What was your role at the time you enrolled in your first program at MIT? What prompted you to enroll?
I am working in Mashreq Bank, one of the private leading financial institution in the United Arabs Emirates. Initially, before I enrolled in my first program at MIT, I was promoted to Vice President of Origination and Business Development Unit within the Corporate and Investment Banking Group. This was five months before joining MIT, after working in Construction/Contracting finance for several years. My team and I are responsible for go to market strategy and developing Bank’s Profile in the local business and the broader community by originating and delivering the bank products and services for corporate banking customers.
The thing that prompted me to enroll at MIT was the desire to get into an executive education programs that would outfit my life and enhance my leadership style. I also wanted to diversify my skills and knowledge, as well as know how to use the technology innovation in the age of digital transformation in business management, strategy, and leadership. In 2018, I decided to take a 1-year education leave from my work and moved to the USA to pursue my master’s in finance at Hult International Business School, in addition to Financial accounting courses from Harvard Business School. Being an individual who always adores in joining the leading and professional Schools, I felt that MIT was the best choice to pick for executive programs certification due to its global reputation in technology, innovations, artificial intelligence, leadership, strategy, and management. I always aim to be one of the best leaders, and all of the above programs are crucial for leaders and decision-makers. In addition to the feedback I have received from previous participants which eased my decision to enroll.
Did you always intend to earn the Advanced Certificate for Executives (ACE)?
Initially, I had not planned to earn the ACE certificate because of its long duration of the pursuing period. A lot of individuals whom I know that have earned the three tracks certificates made it in 2 to 4 years or more in multiple visits; this always challenged me from earning the ACE certificate. My 2019 plan was to earn an MIT Sloan Executive Certificate in Strategy and Innovation, plus MIT Sloan Executive Certificate in Technology and Operations. I had planned to take the Executive Certificate in Management and Leadership and ACE in the future as I was pursuing my master’s degree, and I found it difficult and challenging to take both programs. However, after some time, I sat down and started designing my full-year multiple programs where my focus was to earn the three tracks. I was so excited to be a part of the MIT community. I enjoyed each program, and I loved every minute I spent on campus and especially, class meetings, discussions, sharing the experience with the expertise and business leaders from all over the world. I interacted with people from a wide range of industries; starting from technology to energy to healthcare to communications to financial services to manufacturing, as well as government and non-government organizations. All these encounters on the campus encouraged my professional development, and I decided to go for ACE.
"I felt that MIT was the best choice to pick for executive programs certification due to its global reputation in technology, innovations, artificial intelligence, leadership, strategy, and management."
What are some of the specific challenges that you came to MIT to solve, or the skills you were hoping to acquire?
I am seeking top-tier education from MIT. When I approached the MIT executive team to ask about the courses and class offered, they told me that MIT not only provides a normal program of lecture-based classes, but also provides a remarkable chance to share experiences with high-level executives from different countries, industries, businesses, and cultures. I liked the idea as this would enable me to interact with top minds and benchmark my challenges with theirs.
Not only that, but also opening up my mind by adopting new ways of thinking about business and how to increase motivation and boost innovation in the work.
Do you have favorite courses or professors, and why?
Courses and professors are all phenomenal. When selecting the courses, I was so keen that it was in line with my needs. One of the most exciting courses is Managing Technical Professionals and Organizations; this course focuses on issues critical to the effective management of technical professionals and cross-functional teams. The course also provides in-depth information on how to improve team collaboration. I liked the examples provided by Professor Ralf Katz on how to manage people in stressful situations and how to motivate them.
The other course is Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Business Strategy. This course was terrific; it challenged me on strategic planning for digital transformation, understand implications on employees, jobs, and associated ethical concerns as well as economic and societal issues they raise. The weekly individual assignment helped me to know how to apply the Artificial Intelligence in different sectors, and how to benefit from it from the organization and customers’ side. In the sixth week of this course, I structured a roadmap for the strategic implementation of an artificial intelligence technology in banking sector, focusing on machine learning, natural language processing, and robotics. I’m looking forward to implementing my planned strategy and what I learned soon.
My other favorite course is Leading Change in Complex Organizations. This course presented innovative perspectives on organizational challenges, offering proven tools and frameworks. It was also instrumental in understanding the processes required to make changes. The simulation we did in the class equipped us with the best approach to lead changes in the current organizations’ complexities.
And the other course I found interesting is Innovator's DNA: Mastering Five Skills for Innovative Disruption. This was one of the best Innovation courses I've attended in MIT; lecturers, Professor Hal Gregersen and Professor Phil Budden were amazing. The live discussions that I engaged in provided some insights into innovation. I will use this class knowledge in many facets of life; the experience will be useful in both personal and professional life. Generally, the faculty was amazing; the professors’ knowledge and their style of teaching were engaging, educational, impactful, and empowering.
What are some of the program takeaways that have most impacted your work?
MIT mind and hand philosophy supported by professional professors, various business cases, workshops, operational frameworks, technology innovations, concepts of how to build and improve strategies to lead the success of any organization, how to make an organization more agile, responsive, and creative, all these are some of the significant takeaways I have gained and aim to apply it in my work once I’m back in coming September.
What does it mean to you to be the first Emirati woman holding these certificates?
I am incredibly proud and honored to be the first woman from the United Arab Emirates to hold MIT Certificates. This achievement would not have been possible without the inspiration and support I received from my family for whom I fully respect. I would also like to say that I’m so lucky that I’m from a country where the leadership always empower and encourage the women to have a high level of education. They have high confidence in our capabilities as women to take up significant challenges and succeed in proving that we are capable of holding leadership positions and earning MIT certificates is a great accomplishment for me as an Emirati woman.