Senior Executive Leadership Program—Middle East

Change is everywhere in the Middle East today as countries seek to diversify their economies and encourage new industries. The region's complex business environment is surrounded by distinct political and economic challenges in each country and an uncertain global economy. Businesses seeking opportunities for growth in the region need exceptional leaders—executives who are bold decision-makers, global thinkers, and skilled strategists.

The Senior Executive Leadership Program—Middle East (SELPME) will prepare leaders for this evolving scenario. Taught in a series of modules offered in Boston and Dubai, this business management program will help you become a more capable leader who can deliver value in the global context, drive new levels of innovation, and build accountable, high-performance organizations.

Senior Executive Leadership Program—Middle East

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A Comprehensive Learning Journey

Grow
Grow

Experience an in-depth curriculum taught by HBS faculty that gives you the knowledge and tools to advance as a business leader, maximize your organization’s potential, and gain a competitive advantage.

Interact
Interact

Immerse yourself in the business and tech ecosystems of Dubai and Boston to gain insights from industry experts, engage with high-achieving peers from around the globe, and expand your network.

Execute
Execute

Turn insight into action through dynamic case discussions, engaging small group exercises, and a value mapping strategy project. Make an immediate and direct impact on your organization’s business goals.

Key Takeaways

HBS Alumni Status

Join a global community of successful executives. Your HBS experience continues to deliver benefits long after the program ends. Graduates of the Senior Executive Leadership Program—Middle East become alumni of Harvard Business School, joining a network of highly accomplished executives.
As a lifetime member of the HBS alumni community, you will be able to:

Curriculum

Strategy

  • Practicing strategic thinking
  • Building strategic advantage through service and operational excellence
  • Creating customer value and building brands
  • Designing and executing growth strategies
  • Driving corporate performance

Leadership

  • Leading teams and managing talent
  • Driving organizational change
  • Becoming a more effective negotiator
  • Managing corporate finance
  • Leading an accountable organization

Innovation

  • Developing a more innovative organization
  • Understanding and promoting design thinking
  • Leveraging digital technologies
  • Becoming an entrepreneurial leader

Globalization

  • Understanding the global economy
  • Building businesses in emerging markets
  • Expanding your global perspective

Program Calendar

Module 1

1 week in Boston

Imperatives for Today's Organizations and Leaders

  • Think entrepreneurially about your company and its offerings in the context of the local, regional, and global business environment
  • Explore the dynamics of globalization
  • Recognize the opportunities and challenges created by the interactions among business, government, and the international economy
  • Identify, evaluate, and select high-potential opportunities in developed or emerging markets

Module 2

2 weeks in Dubai

Creating Innovative, High-Performance Organizations

  • Design and execute sound competitive strategies and growth plans, focused on specific markets
  • Nurture a culture of innovation—in services, organizational structures, and business processes
  • Embrace the strategic and tactical opportunities presented by new technologies and trends
  • Create corporate value by strengthening financial management
  • Translate corporate mission and strategy into a comprehensive set of performance measures
  • Improve management-board relationships while strengthening governance, accountability, and risk management

Module 3

2 weeks in Dubai

Creating Customer Value and Strategic Advantage

  • Adapt your leadership style to the needs of your team and your organization
  • Foster a culture of customer-centricity and deliver what customers truly value
  • Develop service excellence as a competitive advantage
  • Update your brand strategy to better represent your company's goals
  • Determine your company's ideal size—and whether to operate locally, regionally, or globally
  • Refine your personal leadership strategy with an action plan for added value

Module 4

2 weeks in Boston

Becoming a Transformational Leader

  • Invest in and empower the people who will enable your organization to succeed
  • Recognize and exploit disruptive opportunities that drive change
  • Maximize the value of partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions
  • Embrace corporate accountability and use leadership to drive strategic goals

Special Program Features

Living/learning group work

This four-module program creates the opportunity to build close, trusting relationships with a diverse group of peer executives who can understand your challenges—but are not part of your organization. Throughout the program, you will work with a small group of peers who will stimulate your learning as you:

  • Absorb global insights by working with executives from different countries, cultures, and professional backgrounds
  • Share diverse perspectives as you discuss cases and assignments
  • Complete small group exercises and projects as a team
  • Give and receive feedback and advice—personal and professional—in a safe environment

While on the HBS campus in Boston, you will share social space with your living group, forging relationships that serve as a valuable source of peer feedback, support, and advice.

