Healthcare Insights in the Middle East
London Business School hosted the ‘Healthcare Insights in the Middle East’ event, the first sector specific event organised by the School in Dubai.
The event took the format of a panel discussion, bringing together leading healthcare specialists and London Business School students and alumni working in, or looking to pursue a career in, the healthcare industry.
Dr Nairouz Bader, CEO of Vision Executive Search, moderated the distinguished panel, comprising:
• Mark Adams, Chief Executive Officer, Gulf Healthcare
• Samer Al Hallaq, Marketing Director, Astra Zeneca
• Mazen Dalati, General Manager Life Care Solutions – EAGM – General Electric Healthcare
• Jan Felton, Chief Executive Officer, Modern Pharmaceutical Company
• Walid Kattouha, Head of Middle East Cluster - Novartis Pharma Services
• Thomas McNaull, Chief Financial Officer, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City
• Thomas Murray, Chief Executive Officer, American Hospital Dubai
• Dr Mohamed Nasser, Managing Director, Eli Lilly Saudi Arabia
At the event, attended by 30 current and former London Business School students , 36 top healthcare business executives shared their expertise and insights on the healthcare industry in the MENA region, evaluating current industry trends, upcoming opportunities and challenges. Companies who attended the event included Novartis, the Astra Zeneca, Dubiotech, Johnson and Johnson and the Dubai American Hospital, with eight participating panellists, all at CEO or other senior management level.
Mazen Dalati, General Manager of Life Care Solutions, EAGM, stated: “GE Healthcare is always looking for the best and brightest next generation of talent. London Business School has always been a great source of talent and we are proud to partner with them.”
One of many recruiters at the event was Tamer Elewa, Regional HR Business Partner at pharmaceutical manufacturing company Merck Serono. Mr Elewa said: "We trust London Business School for providing high quality education that has a practical impact on organisations. Graduates from the School have the sense of challenging the status quo and are equipped with the necessary knowledge to do so."
The discussion encompassed the development of pharmaceutical companies in the Middle East and predictions on the outlook of future planned projects, including new hospitals, in the MENA region. A recruitment Q&A session and networking reception followed the discussion, giving students enrolled on the School’s highly regarded Executive MBA programme the opportunity to discuss career progression and industry prospects with leaders in the field.
Dr Anshul Govila, who completed his Executive MBA at London Business School in 2011 and is a surgeon working at Abu Dhabi’s largest hospital, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, commented: “In this changing world where healthcare expenditure is several percentage points of a country’s GDP, it becomes all the more incumbent for the physicians to broaden their horizons and sharpen their skills in healthcare delivery.
“With professors who are thought leaders in their own right, with students who have an earnest desire to right the wrongs of modern business, with a campus which is a melting pot for several cultures and with alumni who spot the globe, the choice was inevitably simple: London Business School."
The event took place alongside a number of other healthcare conferences and congresses happening in the United Arab Emirates this month, including the Diabetes Congress in Dubai and the World Health Care Congress in Abu Dhabi.