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Laoucine Kerbache, Dean and CEO, HEC Paris in Qatar accepting the Education Innovation award from Qatar Chamber Vice Chairman Muhammed bin Ahmed bin Towar Al Kuwari at the 2015 Qatar Enterprise Agility Awards
Laoucine Kerbache Dean and CEO, HEC Paris in Qatar
“The Qatar National Vision 2030 plans to diversify the non-hydrocarbon economy and recycle the country’s mineral wealth into finance, infrastructure, education, science and technology, and real estate. For those with the knowledge and skills within those fields, this presents an opportune time to invest and establish a business that caters to the needs of the nation. By being an early adopter of such plans, you can reap in the benefits and create a firm base to grow and prosper.”
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s the head of the Qatar division of an institution that’s been ranked among the top three providers of executive education in the world, it’s safe to say that Laoucine
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Entrepreneur july 2016
Kerbache has a lot on his plate in his dual role as the Dean and CEO of HEC Paris in Qatar. But to his credit, Kerbache seems to have been playing his cards right- ever since the France-headquartered HEC Paris opened its campus in Qatar in 2010, the school has been steadfastly sticking to
the goals with which it was established- which is, as Kerbache puts it, “to significantly contribute to the development of a knowledge-based economy in Qatar, and to strengthen corporate competitiveness in the region.” And for what it’s worth, Kerbache’s efforts are certainly getting noticed- at Entrepreneur Middle East’s 2015 Qatar Enterprise Agility Awards, HEC Paris in Qatar took home the award for Education Innovation, in recognition of the institution’s highly ranked, Qatar-specific management programs and research activities, as well as for its influential list of Qatarbased graduates, which today includes H.E. Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice Chairperson and CEO, Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, Aysha Al Mudahka, CEO, Qatar Business Incubation Center, and others. But all of this doesn’t mean that Kerbache and his team at HEC Paris in Qatar are taking their success for granted- on the contrary, Kerbache is very tuned in on the changing dynamics of the Middle East economies, and is keen on having his organization cater to the specific needs of this particular region. While the Doha-based school’s executive education programs have been consistently lauded, Kerbache also notes the importance of evolving their programs and offerings to better serve its students in this region- for instance, its custom programs, especially with respect to family-owned businesses in this region, have been very well received. “When HEC Paris opened its campus in Qatar, it was paramount that we didn’t just take our programs from Paris and apply them here,” Kerbache explains. “For degree programs, as well as for open programs, we asked our faculty to understand the local and
regional environment and to inject, alongside the international practices, any relevant managerial practices to enrich the content and the group discussions. As for the custom designed programs, we work very closely with the customers to design content that specifically cater to their needs and their requirements. We have worked very closely with our main campus [in Paris] and with Qatar Foundation to ensure that the courses and programs that we offer are tailored to the regional needs.” But, to use a cliché, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and Kerbache proudly points toward HEC Paris in Qatar’s graduates to showcase the wins his school has achieved. “A testament to this success is that, to date, HEC Paris in Qatar has graduated 347 participants, of whom 220 are Qatari nationals,” Kerbache says. “All these graduates hold top executive management positions (CEOs, COOs, CIOs, CFO, etc.) in public, private, and governmental organizations in Qatar and in the region.” While this is indeed a reason to celebrate, Kerbache remains rooted to the need for HEC Paris in Qatar to be consistently evolving and innovating. “We cannot rest on our laurels, and we continually strive to deliver excellence to our participants,” he explains. “And as business models change, we have to develop our programs offered as well as create adaptable establishments and grow through alliances. This has become an integral part of modern strategic management. In addition, and an area I am very proud of, HEC Paris in Qatar has established a Research Office in Qatar to develop local and regional content. Over the last two years, we have successfully developed over a dozen case studies about companies operating in Qatar. This has not only fed into our programs,
IMAGES COURTESY: HEC PARIS IN QATAR
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