Middle East Summit

AACSB leadership and the host institution welcome attendees and set the stage for a day focused on strengthening business education, navigating change, and building connections across the Middle East.

As the Middle East navigates geopolitical, economic, and social change, higher education can play an important role in strengthening institutions, developing talent, and supporting long-term stability. This keynote will examine the region's evolving priorities and explore how business schools can contribute through education, research, partnerships, and engagement with their communities. Attendees will consider how business education can support resilient economies and societies while advancing long-term sustainable development. 

Enjoy coffee and refreshments while connecting with colleagues and peers. Take this opportunity to visit the Exhibitor Showcase. 

Interactive sessions that bring together colleagues from across the region for open, candid conversation on shared challenges. Each topic is led by an experienced facilitator and closes with a short synthesis of key takeaways. Topics include: 

1) What Makes a Business School Resilient? 

Economic shifts, geopolitical uncertainty, changing student expectations, new technologies, and rapid growth are testing business schools in different ways across the region. What enables some institutions to adapt more effectively than others? Participants will explore the leadership practices, partnerships, and institutional capabilities that strengthen resilience, including approaches to financial sustainability, diversified revenue, shared resources, and long-term planning. 

2) Preparing Future Leaders for Geopolitical Uncertainty 

Geopolitical tensions increasingly shape supply chains, investment, technology, energy, and how organizations operate across borders. How should business education respond? Participants will discuss how schools can bring geopolitical complexity into the curriculum and prepare students to make decisions when markets, policies, and international relationships are changing quickly. 

Join peers for an informal networking lunch focused on exchanging ideas and building connections from the morning's sessions.

Business schools across the Middle East often navigate national quality assurance requirements alongside AACSB and other international accreditation frameworks. How can schools meet multiple expectations without creating unnecessary duplication? This session explores practical approaches to aligning standards, streamlining evidence and assurance processes, and using different frameworks to reinforce institutional strategy and educational quality. Speakers will share lessons from managing multiple accreditation requirements and where greater alignment can make the process more effective. 

Enjoy coffee and refreshments while connecting with colleagues and peers. Take this opportunity to visit the Exhibitor Showcase. 

A second set of facilitated discussions focuses on two areas shaping quality and impact across business schools in the region. Topics include: 

1) From Research to Impact: Demonstrating Relevance 

How can business schools show that their research makes a difference beyond publications and rankings? Building on the AACSB Research Impact Task Force framework, participants will discuss how schools define, measure, and communicate research impact while balancing scholarly rigor with societal, business, and policy relevance. The conversation will focus on practical ways to strengthen a culture of impact and better tell the story of how research contributes beyond academia. 

2) Defining and Demonstrating Teaching Effectiveness 

What does effective teaching look like, and how should schools demonstrate it? This interactive discussion invites participants to explore emerging expectations related to teaching effectiveness and consider approaches that reflect their mission, context, and educational culture. Rather than prescribing a single set of metrics or models, the conversation will surface how schools are defining, evaluating, and improving teaching effectiveness in practice. Key insights from the discussion will be synthesized and shared with participants after the summit. 

A closing reflection on the day’s key insights, emerging priorities, and opportunities for continued collaboration across the region.

Close out the Summit connecting with colleagues from across the region, celebrating new relationships and the insights shared throughout the day.