HEC Paris to conduct short-term courses in finance, management

HEC Paris in Qatar will hold two short term programmes – one in finance and another in management in September and October. The first programme “Managing people to create impact’ is delivered by Dr Matthew Mulford, an affiliate professor in HEC Paris while ‘Demystifying Finance’ the other programme is conducted by Patrick Legland, affiliate professor of finance at HEC Paris.The management programme aims to help build the necessary skills to succeed in creating impact through and with others. Participants will be better equipped to tackle some of the challenges associated with managing others. The programme in finance will cover the basic foundations and will build up progressively to tackle more advanced concepts.Speaking to Gulf Times, Dr Mulford said that managing others is probably the hardest thing as there are so many ways to get it wrong. “One thing we must remember is that managing people is about an interaction between yourself and others. It is about balancing your own needs and desires with the needs and desires of others. At its core, effective leadership is all about mutual respect, fairness and empathy,” said Dr Mulford.He explained, “It is very common for new managers to adapt slowly and poorly to their new roles. The issue is that their present skills no longer match the skills they need to manage others successfully. The more senior managers become, the more time they spend delegating tasks to others in a co-ordinated way rather than carrying out tasks themselves.” He pointed out that one of the objectives of the course is to help participants build the necessary skills to create an impact through and with the support of others and to leave them better equipped and more confident to deal with potentially conflictual situations.As for ‘Demystifying Finance’ programme, Dr Legland noted that a business executive must have at least a minimum background in finance and the programme aims to provide a better understanding of financial aspects. “The economy is constantly changing and we are today at a real turning point. The programme gives participants a better understanding of accounting and finance, which they take back to their company and provides them more confidence in being able to tackle financial matters,” highlighted Dr Legland.As for competence in finance in Qatar and the region, Dr Legland maintained that the level of professionalism in the region is very high. “We have some exceptional executives and in terms of finance we have the same principles in the region which apply worldwide,” he added.