ISSUE 14 | SPRING 2016
THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE OFFICE OF DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI AFFAIRS
Over 2,500 Alumni Join His Highness at the Alumni Dinner
His Highness greeting the alumni in attendance at the Ninth Annual Alumni Reunion Dinner, along with AUS Trustees Hamid D. Jafar, Riad T. Sadek, and Maroun Semaan, and AUS Chancellor Dr. Björn Kjerfve
His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council, Ruler of Sharjah, and President of American University of Sharjah (AUS), expressed his pride in AUS alumni and his gratitude towards the university’s faculty members as well as its administration for their hard work and efforts in the growth and development of the university. He stated this during his speech at the Ninth Annual Alumni Reunion Dinner, which was held on January 21, 2016 on the AUS campus. The alumni reunion is one of the highlights of the AUS calendar. The event celebrates the achievements of AUS graduates and brings the university’s alumni back to their alma mater every year. Over 2,500 alumni and guests were present at the event this year.
During his address, His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan said: “Through the years, AUS gone from strength to strength, with significant steps has taken towards research and development, in particular. “We have established AUS Enterprises which will include the development of the AUS Research, Technology and Innovation Park. This will place the university as a center of innovation and technological research in the region. We have also approved a new master’s degree in biomedical engineering which will prepare students for this challenging field.” His Highness said that the university’s upcoming graduation was the result of its continuous commitment and dedication PAGE 1 ISSUE 14
His Highness addressing the alumni in attendance
towards academic excellence. “It brings us great satisfaction to see students blossom into productive members of society. We are pleased to see you back here at AUS,” said His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan addressing the alumni, “and we hope you will keep your university in your thoughts and prayers.” AUS Chancellor Dr. Björn Kjerfve welcomed the graduates back “home” to their alma mater. “As part of a growing, multinational family of some 11,000 alumni spread across the world, you are an essential component of what makes AUS unique. Your university is proud of your achievements and of the path you have charted for yourself. Your presence here is greatly appreciated as it provides us with a chance to reconnect,” he said. “Our alumni today hold important positions in some of the most well-known global corporate entities as well as in leadership roles in government sector organizations. They AUS Alumni at the Ninth Annual Alumni Reunion Dinner
Light show on the AUS Main Building PAGE 2 ISSUE 14
His Highness with the Wall of Fame 2016 inductees
are being recognized for their accomplishments and are enrolled in some of the most competitive graduate programs at universities across the globe,� added Chancellor Kjerfve. The reunion also honored the new inductees to the Alumni Wall of Fame, which recognizes those who contributed to making a difference during their time as students and have achieved success in their careers. These alumni were Mohammed Khaiata (2008, Engineering Systems Management), Amer Samir Zakaria (2005, Electrical Engineering), Sarah Yousef Amiri (2008, Computer Engineering), Anwaar Al Shimmari (2006, Urban Planning) and Sachin Gadoya (2003, Computer Engineering). AUS Alumni Association (AUSAA) President Samer El Gamal also spoke during the ceremony and said, “We as alumni are the largest entity of the AUS family. We act as ambassadors AUS Alumni at the Ninth Annual Alumni Reunion Dinner
AUSAA President Samer El Gamal presenting an artwork to His Highness on behalf of the Alumni Association in the presence of Chancellor Kjerfve and Director of Institutional Advancement Abdullah El Shazly PAGE 3 ISSUE 14
Chancellor Kjerfve with members of the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs
of this institution across the globe. This not only makes each and every one of us proud, but also holds within it the responsibility we have towards our alma mater, the responsibility to represent AUS at its best and the obligation to collectively give back to this institution.” Organized by the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs, the reunion dinner featured a spectacular light show projected on the AUS Main Building. The evening also included raffle draws for prizes contributed by Al Tayer Motors and HTC. Nemr Abou Nassar, a stand-up comedian from Lebanon known in his country as “The King of Comedy,” provided entertainment for the guests. The event was supported by Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Crescent Petroleum, CPC Holding, Dufry Sharjah, Fast Building Contracting, Petrofac, Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club, Waha Capital, Al Tayer Motors, and HTC. An AUS alumna at the Ninth Annual Alumni Reunion Dinner
Stand-up comedian Nemr Abou Nassar at the Ninth Alumni Reunion Dinner PAGE 4 ISSUE 14
AUS alumni in attendance
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His Highness Meets Nobel Laureate at AUS
His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member, Ruler of Sharjah, and President of American University of Sharjah (AUS), met Dr. Peter Diamond, 2010 recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, at the university on March 7. During the meeting, which was also attended by Dr. Björn Kjerfve, AUS Chancellor, and other AUS senior officials, the Sharjah Ruler briefed Dr. Diamond on the vision behind AUS and University City, the programs offered as well as the future plans of the university. The meeting was followed by a lunch hosted by His Highness for the Nobel Laureate. “It was an honor to meet His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan. Our discussion focused on education and the establishment and development of AUS and its future plans,” said Dr. Diamond after the meeting. “This trip has been an extraordinarily educational experience for me,” he added. Prior to the meeting, Dr. Diamond presented an open lecture entitled “Search and Matching in the Labor Market,” during which he focused on the US labor market. Dr. Diamond is the first speaker in the newly launched Scholar in Residence Lecture Series, whereby the AUS Chancellor will host a series of distinguished lectures on campus delivered by internationally acclaimed scholars and other prominent figures.
Dr. Kjerfve introduced Dr. Diamond and said, “I am pleased to welcome you to the first presentation in the Scholar in Residence Lecture Series, which gives the AUS community the opportunity to interact with thought scholars in different fields. We are pleased to have Dr. Diamond stay at AUS and interact with our faculty and students over the next two days.” Dr. Diamond, who will stay at AUS for two days to interact with students and faculty members, is Institute Professor Emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has written on public finance, social insurance, uncertainty and search theories, behavioral economics and macroeconomics. Dr. Diamond has been President of the American Economic Association, of the Econometric Society, and of the National Academy of Social Insurance. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Member of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Diamond has written a number of books including Saving Social Security: A Balanced Approach (with Peter R. Orszag), Reforming Pensions: Principles and Policy Choices and Pension Reform: A Short Guide (both with Nicholas Barr), and Behavioral Economics and Its Applications (edited with Hannu Vartiainen). He was one of the three winners of the 2010 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel “for analysis of markets with search frictions.”
