Dubai’s first Prestige Event was held on 15 February

For the 90 participants, this event was an opportunity to expand their network, deepen their knowledge of the market and increase the visibility of the Dubai alumni community.

(See photos of the event here)

When in Dubai, it can be surprising to spend time with clients without discussing business. And yet that is the local culture and it also applies to the alumni network. Before doing business, people must feel comfortable with you and trust you. Being welcomed to the prestigious Royal Mirage One & Only with a speech by the alumni association and by the ambassadors Marine Jeannot, Inès Fates and Guillaume Babin was enough for our alumni, companies and students to feel rapidly at ease and seize the unique opportunities presented by this first Prestige Event!
Inspiring life paths, business opportunities, and the chance to meet experts from the digital, luxury, marketing and finance fields among others… this first Prestige Event really left its mark:

“Besides the exceptional setting and the convivial atmosphere, I got the chance to meet employees with similar profiles to talk about our professional life and potential suppliers or clients for future partnerships. I also chatted to young graduates who had arrived recently and are just starting their careers, to advise them and give them some tips that were very useful to me a few years ago!” Joanna Toigo, SK 2010 (Regional Brand Manager at Alexandre J.)

“I got to see classmates with whom I’d lost touch, like Alexis Lecanuet (SK 1993), so we got the chance to reconnect. The event also allowed me to meet people from other classes and campuses, and to see just how much SKEMA has evolved and progressed: it makes you feel proud to be a part of this international and professional community.” Mohamed Atallah, SK 1993 (Managing Director at Italica LLC)

“I am surrounded by 30 different nationalities. As a Frenchman, I’m very much a minority. Far from being bothered by this, I found it enriching to work with people from Lebanon, India, England, Egypt, South Africa, Australia… Tech companies are coming into power; that is where growth is being distributed and they’re the way of the future. The place is constantly reinventing itself. Life here is very interesting. Things are changing in the region but the Emirates are still the only reliable platform in the Middle East. Soon there will be 13 million inhabitants (compared to 3.5 when I arrived!) Nicolas Roux, SK 1996 (in charge of partnerships with key accounts and media, digital and creative agencies at Linkedin)

“It was with pleasure that I met a few alumni, all passionate about their contribution to the Middle East’s rapid development. It is proof of the school’s dynamism and of its alumni’s active involvement in their ecosystem.” Alexis Lecanuet, SK 1993 (Managing Director at Accenture)

As the evening progressed, the richness of the network became increasingly evident with graduates from the same programme (some of them married to each other), thrilled to be meeting for the first time and for the chance to chat about their respective professions and passions or about the evolution of the financial sector… and then immortalise the moment in the photo booth! A special round of applause was given to Mohammed Al Heeqi, SK 2013 (Head of Material Management UAE at Dolphin Energy Limited), the only local Emirati in our alumni network to have made the trip from Abu Dhabi and who didn’t know anyone at the event. This goes to show how strong our network is in Dubai, because it is still very difficult to mingle with locals.

Bravo to all of you for your enthusiasm and to our alumni-ambassadors for their dedication to drawing attention to Dubai.  It was a winning bet with standout participation!


Your SKEMA Alumni Dubai ambassadors
  Marine Jeannot, Inès Fates and Guillaume Babin

SKEMA ALUMNI Dubai
  Directory of Dubai alumni: enter the city and connect with the network (via the online directory, whose access is restricted to paying members only) 
  Also worth reading: "Working in Dubai" 
  We interviewed two alumni live in Dubai: Nicolas Roux (SK 1996) and Caroline Gasc (SK 1997). Read all about them!