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HEC Paris, one of the world’s top-ranked business schools, proudly welcomes the 2025 cohort of its Emerging Leaders Track (ELT) - a pioneering Executive MBA programme to develop the next generation of business leaders who will shape the diversified, knowledge-driven economies of Qatar and the wider region. As HEC Paris celebrates 15 years in Qatar, the launch of this new cohort reflects the business school’s commitment to cultivating purposeful leaders, fostering innovation, and advancing Qatar National Vision 2030 through education, human capital development, and transformative societal impact. Building on the success of the inaugural 2024 cohort, the Emerging Leaders Track Executive MBA continues to offer a flexible, part-time format that enables participants to balance professional responsibilities with academic advancement, equipping them to apply their learning immediately within their organisations. The 2025 intake welcomes 47 participants from six countries, including professionals from Qatar and the region. Notably, 70% are women, reflecting HEC Paris, Doha’s strong commitment to diversity, inclusion, and the development of local talent. Participants come from a variety of industries, creating a dynamic learning environment rooted in global perspectives and regional relevance. Dr Pablo Martin de Holan, dean of HEC Paris, Doha, reflected: “The Emerging Leaders Track empowers professionals to grow personally and professionally developing the technical and human skills and the ethical perspective needed drive impact within organizations and communities. The programme reflects our commitment to nurturing talent, advancing innovation and entrepreneurship, supporting Qatar’s vision for a modern, robust and sustainable economy.” Designed for ambitious professionals with high growth potential, the ELT curriculum integrates academic rigour with practical learning. Participants gain expertise in core business disciplines, including strategy, finance, operations, and innovation, while developing leadership skills through case studies, field visits, and a hands-on Capstone Project that enables them to generate tangible impact within their organizations or entrepreneurial ventures. Prof Wolfgang Amann, academic experience manager of the Emerging Leaders Track Executive MBA at HEC Paris, Doha, said: “The Emerging Leaders Track goes beyond business education - it’s a transformational experience that develops both mindset and capability. By integrating global insights with local relevance, participants learn to turn strategic vision into action and to lead with clarity, agility, and purpose. The programme challenges them to think differently, act decisively, and create lasting impact within their organisations and across the region.”

HEC Paris, Doha, a partner university of Qatar Foundation (QF), is increasingly influencing Qatar’s entrepreneurial landscape. The rise of startups focusing on health and sustainability reflects more than just a shift in lifestyle trends, but rather a broader movement led by a new generation of purpose-driven entrepreneurs committed to building visionary, impact-oriented businesses. Among them are three successful HEC Paris, Doha alumni – Layla al-Dorani, Nuwaid Pocker, and Ghanim al-Sulaiti – each defining what it means to lead with impact. Al-Dorani, founder of Raw Middle East – a plant-based food and beverage factory – credits HEC Paris, Doha with transforming her approach to innovation, entrepreneurship, and leadership. “It gave me the confidence to take calculated risks and view challenges as opportunities for transformation,” she said. Her journey in HEC Paris, Doha “wasn’t just about learning frameworks, it was about building the mindset to create impact through business” not only in Qatar but in the Middle East. Al-Dorani said that her network from the university has been instrumental to her growth and her business. It’s more than a professional network, she said, “it’s a community of thinkers, innovators, and leaders who relentlessly inspire and support each other”. As consumer awareness around health and sustainability grows in Qatar and the region, al-Dorani’s company is increasingly emphasising on education, accessibility, and familiar flavours. Sustainability is central to its operations, from food waste composting to a goal of 100% sustainable packaging by 2027, to exploring local farm partnerships to reduce carbon footprint, while strengthening local supply chains. For Pocker, founder of Dieture – a leading diet centre in Qatar – and now the driving force behind FoodCare, which is a data-driven ecosystem that integrates meals, diagnostics, and guidance, HEC Paris, Doha transformed how he thinks about scale, innovation, and disciplined execution. During his capstone project, he was challenged to design strategic paths to scale Dieture, which pushed him to move beyond good ideas into structured, testable business theses. This structured approach helped transform Dieture from a meal subscription concept into FoodCare – a scalable ecosystem integrating clean food, diagnostics, and personalised health insights. He pointed out that the HEC Paris, Doha network played a vital role in launching his career through mentorship, access to government and industry leaders, and early customer traction. It also accelerated his company’s evolution and helped him refine brand messaging, product validation, and market access. Pocker stressed that HEC Paris, Doha’s broader impact is raising the bar for entrepreneurship in Qatar. “This is proof that the school is shaping leaders, not just teaching frameworks,” he said. Meanwhile, Ghanim al-Sulaiti, founder of Evergreen Organics and Enbat Group, took a different path – one rooted in reconnecting people with real food. “I realised how disconnected we’ve become from what nourishes us, especially the younger generation,” he said. What started as Qatar’s first fully plant-based café has since grown up into a movement, spanning sustainable packaging through Papercut, wellness with Botany, and global reforestation via the Forest Smoothie initiative. Al-Sulaiti joined HEC Paris, Doha eight years after he had launched his business – a turning point that refined his mission. “Before HEC Paris, Doha, I was driven purely by passion; and then after completing my programme at the business school, I learned how to sustain that passion through strategy,” he said.

Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation (QF), Wednesday attended the 15th anniversary celebration of HEC Paris, Doha, a QF partner university, at a landmark event at the iconic Museum of Islamic Art. The celebration was also attended by HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad al-Thani, in addition to the leadership team of HEC Paris as well as other distinguished guests, alumni, faculty, and partners. Marking the occasion Her Highness said: “Today we celebrate 15 years of a thriving partnership between Qatar Foundation and HEC Paris in Doha – a collaboration established in line with QF’s vision to foster an ecosystem of innovation, leadership, and entrepreneurship. That vision is now being realised through the impactful contributions of HEC Paris in Doha alumni, who are driving economic transformation and meaningful societal progress across Qatar and the region.” HE Sheikha Hind, an alumna of HEC Paris, Doha, said: “Over the past 15 years, HEC Paris, Doha has played a transformational role in advancing Qatar’s vision for a knowledge-based economy. The presence of this world-renowned business school in Qatar has strengthened the nation’s position as a regional hub for executive education and innovation. “Through its collaborations with local institutions, and its focus on developing entrepreneurial talent, HEC Paris, Doha has been instrumental in supporting national priorities such as human capital development, sustainability, and economic diversification. “By empowering entrepreneurs and leaders with world-class education, HEC Paris, Doha has contributed immensely to the diversification and growth of Qatar’s workforce while making an invaluable contribution to capacity-building and knowledge generation across the region’s business landscape. We are proud to celebrate this milestone for a valued and longstanding partner in education, and look forward to continuing to cultivate excellence in education, innovation, and leadership for future generations together.” During the event, HEC Paris, Doha unveiled its new motto, 'Dare the Impossible', reflecting its ambition to inspire leadership, innovation, and transformative impact. A centerpiece of the evening was the debut of ‘Innovation Majlises’: six creative showcases highlighting alumni-led ventures that reflected HEC Paris, Doha’s entrepreneurial spirit, and the transformative impact of its graduates on Qatar’s business landscape. Since 2010, HEC Paris, Doha has enrolled more than 1,500 professionals, 41% of whom are women and 53% of whom are Qatari, and delivered 181 customised programmes to over 5,000 executives across Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, and Oman. Beyond academic programmes, HEC Paris, Doha has strengthened Qatar’s entrepreneurial ecosystem through initiatives like the Business Research Lab and the creation of case studies on sustainability, digital transformation, and diversity. It has also published a comprehensive entrepreneurship guidebook to empower the next generation of innovators. Today, its alumni hold leadership positions in ministries, boardrooms, and entrepreneurial ventures, advancing Qatar’s development. Professor Éloïc Peyrache, Dean of HEC Paris, reflected on the business school’s journey in the region, saying: “When Qatar Foundation invited us to establish a campus in Doha, it opened a new chapter for HEC Paris – one shaped by the Middle East’s extraordinary transformation. Since then, our Doha campus has been offering world-class executive education and building bridges between Europe and the Gulf. Today, we are proud of the impact we have achieved together, and excited for what lies ahead.”

The year 2025 marks the 15th anniversary of our presence in Doha — a milestone made possible by the unwavering support and generosity of Qatar Foundation. It is a moment to honour the journey that has brought us here and to set our sights on what comes next.Today, I am pleased to welcome you all to HEC Paris, Doha.By this fall, we will have enrolled our 1,500th participant in our degree programmes, reflecting the trust that individuals and organisations across the region place in our model of rigorous, practice-oriented learning and its capacity to help people become a “better version of themselves”. We are proud of our EMBA, ranked among the best in the world.We also welcome the second intake of the Emerging Leaders Track within our flagship Executive MBA, designed to accelerate managerial readiness and broaden strategic perspective early in a leader’s journey.In parallel, our newest business case study on Meeza is ready for publication, bringing fresh local insight to classrooms and boardrooms across the globe.At HEC Paris, we enjoy seeing ideas move from discussion to implementation — and this is the time to do so. To our incoming students: you join a worldwide community defined by ambition, integrity, and impact, and united by the desire to create a better world for all, ethically.Use this year to challenge assumptions, expand your network, and turn learning into tangible value for yourself, your organisation, and your community.On behalf of our faculty and staff, I wish each of you a year of meaningful progress, professional growth, and lasting success. As it is said in French: bon voyage!