Randa Bessiso is the managing director of Manchester Business School Middle East in Dubai. Here she talks about getting more women on boards, executive education and the Financial Times business school rankings.
There has been a lot of discussion about women's representation on boards. What is your take on this?
Business education is an enabler for empowering women. It is absolutely a tool to help fulfil the vision to increase the number of women on boards. I believe it is happening, I know it will happen. I do see from experience that women on our business [programmes] tend to do very well. Many actually finish the MBA and use the tools to start up their own businesses. Arguably there is no glass ceiling if you own your own business, and good business education will support you to do that. We are extremely happy that in this intake - we recruit twice a year - we've witnessed an increase in the proportion of women on our programme rising up to 18 per cent. We are hoping to get it in the 20s and we are working towards this in a number of ways.
Many highly educated women leave the labour market when they marry or have children. How can that be addressed?
Our MBA programme or DBA [doctorate of business administration] is flexible, part time, it doesn't get in the way of business, your work, family. There isn't an excuse any more for progressing in higher education. The transformation in technologies has made it possible for us now to do business from the kitchen if we want to. Almost all the conferences I've been to [argue] we need legislation to empower women. If we want to do it, we go ahead and do it - we don't wait for society to give us regulations to empower us. We set the example and make sure that it's visible to enough relatively young women to inspire them.
You have also just introduced executive education to this part of the world. What prompted that?
We partnered with Dubai Knowledge Village and Dubai International Academic City to do research across the GCC countries. We asked [about] skills gaps and the requirements. Top areas that were suggested were with leadership, business planning and strategy. Our findings were translated into bringing a number of the expertise areas of MBS on bespoke, customised basis. It's part of the school's strategy to strengthen its relationship with the region. We are looking to expand our portfolio of programmes next year. Again, it's market-led in response to what [corporate] community has told us.
The FT business school rankings were announced last month. Manchester Business School moved up.
We've always been in the top 50 [but] we moved to 29 - that's exciting news. The DBA programme has consistently been number one for the past few years. The region represents 25 per cent of all DBA intake, [which] only accepts 30 students worldwide. So I feel proud about that. Hopefully we will have our very first graduation in Dubai at the end of this year. It will be the first graduation outside Manchester. Traditionally graduates go to the UK every December and July. We are bringing Manchester here.
lgutcher@thenational.ae
SM Town Live is on Friday, April 6 at Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai. Tickets are Dh375 at www.platinumlist.net
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Power: 905hp
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE BIO
Age: 33
Favourite quote: “If you’re going through hell, keep going” Winston Churchill
Favourite breed of dog: All of them. I can’t possibly pick a favourite.
Favourite place in the UAE: The Stray Dogs Centre in Umm Al Quwain. It sounds predictable, but it honestly is my favourite place to spend time. Surrounded by hundreds of dogs that love you - what could possibly be better than that?
Favourite colour: All the colours that dogs come in
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Tips from the expert
Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.
- Sellers should focus on providing high-quality used goods at attractive prices to buyers.
- It’s important to use clear and appealing photos, with catchy titles and detailed descriptions to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
- Try to advertise a realistic price to attract buyers looking for good deals, especially in the current environment where consumers are significantly more price-sensitive.
- Be creative and look around your home for valuable items that you no longer need but might be useful to others.
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Points about the fast fashion industry Celine Hajjar wants everyone to know
- Fast fashion is responsible for up to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions
- Fast fashion is responsible for 24 per cent of the world's insecticides
- Synthetic fibres that make up the average garment can take hundreds of years to biodegrade
- Fast fashion labour workers make 80 per cent less than the required salary to live
- 27 million fast fashion workers worldwide suffer from work-related illnesses and diseases
- Hundreds of thousands of fast fashion labourers work without rights or protection and 80 per cent of them are women
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
India squad
Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, K.L. Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur.
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