A team of six MBA alumni from Sydney Business School finished in the top five teams at the annual Global Universities Challenge in Dubai after accepting a royal invitation to compete.
The Sydney Business School MBA team went up against 17 of the best universities and 100 of the sharpest business school minds from across the world, after being invited to attend by the office of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai.
The challenge was timed to coincide with the high powered World Government Summit, which brings together prominent leaders from the public and private sectors for an “inspirational, thought-provoking, and future-focused dialogue” on ways to improve the lives of the world’s citizens.
This year, the teams were given a scenario set in the UAE in 2031 and asked to maintain the nation’s success with a future roadmap to 2071. Teams were informed of the topic and required to deliver a six-minute presentation less than three days later.
Sydney Business School MBA Director Guy Ford said their team consisted of six people who had formal qualifications in public policy or international relations.
“They’ve all worked together before really well, they’ve got these exceptional team building skills. It is also a diverse, lean and very agile group of highly talented people,” Professor Ford said.
“The MBA has also given them other skills; a broader perspective and creative problem solving abilities.”
The London Business School came first out of 17 schools, including Wharton, HEC, and Harvard, who won the competition in 2017.
This year’s event was held in Dubai from February 11-13, 2018 and was supported by the United Nations, the World Bank, the WTO and the World Economic Forum.
Attendees this year will included the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi; the CEO of NASDAQ; the President of the World Bank, the Director General of the WTO and the Secretary General of the OECD.