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One-on-One Interview: What AUSAA Immediate Past President Samer El Gamal Has to Say Alumnus Samer El Gamal graduated from AUS twice - in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and in 2011 with a master’s degree in engineering Systems management. He has been working with Etisalat UAE since he graduated in 2003 and he currently holds the post of Senior Manager of International Traffic Management. Samer has worked with the AUS Alumni Association (AUSAA) through two different founding phases in 2004 and again in 2008. Samer handled several positions for AUSAA and also participated in establishing the AUSAA constitution and by-laws. What other volunteer positions have you held at the AUSAA besides the presidency? I have been with AUSAA since its early years. I moved between being the chairman of the AUSAA Council during the early days and being a member of the founding committees. After that, I took over the position of Abu Dhabi Chapter representative and then became a memberat-large of the Council until I was elected as a president in 2014. What were your responsibilities as AUSAA President? The president mainly handles the relationship between AUSAA and ODAA and works, along with the Board, to ensure a healthy and enriching relationship between AUS and its alumni. We mainly focus on getting the best out of alumni efforts to support AUS and on utilizing AUS resources to support our alumni. Why were you interested in serving on the AUSAA Board? Since I first joined AUSAA, my goal was to ensure that I do my best to serve both the alumni and my alma mater. Serving as the AUSAA President during this period gave me the chance to work with the AUSAA Board and AUS towards realizing this goal. Give an example of an important goal that you had set for AUSAA and how the Board succeeded in achieving this. Our main goal during this term was to further activate the AUSAA Council and get more work done through it. We have managed, during our term, to increase participation and encourage more activities at different levels. Getting the new Council elected and meeting them during this year was a step towards this goal. We have recently seen some activities being held by geographical chapters, particularly the Saudi chapter, who are doing a great job engaging our alumni in Saudi Arabia. What were the biggest challenges you faced as president? Honestly, AUSAA has achieved significant accomplishments in the Association’s young life but it still has a long way to go. Some AUS and AUSAA processes are still being reengineered to cater for the alumni’s needs and vibrant association. Engaging our alma mater is definitely a challenge but the Association always strives to involve the
alumni in various initiatives and activities to keep them close to their fellow alumni and the University. What should AUS alumni expect from the AUSAA Board? As I indicated earlier, the AUSAA Board focuses on enriching the relationship between AUS and its alumni. Both parties need to work together towards building a strong bond that makes the best of the other’s abilities for the betterment of AUS, its alumni, and society as a whole. What was your most memorable involvement with AUSAA? Without a doubt, the phases in which AUSAA was established were the most memorable by far. Seeing AUSAA created was a great experience. Doing all the work needed to put AUSAA on the map was not easy, but with the continuous dedication of all the people involved, backing from AUS’ management, and above all, the support of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member, Ruler of Sharjah and President of American University of Sharjah, we made it happen. As the immediate past president of the Association, what advice would you give the newly elected AUSAA Board? The AUSAA Board has a big task in making sure that alumni and their alma mater are always in sync. Proper communication with AUS and alumni is crucial in setting the right expectations. This might be the most important thing to focus on during the coming period. Moreover, continuous benchmarking and developing processes and procedures would help a great deal in taking AUSAA further.
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AUS to Become an Internationally Recognized Family Business Knowledge Hub
AUS Chancellor Dr. Björn Kjerfve meeting with Sheikh Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, Managing Director of Al Saud Company; and Sheikh Saud Majid Al Qassimi, Deputy Managing Director of Al Saud Company; along with Dr. Rodrigo Basco, Chairholder of Sheikh Saoud Bin Khalid Bin Khalid Al Qassimi Chair in Family Business
Dr. Björn Kjerfve, Chancellor of American University of Sharjah (AUS), met with Sheikh Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, Managing Director of Al Saud Company, and Sheikh Saud Majid Al Qassimi, the Deputy Managing Director of Al Saud Company, on April 18, to discuss the Sheikh Saoud Bin Khalid Bin Khalid Al Qassimi Chair in Family Business, which was established at American University of Sharjah in 2016. Through the Chair, which is the first of its kind in the country, AUS aims to become a recognized family business knowledge hub in the national, regional, and international context. Also present at the meeting was Dr. Rodrigo Basco, Associate Professor, School of Business Administration and Chairholder, Sheikh Saoud Bin Khalid Bin Khalid Al Qassimi Chair in Family Business. The Chair’s mission is to foster the university’s sustainable support to family business by creating value for business families and regional communities through conducting research and developing teaching activities which will strive to connect family generations in order to achieve their individual, family, business and community objectives. “The purpose of establishing this Chair is to honor my grandfather’s legacy. He was a Sharjah businessman who founded a family business back in the 1970s that is now in its third generation,” said Sheikh Saud Majid Al Qassimi. “This is a modest contribution on our part to give back to the community. AUS is a prominent university that is preparing the next generation of leaders in the UAE and the region. We would like to thank His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah for establishing American University in Sharjah which has become a beacon of education in the region,” he added.
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During the meeting, Dr. Kjerfve, said, “At AUS, the Chair aims to add to the intellectual leadership and mentoring available in the School of Business Administration and in the region; establish a prominent regional center for family business research; contribute to the research aims of AUS; and increase importance and visibility of AUS in the regional and international research market.” Dr. Basco said, “Through this initiative, we will enlarge and expand the aim of the university as an institution that plays an important role in creating future community and national leaders.” He noted that family businesses “are the pillar for UAE’s economic development and I believe that family businesses will be the engine in the post-oil economy. Family businesses are the economic agents that are going to help diversify the UAE economy and to create, in the long term, a knowledge-based economic-society.” The activities of the Sheikh Saoud Bin Khalid Bin Khalid Al Qassimi Chair in Family Business are integrated in three main areas: research, teaching and knowledge transfer. The aim of these areas is to create ground-breaking knowledge pertaining to family business which will be useful for building sustainable firms and cohesive and happy families to boost regional competitiveness as well as wellbeing. As part of its research activities, the Chair will develop new lines of research in order to contextualize the phenomenon of family business in UAE, GCC, and MENA region; publish academic articles in top journals in order to disseminate the knowledge created by the Chair; participate in national and international research conferences; strengthen research links with local, regional, and international researchers and
scholars as well as research groups and improve students’ analytical skills by involving them in research activities. The Chair will also develop family business courses for the undergraduate and graduate levels; develop family business workshops and seminars for business families; create external educational activities within the community by linking the Family Business Chair with external stakeholders; and develop specific programs for family business executive education as part of its teaching activities.
As part of the knowledge transfer, activities will include developing actions for stakeholders involved in family businesses in order to disseminate knowledge and best practices that ensure the sustainability of these businesses; developing actions for business families so as to integrate all family members and promote the well-being of both the family and the firm; collaborating with policy-makers to encourage public institutions to support the work of family businesses; and developing a family business incubator lab as an integrated space for new generations of family business members who wish to develop their entrepreneurial competences.
Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education Sponsors AUS students
AUS Chancellor Dr. BjĂśrn Kjerfve and Interim Provost Kevin Mitchell with other delegates at the signing ceremony
American University of Sharjah (AUS) is among four quality universities in the region selected by the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education to help implement its AED 4 billion educational program. The Foundation is one of the largest privately funded philanthropic education initiatives in the world. Dr. Bjorn Kjerfve, Chancellor of AUS, represented the university at a signing ceremony held recently in Dubai to announce the launch of the program in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Three scholarship programs were announced at the event, each designed to support underprivileged Arab students. The Al Ghurair Young Thinkers Program aims to sponsor college-ready Emirati students, providing teaching in English, math, science, and innovation. The STEM Scholars Program will offer undergraduate and graduate scholarships to high-achieving Arab students to enroll in top universities to study science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics. The Open Learning Scholars Program will provide access to high-quality education through online learning degrees and programs offered by some of the best universities in the United States. In February, His Excellency Abdulaziz Al Ghurair, Chairman; Maysa Jalbout, CEO; and the leadership team of the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation, for Education visited AUS as part of fact-finding visits to some of the leading universities in the Arab region. During the visit, they met with Chancellor Kjerfve as well as other senior university leaders, a group of students, and toured the campus facilities. AUS will benefit from the receipt of 38 scholarships for each of the next 3 years. The other three universities selected from the region include: The American University of Beirut (AUB), The American University in Cairo (AUC), and Khalifa University. The special MoU was also signed by chancellors/presidents and provosts of the other three institutions.
