NYU Abu Dhabi Launches First Executive MBA Programme Outside New York to Meet Regional Demand

Industry leaders are being given the opportunity to refine their professional skills through a programme launched by NYU Abu Dhabi’s business school. The Stern School of Business at NYU Abu Dhabi welcomed its inaugural executive MBA cohort this week, marking the business school's first executive programme outside New York.

Rob Salomon, dean of Stern at NYUAD, has been working on the programme for six years. "It's bringing together the best of both worlds – the rigour of the programming that we developed and designed in New York, and then tailoring it for here, for the realities of the Mena region," Mr Salomon told The National.

The 37 students include 21 nationalities and bring leadership experience from across many industries. "These are people who are accomplished in their fields and not just in the commercial side like finance consulting, tech [and] health care, but also in the government side as well," said Mr Salomon. The programme meets monthly from Friday to Sunday and also includes week-long residencies at global NYU sites, designed so experienced executives can continue working while pursuing their MBA degree.

Mr Salomon, an NYU alumnus with a master's degree and a PhD in international business and management, has been part of the Stern School of Business since 2005 and moved to Abu Dhabi three years ago. He believes the UAE capital is the perfect place for an executive MBA programme, especially given its economic diversification and growing market demand in recent years.

The goal of the new programme is to prepare executives for leadership roles in the country and the broader region as technology, finance, and AI become more integral. The curriculum will teach leaders both hard and soft skills, with Mr Salomon emphasizing that human-centred skills remain critical for leadership even as technical skills are impacted by AI.

Following the launch of Stern at NYUAD's full-time MBA programme last year, Mr Salomon notes that this is just the beginning for an expanded Stern portfolio in Abu Dhabi, citing tremendous opportunities to bring New York management training to the local market.