Participants of Sharjah Tatweer Forum's Sharjah Leadership Program explores leadership in sustainability and ‘brain-based leadership' during visit to University of Cambridge, UK

UAE, April 16, 2017- A select group of participants of Sharjah Tatweer Forum’s (STF) flagship Sharjah Leadership Program (SLP) gained insights on the ‘brain-based leadership’ concept discussed on the first day of their 10-day educational visit to the UK. The SLP participants are in Europe to take part in the international leadership forum organized by STF in coordination with the University of Cambridge and Leapership Consultants. Set to end on April 19, 2017, the UK forum is in line with the UAE’s strategic approach to adopt a sustainable, innovation- and knowledge-driven economy and complements STF's, which is an entity under the ‘Quarter of a Century Foundation for Creating Future Leaders and Innovators, commitment to develop and train the next generation of knowledge-equipped citizens.

The SLP participants learned about the science behind leadership on the first day of the forum. The interactive session focused on the ‘brain-based’ concept that explores the brain, its functionalities, and internal motivations. The concept explores the genetic predisposition of leaders and their ability to develop their own capabilities. The session was led and facilitated by experts that included Dr. Antoine Eid, CEO of Leapership Consultants; David Sales, Managing Director of First Ascent; Steve Bentley, Former Director of Coca Cola Europe; Russell Cobb, Former HR Director, Coca Cola Europe.

Meanwhile, the session on ‘Leadership in Sustainability’ highlighted the urgency to establish a sustainable economy in the next 10 to 15 years. It kicked off with an introduction about the UN Sustainable Development Goals and how the UAE aims to achieve it in line with its UAE Vision 2021. It successfully brought the spotlight on key global issues and their induction to the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development while focusing on the immediate challenges and the need for new business models for development. It brainstormed from the business, engineering, academic and economist perspectives on sustainability and leadership as well as how its implementation will impact Sharjah and the rest of the UAE.

Leading the discussion  were representatives from the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership, which was chaired by Aris Vrettos, Programme Director, CISL and was joined by Tony Juniper, Fellow, CISL; Professor Pete Guthrie OBE, Professor of Engineering for Sustainable Development and Head of Center for Sustainable Development; Philippe Joubert, Executive Chair of Global Electricity Initiative and Senior Advisor and MD – Energy and Climate, WBSCD; Dimitri Zenghelis, Joint Head Policy, Grantham Research Institute, LSE; Dame Polly Courtice DBE LVO, Director of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership; Professor Shahzad Ansari and Dr. Khalid Soufani, Faculty of Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.

“This 10-day forum in the UK is being held to help train and enhance the leadership of the latest batch of the Sharjah Leadership Program. Our primary aim here is to allow the participants to experience the latest innovations in leadership and sustainability, as well as understand the key global challenges, which will drive and equip them to bring learning and action back to promote sustainable development in Sharjah,” concluded Reem Bin Karam, Member of Board of Trustees (BoT), Quarter of a Century Foundation for Creating Future Leaders and Innovators.