Riyadh: On Saturday 23 March 2019, a total of 160 candidates were interviewed for the second edition of the Qimam Fellowship, a program supported by a coalition of leading national and international organizations that aims to identify, develop, and empower the most promising and distinguished university students from Saudi Arabia to achieve their full potential. The candidates were put through their paces by 50 senior leaders and executives from the public and private sectors in Riyadh. Based on the outcomes of those interviews, 50 fellows will be admitted to join Qimam’s Fellowship Class of 2019 on 9 April.

More than 18,000 candidates applied to the program this year, a 40% increase from 13,000 applications in 2018. Out of the 18,000 candidates that applied, 160 were shortlisted and interviewed following a thorough and exhaustive selection process based on their academic achievements, their sense of initiative, and their exhibited degree of social responsibility and service to the community. Each shortlisted participant took part in two personal interviews, during which they were given the opportunity to highlight their accomplishments and shed light on their leadership journeys.

Qimam was founded by McKinsey & Company and firm alumnus Dr. Annas Abedin. It is funded by McKinsey and generously supported by Almosafer Company, which is covering all travel and accommodation related expenses of the fellowship.

Dr. Annas Abedin, co-founder of Qimam, said: "Last Saturday, when candidates from all over KSA were invited for the in-person interviews in Riyadh, the energy was extremely high. The Qimam team and the 50 executive partners who conducted the interviews were extremely impressed and inspired by the young leaders we had the opportunity to meet and concluded the event with a high sense of excitement about what the future may hold for us with such high-potential leaders ready to take on more responsibility.”

The program provides its fellows with leadership training by professionals from renowned companies, one-on-one mentorship from senior public and private sector leaders, visits to the Saudi Arabian offices of leading national and international companies, and membership in the Qimam Alumni Network. Upon completion of the program, fellows are recognized with an award for their distinctiveness during a high-profile ceremony, and their profiles are shared with leading human resources executives in Saudi Arabia to facilitate their career opportunities.

Tom Isherwood, Partner at McKinsey & Company said: “We have always been firm believers in the great potential of the Kingdom’s youth, and we are thrilled to see the commitment and initiative that thousands of young people are taking to shape their own careers and futures.

Our support for Qimam continues to be a demonstration of our commitment towards the development of Saudi Arabia and its youth.”

This year, 160 candidates from more than 40 universities were shortlisted. Of the 160 selected for the interview stage, 60% were female and 40% were male. They came from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines including medicine, health sciences, engineering specialties, business, law, among others.

“Qimam is a powerful combination of a leadership program and senior counseling from industry leaders. We are thankful for the executive who took the time to sit with us and give us advice, which we can practically apply today” said Mayada Saeed, one of the applicants.

Abdullah Bin Nasser Al-Dawood, Chairman of Almosafer, Qimam’s Travel Partner, said: “We are proud to continue our partnership with Qimam for a second year. As the leading travel and tourism group in the Middle East we embrace the opportunity of the power of travel to take us all further. To foster understanding amongst strangers, to connect and broaden minds, to breed tolerance and to accelerate learning for us all. 

It's important for our group to attract, develop and retain a group of talented, imaginative individuals. Qimam plays a key role in this by helping university students in and from Saudi Arabia achieve their full potential”.

The Qimam Fellowship is supported by 25 corporate partners, who are heavily involved in the selection and implementation processes, to ensure that the program identifies the most distinguished talent in KSA: Aberkyn, Al Arabiya News Channel, Al-Khaleejiah Advertising & Public Relations Company, Almosafer Company, Arabnet, Bab Rizq Jameel, Bupa Arabia, Careem, Cisco, General Electric, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSH&RC), Korn Ferry, Saudi Arabian Mining Company “Ma’aden", Majid Al Futtaim, McKinsey & Company, Microsoft, Oqal, Pearson, Rocket Internet, SAP, SMAAT, Saudi Pharmaceutical Industries & Medical Appliances Corporation (SPIMACO), Saudi Telecom Company (STC), STV, and Unilever.

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About Qimam:
Qimam is a fellowship program supported by a coalition of leading national and international companies that aims to identify, develop, and empower the most promising and distinguished university students in and from Saudi Arabia to achieve their full potential. Qimam was founded by McKinsey & Company and Dr. Annas Abedin, a McKinsey alumnus and entrepreneur. It is funded by McKinsey and generously supported by Almosafer Company, which is covering all travel and accommodation related expenses of the fellowship.

© Press Release 2019

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