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ANWAAR AL SHIMMARI
Wall of Fame – 2016 Inductees
Anwaar Al Shimmari has 15 years of experience in the fields of architecture, urban planning and design, transportation planning, traffic and road design, and infrastructure planning, which have together given her an unusual amount of professional expertise in the region. She has built up her knowledge through extensive work and project experience at Al Ain Municipality, the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, Dubai Holding, and the UAE Ministry of Public Works. Her educational background includes a bachelor’s degree (magna cum laude) from UAE University in architectural engineering and a master’s degree from AUS in urban planning and built environment, as well as courses in transportation planning. Her role as professional mentor and technical judge in many competitions has added another dimension to her experience. She is the first female engineering awards judge in the UAE and GCC. She has developed the first project plans for federal projects and initiatives for His Highness the President of the UAE, as well for cash flow and budgeting.
AMER ZAKARIA
Professor Amer Zakaria has an outstanding academic record, graduating at the top of his class at AUS with a bachelor’s in electrical engineering in 2005, graduating with high distinction from Technische Universität München with a master’s degree in microwave engineering in 2007, and earning a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Manitoba. He has published 17 journal papers. He is also the recipient of many prestigious awards, such as the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Post-doctoral Fellowship 2014, the Manitoba Graduate Scholarship in 2009, the Government of Sharjah Academic Excellence Award in 2005, and second place in the IEEE Myron Zucker Industry Applications Student Design Award in 2005. He has supervised engineering students at all program levels, from undergraduate freshmen to graduate students.
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MOHAMMED KHAIATA
Mohammed Khaiata leads the Business Transformation Program for Al Ghurair Investment across several geographies, business functions, technologies, and platforms, with an average of 2,000 man-hours spent daily and 15 CXOs engaged for two years. Prior to that, he devised and executed an IT strategy aligned with the business strategy of Depa, one of the largest interior contracting companies in the world. It was rated by one of the Big Four audit firms as having one of the best strategies in the region. As part of that strategy, Mr. Khaiata spearheaded the implementation of top-tier systems at Depa, which was the first of its kind in the world for an interior contacting company, as described in many regional press releases. Khaiata is a certified Project Management Professional and Certified Oracle Professional. He graduated from AUS with a master’s degree in engineering systems management in 2008 with a GPA of 3.92, and published a research paper with Dr. Imran Zualkernan in the journal Information Systems Management.
SACHIN GADOYA
SARAH AMIRI
Sachin Gadoya is the managing director of Gadoya Holdings; co-owner of the UAE Royals, a tennis franchise in the International Tennis Premier League; and managing director and co-founder of Musafir.com. With a focus on strategy and operations, he has a keen eye for new markets and business opportunities. He continually works with strategic partners to create value for across markets. Gadoya holds a degree in computer engineering from American University of Sharjah and is a driving force behind the market leadership of the Gadoya Holdings group of companies. He also serves as a director at Sabin Engineering and Sabin Plastic Industries.
Sarah Amiri is currently the deputy project Manager and science lead of the Emirates Mars Mission (Hope) and is also the manager of the Space Science Section at the Mohamed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC). She has worked in several projects in the UAE’s space program over the last seven years. She specializes in capability and functionality development at MBRSC and has spent the last 5 years working in this field. In 2015, she was selected as one of 50 young scientists honored by the World Economic Forum for her contribution towards development in the fields of science, technology and engineering.
AUS Alumni Tour Eastern Europe
The AUS Alumni Association Dubai Chapter organized an alumni trip to Europe last Fall, visiting Zagreb, Vienna and Prague. Twenty-four alumni took part in this trip, which was organized in view of the Alumni Association’s strategic vision of enhancing and renewing bonds of friendship and creating shared experiences among alumni to encourage them to participate in alumni giving campaigns. The alumni toured various historical monuments and attractions, including the Plitvice National Park, Cave Lokvarka, Schönbrunn Palace and Prague Castle. PAGE 11 ISSUE 14
“Hope”: More than a Feeling to Alumna Sarah Amiri What is the importance of the Hope Mars Mission project at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in developing the UAE’s future? EMM is a first-of-its-kind mission in the region and a catalyst for the continued development of science and technology in the UAE. The leadership of the UAE entrusted a young team of Emirati researchers and engineers with developing the mission, further solidifying a process through which younger generations will push the development of the country. This approach ensures that the mission will leave behind a valuable and enduring legacy in the form of human capital, namely a generation of experienced scientists and engineers trained and inspired by the Mars mission. One of the stated aims of the mission is to study the atmosphere on Mars. Why is this relevant to us on earth?
Would you please introduce yourself in a few lines. I am currently the Deputy Project Manager and Science Lead of the Emirates Mars Mission at the Mohamed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC). I was also recently appointed as the Head of the Council of UAE Scientists. I am currently tasked with establishing the Space Sciences division at MBRSC, which aims to enhance the research environment for the first generation of UAE Planetary Scientists. I specialize in developing new initiatives and capabilities at MBRSC, and have spent the last five years working in this area. In 2015, I was selected as one of 50 young scientists by the World Economic Forum for contributing to development efforts in the fields of science, technology, and engineering. The Emirates Mars Mission orbiter is set to arrive at Mars in 2021 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the founding of the UAE. Could you tell us more about the Emirates Mars Mission? The Emirates Mars Mission (EMM), or Hope as it is known, is a scientific mission that will study the atmosphere and weather of Mars. This mission will produce the first truly global picture of the Martian atmosphere. It will study how the lower and upper layers of the atmosphere interact with one another. The mission will be launched towards Mars in July 2020, and its journey which will take approximately 7 months.
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Mars has been transformed from a planet that may have been at some point habitable, especially with traces of flowing water left on its surface, to one with no liquid water on its surface. One of the reasons for this transformation has been climate change and the loss of hydrogen and oxygen from the Martian atmosphere. Understanding the atmosphere and climate today will allow us to solve a missing piece of the puzzle of Mars’ evolution. Mars being a close sibling of the Earth, studying its evolution as a planet in our solar system will help us better understand our own planet and provide us with a good platform for comparisons. How many people will be working on the Hope project and what percentage of them will be Emiratis? The team in the UAE is 100% comprised of Emiratis working on various parts of the project. We have partnered up with three universities to form a complete team. We are working with the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder; the Space Sciences Laboratory at the University of California, Berkley; and Arizona State University. The space industry is worth an estimated $300 billion and growing by around eight percent annually. How would the Mars mission contribute to establishing a new space technology sector in the UAE? EMM is an investment in the future of the UAE’s space technology sector, and will focus on developing the intellectual capital of the country by developing and designing space missions. It will play an instrumental part in developing the sector and leading it towards a path that will allow it to contribute to the international science and space communities.
You have been recently appointed as the Chairperson of the UAE Council of Scientists. Could you kindly discuss the role of the new Council? The purpose of the Council is to further promote the development of the science and technology sectors to enable the sustainable future development of the
UAE. The Council will also work to enable collaboration between the government, private, and academic sectors in order to create an ecosystem for science and technology in the UAE. This will allow all the stakeholders involved in developing the capabilities of the country to further align themselves with the strategies and policies driving changes.
