HEC Paris in Qatar welcomed 50 participants embarking on the Specialised Master’s Degree in Strategic Business Unit Management (SBUM) class of 2022 at an event in Doha recently.
The incoming cohort includes participants from diverse professional backgrounds across a wide range of sectors, who have opted for the Specialised Master’s because of the personal development and career acceleration it offers, according to a press statement.
The new participants are currently occupying top positions in some of the most esteemed companies in Qatar across a wide range of sectors such as energy, education, technology, aviation, health, finance, construction and banking.
The Specialised Master’s has been specially designed for professionals and entrepreneurs who are looking to enhance their leadership and management skills or aiming to manage their own business unit or company. Featuring a “world-class faculty that promotes international best and next practices”, the programme prepares its participants to implement high-performance processes for profit, non-profit and the governmental sector. 
The programme also reflects HEC Paris’s “commitment to contribute to the development of a knowledge-based economy in Qatar and to strengthen corporate competitiveness in the region”, the statement notes.
The orientation session was conducted by Dr Pablo Martin de Holan, dean of HEC Paris in Qatar.
Welcoming the new cohort of the Specialised Master’s class of 2022, Dr Martin de Holan said: “Your transformation starts today and we strongly believe that the time you spend here will help you reach your professional and personal goals and set new ones as well. We know you will become better persons and better managers, capable of dealing with the uncertainty of our troubled times, and capable also of leading people with integrity, with values, and in an ethical and sustainable matter.”
Apart from instilling leadership qualities, the Specialised Master’s enables individuals to apply the latest business practices to designing a strategy, decision-making and managing human capital, which are essential for career development. 
A number of alumni members who had graduated from HEC Paris in Qatar’s Specialised Master’s programme were also present at the event. Mohamed Abdelaziz al-Delaimi, co-founder and managing director of SkipCash, and a graduate of the 2015 Specialised Master’s programme, shared: “The degree gave me deep insights into the world of business and entrepreneurship. Starting a business requires the
development and sharpening of a wide range of skills, and I acquired that expertise during this programme at HEC Paris in Qatar. Leadership and business modelling are key topics that helped me address different challenges in business.”
Mouza al-Baker, sales officer of Qatar Petroleum and one of the participants of the upcoming SBUM programme, said: “I am really looking forward to embarking on the Specialised Master’s programme at HEC Paris in Qatar. One of the biggest advantages of enrolling in this programme is that it will allow me a great deal of flexibility to balance studies with my work. Its curriculum will also provide me with the necessary skillset I require to further my business career.”
Since joining Qatar Foundation in 2010, HEC Paris has graduated 410 participants from its Specialised Master’s programme in Qatar. For more information about the programme, one can contact [email protected]