreneurs, and the 'public voice,' adapting to changes in the economy, technology, and society.

December 10: Green Skills for Green Jobs: Educating the Workforce for Sustainable Future

This panel discussion is open to all with an interest in Green Skills for Green Jobs: Educating the Workforce for Sustainable Future seminar. This is an opportunity for professionals, entrepreneurs and students to gain insight into the latest trends, technologies, and strategies driving the green job market. With a focus on building a sustainable future through education and skill development,  the event is designed to equip participants with the essential green skills needed to thrive in the ever-evolving job landscape.

The seminar is hosted by Dr Scott M. Strachan, Teaching Fellow of Electronic & Electrical Engineering at the University of Strathclyde, Prof. Dr. Ghanim Kashwani, a renowned professor of Civil Engineering Practice, based in the UAE, Oluwasegun Sonola, Head of Governance, Risk and Compliance within the risk advisory practice of BDO UAE, and Mohamed Al-Ali, Managing Director and Head of Global Transaction and Banking sales at First Abu Dhabi Bank.

Dr. Strachan has conducted numerous research projects. As a Principal Teaching Fellow his focus is now on Education for Sustainable Development and he is ESD lead in the University’s Centre for Sustainable Development and Co-Convenor of the ESD Topic Support Network for Learning for Sustainability Scotland, a UN Regional Centre of Expertise. Scott also Chairs the University’s ESD Working Group and Strathclyde Climate Ambassadors’ Networks (StrathCAN), which won the 2022 UK & Ireland Green Gown Award for Student Engagement with Climate Education workshops.

Dr. Kashwani is a Fellow Chartered Civil Engineer (CEng-FICE) of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), UK, and a Fellow of the Energy Institute (EI), UK. Notably, Ghanim's trajectory encompasses a substantial tenure as a Team Leader at the renowned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), wherein his industriousness left an indelible mark. He has been entrusted with the distinction of being the inaugural president of the Council of Young Arab Researchers, a coveted role bestowed by the Arab Youth Centre (AYC). For his contributions, Ghanim was honored with the Most Engaged CEN Alumni Award by the College of Engineering (CEN) at the American University of Sharjah (AUS).

Mohamed Al-Ali graduated from the MBA program at SBS in 2009. He has 25 years’ experience in banking and is a Certified Chartered Manager CMgr FCMI. Oluwasegun Sonola holds an MBA from SBS and a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering. His MBA thesis was focused on the development and implementation of corporate sustainability strategy and practices - a case study of UAE corporate organisations. During the MBA programme, he also completed an elective in Sustainability Practices and Perspectives and coursework on sustainability in marketing strategies.

To attend this event and for more information, please visit

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/763829262887?aff=oddtdtcreator

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For interview requests and speaker profiles, please contact:

MEDIA CONTACTS - UAE

Jola Chudy | jola@jolachudy.net 

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About the University of Strathclyde

The University of Strathclyde is a leading international technological university based in the centre of Glasgow. Inspired by our founding principle as ‘a place of useful learning’, our mission is to make a positive difference to the lives of our students, to society and to the world.Strathclyde students benefit from an innovative and practical educational experience enhanced by its integration with our research capabilities, high-quality academic resources and an unparalleled industry engagement programme. The excellence of our research is evidenced by the growth in range and scale of our research collaborations and by our performance in the Research Excellence Framework 2021 where almost 90% was rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally-excellent’. We have redefined how we collaborate and work with industry, government and the third sector to ensure innovation and knowledge exchange are fundamental activities that deliver tangible impact. 

Strathclyde was named the Times Higher Education UK University of the Year 2019, the Sunday Times Good University Guide Scottish University of the Year 2020 and was awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education for its excellence in energy innovation in 2020 and for excellence in advanced manufacturing in 2022.

About Strathclyde Business School

Founded in 1948, the University of Strathclyde Business School is a pioneering, internationally renowned academic organisation that shapes and develops the business minds of tomorrow.  Strathclyde Business School is one of four faculties forming the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow and its subject departments and specialist units collaborate to provide a varied programme of specialist and cross-disciplinary courses. We have established international centres in Greece, UAE, Oman, Bahrain, and Malaysia, where we offer degrees such as the Strathclyde MBA and Masters in Fintech. Strathclyde Business School has held triple accreditation from the three main business school accreditation bodies – AMBA, EQUIS and AACSB – since 2004 and we were the first business school in Scotland to achieve triple accreditation. We were also the first business school in Scotland to be awarded the Small Business Charter Award, which recognizes our world-leading support for scaling Scottish firms through innovation, internationalization and leadership.  Strathclyde Business School has been recognised in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 for its world-leading research - with a GPA of 3.26, this positions SBS as the third-highest overall quality of all Scottish institutions as ranked by Times Higher Education (THE). Our departments and programmes also hold internationally recognised industry accreditations such as CIMA, ICAS, and CIPD.  Strathclyde Business School is recognised as the 2023 European Entrepreneurial University of the Year by the Accreditation Council for Entrepreneurial and Engaged Universities (ACEEU), the only globally-operating quality assurance body with a focus on acknowledging engagement and entrepreneurship in Higher Education.