New institute launched for management consultants in UAE
A newly-established institute has been launched in the United Arab Emirates aimed at elevating standards in the region’s management consultancy and training profession, while working to develop practitioners to meet international benchmarks. The board of the UAE Association for Management Consultants and Trainers (AMCT) has elected consulting specialist Dr Ali Sebaa Al Marri to the position of Chair.
The AMCT, which is based in Dubai and licensed by the national Ministry of Community Development, serves as an umbrella entity for management consultants and trainers across the UAE. The Association is the first of its kind in the Gulf Cooperation Council region and the second in the Arab world, with a similar organisation in existence in Jordan, and has received official recognition from the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes (ICMCI), a global professional body that aims to enhance cooperation among management consulting entities.
At the maiden meeting of the new association, held at the Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG) premises in Dubai, the group selected Dr Ali Sebaa Al Marri to lead the committee after a decorated career in business and legal consultancy. The group also approved Dr Abdul Salam Al Madani, the chairman of Index Holding, as Al Marri’s new deputy.
Since 2013, Dr Al Marri has served as Executive President of Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG), a school established and named after the country’s incumbent ruler in order to build the skills of the next generation of elite in the region. Al Marri’s work there is aimed at developing educational, training and research activities aiming to help the school train future policy makers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as well as the broader Arab World.
Earlier in his career in the professional service sector, Dr Al Marri worked as the Director of Strategic Planning at the Dubai Police Academy, gaining orders of merit for his role in advising the design and development of new strategies within the department. During his stint with the Academy, Al Marri earned a post-graduate degree in Law, before travelling to the UK to complete a doctorate in Leadership and Strategy at Bradford University.
New Challenge
In his new role, Dr Al Marri is set to link up with members of the high-ranking advisers of law enforcement once more, as Secretary Dr Ibrahim Sebaa Al Marri and Chief Financial Officer Mohammed Bouhnad were also appointed to the committee, currently both hold positions within Dubai’s law enforcement department.
The remaining board also contains a thick with a Police presence, including Abdullah Jasem Al Zarooni, the director of Administrative Affairs at Dubai Police; Mansour Yousef Al Gergawi, the knowledge director at Dubai Police; and Dr Saleh Rashed Alhamrani, the director of the Quality Office and Assistant Professor of Commercial Law at Dubai Police Academy. They are joined by Dr Ahmed Ali Al Shehhy, the CEO of ThinkPlus Training and Consulting, and Dr Ahmad Tahlak, the chairman and president of Levenbert Consulting.
Following his election to Chair, Dr Al Marri sated the importance of the Association in meeting rising demand for management consulting and training professionals across all sectors in the GCC region. “Management consulting and training professionals need a framework that ensures the highest level of standards according to global best practices. AMCT aims to define the legal and ethical frameworks of the management consulting profession, and create a detailed plan to develop professional skills in the field in line with global trends.”
According to data from Source Global Research, the consulting market of the UAE is worth $788 million, roughly 30% of the GCC consulting market.
