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Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation Hosts Delegation from Oxford University

Dubai: The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation hosted a group of 15 MBA students from Saïd Business School at Oxford University on a global study trip to the UAE as part of their efforts to assist students in achieving their academic aspirations.

The guests were received by Sultan Lootah, Executive Director for Entrepreneurship Development, and Saad Abbas, Acting Director for Human Capital Development at the Foundation. The visiting delegation was headed by Greg Novak, founder of the Novak Druce Centre for Professional Service Firms at the Saïd Business School at Oxford University, and Oliver Shiell, Director of Development and Corporate Relations at Saïd Business School. The students were led by Tarek Domiaty, one of the beneficiaries of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation's Scholarship Programme who is an MBA student at the Saïd Business School.

The students were briefed about the Foundation and its strategy and programs under Human Capital Development that would help in tackling the challenges faced by the Arab World and would aid in driving the Arab World towards knowledge based economies.

"We are glad to host students from a well respected academic institution such as Oxford University,” said Sultan Lootah. “During the visit, we focused on possible areas of collaboration, especially in knowledge-intensive sectors that may require support from leading educational institutions. This visit is in line with our endeavor to empower the future leaders of the Arab World through building alliances with countries and organizations that lead to tangible outcomes."

Greg Novak, the Managing Partner and CEO of Novak Druce + Quigg LLP, and an alumnus of the Saïd Business School’s MBA program commented,  "The work of the Foundation, especially in its areas focused on entrepreneurship and the development of human intellectual capital in the Arab World, is incredibly beneficial not only to this society and its economy, but ultimately to all of society and the global economy and competitive marketplace. Knowledge driven industries, such as those encouraged by the Foundation and Sultan Lootah, lead to enhanced development in science and technology and resulting intellectual property can lend further sustainable stability and growth to the Arab World. Our Firm, Novak Druce + Quigg, is encouraged by the work of the Foundation and that of Oxford University and its Saïd Business School in this part of our world.  We look to become active in the development and protection of intellectual property being developed in the Arab World in the near future."

The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation has entered into partnerships with top-tier regional and international universities to assist students in achieving their academic aspirations. Scholarships and other incentives are offered by the Foundation to promising students for pursuing higher studies under various initiatives.

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About Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation

The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation was founded on the personal initiative of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, with an endowment worth US$10 billion. The Foundation was announced by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed at the World Economic Forum on the Middle East held at the Dead Sea, Jordan, in May 2007. Through three strategic sectors of Culture, Knowledge and Education, as well as Entrepreneurship and Employment, the Foundation seeks to develop knowledge and human capabilities in the Arab world. The Foundation's three underlying principles are; Building the region's human capital with a pool of knowledgeable and talented individuals; Offering better opportunities for the region's younger generation to acquire knowledge and secure a better future; and Promoting leadership qualities among the younger generation to enhance their living standards.

About The Novak Druce Centre for Professional Service Firms

The Novak Druce Centre for Professional Service Firms, based at Oxford University's Saïd Business School, is a hub for academic research into professional service firms. First launched in 2005, the Centre brings together academics, practitioners and policy makers with an interest in the professions, professionals and professional service firms. The members of the Centre include some of the world's foremost thinkers in the field of professional service firms. Their work has been published in leading international journals as well as prize winning monographs. For more information, see http://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/centres/professionalservices/Pages/default.aspx