Dubai, 18 November 2008: DIFC to be base for institution’s offering for the Middle East, North and Eastern Africa, the Caspian and the Indian Sub-continent

The Executive Education Centre at the Schulich School of Business, York University in Toronto, Canada (SEEC) today announced it is partnering with the DIFC Centre of Excellence to provide executive education programmes for the Middle East, North and Eastern Africa, the Caspian and the Indian sub-continent,.

The partnership will enable SEEC to offer a wide range of programmes from the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) starting with professional development courses in Operational Risk Management, Real Estate Management and Project Management in March 2009.

H.E. Dr. Omar Bin Sulaiman, Governor of DIFC said, “Developing professional talent in the region is an integral part of DIFC’s mission to catalyse economic growth in the region. Rapid economic expansion has created an urgent need to build a large base of qualified professionals who can lead the region through the challenges of growth and change. We are keen to work with global institutions like Schulich School of Business to widen the opportunities for regional professionals to access world-class education opportunities.”

Alan Middleton, Executive Director, SEEC said: “The Schulich Executive Education Centre (SEEC) is very pleased to establish an alliance with an institution that is part of the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai to create an environment for progress and economic development in the UAE and the wider region. We are also very pleased to contribute to the DIFC Centre of Excellence’s mission to build a talent pool of professionals for the region. We believe this partnership will bring significant benefits for the region’s business community.”

Faten Hani, CEO of the DIFC Centre of Excellence said: “With its vast expertise and long experience in providing executive education, the Schulich School of Business will add considerable value to the pool of world-class resources available at the DIFC Centre of Excellence. Partnering with leading global educational institutions like the Schulich School of Business is critical to our ability to realise our objective of providing executives in the region with the learning and development resources needed to thrive in a fast-paced economy.”

Consistently ranked among the top business schools globally and as the number one in Canada, the Schulich School of Business is a leader in education in the financial services sector. Delivered worldwide, SEEC’s executive and management development courses have a proven record of actively and successfully addressing the needs of its global clients.

The partnership will be officially launched on 24 November 2008 in Dubai at a reception jointly hosted by the DIFC Centre of Excellence and the Schulich School of Business Executive Education Centre. Alan Middleton, Executive Director, SEEC, along with Schulich faculty and administrators will be present to answer questions about the partnership and course offerings.

About Schulich:

Known as Canada’s “Transnational Business School,” the Schulich School of Business has built a strong reputation both at home and globally for richly diverse, creative, real world programs at the undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate and executive education levels. These include Canada’s first International MBA Program (IMBA), as well as the country’s first comprehensive offerings in areas such as Financial Services, Real Property Management and Arts and Media Administration. Its broad ranging strategic alliances in more than 45 countries, over 18,000 alumni working in more than 80 countries and satellite centres in China, India and South Korea has earned it a reputation of being a global, innovative and diverse business school and it is consistently ranked as one of the world’s leading business schools.

The Schulich Executive Education Centre (SEEC) operates under the world-class leadership and academic standards of the Schulich School of Business. It is one of only four schools to be ranked in the top tier of both executive education categories (Open Enrolment and Custom Programs). Innovative thinking, a wide global lens, cutting edge research and real world experience are the cornerstones of the Schulich Executive Education Centre. Thousands of management executives take part in public programs offered each year and over 500 customized programs are delivered to both public and private organizations across the globe.

In addition to two main administrative headquarters in Toronto, Canada, SEEC has operating offices in Beijing and Shanghai, China; representatives in Mumbai, India and Seoul, South Korea, and strategic alliances with Universities in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russian Federation.

About DIFC:

The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) is an onshore hub for global finance. It bridges the time gap between the financial centres of Hong Kong and London and services a region with the largest untapped emerging market for financial services. Since November 2004, over 650 firms have registered at DIFC. They operate in an open environment complemented with world-class regulations and standards. DIFC offers its member institutions incentives such as 100 per cent foreign ownership, zero tax on income and profits and no restrictions on foreign exchange. In addition, their business benefits from modern infrastructure, operational support and business continuity facilities of uncompromisingly high standards. In March 2008, the City of London’s Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI) ranked Dubai as the region’s fastest growing financial hub. For more information please visit www.difc.ae.

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