Dubai, UAE:  16 November 2022 – The University of Michigan’s, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, has underlined its commitment to female empowerment and sustainability by announcing two scholarship programs at the Dubai HR Summit & Expo.
Michigan Ross School of Business is a Top 10 global executive education provider and is ranked the #1 executive education provider in North America in 2022 by the Financial Times and chose the summit to announce the opening of application submissions following the success of similar initiatives launched in 2019.
This year’s programs have been designed to develop the leadership credentials of GCC executives. 

The first aims to inspire and empower women by helping them to build new skills. In doing so, it also reaffirms Ross’s commitment to gender diversity. 
The second, a new category launched this year, is designed to raise awareness of the impact of sustainability on the entire economic ecosystem at individual, organizational, enterprise and national levels. It will recognize scholars who successfully and effectively drive sustainability as a corporate strategy beyond what are currently perceived as corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities.  

Michigan Ross attracts executive leaders from around the world and from many industry sectors. Successful applicants can join any of the University’s open-enrollment exec-ed programs except the Advanced Human Resource Executive Program and partner programs. The scholarships will cover tuition, learning materials, accommodation, and most subsistence costs.

Open-enrollment programs are delivered by the University’s world-renowned faculty and feature activities such as leadership self-assessment, team effectiveness diagnosis, group discussions, video case studies, and simulations. Programs include ‘The Positive Leader: Deep Change and Organizational Transformation’ and ‘Emerging Leaders Program: Becoming a Transformation Leader.’ Each is subject to availability.

Launching the new scholarships at the HR Summit, Ross’s MEA Head of Operations, Jay Srage said, “With the ongoing acceleration of digital transformation, new skills and capabilities are vital for organizations to survive. It is vital to ensure that the workforce is well equipped to guarantee the GCC’s success in the coming years. We are looking for strong, aspiring women and men to lead this transformation and promote women’s empowerment in the workforce. In addition to our commitment to diversity and the empowerment of women in balanced organizations, we understand the importance of sustainability in our world today.”
Terry Nelidov, Managing Director at Ross’s Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise added that climate change, human rights movements, and stakeholder capitalism that integrates profits from sustainability into shareholder value, have all conspired to prompt a significant uptake in how corporations and governments act towards sustainability – which has long been viewed as a CSR or a marketing initiative. 

“For many years, our work was focused on making the ‘business case’ for sustainability – why social and environmental impact matters to a for-profit company,” he explained. “We’re beyond that now! Most global business leaders have some understanding that sustainability is integral to their companies’ competitiveness, indeed to their long-term viability as ongoing enterprises. Now the conversation has turned from the why to the how and we are delighted that Ross continues to be a catalyst of the movement through its extensive research in the field done through the Erb Institute and the University as whole.”