BrazilMcKinsey launches Abu Dhabi leadership development initiative
Global management firm McKinsey & Company has launched a leadership development programme for promising young professionals in Abu Dhabi.
McKinsey & Company, the world’s most prestigious management consulting firm, has launched the Qiyada Emerging Leaders programme in Abu Dhabi, a leadership development initiative which will see up to 20 ambitious Emirati professionals immersed in a year-long training schedule designed to produce the next generation of national leaders. The programme will commence in January, with applications now open.
“This is a unique programme that focuses on elements that are uncommon in typical training programmes,” commented local McKinsey Associate Partner Maitham Albaharna. “It brings together everything we know about leadership development, lays the foundations for the introspective work of self-discovery, self-definition and self-shaping. These elements of personal growth are key to enabling original leadership and are often decisive in times of transformation.”
Running from January to December in association with Aberkyn – a McKinsey co-founded leadership and change management consultancy which it purchased at the end of 2017 – the twelve month programme will include digital learning modules, leadership and personality assessments, networking and team-building exercises, one-on-one professional coaching, and in-person leadership-training forums led by distinguished industry experts. Guest speakers from leading organisations will also deliver keynotes.
“We are committed to leadership growth,” said Annette Bak Kirby and Rawan Albina, who lead Aberkyn’s hub for the Middle East, which is one of seven worldwide. “Our intent is to develop Abu Dhabi leaders into becoming among the best leaders for the world. The programme is devised to offer something unique. It does not focus on functional and technical skills, rather focused on the introspective work of self-discovery, self-definition, and self-shaping.”
The tailored programme isn’t however just for anyone. In addition to currently holding a managerial position and leading strategic projects across the local private and public sectors, candidates will also be required to “demonstrate a robust track record of achievement in their respective organisations,” along with exhibiting a strong desire for self-improvement and to lead and develop the skill-sets of colleagues.
And they will need to do so by the end of the month, when applications – to be assessed by talent acquisition specialists AP Partners through a rigorous selection process – close on the 30th of November. Positions will also be strictly reserved for UAE nationals, with a core function of the initiate being aimed at supporting local efforts toward workforce nationalisation. The programme, it is hoped, will unearth leaders who can help deliver on Abu Dhabi’s diversification agenda.
“Abu Dhabi is going through an ambitious transformation, one that requires the support of young, driven leaders,” said McKinsey senior partner and Abu Dhabi office head Rima Assi, who was herself selected this year as a WEF Young Global Leader alongside Boston Consulting's Lisa Ivers. “To foster this important effort… we hope to unlock both the personal and professional potential that will better equip participants to not only contribute to this transformation, but also help drive it.”
