Graduation 2023

On behalf of The University of Manchester and Alliance Manchester Business School, it is my pleasure to congratulate all our new graduates from the Middle East on your outstanding achievement.

Graduation is always one of the most enjoyable parts of my role and sharing the celebrations with graduates and families is one of the great pleasures and privileges of my working life.

This Graduation Celebration for the Middle East is a unique annual occasion across our part-time master’s programmes in the region and it is a special pleasure to welcome all our new graduates from the Global Part-time MBA - and the Part-time MSc REAM.

On a personal note, this is also an especially significant occasion as it is my last visit to the UAE as Head of School, which is appropriate as my first overseas visit as Dean was to Dubai for the Graduation Celebration in 2013. I would like to extend my warmest thanks to Randa Bessiso and the Middle East Centre team, students and alumni, partners and friends of the University for your support over the last nine years.

This graduation celebration is also a testament to the resilience of all our students and supporting families, friends, employers and colleagues, as well as our faculty and the team at the Middle East Centre, and to the success of the UAE authorities in meeting the recent the challenges. We hope for better days ahead.

A part-time master’s programme is very challenging and you have successfully completed this while overcoming adversity and the University acknowledges your outstanding achievements. Your success will also be recognised by future employers and it will become part of your own personal brand story.

Our faculty and staff have been remarkable in supporting your learning journey and I would also like to thank all the members of the Middle East Centre team for their commitment to supporting every one of you.

In the dynamic regional economy of the Middle East, new opportunities are emerging and your Manchester learning experiences will help position you for these new careers in transforming industries here.

Talent is now recognised as a global resource and you have the knowledge, skills and network to lead in this transforming global economy. Wherever you choose to pursue your career you will always find support through our global alumni community.

The University of Manchester and Alliance Manchester Business School continue to progress and transform as globally recognised and ranked institutions.

Just last month, Alliance Manchester Business School retained its position as one of the UK’s leading business schools in the 2023 QS Business Masters Rankings.

On campus, we have the new, world class Manchester Engineering Campus Development - the largest engineering facility in any UK university – led by a woman. We are also continuing to progress with our once-in-a-generation transformation through ID Manchester, a £1.5bn Innovation District which will be the largest in Europe. We hope you will come and see it for yourselves.

A Manchester Master’s degree says something about you – but it is no automatic passport to success, achievement or fulfilment; these still have to be earned.

Today more than ever, we all have a responsibility to create a more sustainable future and to make a real difference. The University is committed to playing its role through teaching and learning, research and social responsibility.

This celebration is not the end but the beginning of a new chapter of your lives, careers, and we hope a lifelong relationship with the University, as part of our alumni community.

We also hope that you will continue to support us in our endeavour to grow and develop our community across the Middle East. I would like to invite every student and alumnus to join us in this effort and in the University’s commitment to answering the grand societal challenges that we face.

We all have much to celebrate today as we look ahead.

Congratulations to you all on successfully reaching the demanding standards required of a Manchester Master’s degree.

Professor Fiona Devine CBE FAcSS FRSA
Dean of Alliance Manchester Business School

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It is my great pleasure to congratulate all our new Manchester Master’s graduates as we celebrate your achievement together at this graduation occasion with your family and friends.

It is also a privilege to share this special moment in the presence of Dr. Abdulla Al Karam, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General of the Knowledge & Human Development Authority.

We are deeply grateful to Professor Fiona Devine CBE FAcSS FRSA, Dean of Alliance Manchester Business School for her support and presence here at this graduation celebration, which will be her last visit to Dubai as Head of School - on behalf of the Middle East Centre I would like to express our sincere appreciation for her inspiring support over the last nine years.

This really is a moment to celebrate. Every one of you has reached the standards required of a Manchester Master’s programme, not only through a very demanding and rigorous academic course but through a disrupted period in the lives of many of us. Your challenge was made even greater in these circumstances and we all understand and truly appreciate your outstanding achievement.

I would also like to pay tribute to all those people who have supported your journey and made your achievement possible – your families and friends, your companies and your work colleagues.

In the Middle East, as you continued to work and study, our team remained committed to supporting your learning journey including pioneering hybrid workshops. We also continued to welcome new cohorts of part-time Master’s students and launched the part-time MSc Financial Management. Just as importantly, we ensured that we engaged more intensively than ever with our growing regional community of students and alumni.

Today, you will be able to benefit from your new knowledge and skills, as well as the learning experience and professional network that all come as part of the learning experience with the University.

As we celebrate your graduation, we can also celebrate the journey we have made over the last 16 years at the Middle East Centre in building a strong community of students and alumni that is making a difference and an impact. Our ‘I AM IMPACTFUL’ campaign is a great showcase of the extraordinary difference that students and alumni are making in their workplaces and in their communities around the region.

As our regional community has grown over the last 12 months, so has the number of our collaborations with social responsibility partners and corporate partners, from the Sparkle Foundation charity to the Emirates Marine Environmental Group and the Strategic Talent Partnership agreement with Johnson Controls. All of these relationships help play a vital role in connecting us with regional business and communities and help enrich the student experience.

We are especially proud of our work with the Dubai Cares ‘Adopt a School’ programme. This project will result in the construction of a school in Nepal with three classrooms serving 90 children. Our fundraising programme recently achieved (and exceeded) its target thanks to many donations from students, alumni and partners. We thank all donors for your generosity.

Each one of you has proved yourself to be a highly capable professional able to manage the competing demands of life, work and study – despite any global disruptions around us.

As alumni, we are very confident that you will use your new knowledge, tools, skills, confidence and network to build rewarding and fulfilling careers and contribute to your own professional and social communities.

Our students and alumni have played a central role in the success of the University, Alliance Manchester Business School, and the Middle East Centre in Dubai. We have welcomed several of our alumni back as University ‘Ambassadors’, and to the classroom as adjunct faculty or teaching assistants, sharing their knowledge and real-world regional experience with current students.

On behalf of the entire Middle East Centre team, I would like to congratulate all our new graduates. It has been our privilege to support your learning journey and we wish you every success in your future lives and careers.

Randa Bessiso
Middle East Director
The University of Manchester

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