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Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), a member of Qatar Foundation, welcomed more than 100 senior government officials and private sector executives from across various industries in Qatar, at its inaugural Community Leaders Forum, held on Thursday, February 25th.
The event, which included a keynote address by His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Bin Saleh al-Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry, was developed to showcase HBKU’s rapid development and engage leaders in both the public and the private sectors in a discussion about the part higher education can play in building, strengthening and enhancing long-term national capacity in Qatar, in order to ensure sustainability.
Referring to HBKU as “a leading educational institution”, His Excellency The Minister praised HBKU’s efforts developing Qatari young talent through innovative programs, saying: “One cannot help but notice HBKU’s immense contribution to the four pillars of Qatar’s National Vision 2030 by developing our nation’s most valuable and important resource – namely Qatar’s youth.
“We surely look forward, with great expectations, to HKBU’s continuing role in contributing to Qatar’s ambitious developmental plans.”
The event was used to highlight that all industries, however financed or organized, need adequate numbers of well-trained, high-quality leaders and staff to meet their needs, more so in Qatar where all sectors are growing at an unprecedented speed. It was noted that without the appropriately skilled human resources, realizing the goals of a tier 1 economy is not achievable.
Among those attending the event, held at the HBKU Student Center, were His Excellency Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al-Thani, Chairman and CEO of Al Faisal Holding Company, His Excellency Sheikh Faisal Bin Fahad Al-Thani, Acting Managing Director of Maersk Oil Qatar, and the Presidents, Chairmen, CEOs and senior representatives of a number of major companies and organizations, including QAPCO, ExxonMobile, Qatar Airways, Gulf Drilling International, Conoco Phillips Qatar, Lusail Real Estate, Dolphin Energy, and Qatar Tourism Authority.
Faisal Alsuwaidi, President of Research and Development at Qatar Foundation, was also present, as were representatives of educational partners of HBKU, including the deans of HEC Paris in Qatar and Northwestern University in Qatar.
In his opening speech, Dr. Ahmad Hasnah, President of HBKU, stressed the need to develop strong and effective relationships for the benefit of internships, employment and research collaborations. He said: “2015 witnessed unprecedented growth of the university, offering a number of postgraduate programs and conducting research in response to the current and future needs of Qatar in the sectors of energy, environment, science, and medicine.”
He continued: “The university is committed to building a knowledge-based economy and we believe that the development of the nation requires collaboration and the building of bridges between national institutions. With this in mind, we would like to highlight the importance of institutional cooperation between the university and the public and private sector, with the hopes of building positive relations and capitalizing on the available national resources to realize Qatar’s ambitions.”
In his address, H.E. the Minister of Energy and Industry, Dr. Mohamed Bin Saleh al-Sada spoke of the role of quality higher education in supporting the needs of the nation. He told the assembled high-level guests: "I urge attendees to please fully support HBKU’s efforts to unleash its potential, so that it can achieve the objectives for which it was created.”
Commenting on the event, His Excellency Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al-Thani, Chairman and CEO of Al Faisal Holding Company, said: “"We thank HBKU for taking the initiative of reaching out to the Qatari community; events such as this one are important and very much needed bridges between higher education and the community. In these times of unprecedented growth that the nation is witnessing, it is important to build awareness on the role that universities can and should take in building the nation on one hand, and the role that the business community can play in supporting these universities and the students.”
“It is an achievement for His Highness the Emir and His Highness the Father Emir to have made such high quality education locally and conveniently available to the Qatari people. We are thankful for such an opportunity to provide our children with the best education, while not sacrificing their exposure to their valued culture, something that a student overseas will miss on. We are looking for our graduates to take on leading positions to take this country farther.”
Dr. Khaled Letaief, Provost of HBKU, was charged with giving a presentation about HBKU at the Community Leaders Forum and he used the opportunity to shed light on the university’s programs and research initiatives and to point out the role HBKU can play in serving Qatar’s future aspiration.
Dr. Letaief noted: “HBKU is rooted in service to the State of Qatar and dedicated to helping Qatar achieve its national vision for 2030 and its national strategies. We aspire to be a leading research-intensive university that is globally minded but with Qatar at its heart. HBKU will offer advanced research-focused graduate degrees while being a global innovator in targeted areas of national significance. In doing so, HBKU becomes a national resource of knowledge serving the government, industry, and society in Qatar.”
After the introductory speeches and presentations, there was the opportunity for attendees to take part in an open dialogue, with Dr. Letaief hosting a lively Questions and Answers session.
HBKU is guided by an ambition to play a key role in helping shape Qatar’s future by, not only providing interdisciplinary education and training to leaders from the nation’s varied sectors, but by also motivating its students, faculty, and staff to target challenges faced by the country at the present moment and in the future.
Reflecting on the inaugural Community Leaders Forum, Maryam Hamad Al-Mannai, Vice President-Student Affairs, HBKU, added: “The university has witnessed several developments in recent years, in terms of its objectives and its role in society. Its function is not limited to providing high-quality education to its students, but to also engage institutions as a matter of cultural necessity, and to be of service to them. HBKU’s talented graduates are well-positioned to contribute to the development of the country, yet this can only be achieved through establishing a complementary relationship between the university and the community.”
To keep up to date with developments at HBKU, please visit http://www.hbku.edu.qa/.