September 27th, 2015: Professor Stefane Moustafa, Director of the School of Graduate Studies, Dean of the School of Environment and Health Sciences and Chair of Research at Canadian University Dubai (CUD) has shared his insights into what makes an effective leader at this year’s GCC Government and Business Leading CEO Conference, held recently in Dubai.
Professor Moustafa was among a panel of senior academics and business professionals who took part in a debate that focused particularly upon developing the next generation of CEOs through knowledge transfer.
Speaking about the characteristics of a leader, Professor Moustafa said that they possess vision, an ability to strategize and a flair for enterprise and innovation. Citing examples of some of the business world’s most famous leader, such as Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, he spoke about the significance of tacit knowledge and skills, rather than formal education which, while important he said, must be accompanied by certain established leadership traits.
On the question of knowledge transfer, Professor Moustafa said that a clear succession strategy was vital in ensuring business continuity. He suggested that this should involve an effective 360 evaluation process that could help to identify those individuals within an organization who demonstrate leadership characteristics, to be involved in any transition from an early stage.
The conference, now in its 12th year, brought together top decision makers and policy planners including CEOs, chairmen and managing directors, board members and executive directors, as well as frontline leaders and department heads, from both government and business organizations across the GCC.
The event provided delegates with the opportunity to learn from the experiences of regional and global experts and other leaders, through presentations and interactive panel discussions covering a wide range of issues concerning today's CEOs, including growth and success strategies and how to address the emerging business challenges and opportunities.
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