Dubai to host 1,000 leaders at Mohammed bin Rashid Leadership Forum; best Director General to be revealed

Dubai: Some of Dubai's most influential government and private sector leaders will gather on September 23 at the Dubai World Trade Centre for the Mohammed bin Rashid Leadership Forum, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

The premier annual gathering dedicated to management and leadership will welcome 1,000 key leaders from across the public and private sectors.

The Forum embodies the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, of establishing a world-class leadership ecosystem capable of shaping the future and creating opportunities, while embedding a management approach rooted in innovation, agility and speed of execution.

It is also a key step toward institutionalising His Highness's leadership and management philosophy, translating it into an operational framework to be adopted across all Dubai entities to drive government performance efficiency and elevate quality of life.

Best practices

Organised by the Mohammed bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development (MBRCLD), the Forum aims to embed best leadership and management practices by bringing together government and private sector leaders, prominent decision-makers, global experts and academics.

They will exchange ideas and insights on Dubai's achievements, explore its future ambitions and discuss strategic directions, initiatives and projects. This collaborative effort helps shape the next phase of development, enhance integration across entities and unify efforts to support continuous development and reinforce Dubai's global leadership.

The rich agenda explores and shapes the future of government and institutional leadership in light of rapid global shifts. It addresses the evolution of future cities, the new economic frontiers and the use of modern technology to build more efficient operational models.

New leadership medal

The Forum will also honour a Director General selected as recipient of the Mohammed bin Rashid Leadership Medal, the highest accolade within the Government of Dubai.

Launched during the Forum's previous edition by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, the medal aims to instil a culture of developing government leaders and empowering second-tier leadership to ensure sustained excellence in government work in Dubai.

Sheikh Hamdan recently approved the first recipient of the medal.

The inaugural edition of the medal saw the participation of 32 government entities in Dubai, reflecting widespread engagement with its goals and its role in qualifying leaders and developing government talent.

The medal is awarded to a Director General within the Government of Dubai who contributes most to developing, empowering, training and championing second-tier leaders.

This is achieved by fostering trust within work teams and institutions, inspiring employees to unlock their potential to achieve high levels of performance and innovation and promoting a culture of institutional empowerment based on delegating authority, expanding responsibilities and advancing decentralisation.

Future readiness

Mohammad Al Gergawi, Chairman of The Executive Office of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Chairman of MBRCLD, said: "His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has built a leadership model defined by forward-thinking, continuous improvement, and a focus on investing in people as the foundation of achievement. The Mohammed bin Rashid Leadership Forum embodies this vision of preparing leaders capable of anticipating changes, creating opportunities and developing innovative solutions to future challenges to contribute to supporting Dubai's development and reinforcing its global leadership."

Al Gergawi stated: "The Forum reflects Dubai's ongoing commitment to advancing its leadership and management ecosystem by addressing key trends shaping the future of leadership, management transformations and the role of technology and AI in reshaping work models. It showcases global best practices and pioneering experiences to enhance institutions' readiness to adapt to rapid global changes, and to strengthen their capacity for development and innovation."

Al Gergawi emphasised that the Forum serves as a strategic platform for exchanging creative ideas through a rich agenda of interactive sessions, dialogues and specialised workshops. These bring together public and private sector leaders, decision-makers and top experts to discuss strategic priorities and key initiatives across various sectors, while strengthening partnerships with global academic institutions, to enrich leadership thought and reinforce Dubai's model in building efficient, agile and sustainable institutions.

The agenda includes panel discussions, workshops and addresses presented by top leaders and experts, aimed at transferring global best practices and enhancing leaders' future readiness and effective decision-making.

Several Strategic Leadership Majlis meetings will focus on shaping the next stage. These include the Future Economy Majlis to explore growth and innovation trends, the Future Cities Leadership Majlis to review best practices in urban management and smart infrastructure development, and the New Global Narrative Majlis to reinforce Dubai's standing across economy, media, knowledge and humanitarian action.

Alumni and research

During the Forum, MBRCLD will host an event connecting a group of its alumni with prominent government leaders representing diverse leadership styles across Dubai. The event is aimed at exchanging knowledge and leadership expertise and fostering direct communication between current leaders and promising national talent.

The Forum will also witness the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) between MBRCLD and several global universities to launch a new set of leadership research and develop specialised studies. These will document Dubai's unique transformation under the leadership of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, as well as his leadership and development philosophy.

The Forum seeks to put leaders across various Dubai entities and sectors at the centre of global changes, promote collective strategic thinking in decision-making and showcase innovative leadership models.

Cultivating ambitious and creative leaders 

Since its establishment, MBRCLD has successfully reinforced its standing among the world's leading centres in leadership development. It follows the vision and directives of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, which prioritise investing in people as the fundamental pillar and ultimate objective of development strategies. 

MBRCLD draws inspiration from Sheikh Mohammed’s philosophy to cultivate ambitious and creative leaders, empowering them with future tools to anticipate changes, sustain achievements and transform challenges into opportunities, helping to reinforce the leadership of Dubai and the UAE across vital areas. 

MBRCLD said it aims to "Create Leaders for Tomorrow". It seeks to identify, prepare and qualify Emirati leaders at all levels through specialised programmes and targeted activities. 

These help qualify leadership figures equipped with diverse vital skills, who can adapt and navigate shifts with agility and intelligence, and who have the competence and depth of knowledge required to make critical decisions and innovate solutions for future challenges.