Mubadala Development Company and the INSEAD Centre for Research and Executive Education in Abu Dhabi today announced the signing of an agreement to create the Mubadala Chair in Corporate Governance and Strategy. This new Chair will act as a stimulus for INSEAD research and studies in corporate governance and strategic issues in the Middle East, as well as raising awareness about these topics in the region. A carefully selected academic with experience and expertise in this field will be appointed to the position and will play a leading role in setting the intellectual agenda and scope of research. This agreement will also bring together the INSEAD faculty with Mubadala analysts, associates and managers, in order to improve knowledge and understanding as well as contributing to management education in the region. Yesterday’s signing ceremony, which took place as INSEAD celebrated its first anniversary in the Middle East, furthers the relationship between this world-renowned academic institution and one of the most prominent business development and investment companies in the region. ‘As Mubadala actively invests and creates new businesses in the region, we are conscious of the importance of good corporate governance and its impact on the development and diversification of Abu Dhabi’s economy,’ said Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, CEO and Managing Director of Mubadala Development Company. ‘We are delighted to create this Chair in partnership with such a world-class academic institution and look forward to our role in helping to further research and raise awareness in this field.’ Soumitra Dutta, the Roland Berger Chaired Professor in Business and Technology, Dean of External Relations, added: ‘As a business school with two fully-fledged campuses and alliances with other top business schools, we consider the Abu Dhabi Centre as a key regional hub, which has enabled us to further expand our global knowledge and learning network in the region. Today’s announcement of the Mubadala Chair of Corporate Governance further reinforces our commitment to advancing business education in the region and sends a highly positive message to the regional business community about the need to develop a better management understanding of these critical issues during these financially turbulent times.’ Since its launch in September 2007, the Centre has attracted more than 500 executives from across the region to its open-enrolment and customised programmes. This October, 20 executives from The Department of Civil Service (DCS) will start an 18-month customised Masters of Entrepreneurial Leadership programme, developed to reflect the overall strategy and objectives of the Emirate. Also the first resident faculty member moves to Abu Dhabi, joining a team of full-time resident researchers. The Centre also plays host to INSEAD students from the Europe campus in France and the Asia campus in Singapore who regularly visit the Middle East as part of their modular work.

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