Insead delves into notion of ‘business as a force for good’

Focusing on business as a force of good, the conference featured a keynote speech from Shaikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Department of Transport and the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, and an address from Dr Amal Abdullah Juma Al Qubaisi, director-general of the Abu Dhabi Education Council. Prominent business figures, including Andre Sayegh, chief executive officer of First Gulf Bank; Fadi Ghandour, founder and vice-chairman of Aramex; and Tommy Weir, founder and managing director of the Emerging Markets Leadership Centre, were among the industry luminaries who spoke at the conference.

Shaikh Sultan said: “Within a few decades, the UAE has become an international destination that is one of the world’s most desired places to visit, to do business and to reside in. For a country to really prosper, it needs to have businesses, regardless of how big or small. These businesses need to be set up for the benefit of all. You need to make sure that at the core, business is a force for growth, a force for prosperity and a force for the greater good. It means a better education, a better lifestyle, and a better future for our children and our children’s children. We’re setting up the system for future generations to explore their potential and take the country to an even superior plane of economic, political and cultural existence. Let your business be a force for good.”

Dr Al Qubaisi opened her speech by addressing the significance of the contribution of business and innovation to the betterment of society: “Abu Dhabi has long recognised that the marriage of business and innovation is central to economic prosperity. Abu Dhabi vision 2030 is about producing visionary business leaders that help diversify our economy by building new companies and creating new jobs that are anchored on the right values and high standards of ethics and practice.”

Delivering his opening address to the conference’s delegates, Ilian Mihov, Dean, Professor of Economics and Novartis Chaired Professor of Management and Environment, Insead said: “At Insead, it is our goal through teaching and leveraging our Global Business Leaders Conferences to drive meaningful dialogue and debate so as to nurture leaders and entrepreneurs who create tangible, long-lasting value, not only for their organisations but also for their communities.”

Miguel Lobo, Associate Professor of Decision Sciences and Director of Insead’s Abu Dhabi Campus added, “The Middle East plays an increasingly important role on the global economic stage and we are excited to harness some of the region’s most influential business minds at this year’s conference.”

— business@khaleejtimes.com