38 future leaders graduate from Dubai Holding's Leadon initiative

DUBAI, 27 June 2009: The first generation of 38 future leaders have graduated from Dubai Holding's Leadon programme, which is designed to develop individuals with high potential.

The graduation ceremony was attended by H.E. Mohammad AlGergawi, Chairman of Dubai Holding; Ahmad Bin Byat, CEO of Dubai Holding; Fadel Al Ali, Executive Chairman - Operations, Dubai Holding and the Chairmen and CEOs of Dubai Holding's member companies.

During the ceremony the Leadon graduates received certificates from the Leadon faculty, London Business School, University of Michigan, Henley Business School, Executive Perspectives, and Weiner, Edrich & Brown Inc.

AlGergawi said: "At Dubai Holding we recognise the importance of leadership to success. We have witnessed its impact on our performance. We have seen how it can propel, or derail, a business strategy.

"That is why we created the Leadon programme. We want to ensure that we have the leaders required to manage the business challenges the senior management team creates."

Launched in September 2007, Leadon is designed to establish a cost effective and viable executive leadership programme across Dubai Holding's entities and to help build the conglomerate's future leadership pipeline. It also positions Dubai Holding internationally, as a champion of excellence in leadership development.

Bin Byat said:"The Leadon programme has a significant impact on the future leadership of Dubai Holding. The nurturing of individual's talents and skills is a strategic priority, so that we can ensure that our leaders have what it takes to move Dubai Holding forward."

Dubai Holding's Leadership Model is built around four development verticals - Strategic Thinking; Inspirational Leadership; Operational Excellence and Personal Growth.

Confirming that the 2nd generation of the Leadon Programme would be launched shortly, Erik Slotboom, Chief Human Capital Officer, Dubai Holding, said: "When it was established two years ago, the Leadon programme was designed to instill the qualities that are required for leadership within Dubai Holding With this graduation we can say the pioneering Leadon journey has been successfully accomplished."

The Leadon programme is benchmarked against similar programmes in global organisations, including General Electric, the multinational technology and services company and Toyota, the world's largest automaker by revenue.