Cass Business School part of The City University, London, one of the world’s leading business schools, today announced the launch of its Executive MBA (EMBA) programme offering three alternative specializations: Islamic Finance, Energy and General Management and Finance.
The programme was officially launched by Dr Hassan Hakimian, Associate Dean at Cass Business School, and the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor Alderman John Stuttard, City of London, who is also Chancellor of The City University, in the presence of Dr. Omar bin Sulaiman, Governor, DIFC.
Launched in association with Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the EMBA will be the world’s first MBA programme offering specialist streams in Islamic Finance and Energy. .
The new programme will be taught over 24 months and will involve the same content as Cass’s London-based Executive MBA, one of the highest ranked EMBAs in the world by the Financial Times. The first intake of students is planned for September 2007.
His Excellency Dr. Omar bin Sulaiman, Governor, DIFC, said: “The boom witnessed in the region has opened the doors to hundreds of thousands of jobs, and there is a dearth of qualified professionals in the financial sector. As reforms accelerate further within the Islamic finance sector, there will be a requirement for talents at a level and scale never seen before. The EMBA from Cass Business School is expected to fill this gap since executives will now have the option to study and work at the same time.”
“I firmly believe that businesses need to partner with academic institutions to produce an educated workforce that is attuned to the needs of the market. This programme being launched by Cass Business School in association with DIFC will enable region-based executives to acquire world class education at their doorsteps,” he added.
Lord Currie, Dean of Cass Business School said: “Our location in the City means that we are a leading provider of business education and research which is of relevance to the business community and we are also the only business school to have premises in Canary Wharf, London’s second Financial Centre. It is therefore a natural progression that we offer an MBA in a burgeoning financial centre in the Middle East, in a similar way to the programme we deliver in Shanghai, China’s leading financial centre. We look forward to serving the intellectual needs of the region and its highly skilled workers.”
The Lord Mayor commented: “London’s financial and business district, the City, delivers world class education in financial and business services, and I am delighted that this new qualification will provide an important link between London and one of the world’s newest, and rapidly developing, international centres for banking, finance, and other financial services.”
Classes will be delivered by Cass academics who will visit Dubai to deliver classes over a long weekend once a month. The School’s online learning platform, CassLearn, which has been instrumental in the success of the delivery of the China Executive MBA in Shanghai, will be used for online tutorials, group discussion and research.
Cass already delivers highly ranked full-time and executive (part-time) MBA programmes in London and an Executive MBA in China.
For further information please contact
Gemma Lines g.lines@city.ac.uk or on 0207 040 3616
About Cass Business School
Cass Business School, The City University, London, delivers innovative, relevant and forward-looking education, training, consultancy and research. Located on the doorstep of one of the world's leading financial centres, Cass is perfectly positioned to be the intellectual hub of the City of London. Our dialogue with business shapes the structure and content of all our programmes of study, our executive education programmes and our research. Our MBA, Specialist Masters and Undergraduate Programmes have a reputation for excellence in professional education. Our Executive MBA is ranked 15th in the world by the Financial Times.
The school undertakes research of national and international significance and supports almost 100 PhD students. Cass has the largest Finance Faculty and the largest Actuarial Science and Statistics Faculty in Europe. Our finance research is ranked 2nd in Europe and 4th in the World outside the US by Financial Management Magazine and our insurance and risk research is ranked 2nd in the world by the Journal of Risk and Insurance.
Cass is a place where students, academics, industry experts, business leaders and policy makers can enrich each other's thinking. For further information visit: www.cass.city.ac.uk
About the Dubai International Finance Centre
The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) is an onshore hub for global finance. It bridges the time gap between the financial centers of Hong Kong and London and services a region with the largest untapped emerging market for financial services.
In just under two years, over 335 firms have registered at the DIFC. They operate in an open environment complemented with world-class regulations and standards. The DIFC offers its member institutions incentives such as 100 per cent foreign ownership, zero tax on income and profits and no restrictions on foreign exchange. In addition their business benefits from modern infrastructure, operational support and business continuity facilities of uncompromisingly high standards.
The DIFC is made up of the following core bodies:
1. The DIFC Authority (DIFCA) - Responsible for the Companies and Security Registries and attracting financial as well as non-financial institutions to set up in the DIFC. The DIFC Authority is also responsible for developing the financial services industry. (www.difc.ae)
2. The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) - An independent, unitary regulatory authority, responsible for the regulation of all DIFC operations. Its principle-based primary legislation is modeled on that used in London and New York and its regulatory regime operates to standards that meet or exceed those in major financial centers. (www.dfsa.ae)
3. The DIFC Courts - An independent court system set up to uphold the provisions of DIFC laws and regulations, the courts provide comprehensive legal redress in civil and commercial matters within the DIFC. The DIFC Courts system is especially designed to deal with all of sophisticated transactions that will be conducted within DIFC. The DIFC Court laws, based on the common law, not only sets out the jurisdiction of the court but also provides for a dispute resolution services, including arbitration and mediation, thus allowing for the independent administration of justice in the DIFC. ( www.difccourts.ae)
DIFC Investments- The creation of DIFC Investments will result in the allocation to it of all non public administration activities previously carried out by DIFC Authority. This will include amongst other things all commercial and other activities such as the operation and management of any current and future subsidiaries, the development of the centre's investment strategy and relevant policies and any other strategic investments or alliances which will further the goals and objectives of the Dubai International Financial Centre and contribute to the fulfillment of the Centre's vision. Some of the companies and organizations that DIFC Investments owns include:
1. The Dubai International Financial Exchange (DIFX) The DIFX is the region's first international financial exchange for equities, bonds, Islamic products, funds, index products and (subject to regulatory approval) derivatives. The target areas of the DIFX for seeking issuers include the Middle East and North Africa, as well as South Africa, Turkey and the Indian sub-continent. The regulator of the DIFX is the Dubai Financial Services Authority. The DIFX is located in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and its owner is the DIFC Authority. (www.difx.ae)
2. Hawkamah- the first Institute for Corporate Governance in the region, has been established in partnership with a group of international institutions, including the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), UAE Ministry of Finance and Industry, Centre for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Union of Arab Banks (UAB), Dubai School of Government (DSG), Young Arab Leaders (YAL), and the Institute of Management Development (IMD). (www.hawkamah.org)
