NYU Stern at NYU Abu Dhabi welcomed 37 senior professionals from 21 countries to the inaugural class of its new Executive MBA program.
NYU Stern at NYU Abu Dhabi welcomed its first Executive MBA cohort today, September 2. It is the first EMBA from a top-ranked U.S. business school in the UAE and broader MENA region.
The cohort includes 37 senior professionals from 21 countries, working across finance, energy, technology, consulting and other sectors. Employers include ADNOC Offshore, Mitsubishi Power, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and HUMAIN, along with other private-sector companies and government organizations.
“It’s exciting to see this inaugural Executive MBA cohort come together at Stern at NYU Abu Dhabi,” Rob Salomon, dean of Stern at NYUAD, says in the school’s announcement.
“These are accomplished leaders who are already making an impact in their organizations. What makes this program distinctive is that it brings them together to form a close-knit learning community while they continue to apply real-time insights and lead their companies.”
The 23-month, part-time EMBA is the latest milestone in an aggressive buildout of NYU Stern’s presence in Abu Dhabi.
A STERN EMBA TAILORED TO THE MENA MARKET
Students meet for intensive weekend modules each month at NYU Abu Dhabi and travel for week-long residencies in Abu Dhabi, New York, and Shanghai. The format allows executives to remain in their jobs while applying what they learn back inside their organizations.
Rob Salomon, Dean of Stern at NYUAD
The curriculum draws from Stern’s existing executive MBA programs but is tailored to the MENA business environment. Students will work on applied learning projects throughout the program, tackling strategic business problems with regional and international companies while studying with Stern at NYUAD faculty.
“By bringing NYU Stern’s academic approach to Abu Dhabi, we are creating an environment where experienced executives can engage deeply with both global business thinking and the realities of local and regional markets,” Salomon says.
Graduates will receive an MBA jointly conferred by NYU Stern and NYU Abu Dhabi and will join Stern’s alumni network of more than 115,000 graduates in 130 countries.
STERN BUILDS OUT ITS ABU DHABI FOOTPRINT
The EMBA is the second MBA program Stern at NYUAD has launched since its official inauguration on February 10, 2025. Then the school — a collaboration between NYU Stern and NYU Abu Dhabi — welcomed about 50 full-time students for its one-year, 54-credit MBA aimed at early-career professionals.
At the time, Stern positioned the program as a way to bring the rigor and brand of a highly ranked U.S. business school into a region undergoing rapid economic diversification and hungry for management talent.
The MBA was built with much the same philosophy now driving the EMBA. It’s a combination of Stern academics, regional business exposure, and hands-on work with companies. Experiential partners include Microsoft, Hub71, ADGM, and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.
The first MBA class has since graduated, and Stern says 85% of graduates were employed within three months. Its second full-time MBA cohort is scheduled to graduate this December.
DON’T MISS: MEET THE EMBA CLASS OF ENTREPRENEURS: EXECUTIVES TODAY, FOUNDERS TOMORROW AND THE P&Q INTERVIEW: BITSOM DEAN SARAVANAN KESAVAN ON AI, GROWTH & BUILDING A GLOBAL B-SCHOOL IN INDIA
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