Alumnus Turki Al-Yahya Named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2016 Award Finalist
Alumnus Turki Al Yahya (’05 SBA), CEO of Whites, has been named Saudi Arabia’s EY (Ernst and Young) Entrepreneur of the Year 2016. Al Yahya was chosen from a group of eight finalists, who are innovative and inspiring business leaders. According to Ernst and Young, Al-Yahya was chosen because he embodies true entrepreneurial spirit and is a great role model for any aspiring entrepreneur. He demonstrated an outstanding personal commitment to his business and stood out as an exceptional leader. The awards recognize outstanding entrepreneurs for their vision, innovation, courage, and leadership in building and growing successful businesses — businesses
that influence the way we live, the products and services we depend on, and the economic vibrancy of our local communities and global markets. The EOY program runs globally in 150 cities across 60 countries. Al Yahya winner of the Saudi EOY award will serve as a prime example for establishing and running a successful company and will vie for the World Entrepreneur of the Year award ceremony, which will take place in June 2016 in Monte Carlo. It is worth mentioning that Al Yahya was also named by Forbes Middle East among one of the most creative leaders in Saudi Arabia in 2014.
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AUS Alumni and Corporate Partners Enjoy Sports Day
American University of Sharjah (AUS) held a day-long sports event for its alumni at the university’s sports field on February 28, 2016. Organized by the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs, the event drew more than 100 attendees, including alumni and their families. Activities included a 4k fun run around the campus, soccer tournament, a boot camp session and a crossfit challenge. Children of alumni enthusiastically participated in fun activities such as a bouncy castle and a soapy football challenge.
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The event was held to promote fitness and wellness among the university’s alumni and corporate partners and to bring them closer to one another and to university, as they constitute an integral part of AUS’s wider community. The AUS Alumni and Corporate Sports Day institutional advancement sponsors included Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Crescent Petroleum, CPC Holding, Emirates Global Aluminum, Petrofac and Waha Capital. The event was also supported by Audi, Sharjah Electric Run, KAF Group, Plaza De Party and Vista International Advertising.
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Companies Hunt for Talent at AUS Careers Forum
His Excellency Sheikh Salem bin Abdul Rahman Al Qasimi, inaugurates the AUS Careers Forum in the presence of AUS Chancellor Dr. Björn Kjerfve, and other university officials
American University of Sharjah (AUS) opened its annual Careers Forum under the theme “Developing Human Capital for Sustainable Economic Growth,” on March 15, 2016. The two-day event connects the UAE’s top public and private employers with the best young talent in the region, in the form of the university’s graduating students and alumni. The forum was inaugurated by His Excellency Sheikh Salem bin Abdulrahman Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Ruler’s Office. Dr. Björn Kjerfve, AUS Chancellor, as well as other senior AUS officials were also present on the occasion. As one of the most high-profile events held on campus, Career Forum provides AUS seniors and alumni the opportunity to meet representatives from the private and public sectors interested in recruiting AUS students and graduates as either full-time employees or interns. This year, almost 70 national and multinational companies participated in the forum’s Career Fair, which also included local, regional and international private, semi-government and government agencies. “Our institution prides itself on having established close ties with leading local and regional institutions,” said Chancellor Kjerfve, speaking on the occasion. “We are glad to have the opportunity to develop the talents, skills and knowledge of the region’s best and brightest young minds by helping prepare them for future careers spanning the breadth of human endeavor. Well-rounded PAGE 16 ISSUE 14
university graduates should know about far more than how to complete coursework, and we do everything we can to ensure our students are prepared if they wish to pursue careers in private industry,” added the Chancellor. Raghad Joma’a, a management major at AUS said, “I am really pleased to see so many impressive organizations present on campus today. This event provides us with a great opportunity to plan our careers ahead of time.” The forum consisted of a day of panel discussions by business leaders, high-level policymakers and important scholars. Institutional Advancement sponsors included Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank; Construction Products Holding Company (CPC); Crescent Enterprises; Crescent Petroleum; Emirates Global Aluminium (Dubal-EGA); Petrofac International Limited; and Waha Capital. Gold sponsors included Cummins Middle East. Silver sponsors include Procter & Gamble (P&G); and Unilever. Bronze sponsors included Accenture; Emaratech (Emarat Technology Solutions); L’Oreal Middle East; MAG Lubricants; Nestlé; Omnicom Media Group MENA; and The Dow Chemical Company.
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AUS Careers Forum Bridges Industry and Academia for Economic Development
Rabih Dabboussi, Noel Aoun, Thani Alzaffin, and Dr. Naguib Attia, at the “Internet of Things and Industrial Internet of Things: The Challenge Ahead” panel moderated by Dr. Leland Blank
Policy makers, business leaders and scholars spoke on the theme “Developing Human Capital for Sustainable Economic Growth” as part of the American University of Sharjah (AUS) Career Forum held on campus, on March 16, 2016. The event featured panel discussions that highlighted the need to continue building a post-oil economy that can succeed among the unstable commodity prices and potential shifts in the regional environment. Through the panel discussions, the participants shared their experiences and professional advice with AUS students, speaking about both the challenges and opportunities facing the region today. High-profile AUS faculty members
also moderated the panels and AUS alumni participated by sharing their success stories and life lessons. In his opening remarks, Dr. Björn Kjerfve, AUS Chancellor, said, “A good university is not just a place where students attend classes and turn in assignments, but a venue where we can give people space to be creative, to discuss and research concepts before they spread and take root, and to assemble groups of innovators and doers who will implement brave new ideas.” “Today is a chance for the young minds in the audience to develop an even more sophisticated understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the region’s businesses.
Salem Al Noaimi, Amal Zeyad, Samer Choucair, and Alexander Collins, during the keynote panel “Current Economic Downturn: Challenges, Opportunities and Its Impact on the Jobs Market” moderated by Dr. Jörg Bley PAGE 18 ISSUE 14
Khaled Akbik, Izzeddeen Khalifeh, and Noah Khan, during the “Digital Media Advertising and Social Media Ethics: Where Should You Draw the Line?” panel moderated by Dr. Mohammed Ayish
Panel discussions held today will lead to productive exchanges not only between the experts on stage, but also with the students and alumni in the audience,” added Chancellor Kjerfve. The panel discussions at the Career Forum allowed the sharing of bold, creative ideas on business development and capital growth in the region, and bridged industry and higher education to promote economic development. The discussions also provided the students the chance to engage with leaders from a broad range of industries and public agencies as they address critical contemporary issues. The keynote panel was entitled “Current Economic Downturn: Challenges, Opportunities and Its Impact on the Jobs Market.” Panelists included Salem Al Noaimi, CEO & MD, Waha Capital; Amal Zeyad, Director of corporate services at Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq); Samer Choucair, VP, Crescent Enterprises Ventures; Alexander Collins, Head of Strategy Advisory Services for MENA, EY. The panel was moderated by Dr. Jörg Bley, Acting Dean of the AUS School of Business Administration.
On the panel “Internet of Things and Industrial Internet of Things: The Challenge Ahead” were Dr. Naguib Attia, CTO and VP, IBM Middle East; Thani Alzaffin, Director General and Board Member, emaratech; Noel Aoun, Director of Strategy and Business Development, Schneider Electric; Rabih Dabboussi, Managing Director, Cisco UAE. The panel was moderated by Dr. Leland Blank, Dean of the AUS College of Engineering. On the panel “Digital Media Advertising and Social Media Ethics: Where Should You Draw the Line?” were Khaled Akbik, Head of Social Media, Omnicom Media Group; Noah Khan, Head of Digital Arts Network, TBWA\RAAD; Izzeddeen Khalifeh, Founder and CEO, Comms Compass. The panel was moderated by Dr. Mohammed Ayish, Professor and Head of the AUS Department of Mass Communication. AUS alumni provided valuable insights to AUS students on the panel “Learning from Experience.” Panel members included Sarah Amiri, Deputy Project Manager and Science Lead of Emirates Mars Mission, MBRSC, and Head of the Council of UAE Scientists; Mohammed Khaiata, Head of Business Transformation Program, Al Ghurair Investment; and Anwaar Al Shemmari, Director of Design, Ministry of Infrastructure Development.
