Establishing “Excellence Alliance” and Providing Organizational Excellence and Leadership Programmes, Co-operation and Strategic Partnership Agreements Signed by Abu Dhabi International Centre for Organizational Excellence

Under the patronage of HE Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education & Scientific Research, the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ADCCI)’s Abu Dhabi International Centre for Organizational Excellence (ADICOE) yesterday’s noon signed cooperation and strategic partnership agreements with 6 world-class universities; namely, the UK Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, Cambridge Leadership Associates (CLA), London Business School, the Singapore Civil Service College and the UK National School of Government.

In the presence of a number of senior officials of ADCCI, ADICOE, as well as of high-ranking executives of the said universities, the agreements were signed for the ADCCI’s ADICOE by its Board Chairman and ADCCI Director-General HE Mohammed Rashed Al-Hameli; for the Oxford University by Mr. Neil Selby, International Affairs’ Director at Said Business School; for the Cambridge University by Dr. Lawrence Abeln, Director of Executive Education; for the London Business School by Mr. Rahul Dhadphale, Regional Director Middle East; for the National School of Government UK by Chris Cooper, Director of Organizational Capability; for the Singapore Civil Service College by Katherine Goh, Deputy Director of Civil Service College International; and for Cambridge Leadership Associates by both Dany Chakhtoura and Ghaleb Darabya.

Mr. Al-Hameli praised the considerable support being given to both the ADCCI and its ADICOE by President HH Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his honest Crown Prince General HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, commending such massive and limitless back-up, which enabled the chamber to float and implement its initiatives, especially in the field of grooming and training public and private organizations for earning awards of quality and organizational excellence, not to mention the centre’s major role in disseminating a culture of distinction and corporate excellence by means of the variety of services being rendered to state and private organizations in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the UAE, as well as to GCC countries at large.

Following the signing ceremony of the cooperation and strategic partnership agreements, Mr. Al-Hameli said: “This achievement and the present first ever agreements at such a level with these leading world-class universities could not have been a reality but for Their Highnesses’ support to both the ADCCI and the ADICOE,” stressing the importance of such agreements in relation to the business sector and to the entire economic, services and financial communities in Abu Dhabi and the UAE as leadership-related training and educational programmes are going to provided through the said pacts.

Such agreements and strategic partnerships with internationally-renowned universities are a genuine expression of the chamber’s full commitment and its unlimited support for the Abu Dhabi-based business sectors. They are also part of making available the best programmes and expertise in a manner serving and in unison with the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030, enhancing socio-economic development and making a direct contribution to sustainable all-out development in Abu Dhabi and the UAE through executives-oriented unique professional educational programmes that would be provided by both the ADICOE and these leading universities in Abu Dhabi and nation-wide, ADICOE Board Chairman underlined, noting that the centre is going as well to highly professionally offer exceptional opportunities in higher international education and training for the business sector, economic communities, as well as for the ADCCI members.

For his own part, Professor Hadi Altijani, ADICOE CEO, said that such agreements and strategic partnerships with the aforementioned universities are in general terms the first of their kind in the region, in Abu Dhabi and in the UAE, pointing out that the pacts are mostly noted for gathering together for the first time the most important academic and educational institutions so that they can join hands in a spirit of genuine and strategic partnership with a view to design and provide programmes agreed upon in respect of human resources and leadership programmes in Abu Dhabi, the UAE and the GCC States.

The ADICOE has selected an elite of the best governmental and private organizations in Abu Dhabi in what is called the “Excellence Alliance” encompassing organizations, departments and companies that are excellence award-winners in the private and the public sectors and ones that have contributed actively to enriching the domestic arena with the best practices in quality and organizational excellence. They have been also instrumental in bringing to the limelight leaders well known for their competence and effectiveness. This group of organizations, departments and companies are the ones with which the members of the Excellence Alliance; that is, the six world-class universities and the ADICOE, will deal as regards turning such efficient parties into “a centre for cognitive thinking” of which use can be made by decision-makers for suggesting innovative solutions designed to foster leadership capabilities of citizens and other employees in the UAE institutions.

With this alliance joining an Emirati centre of excellence operating inside the UAE in a strategic relationship, it would reinforce the credibility of training and professional programmes being provided by the centre and such programmes are going necessarily to take the utmost advantage of similar ones being introduced by those universities. Alternatively, it would allow members of the Excellence Alliance to actively and permanently network via the ADICOE with their counterparts in the academic colleges of the said universities, Mr. Altijani emphasized, noting that certificates would be conferred by these universities with an internationally renowned proven reputation on participants in the accredited leadership programmes.

“Oxford’s Said Business School has a background of leadership development experience in Abu Dhabi, having successfully delivered over 30 leadership programmes to more than 300 senior government participants over the last 3 years. Oxford leadership development programmes are characterized by best practice in theory, contextual application and innovative research. A unique feature is Oxford’s renowned tutorial approach enabling organizational, team and personal transformation. The Excellence Alliance offers the opportunity to combine best practice experience in leadership development from many of the world’s leading Business Schools for the benefit of both the public and private sector of Abu Dhabi. Oxford University’s Said Business School believes its in-depth knowledge, its fist hand experience of leadership development and its knowledge base of contextually relevant Abu Dhabi transformational case histories will be of benefit to the Alliance’s goals,” the Dean of Oxford’s Said Business School stated.

For his own part, Dr. Lawrence S. Abeln, CEO, Cambridge Executive Education, said: “The University of Cambridge is delighted to partner with the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry and our other academic partners in the Excellent Alliance. This initiative is both important to the region and supportive of the leadership development agenda. The unique approach of the programme integrates the best practices of private and public sector organizations in the region with the knowledge and innovative content from key academic partners to build the competencies and capabilities of future leaders”.

While a spokeswoman for the Singapore Civil Service College said: “The Singapore Civil Service College congratulates the Abu Dhabi International Centre of Excellence for pioneering the Excellence Alliance which marks a new milestone in institutional collaborations. ADICOE has provided a collaborative framework and unprecedented platform for dialogue and cooperation amongst the best institutions to join hands in the design and implementation of leadership development programmes. The College is committed to be part of the affiliation that provides excellent opportunities to develop new learning, partnerships and relationships between our governments, institutions and peoples”.

“We are pleased to partner with the Abu Dhabi International Centre for Organizational Excellence so as to develop an international programme intended to nurture the skills of the region’s private and public sectors’ employees. Such cooperation denotes our commitment towards the region and to expand our activities to include executive education. It is also indicative of our non-stop endeavour to interact with leading regional organizations for purposes of disseminating excellence in executive education,” Rahul Dhadphale from the Centre for Management Development of London Business School stated.

“As the UK Government’s prime provider of learning and development to the UK public service for over forty years, the National School of Government is delighted to be a partner in the Excellence Alliance. In addition to our work in the UK we have been closely involved in developing leadership skills in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi through our prestigious Top Management Programme. We are looking forward to working with our other world-class partners in the Excellence Alliance and commend ADICOE for its vision and energy in establishing this initiative. It will undoubtedly make a valuable contribution to the development of Emirati future leaders in both the private and public sectors,” a spokesman for the UK National School of Government said.

For their own part, the Cambridge Leadership Associates affirmed that “CLA are very pleased to partner with the Abu Dhabi International Centre of Organizational Excellence in designing and implementing world-class leadership development programmes for the future leaders of Abu Dhabi. We are committed through this partnership to help Abu Dhabi advance its 2030 vision through genuine passion to make positive changes and thus creating enduring impact”.