All-Emirati girls team from Higher Colleges of Technology wins 4th UAE Global Management Challenge

• Winners fend off competition from UAE teams comprising over 900 participants
• Team of 4 students to vie for international title in Doha next month
• UAE to host Global Finals of the Global Management Challenge in 2018

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 22, 2017:  An all-Emirati girls team comprising of students from the Higher Colleges of Technology, has been declared the winner of the 4th edition of the UAE Global Management Challenge, the world’s largest strategy and management competition for students and professionals. 

After several rounds of intense challenges, team United Spirits came out on top fending off competition from eight teams in the final round. This is the first time an all-Emirati team has won the competition. 

The 4th edition of the competition has seen unprecedented interest, with over 900 participants and 253 teams up seven percent from last year. This year also saw a total of 423 female participants which is up 30% over last year. 

The Challenge is organized under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and is run with the exclusive sponsorship of Al-Futtaim Automotive, regarded as a pioneer in the region’s automotive industry, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF), Knowledge partner and the Higher Colleges of Technology as the Academic partner. 

HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum extends his full support towards all government and private entities in the UAE that aim at creating opportunities and fostering emerging talent, stressing that the development of leadership skills in the youth is vital to create competencies to align talent with future employment opportunities, and is essential to achieve sustainable development and to turn the vision of the government into reality.

The winning team of Khadija Al Marzouqi, Afra Al Mezaina, Auhood Al Ali and Ohood Ahmed worked together in a simulated environment for three months, analysing financial positions and making decisions in operations, manufacturing, distribution, human resources management and marketing. In addition to their trophy, the team will go on to represent the UAE at the International Finals taking place next month in Doha, Qatar where they will compete with winners from over 30 countries. 

Al-Futtaim Automotive will also send the winning team members to Tokyo, Japan to visit the Toyota and Lexus manufacturing facilities to gain firsthand experience on the best practices followed in the industry. 

Second place went to team Future Leaders from SP Jain School of Global Management and third to team Detective Analysts from Middlesex University. 

His Excellency Jamal bin Huwaireb, CEO of MBRF, said: “The Foundation is keen to strengthen our cooperation and partnership with private and public institutions across the UAE to launch and support initiatives that aim to educate and train young Emiratis, as well as to provide better opportunities for them. The Global Management Challenge offers an ideal platform for us to achieve these goals.”

“For the second year running the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation joins hands with Al-Futtaim Automotive, as knowledge partner for the Global Management Challenge,” continued H.E. bin Huwaireb. “We appreciate this cooperation, which supports one of the Foundation’s main objectives: to produce a generation of qualified future leaders, capable of building a knowledge economy and maintaining sustainable development,” he added. 

“This year’s edition of the Global Management Challenge saw unprecedented competition from all the teams that took part,” said Abdulrahman Saqr, Director of HR, Al-Futtaim Automotive. “With each passing year, we see an increased appetite from young professionals who participate and who continue to raise the bar. We would like to congratulate team United Spirits for their exceptional work and wish them all the best as they represent the country in the International Finals.”

“At Al-Futtaim, it is part and parcel of our DNA to support and nurture local talent and provide them with every opportunity to grow and succeed. We are confident their upcoming trip to the Toyota and Lexus manufacturing facilities will give them immense insight in to the best practices followed in the industry,” he added. 

Also at the closing ceremony, the international organisers Simuladores e Modelos de Gestão (SDG), announced that the UAE will host the Global Finals of the Challenge in 2018.

The Global Management Challenge is the world's largest strategy and management competition. It revolves around a business simulation that mirrors the global business environment and simulates how businesses operate and compete in the global marketplace. More than 500,000 university students and young professionals have participated in the competition throughout the world over the last 30 years.