Alumnus Mohammed Khaiata, alumna Sarah Amiri, and alumna Anwaar Al Shemmari, during the “Learning from Experience” panel moderated by alumnus Abdullah El Shazly PAGE 19 ISSUE 14
AUS Holds Enterprising Youth Forum
Alumnus Akbar Thumbay, alumna May Barber, and alumnus Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah Al Thani, during “The Road from Here: AUS Alumni Entrepreneurs and their Stories” panel moderated by alumna Raha Moharrak
Business leaders and experts gathered at American University of Sharjah (AUS) to talk about entrepreneurship at the AUS Enterprising Youth Form held on campus on April 28. The successful day-long event aimed to promote and build a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation among the youth. The forum comprised special panels as well as a workshop which focused on the various aspects of entrepreneurship. Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Björn Kjerfve, Chancellor of AUS, spoke about the university’s commitment towards the pursuit of entrepreneurship by its students and alumni. “Our graduates will soon be able to develop their ideas in our upcoming Research, Technology, and Innovation Park, where they will be surrounded by a carefully selected mix of new businesses and successful ventures in important fields. But starting a new company requires more than space or funding, and so we are trying to build a culture of
entrepreneurship as well as to provide the support people need to achieve their goals,” said Dr. Kjerfve. “You don’t need to have decades of experience or a lifetime of savings to make a good idea work,” added Dr. Kjerfve. “Using the technology sector as an example, Mark Zuckerberg started the first incarnation of Facebook when he was still a university student, and Larry Page and Sergey Brin were graduate students in a friend’s garage while starting Google. Similarly, Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs were both still in their 20s when they invented the Apple I computer and started the company with that name. If you work hard, we might be speaking of you and your organization in the same way in a few years,” he said. Industry leaders, including AUS alumni, participated in the forum’s interactive panels and discussed various factors pertaining to entrepreneurship and how individuals could
Lina Shehadeh, Tushar Singhvi, Ziad Makhzoumi, Hussain Al Mahmoudi, and Adel Ali, during the “The Big Idea: Innovation and Entrepreneurship” panel moderated by Najla Al Midfa PAGE 20 ISSUE 14
Firas Raai of Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank leading a workshop on “How to Finance Your Business Idea?”
Winners of the startup competition
thrive in today’s competitive marketplace. The first panel, entitled “The Big Idea: Innovation and Entrepreneurship“ was moderated by Najla Al Midfa, General Manager, Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa) and included Adel Ali, Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia; Hussain M. Al Mahmoudi, Chief Executive Officer, AUS Enterprises; Ziad Makhzoumi, CEO, Prime Strategy Consulting Group; Tushar Singhvi, Vice President, Corporate Development and Investments, Crescent Enterprises; and Lina Shehadeh, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications, United Arab Bank and Wamda mentor.
Vice President of Healthcare Division, Thumbay Group. The discussion was moderated by alumna Raha Moharrak (CAAD 2008). The workshop on entrepreneurship which followed was led by Firas Raai, Head of Business & Product Development & Marketing, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank. In the run-up to the event, workshops on UAE law for entrepreneurs and winning support for business ideas had been organized by Crescent Enterprises on April 11 and 13 respectively.
The second panel, entitled “The Road from Here: AUS Alumni Entrepreneurs and Their Stories,” saw the participation of alumni Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah Al Thani (SBA 2004), Chairman, Musafir.com; May Barber (CAAD 2008), Managing Partner, cARTel; and Akbar Thumbay (CEN 2006),
The event was sponsored by Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Crescent Enterprises, CPC Holding, Emirates Global Aluminum, Petrofac, and Waha Capital and was organized by the AUS Office of Development and Alumni Affairs (ODAA) in collaboration with Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa).
AUS Chancellor Dr. Björn Kjerfve with AUS alumni
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Crescent Enterprises organized workshops on UAE law for entrepreneurs and winning support for business ideas
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Grundfos Welcomes AUS Alumni Delegation and Provides Capacity-building Training Seminar
Grundfos, a global leader in advanced pump solutions and a trendsetter in water technology, welcomed at its UAE head office on May 22 a delegation of AUS engineering alumni for a technical training seminar titled “HVAC Products and Applications.” Krzysztof Myslinski, Executive Manager, Business Development & Product Management at Grundfos, said, “The technical training program that we have organized has been designed to share knowledge with graduates about current HVAC products, including how they can benefit any HVAC systems and applications.” He added, “This comes as part of our ongoing collaboration with AUS, through its Office of Development and Alumni Affairs, in which we work together towards better
preparing young professionals for the demands and expectations of the job market, by addressing and bridging gaps between theory and practice.” One of the AUS alumni in attendance was a mechanical engineer named Omar Al-Hassan, who currently works for Unilever as a Production Engineer. He said, “I have found tremendous value in today’s training seminar, which I can relate to in my field of work in production maintenance. I look forward to more such initiatives that benefit my career development and keep me connected with AUS, while giving me the opportunity to build and enhance my current professional network.”
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AUSAA Council Members Elect Fourth AUSAA Board
Newly-elected AUSAA Board members along with Council members
American University of Sharjah Alumni Association (AUSAA) held its fourth elections for the AUSAA Board recently, with voting administered by the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs (ODAA). The following officers were elected by the members of the council to represent more than 10,900 AUS graduates over the two-year term of the board, which will begin on June 1, 2016: Alumna Dana Taleb, ‘04 CAAD, President (elected) Alumnus Ahmed Al Riyami, ‘08 CEN, Vice President (elected) Alumnus Mohammed Al Taleb, ‘13 CEN, Executive of the Council (elected) Alumna Hend Zein-El Din, ‘08 CAS, Treasurer (won by acclamation) Alumna Roussol Hamze, ‘10 CAS, Executive of Administration (elected)
Alumnus Samer El Gamal, ‘03 CEN, ‘11 CEN, immediate Past President Alumnus Abdullah El Shazly, ‘03 CEN, ‘12 SBA, ‘15 CAS, Director of Institutional Advancement Alumna Dana Taleb, AUSAA President-elect, thanked her fellow council members for the confidence they had entrusted in her. She confirmed her commitment to leading the AUS Alumni Association and enhance its already significant accomplishments. Alumnus Abdullah El Shazly, Director of Institutional Advancement, congratulated the new board members and wished them luck in their new assignments. He also expressed his gratitude to members of the previous AUSAA board.