360-degree feedback assessment

Through a customized 360-degree assessment of your current skills, you will examine your leadership and management strengths and identify areas for improvement.

Professional coaching

Each living group works with a professional coach to optimize group dynamics and maximize the value of the group learning experience. In addition, your coach will work with you one-on-one to help you develop a personal leadership style that works for you.
Using the 360-degree feedback assessment tool as a starting point, your personal coach will work closely with you to identify your strengths, target areas for improvement, and help you develop a personal action plan for ongoing development. All coaching sessions are strictly confidential, giving you the freedom to share your personal goals and professional challenges.

Value Mapping Strategy Project

Throughout the program, you will work on an individual project that addresses a strategic challenge facing your organization. You will:

  • Utilize a powerful framework for analyzing the value of your offering or business line, considering value from the customer's perspective
  • Compare your own offering with those of competitors
  • Refine your competitive strategy and develop a short presentation based on feedback from faculty, peers, and your personal coach
  • Share your Value Mapping Strategy project with your organization and team, and develop an action plan for driving changes that will improve value and sustain success

Faculty

Every Harvard Business School Executive Education program is developed and taught by HBS faculty who are widely recognized as skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors. In the Senior Executive Leadership Program—Middle East, participants will have the privilege of working with four Senior Associate Deans from HBS, in addition to 10 award-winning senior faculty. Through publishing, consulting, and teaching, HBS faculty leverage their business expertise and field-based research to develop enduring concepts that shape the practice of management. The result is an Executive Education teaching team whose groundbreaking insights challenge participants' thinking and enable them to become superior business leaders.

Tarun Khanna
Tarun Khanna
Faculty Chair | Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor
Note: Faculty list is subject to change

Who Should Attend

The program is ideal for:

Past Participant Profiles

Job Titles*
  • Chief Executive Officer
  • Board Member and Partner
  • Chief Financial Officer
  • Chief Operating Officer
  • Deputy Executive Director
  • Deputy Governor
  • General Manager
  • Chief Administrative Officer
  • Chief Information Officer
  • Consultant—Medical Doctor
  • Deputy General Manager
  • Director
*Partial list
Countries*
  • UAEUAE
  • EgyptEgypt
  • IndiaIndia
  • JordanJordan
  • KuwaitKuwait
  • MoroccoMorocco
  • RussiaRussia
  • BahrainBahrain
  • FranceFrance
  • IraqIraq
  • KenyaKenya
  • LebanonLebanon
  • PakistanPakistan
  • Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia
*Partial list
Organizations*
  • ADIA
  • DGCX
  • Deloitte
  • Emirates REIT
  • Equate
  • Finance House
  • Gencallar
  • Joyalukkas
  • The Royal Court of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
  • Sarooj
  • STC
*Partial list

Is SELPME Right For You?

This program is designed for experienced senior executives who are general managers or functional leaders. It is particularly appropriate for those assuming new responsibilities or driving new growth initiatives in organizations that have experienced success within the Middle East, whether on their own or with regional partners. Participants could represent a number of organizations, including:

Participant Testimonials

Dates and Fees

Module Date Location Program Fee
Module 1 25 FEB – 01 MAR 2024 HBS Campus US$75,000 plus Value Added Tax (VAT)
Module 2 19–31 MAY 2024 Taj Dubai, Dubai, UAE
Module 3 15–27 SEP 2024 Taj Dubai, Dubai, UAE
Module 4 02–13 DEC 2024 HBS Campus

Participants should expect to spend approximately 25 hours on self-paced case preparation prior to attending Module 1 of the program. Case materials will be made available approximately two weeks prior to program start.

Note: The program fee covers tuition, books, case materials, accommodations, and most meals.

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