Dubai International Financial Centre hosts the first Open Day of The Academy

Wednesday 14 February 2018
Arif Amiri, Chief Executive Officer at DIFC Authority
Dubai - MENA Herald:

Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the leading financial hub in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia region (MEASA), held today the first Open Day of The Academy at DIFC, a state-of-the-art facility in DIFC for the promotion of excellence in business and financial services. The Open Day welcomed representatives from The Academy’s partners and the DIFC vibrant community.

As the leading financial hub in the region with the largest cluster of financial services institutions, the DIFC is uniquely positioned to facilitate the accumulation of financial knowledge and talent. Over the past decade, the DIFC has leveraged this position to provide world class professional development and higher learning courses and seminars for its dynamic community consisting of more than 22,000 individuals. As the latest addition to the Centre’s ecosystem, The Academy strengthens the DIFC’s commitment to the development of human capital that can contribute to shaping the future of finance.

In his welcome remarks, Arif Amiri, Chief Executive Officer at DIFC Authority, said: “The Academy at DIFC is a key pillar of our commitment to the development of human capital in the region. It complements the DIFC ecosystem with an environment that supports and ensures the availability of skilled financial professionals. Thanks to our prestigious partners, we were able to create a world-class education platform for UAE nationals, residents and professionals to enhance their financial knowledge and pursue higher education. We believe that The Academy will play an integral role in attracting talent to the financial industry and in supporting the development of a knowledge-based economy in the UAE in the future.”

The Open Day featured presentations and talks by senior executives from The Academy’s partners, including: Dr. Kevin Dunseath, Regional Director MENA, City, University of London; Nassim Abu Ershaed, Vice President - Corporate Partnership, Financial Times IE Business School Corporate Learning Alliance; François Ortalo-Magne, Dean, London Business School; Monica Dafcik, Senior Director Corporate partnerships, EMEA, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania as well as Goulam Amarsy, President, Harvard Business School Club of the GCC.

Launched in Q4 2017, The Academy aims to provide professional development and higher learning courses for young professionals. In partnership with world-renowned institutions, such as City, University of London; and London Business School, the curriculum offers a diverse range of educational programmes, workshops and seminars throughout the year.

Programmes offered at The Academy cover the latest themes and trends in the financial services industry, such as FinTech, which will be presented by the FTIE Corporate Learning Alliance, Advanced Islamic Finance by The Wharton School and Leadership seminars by the London Business School.

Located in the DIFC Gate Village, Building 2, The Academy is equipped with the latest technologies and audio-visual infrastructure. It comprises 3 large auditoriums, 21 seminar rooms, 3 lecture halls, a library and resources centre, and individual and group study areas.

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