Add Value, Develop Empowerment and Promote Growth: Alumnus Hisham Dirbas’s Coaching Philosophy Could you please introduce yourself in a few lines? I’m a graduate of AUS’s mechanical engineering program, Class of 2003, and have had the privilege of working on key projects such as Jumeirah Heights, Dubai Metro, and Dubai Tram, as well as helping manage/design multiple food factories across the MENA region. I earned a Master Coach certification in 2014, and after 13 years as an engineer, I founded EQUINOX Coaching & Leadership Development, which provides personal and professional coaching services to individuals and corporations. In
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addition to all the professional labels, I’m an engineer, a speaker, a musician, an author, a director, an athlete, and most importantly a human being striving to leave something positive behind. What got you interested in coaching? All my life, I have initiated conversations by asking questions. In 2013, when I was working on initiating CAUSE through the AUSAA, I was trying to give back to AUS by helping younger generations understand
What’s your mission as a coach? Make people happy by helping them realize their potential to the fullest. It sounds simple, I know, but I just believe that by being genuine and kind, one can cross all boundaries and have a strong influence on everyone. My personal mission is to help shape the future of conscious awareness in the Middle East and the world. Describe the results one of your clients has achieved through coaching. It is important to know that the results of coaching are subject to how much effort the client is willing to put in himself/herself. One of my prized clients is a regional YouTube blogger, who prior to coaching, had a limited number of subscribers. After starting the coaching process, the quality of her programming has significantly improved and she has now over 65,000 subscribers. She’s written multiple articles and had interviews on Al Jazeera, MBC, and local media. She has even started to attract US critics writing positive stories about her channel. I’m very proud of her accomplishments. Your coaching philosophy is… Being committed to my promise to humanity by providing quality, grounded tools and resources that are tested, tried, and proven to master excellence through one process: add value, develop empowerment, and promote growth. the challenges that await them outside university by creating a coaching/mentoring environment. It was then that coaching started to pique my interest. What inspired you to found EQUINOX? In late 2012, I had a series of family and personal losses, and found myself diving into two books: Awaken the Giant Within by life strategist guru Tony Robbins and 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell. Those personal heroes helped me perceive the world differently and transform pain into a trigger for influence, ambition, and passion. From there, I had a journey of self-discovery and development, which led me to meet my heroes in person. Eventually, I founded EQUINOX in 2014. Tell us about some of the challenges you faced when you first started? The truth that most people do not share is that in an SME, there are three main challenges: 1. Cashflow, cashflow, cashflow 2. Getting people to understand your product/service and its benefits 3. Creating a brand for your product/service in an oversaturated market
What is your favorite part about being a coach? Seeing so much hope and potential in people despite the pain they endure. Once the client overcomes the challenge, the way his/her eyes twinkle along a simple “thank you” is enough to give me goosebumps and all the fulfilment in the world. Every client I meet has a story to be shared. This inspires me to be better and become more aware of the gifts we all have, and how I can add more value to people’s lives. As a coach, what is one foundational concept you can share with your fellow alumni about making positive, bold life changes? Result is a product of behavior, which is a reflection of state, which is a representation of conditioning. That is one fundamental equation for mastering excellence. It is important that you always have a choice as long as you focus on what you want, and take both responsibility and action. Perfectionism is insanity. For you to master any craft, you must learn how to fail. But make sure to fail forward. You need to unlearn what you learned and understand that failure is part of life. As long as you learn the lesson and help yourself to overcome the failure and move forward, then you can focus on the conditioning to create your realities. Real failure takes place if you aren’t willing to learn from your mistakes or give up at the first sight of trouble. Have faith, be strong and create your reality.
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Procter & Gamble (P&G) and AUS: A Growing Relationship that Fosters Professional Development and Employability
Senior P&G delegation at AUS along with university official
Procter & Gamble (P&G), a global leader in consumer goods and a regional employer of choice, according to a recent study released by LinkedIn Corporation, has recently concluded an on-campus recruitment drive of AUS students and alumni. On May 15, 2016, a delegation of 15 senior executives from P&G spent a full day on campus interviewing AUS students to decide which of them will join the company starting this summer. Bakr Darwish, Associate Director Human Resources, Arabian Peninsula & Pakistan at P&G said, “We highly value our well-established partnership with AUS, as well as the quality of its students and graduates. This is why we try to hire interns and entry-level recruits from our academic partners, including AUS.” He continued, “At P&G, applicants follow a strict recruitment process which begins with an online application and assessment, followed by a reasoning test assessment at our Jebel Ali offices, and concluded with a series of interviews also in our offices. As we are keen on expanding on our existing talent pool from AUS, we have facilitated the recruitment process for both AUS students and graduates by sending a delegation of up to 15 senior P&Gers to bring the test assessment and series of interviews to the AUS campus, thus making it more convenient for the applicants.” The step comes as part of a year-round partnership where both P&G and AUS have worked closely together to organize and deliver capacity-building initiatives that identify talented AUS students, develop their skills, and prepare them for life after graduation.
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The collaboration for this academic year started with the launch of P&G’s UAE CEO Challenge at AUS. The P&G CEO Challenge is a case-study based on capacity-building initiative in which students get tested for their business vision, along with their leadership, communication, analytical, and teamwork skills. They also receive mentorship and valuable industry guidance throughout the process that gives all participants well-rounded practical experience that they can benefit from, irrespective of where their careers lead them. The winning team from AUS will represent the UAE and compete in the final round of the Challenge against the other regional winning teams on May 30 in Dubai. P&G also chose to sponsor this year’s AUS Careers Forum as part of its prominent participation in the event. Lana Omayer, Talent Practice Manager for Arabian Peninsula & Pakistan at P&G said: “Our active presence and exposure in such well-organized capacity-building and recruitment initiatives are key to attracting top talent coming out from one of the region’s leading universities.” She added: “As always, we have enjoyed our experience during this event, and will certainly look forward to participating in future renditions.” P&G currently employs around 30 AUS alumni of various academic backgrounds, and will look into increasing this number by around 20-30 percent over the next few months.
Alumnus Mashfique Chowdhury Leads DriveArabia.com Would you please introduce yourself in a few lines? I am the founder and owner of DriveArabia.com, the most popular consumer automotive website in the GCC. Our portal is visited by more than 500,000 people every month, with more than seven million page views. Users come to our website for information on new cars before making a purchase. How was the idea of DriveArabia.com born and how did it make its way to become the leading automotive portal for the UAE and the GCC? I used to dabble in automotive websites from the time I was briefly in the United States about 15 years ago. I later joined AUS and made new friends there, who encouraged me to start a website about cars. I decided that the new car website would have a focus on local content, and with the help of a few friends at AUS, we got DriveArabia.com off the ground in 2004. At the time, there was very little in the way of credible automotive content, so we decided from the beginning that we would be as honest as possible in our coverage. Our visitors started noticing, and word spread about our website. I was also familiar with basic technical knowledge about HTML and SEO, so I programmed our first website myself. Soon, it was appearing in the top search results on Google, and continues to do so for any car you search for in the UAE. Tell us a little about what sort of automotive content you create. Aside from some basic programming, I test drive and write reviews for the latest cars, go on media trips around the world to cover new car launches at exotic locations or race tracks, conduct quick photoshoots for cars, and manage the website as well as the overall business on a day-to-day basis. Nowadays, we have a network of inhouse and contributing editors, writers, and developers who handle a lot more of the workload. My writings have also appeared on MSN Arabia and Al Arabiya News, as we have content deals with both. What are the challenges you face as an entrepreneur in Dubai and what makes you stand out? It can be hard to get your business idea going if it requires initial funding. Business start-up expenses are very high in the UAE, with requirements for trade licenses, government fees and office space. We had to keep our operation very lean at the beginning, using our personal laptops and working from a home internet connection, while being self-sufficient in everything from coding to writing. During the process, my friends who helped me start up the first website dropped out of our venture because no money was coming in, but I kept it going,
even as I continued with college. Eventually, advertising money started rolling in and that’s when I decided we had a financially viable future and finally invested in a trade license and office space. What do you consider to be success as an entrepreneur? There is a difference between being a freelancer and an entrepreneur, although some think they are the same. As a freelancer, you are taking on projects one after another, and making money only to support yourself. You will know you are a successful entrepreneur when your company is supporting several other staffers and contributors under you, when you get multi-million dollar offers to buy out your company, when you start to have a measurable influence on your industry, and most importantly, when you turn a profit. How are you planning for the future of your business, in terms of growth and sustainability? Where there is success, there is always competition. In our early days, we grew 100 percent yearly, but nowadays we are growing 20 percent overall, as we are already pretty big. To keep growing, we have to continue to offer content suited to local tastes, rather than trying PAGE 27 ISSUE 14
to force American- or British-style content on people here. While we dominate the UAE, we are also making good headway in Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries in terms of readership, as that is where our growth now lies. And to sustain a good business, it is important to have good long-term partners. We have partnered with Bayt.com for our ad sales since 2010, and it’s worked out perfectly for us, as this allows us to be independent about what we publish instead of chasing advertisers.
