The Right Honourable David Wootton joins students, alumni and faculty members to celebrate Cass's achievements in the Middle East and North Africa

Dubai, UAE; February 23, 2012: Cass Business School announced today that the Lord Mayor of London, the Right Honourable David Wootton, attended an alumni event to celebrate the school's achievements in the Middle East and North Africa.  The Lord Mayor of London led a delegation of UK business leaders, in his capacity as Chancellor of City University London, of which Cass Business School is a part. 

The Lord Mayor addressed students, alumni and faculty members as well as senior members of DIFC at an event that took place in the Capital Club, Dubai. The theme of his speech was the important role that education plays in furthering strong bi-lateral ties between the UAE and the UK. The Lord Mayor also took time to interact with attendees about the key issues that currently affect the global financial landscape.

Rt. Hon. David Wootton, the Lord Mayor of London said, "As Lord Chancellor of City University London and its Cass Business School, I am delighted to attend the Cass Alumni reception in Dubai. The popularity of the Cass and City programmes - with over 1800 alumni and students in the Middle East and North Africa - is a testament to the Institution's excellent reputation." 

"The Cass Dubai Centre has established itself as a dynamic academic hub at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). We hope the brightest and best young people will continue to apply to the programmes at Cass, both in London and Dubai, in order to help maintain its world leading reputation."

The Lord Mayor's reception has become an annual highlight in the Cass Business School Dubai Centre's calendar. Its state-of-the-art campus was opened in the Dubai International Financial Centre in 2007 and has been home to over 250 executives and professionals studying on Cass's international acclaimed Executive MBA programme.  Cass's EMBA programme was the first in the world to offer specialist modules in Islamic Finance and Energy.     

Abdulla Mohammed Al Awar, CEO of DIFC Authority said, "In this dynamic and fast changing world, professional education and development is more critical and important than it has ever been. With the transformation taking place across our region and indeed across the world, professionals must ensure they have the skills and tools required to remain at the cutting edge of innovation in their respective sectors. There is no template or a textbook to chart the landmark roads to success. There are however tools to use, such as the programme at Cass Business School. We, at DIFC, are proud to be place a premium on professional development".

Ehsan Razavizadeh, Regional Director of Cass Business School said, "We are delighted to welcome our Chancellor to the UAE. The Lord Mayor's visit is an excellent opportunity for our ever-growing body of students and alumni to gain valuable insights into the global financial industry. Today, graduates of Cass Business School's Dubai EMBA programme are employed the world over, but the City of London remains a key destination for many of our alumni." 

The annually-elected Lord Mayor is the head of the City of London Corporation and acts as ambassador for the UK-financial services industry, typically spending three months a year leading City business delegations overseas and promoting London's business credentials abroad. 

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About Sir John Cass Business School:
Cass Business School 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. Cass 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 has the largest faculties of Finance and Actuarial Science and Insurance in the region.  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.

The Cass Dubai Centre was established in 2007 in collaboration with Dubai International Financial Centre. It is a regional centre of educational excellence for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and offers a number of courses, including an internationally renowned Executive MBA (EMBA) programme; tailor-made executive education programmes for companies and public institutions across the region; and MSc programmes in Aviation.

Cass's EMBA programme in Dubai currently offers over 250 executives and professionals an opportunity to combine demanding work schedules with an internationally acclaimed EMBA nearer to their home and work environments.  Cass EMBA in Dubai is tailored to the agendas of the region's managers and business leaders, and is notable for being the world's first programme to offer specialist Islamic Finance and Energy modules. The Dubai Centre also runs City University London's MSc programmes in Aviation. City University London, of which Cass is a part, has been running Masters courses in Air Transport Management, Air Safety Management and Aircraft Maintenance Management since 1997. The MSc programmes have over 400 students worldwide, including 90 current students from the Gulf region. In 2011, Cass Dubai Centre established an advisory board to provide advice and support in the region. For more information visit: www.cass.city.ac.uk/dubaicentre

For Cass Business School press information contact:
Liam Turner / Tameem Al Kintar
ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller
Tel: +971 433 44550
E-mail: l.turner@asdaa.com / t.alkintar@asdaa.com

© Press Release 2012