News

Cass’s Dubai Centre targets potential entrepreneurs

Dubai, UAE; April 17, 2012: Cass Business School’s Dubai Centre today announced the introduction of an Entrepreneurship stream to its Executive MBA programme. The stream comprises three modules: New Venture Creation, Private Equity, and Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which Cass EMBA students can choose to pursue during the 24-month course.

Cass’s Entrepreneurship stream aims to provide students with knowledge and understanding of how new products, services and technologies are brought to the market. The module also covers the process for creating new ventures, including feasibility testing, marketing financial forecasting and securing finance.

“With the focus in the region so firmly on entrepreneurship, we are delighted to introduce the new stream to our EMBA programme,” said Ehsan Razavizadeh, Regional Director, MENA of Cass Business School, part of City University London, and Head of Cass Dubai Centre. “Here in the region, almost nine out of ten businesses are small and medium size enterprises, yet many often reach a plateau. Our new entrepreneurship stream has been designed specifically to overcome this and to help the next generation of the region’s business leaders turn their great ideas into successful ventures.”

The Entrepreneurship stream, available to students from April 2012, will be taught by Cass Professors of Entrepreneurship Vangelis Souitaris and Julie Logan and Cass Senior Fellow Guy Fraser Sampson. Students will travel to London for the New Venture Creation module, taught by Professor Logan.

“I’m very excited to be here in the UAE which has a true entrepreneurial spirit at its core,” said Professor Souitaris. “The timing of this new module could not have been better. As pro-business reforms take effect across the Middle East, I foresee a sharp rise in start-ups in the region. This, in turn, will lead to increasing demand for entrepreneur-focused business programmes at a level and scale never seen before in the Middle East.”

“There are wonderful opportunities for young business leaders in the UAE and in the wider Middle East region,” said Fraser Sampson. “Entrepreneurship remains a buzz word across the Middle East region and we at Cass Business School are confident that the newly launched module will help enormously to groom business leaders of tomorrow.”

Prof Logan continues: “This EMBA stream provides would-be entrepreneurs the grounding they need to flourish. With the New Venture Creation module taught in London, candidates will have opportunities to exchange ideas and network with a diverse cohort of similarly entrepreneurially-minded individuals.”

Dr. Ahmed Mokhtar, an EMBA student, who is graduating in April 2012 said: "The pitfall with most EMBA courses is that the modules are designed keeping in mind the business needs of large organisations. This does not help if you work in a small company or have an intention to start your own business venture. I’m glad that Cass Business School EMBA programme has introduced a module on ‘Innovation and Entrepreneurship,’ which will undoubtedly prove to be a great advantage.”

During the two year Cass EMBA programme, students pursue between three and six electives, as per their areas of interest. Students can choose a General Management stream, a specialist Islamic Finance stream, Mainstream Finance, Energy or the new Entrepreneurship stream.