If you could offer one piece of advice about being an entrepreneur, what would it be? You might think everything is stacked against you when starting a business, but if you have a great idea, and you suffer through those first days to successfully make it work, investors will come knocking at your door.
Unilever to recruit 15 interns from AUS
Unilever, a global leader in consumer goods and a regional employer of choice according to a recent study released by LinkedIn Corporation, has confirmed that it will recruit around 15 interns from the American University of Sharjah (AUS) for its upcoming summer internship program in Dubai. In March, Unilever was a prominent participant in and sponsor of the AUS Careers Forum, where it engaged with students and fresh graduates regarding the Unilever Future Leaders Program (UFLP). Kashmo Durgesh, Leadership Development Manager, Gulf at Unilever describes the program as “developing tomorrow’s leaders, today,” adding, “UFLP is designed to grow you into a manager, through hands-on learning alongside world class experts. Fresh graduates will be hired into a track relevant
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to their interests, and will have the opportunity to develop their leadership skills by working on live projects which offer them all the experience they need to become ready for their first management role.” On May 2, Unilever held a numerical reasoning test at AUS’ campus for 200 students interested in joining the Unilever Leadership Internship Program (ULIP). Before the test began, Unilever introduced ULead, a website designed to engage students through mentoring sessions, leadership talks, and Unilever visits, all aimed at empowering students seeking to apply to either UFLP or ULIP. Out of the 200 test-takers, 38 students have been shortlisted for a final round of selection, from where 15 applicants will be chosen join ULIP for a period of 8 to 12 weeks.
Hadeel Shaheen named the ‘Best Emerging Designer’ by Identity Magazine Would you please introduce yourself in a few lines? My name is Hadeel Shaheen. I hold a bachelor’s degree in architecture from American University of Sharjah. I joined RSP Architects Planners and Engineers as a graduate architect. Over the course of four years, my progress, growth, and outstanding passion for design in the company saw me promoted to a Design Lead. My strong passion for design and for building things made me choose architecture as a profession and career. I was born and raised in Dubai, a constantly growing city, and extended my local knowledge and awareness of architecture internationally, propelling me to intensely travel and experience architecture in diverse ways in different cities around the globe, such as Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Paris, Rome, Athens, Istanbul, and Vienna. I chose Vienna in particular as a case study for my sustainabilityconscious concerns, as I was greatly inspired by its environmentally friendly urban fabric. Identity magazine listed you as the ‘Best Emerging Designer’ recently. Tell us briefly about this prominent achievement. Winning the Identity award for Best Emerging Designer was an overwhelming achievement and honor. I still remember the moment my name was announced during the gala dinner organized to reveal the winners. I had been shortlisted in the top three for this award. For me, being shortlisted was itself an award, but then when I won, I figured out what the taste of success is like. What fascinated and honored me was that the prestigious judging panel, which reviewed our portfolio submissions, was headed by Architect Marco Piva, David Rockwell, Richard Hutten, Seyhan Özdemir, and Sefer Çağlar (Autoban). How did your education at AUS influence your latest accomplishment? The education I gained in the architecture school at AUS from international professors from various art styles and schools is what sculpted me to become a well-rounded designer open to all design styles that comply with basic design principles. There, our world-renowned professors challenged our ideas and designs and criticized our work to stimulate the best in us. In addition, the open studio layout in the architecture school, in which we spent thousands of hours, was quite vibrant and dynamic, exposing us to junior and senior students with whom we exchanged ideas and knowledge. My education at AUS gave me all the tools required to succeed in the professional world. What situations or environments seem to make you most creative?
architectural environment, motivating me to be a creative part of this city’s urban evolution. Second, working in an environment that trusts my capabilities and skills continuously polishes my creative side. The environment at my workplace is quite friendly and is headed by an extremely creative design director from whom I keep learning. Third, the more I travel, the better I learn on a personal and professional level. What artistic aspirations do you have now? I want to live by inspiration and materialize this inspiration in architecture. Architecture is a gift left for others to enjoy: architecture, together with landscape, can form a unique reality, a special place, one that is alive. I want to design these special environments and quickly transform them into built spaces. How do you determine or evaluate success? Success is a big word. For me success is a lifetime journey rather than a destination. Success is when my contribution is positively benefiting my company. Success is also when I win an award, such as the Identity award that I won a couple of months ago. What are your future plans? Currently, I am working as a design lead in my company. I want to climb the architectural ladder and be exposed to more design disciplines and challenges, and to build up the tools that could help me run my own design corporation in the future, something which has always been an ambition of mine. On an educational level, I am very intrigued by urban design and how urban layers magically form a city, which is something that I will look for in my future graduate studies. Maybe AUS can be an option when I pursue a master’s degree in urban design! If you were to recommend an AUS education to other members of your community that would be because…? I would recommend education in AUS because of the faculty, the well-regarded academic programs, the facilities, and most importantly the environment. I strongly believe that one of the many factors that differentiate AUS from other universities is the rich, dynamic, and healthy cultural environment in which a student can gain his/her education. Additionally, I would highly recommend architecture in AUS because it has been, for the longest time, one of the few universities in the Middle East to include architecture as part of the design school rather than engineering school, focusing more on design and creativity. All in all, AUS provides a unique learning experience in a diverse and intellectually stimulating environment.
First, being born and raised in Dubai has naturally developed my awareness to a rapidly growing urban and
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AUSAA Council Member Yousif Sehwail says the Experience of Alumni Should Benefit Current AUS Students Would you please introduce yourself in a few lines. I graduated from AUS in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. I worked in the external audit field for around five years and am now preparing myself to face a new challenge. When I’m not working, I spend my free time with family and friends, as well as play table tennis and video games. Since you graduated in 2010 from the AUS School of Business Administration, how did your career develop? Right after graduating, I started my career as a junior auditor in an accounting organization called Talal Abu Ghazali & Co. International. I then had the pleasure of joining one of the world’s Big Four accounting firms, KPMG Lower Gulf. I have found the audit field to be an interesting path in which there are no limits to what I can learn and enhance my knowledge. Also, being an external auditor has opened up doors to many characters I have had the pleasure of meeting, starting from the accounting department staff and ending with the CFO/ CEO of the client I was assigned to audit. Moreover, besides enhancing my knowledge/experience in auditing and accounting, I was able to develop my character and personal skills. Thanks to AUS, meeting new people every day was not just easy and professionally important but also fun and useful. On a typical day in your position, what do you do? External audit, as the name implies, involves providing an opinion of the financial statements of a given firm, for instance by saying that there are no material misstatements that might mislead an investor, shareholder, or anyone who has an interest in that firm. In order to reach such an opinion, audit procedures must be planned and performed according to the international standards of audit, ‘IFRS.’ On a daily basis, however, my job involves visiting clients and implementing fieldwork audits on their accounts in order to make sure that numbers are being posted on the system in accordance with the standards. Any errors, whether accidental or intentional, are to be viewed and reported. We also provide solutions on how to deal with and resolve such errors. What part of this job do you find most satisfying? Most challenging? I would say that the most satisfying part of this job is freedom - freedom in the sense that you are not bound to sit on a desk every day and perform routine tasks. Instead, you are always on the move, from one client to another, and considering the various industries here in the UAE, I would say that at the entry level, it is impossible to work on the same tasks every day.
