Executive MBA Dubai Cohort Travels to D.C. for Inaugural Global Business Experience
The first cohort of Georgetown University’s Executive MBA (EMBA) in Dubai recently traveled to Washington, D.C., as part of the program’s inaugural Global Business Experience (GBE) course, where students work on real-world consulting projects in different countries. While the GBE courses for the school’s D.C.-based programs embark on global travel outside the United States, EMBA Dubai students are the only group who come to Washington to complete their consulting projects.
Working in teams, students in the EMBA Dubai program worked on consulting projects with 10 organizations in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia across a range of industries, including construction, manufacturing, electricity, and finance.
“We learned the power of diverse perspectives in fostering creative solutions and the crucial role of effective communication within our team and with our client,” said Fahad Kazim (EMBA‘25). “It was also very important to be adaptable and flexible as we navigated unforeseen challenges, while at the same time it was essential to maintain strong collaboration and a positive team spirit.”
Kazim and his team worked with Affordable Homes and Communities (AHC), a nonprofit affordable housing developer based in Arlington, Virginia. The EMBA group’s mission was to highlight the impact of the organization’s Resident Services program and develop a plan to help AHC reach its five-year goal.
“This brilliant group brings a variety of skill sets and a high level of expertise – from across the world,” shared Cindy Rozón, AHC senior director of resident services, in a post on LinkedIn. “Their hard work and recommendations will ultimately help AHC elevate our resident services, reinforce this essential component of our affordable housing communities, and raise capital so we can continue to expand our work.”
Kazim, the CEO of a leading conglomerate operating across diverse sectors throughout the Middle East and Africa, was attracted to Georgetown McDonough’s program because of the opportunities to grow his leadership skills in a dynamic global market.
“I chose to pursue my EMBA at Georgetown McDonough because of its reputation for excellence in business education and its emphasis on global leadership,” Kazim said. “This program provides exposure to new ideas and perspectives from a distinguished faculty, broadening my horizons. Additionally, I was eager to engage with a strong cohort of like-minded leaders to learn from their experiences.”
Students from the Dubai-based EMBA program traveled to D.C. to present their findings and recommendations to their clients. During their trip, EMBA Dubai students also visited notable sights, including the U.S. Capitol, Airbus Experience Center, and the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for a presentation and panel discussion about trade and business relations between the United States and the UAE.
Georgetown faculty also organized a meetup between the EMBA Dubai and EMBA D.C. cohorts, who worked remotely on a project together as part of the Organizational Behavior and Leadership course.
“While we worked efficiently through virtual calls, physical meetings provided a unique opportunity to share personal experiences from the EMBA program,” Kazim said. “It was reassuring to find commonalities in our experiences and I am looking forward to building on this initial meeting by staying in touch.”
Students in both the EMBA Dubai and D.C. cohorts agreed it was rewarding to meet each other in person after collaborating across time zones.
“We had team members working in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors in both countries, each with different time constraints,” said D.C.-based student Nivi Jampana (EMBA’25). “It was interesting to learn about the differing work-from-home and hybrid norms and expectations in D.C. versus Dubai. Meeting face-to-face and sharing experiences helped us build a deeper level of understanding and trust, which is invaluable for any future long-distance or in-person collaboration. We agreed to stay in touch and explore potential future ventures together.”
The EMBA Dubai program, which welcomed its first cohort in September 2023, is McDonough’s first degree program outside the United States. It spans over 20 months and equips senior decision-makers and executives with a deeper understanding of how to lead global organizations.