Business & Money | Thursday 19 April, 2018 12:05 pm |

 

• Dubai to host 2018 International Finals of the Global Management Challenge from 16 to 18 April.
• 923 UAE-based students competed in the challenge, including 315 Emiratis.
• 274 teams competed for the UAE Champion title.

 

 ‘Team United Spirits’ from Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) has won the 5th edition of the Global Management Challenge - the world’s largest strategy and management competition.

 

The winning team - which included Khadija Al Marzooqi, Auhood Al Ali, Ghaya Al Teneiji,  Khadija Abdulla, and Damodharan Varadarajan - powered through five rounds of simulated business challenges to win the coveted UAE Champion award.

 

They will now compete against the world’s best at the international finals - being held in Dubai for the first time - from the 16th to 18th April, at the Hyatt Regency Dubai Creek Heights. The finals will see the top teams from over 20 countries come together in the emirate to compete, to be crowned the Global Management Channel champions.

 

Abdulrahman Saqr, Director of HR, Al-Futtaim Automotive said: “We thoroughly enjoyed watching the teams progress as they competed for the UAE title. I was especially pleased with the record number of students who participated this year, which shows the UAE youth’s growing appetite for knowledge and development. At Al-Futtaim, we invest in nurturing local talent and Global Management Challenge competition is an example of our commitment to developing the future leaders of the UAE.”

 

Mian Muneer ud din, Managing Partner, Beaufort Associates said: “Global Management Challenge is a fantastic platform for the development of business skills in young people, helping to prepare them for real-world scenarios where they will often face difficult decisions that the largely theoretical knowledge gained at university doesn’t quite prepare them for. Beaufort Associates has run this challenge for five years now, and it is wonderful to see it continue to grow. We are passionate about supporting youth in their future careers, by exposing them to new ways of thinking, and helping them to grow their networks.”

 

This year, a record 923 UAE-based students entered the UAE leg of the competition, across 274  teams. The teams took part in several rounds of strategic challenges, which simulate how businesses operate and compete in the global marketplace.  The teams who demonstrated the best mix of resources and decision making in earning the highest investment performance for their shareholders, progressed to the next round.

 

The ‘Wizards of Wollongong’ team - from the University of Wollongong - placed second, and team members included Yukti Laheja, Imad Ul Haq Badri, and Yusuf Rupawala.

 

Last year’s UAE edition of the Challenge recorded 900 participants, 253 teams and 423 female participants - a 30 per cent increase from 2016. The 2017 winning team included Khadija Al Marzouq and Auhood Al Ali (part of this year’s winning team), Afra Al Mezaina, and Ohood Ahmed from the Higher Colleges of Technology, who formed ‘United Spirits’, the first all-Emirati team to win the UAE leg of Global Management Challenge.

 

Global Management Challenge is organized by Beaufort Associates, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, exclusively sponsored by Al-Futtaim Automotive, with the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) as a Knowledge Partner, and Dubai International Academic City and The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) as Strategic Partners. More information about the UAE Global Management Challenge can be found here:  www.managementchallenge.ae

 

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About Global Management Challenge

Global Management Challenge is the largest Strategy and Management Competition in the world with participation from more than 30 countries. More than 600,000 university students and company managers have participated in the competition over the past 30 years.  The challenge comprises a program wherein teams of managers and university students manage a virtual company in competition with each other, with the objective of achieving the highest investment performance. The simulation offers a rare opportunity for students and professionals to manage a company, without running real-world risks while taking strategic and senior management decisions. Global Management Challenge normally consists of two to three UAE competition rounds; the winning team then competes with winners of several other countries in a Global Management Challenge for a world title that is played every year in a different city across the globe. Global Management Challenge UAE is operated by Beaufort Associates, a management consulting and advisory services firm, based in Dubai Internet City. For more information visit:  www.managementchallenge.ae.

 

About Al-Futtaim Automotive

Al-Futtaim is regarded as a pioneer in the region’s automotive industry, encompassing passenger and commercial vehicles, construction equipment, used car sales, rental and leasing, backed by trusted service and spare parts facilities.

Al-Futtaim’s automotive companies offer customers convenience, choice and the highest standards of after-sales service. Representing some of the world’s most popular and desirable brands including Toyota, Lexus, Hino, Honda, Volvo, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Lotus,, four out of every 10 cars on the UAE roads are from Al-Futtaim. Other automotive B2C and B2B businesses include FAMCO, Al-Futtaim Automall, and Al-Futtaim Auto Services. A comprehensive network of showrooms, service and parts distribution centres are spread across the UAE and further afield in Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

 

About Beaufort Associates

Beaufort Associates is a management consulting and advisory services firm based in Dubai Internet City. For more information visit:  www.beaufort.ae.