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When it comes to challenges, as an external auditor, you are on the go. You don’t really have a work ‘home’ where you keep your stuff in a drawer and have lunch with your colleagues in the office. As an external auditor, you don’t just meet new clients and new people every day, but also the people you work with vary, depending on the size/ nature of the client to which you are assigned.
In what ways did AUS help you to become successful? And what advice would you give a person entering your field of study? As I mentioned earlier, AUS has greatly enhanced my character, knowledge, as well as my public speaking skills. When I first joined my firm, the senior colleagues with whom I used to visit clients didn’t have high expectations of me when it came to introducing myself and playing the social skills game. Many thanks, however, go to my alma mater for giving me the opportunity to meet students, professors, and staff from all around the globe. Being in a sophisticated place like AUS gave me the knowledge and confidence in myself that I needed to start off my career, and proved valuable beyond measure! One piece of advice I would give to my students today is to persevere! Never stop, and trust me when I tell you that all the whining about how AUS can sometimes pressure you with midterms, presentations, and final exams will all turn into great timeand pressure-management skills that you will find quite useful in your future career.
What was your most memorable achievement at AUS? I have many beautiful memories of AUS, but I would say the most memorable one was when I joined the Student Center staff for a part-time job at the reception, as well as in the organization of the student clubs during Global Day and other events.
You serve as a Council Member for the AUS Alumni Association. What are your responsibilities as the 2010 Class Representative? I feel that one main responsibility as a Council member of the AUS Alumni Association is to help my fellow Class of 2010 graduates in their current career paths by increasing the level of communication between them and AUS via different communication tools, so that each alumnus and alumna can benefit from AUS’ various networks here in the UAE as well as abroad. I also want the experience of alumni to benefit current AUS students, who are looking for answers regarding their future careers.
What would you like to accomplish during your tenure as a Council Member? I would like to help create a professional profile for all alumni that will always be updated. This will allow both AUS and its individual alumni build a more professional connection with our pool of graduates, which will benefit both sides.
Emotional Intelligence is the Key to Efficient Management, says Alumna Jawhara Safi is always by my side, no matter what. I am not much of a morning person, but once I reach the office, I put on smooth jazz while I sip my morning coffee to set the mood for great things to unfold. I try as much as possible to add small inspirational acts to my day to kill routine, and to find a way to enhance the workplace with key ethical points that are amiss in a lot of places these days. I make sure I review my task list for the day, update it, and start delivering. Adding relaxation techniques to my day has helped me cope with stress. How has your management philosophy evolved as you have gained more experience? The key to efficient management, I believe, is emotional intelligence. The more you are able to decipher your emotions and be aware of what is going on inside you, the more successful you will be in managing other people or external factors. Also, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes for a bit before you judge them helps you see the issue at hand more clearly.
Would you please introduce yourself in a few lines?
You serve as an Alumni Council member for the AUS Alumni Association (AUSAA). What are your responsibilities as the Saudi Arabia Chapter Representative, and what would you like to accomplish during your tenure as a Council member?
This is the hardest question I always face because I am not one thing but a multitude of things. I’ll try to be short, however. A humanitarian at heart, I hope I can serve humanity one day and be the voice of the less privileged. I am a book-lover, a tree-hugger, and a citizen of the world. Intellectual conversations and philosophy intrigue my soul. I look beyond the materialistic into the spiritual. A lover of words and meanings, I try to paint poetic forms of sentences. Moving along to facts now, my name is Jawhara Safi and I am from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
First of all, I would like to mention that I am honored to be the KSA Chapter Council Representative for the AUSAA. My responsibilities include (but are not limited to) reaching out to all alumni residing in Saudi Arabia, getting them involved in networking activities, making sure their voice is heard in case they have suggestions or remarks about AUS or its procedures, creating a community of like-minded individuals who have great potential to give back to their communities, and giving back to the place that has shaped most of who I am today.
In looking back to your upbringing and education, who or what influenced you to study multimedia design?
As the Saudi Arabia Chapter Representative, what would you like to tell our alumni about giving back to AUS?
Ever since I was growing up, I was thrilled by the minimum capabilities of the long-forgotten Paint application on old PCs. I remember creating simple menus for fun for small family gatherings using Word documents, by using simple icons, interesting fonts, and basic layouts. I remember putting a circle within a box in a Word document and coming up with a name for my imaginary design company which would specialize in card designs, menu designs, and posters. I knew since back then that it was design that interested me the most, and so I pursued it and have never regretted it.
I would like to say that giving back to AUS means giving current students and prospective ones hope that the values we have been taught are reflected back to the place where we grew up. Making sure that AUS can offer more grants to students who are wonderfully bright but cannot afford the fees is a great motivator for all of us to donate anything we can to help our fellow brothers and sisters in need of a better tomorrow.
Describe your workday. My workday usually starts with a prayer as soon as I wake up, telling the universe that nothing will stop me from having a wonderful day and reviving the hope that Allah
What is your favorite indulgence out of work? Outside of work, I read, read, and read. It is my favorite pastime and I am somehow disappointed with our fastpaced lifestyles because they do not allow us to unwind with a good book or creating art unless we put a lot of effort into creating that time. PAGE 31 ISSUE 14
A Note from AUSAA President Dana Taleb Fellow alumni, As the newly elected president of the AUS Alumni Association (AUSAA) Board, it gives me great pleasure to represent AUS’s largest constituency, its over 11,000 graduates around the world. I plan to ensure the next few years are full of great accomplishments for our alumni body by seizing every possible opportunity to advance AUSAA in the right direction and thus fulfill its potential. We, the AUSAA Board, are a group of enthusiastic, passionate, and dedicated individuals committed to serving the best interests of our alumni and alma mater. We plan to do this through various initiatives involving collaboration, alumni engagement, channeling alumni expertise, and creating better visibility for the Association. We hope our fellow alumni will connect with us whenever possible, including at alumni gatherings, networking events, and through social media. The more we hear from you, the better placed we will be able to address and represent your needs and interests. Your input and involvement are key to the well-being of our alma mater. I thank all our alumni for their continued support and feedback and look forward to a very fruitful tenure. Sincerely, Dana Taleb AUSAA President
AUS Connect Editor-in-Charge, Rola Habr
We Want You To Stay In Touch! The AUS Office of Development and Alumni Affairs is keen to stay in touch with all of our alumni. We hope that you will take the opportunity to tell us about what is happening in your lives. Had a promotion at work? The joy of a new addition to your family? A major move across the globe, or a minor move around the corner? We want to know and share your news with your AUS friends and colleagues. AUS Connect is a wonderful way to stay in touch with your fellow alums, teachers and mentors. It is also a great way to show our friends in the community how proud our wonderful alumni are making us.
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Send us an email. Our address is ODAA@aus.edu We look forward to hearing from each and every one of you. Office of Development and Alumni Affairs American University of Sharjah PO Box 26666, Sharjah, UAE Tel +971 6 515 2022 www.aus.edu