Celebrating 10 years of University's Middle East Centre

23 Nov 2016

Nearly 90 Alliance MBS students received their Global MBA degrees last week at Alliance MBS Middle East Centre graduation ceremony

Professor Colin Bailey and HE Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayab

The 2016 ceremony coincided with the 10th anniversary of the Alliance MBS Middle East Centre in Dubai - the largest and fastest growing of the University's five international centres.

Building on the success of the Centre and its strong reputation for delivering pioneering distance and blended-learning education, the Centre will become The University of Manchester's Middle East Centre, from January 2017 in line with the University's international strategy.

Deputy President and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Colin Bailey, was the Presiding Officer at the graduation ceremony, which was also attended by Shaikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, UAE Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, and Alliance MBS Head of School, Professor Fiona Devine.

Professor Colin Bailey said: "I was delighted to preside over this year's graduation ceremony and celebrations, marking ten years of delivering business education and building strong links with the Dubai government and corporates across the region. It is an exciting time for the University and Alliance MBS as we work together to realise our international growth strategy. Thank you to Centre Director Randa Bessiso and her team for their ongoing commitment and for delivering an excellent week of events."

Randa Bessiso, founding director of The Middle East Centre, said: “Our graduation ceremony is the highlight of the year for everyone connected with AMBS and The University. In our 10th anniversary year, we are proud to support a large group of working professionals and contributing to business education in the region."

In addition to the MBA graduation ceremony, the AMBS international awards for Best Individual Student, Best Individual Project and Best Group Project were presented to graduates from the Middle East.

The photo shows Professor Colin Bailey presenting a limited edition Graphene sample to His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, UAE Minister of Culture & Knowledge Development.