Dubai, UAE, May 11th 2010: HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Supreme Fiscal Committee and Chairman of Emirates Group, celebrated the graduation of the first ever cohort of Cass Business School Dubai Executive MBA (EMBA) students yesterday during a ceremony held at DIFC. 

Launched in 2007 in association with DIFC, nineteen of the EMBA's first students graduated at the ceremony last night, after completing the 24 month programme that offers two specialisations: Islamic Finance and Energy - a world first for an EMBA.

HE Ahmed Humaid Al Tayer, Governor of DIFC said: "The availability of a large number of talented and skilled business professionals is crucial for our region to effectively take advantage of the opportunities that growth and change are bringing. DIFC has brought together a variety of programmes that enable professionals to benefit from the very best of global management thinking, research and practice. The availability of these programmes gives UAE and GCC Nationals an exceptional opportunity to obtain globally top-ranked executive education within the region. Programmes like the Cass Executive MBA help executives in the region develop a truly global outlook while equipping them with the knowledge necessary to make greater contributions to their businesses and economies."

Abdulla Mohammed Al Awar, CEO of the DIFC Authority said: "World class executive education programmes like Cass's Executive MBA are crucial for business professionals to keep themselves at the forefront of the industry. The DIFC Centre of Excellence, from where Cass offers its programme, was established to bring together global programmes that can train and inspire professionals in developing new approaches to business challenges, and new business ideas and strategies. Partnering with global business schools like Cass Business School is part of DIFC's efforts to develop a large pool of dynamic professionals who can fuel the growth of the region's financial industry."

Richard Gillingwater, Dean of Cass Business School, commented on the success of the first group of Dubai-based EMBA students: "Cass Business School has successfully offered Executive MBA programmes in London for several years now, and we are extremely proud that our first extension into the Middle East has been equally as rewarding. Judging by the achievements and the high calibre of the first cohort of graduates, the course will certainly serve the intellectual needs of the region and will allow executives to receive a world-class education at their doorstep."

The Cass EMBA is a flexible part-time course aimed at managers in the Gulf region who want to accelerate their career development whilst remaining in full-time employment. The course is comprised of the same content as Cass's London-based Executive MBA, which is ranked second in the UK and fourth in Europe by the Financial Times.

Students graduating from the first Dubai EMBA programme include top level executives from across the Gulf region, representing sectors including energy, engineering, finance, legal, government and telecommunications.

Cass Business School is ranked in the top 10 UK business schools for business, management and finance, and classes for the Executive MBA are delivered by Cass academics who visit Dubai over a long weekend once a month. These lectures are supported by the School's online learning platform, CassLearn, which is used for online tutorials, group discussion and research.

The course's comprehensive electives cover topics such as Leadership and Change Management, Advanced Corporate Strategy, Islamic Economics, Islamic Law of Business Transactions, Islamic Banking and Finance, as well as Mergers and Acquisitions, Advanced Corporate Finance and Private Equity.

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About DIFC
The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) is an onshore hub for global finance. It bridges the time gap between the financial centres of Hong Kong and London and services a region with the largest untapped emerging market for financial services. In just five years, over 850 firms have registered at DIFC. They operate in an open environment complemented with world-class regulations and standards. DIFC offers its member institutions incentives such as 100 per cent foreign ownership, zero tax on income and profits and no restrictions on foreign exchange. In addition their business benefits from modern infrastructure, operational support and business continuity facilities of uncompromisingly high standards.  

About Cass Business School
Cass Business School, City University, London, delivers innovative, relevant and forward-looking education, training, consultancy and research. Located in the heart of one of the world's leading financial centres, Cass is the business school for the City of London. 

Our MBA, specialist Masters and undergraduate degrees have a global reputation for excellence, and the School supports nearly 100 PhD students.  Cass offers the widest portfolio of specialist Masters programmes in Europe and our Executive MBA is ranked 21st in the world by the Financial Times.

Cass has the largest faculties of Finance and Actuarial Science and Insurance in Europe.  It is ranked in the top 10 UK business schools for business, management and finance research and 90% of the research output is internationally significant.  

Cass is a place where students, academics, industry experts, business leaders and policy makers can enrich each other's thinking. For further information visit: www.cass.city.ac.uk.

For PR inquiries on the DIFC, please contact:
Amira Abdulla
Director - Regional Public Relations
Dubai International Financial Centre
Tel: +971 4 362 2433
Email: amira.abdulla@difc.ae

Shaima Al Zarouni
Assistant PR Manager
Dubai International Financial Centre
Tel: +971 4 362 2432
E-mail: shaima.alzarouni@difc.ae

Iman Ahmad
Regional Media Relations Manager
Dubai International Financial Centre
Tel: +971 4 362 2685
E-mail: iman.ahmad@difc.ae

For more information contact:
Rima Salman / Georgia Thompson
Polaris Public Relations
Tel : 04 3415555
Email : r.salman@polaris-me.com / g.thompson@polaris-me.com

© Press Release 2010