GLOBAL Management Challenge, the world's largest strategy and management competition for students and professionals has announced its 2016 UAE edition under the Patronage of Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in line with the UAE's focus on youth, education and talent development. This is a strategic educational initiative held under the partnership of Al-Futtaim Automotive Group, the region's leading representative of auto brands currently operating in 14 countries across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation as a the primary Knowledge partner for this Edition of the Challenge. Over 30,000 people from more than 30 countries participate every year in the Global Management Challenge which is based on a simulation that mirrors a typical manufacturing company and is open to university students and young professionals organized in teams of three to five members managing a manufacturing company as its senior management. Len Hunt, President Al-Futtaim Automotive Group, said "as a business we put our customers and associates at the center of everything we do and always try to add value every day and in every touch point through our diverse portfolio of automotive brands." Throughout our expanding geographical footprint we always strive to add value to the communities where we operate and this initiative gives us a first class opportunity in the UAE to help develop the aspiring national youth and talent whilst giving students and young professionals the chance to further hone their skills and improve their leadership and management acumens." To be held from January to April next year, the UAE competition has a strong focus on experiential learning as participants ‘learn by doing', developing skills such as leadership, teamwork, communication, time management, forecasting and much more. Teams have to react to various challenges by inputting data into a software programme with the aim of maximizing investment performance. Abdulrahman Saqr, Director Human Resources Al-Futtaim Automotive Group, said "Al-Futtaim Automotive Group are delighted to be part of the initiative. The UAE Global Management Challenge is about stimulating today's youth as they are embarking on their individual career journeys and helping them fulfil their aspirations of becoming the future business leaders and captains of industry." The competition is now open for registrations at www.managementchallenge.ae until Jan. 24, 2016 to teams comprising young managers at individual companies and groups of students. After three elimination rounds an overall team will be crowned UAE champions and represent the country at the international final which will take place in Macau next April. The first round lasts five weeks and marks the formal start of the competition where registered teams are placed in groups comprising up to eight teams per group with the winning team or teams in each group proceeding to the 2nd Round which lasts for three weeks. The winning team in each Group of the 2nd Round proceeds to the UAE final to be held on March 12, 2016 which determines the UAE champion who represents the nation at the international final which next year takes place in Macau. To reinforce the core value of ‘learning by doing' which is an integral pillar of the Global Management Challenge, the Al-Futtaim Automotive Group will leverage some of their existing partners to provide a global ‘best practice' trip for selected teams that demonstrate high levels of excellence. This learning experience with entail a visit to a prestigious university and a globally recognized automotive brand for targeted and immersive sessions designed to improve understanding of business processes, challenges and opportunities within real life environments leading to globally recognized industry benchmarks. "We are delighted to partner with Al-Futtaim Automotive Group for the UAE Global Management Challenge and bolstering the program to create a clear sense of increased value for participants and help attract a higher number of students thereby benefitting the participants and creating a rounded challenging educational experience," said Mian Muneer, Managing Partner Beaufort Consulting, the organizer of Global Management Challenge in the UAE.
