Alghanim Industries hosts 2nd annual Harvard Business School admissions event – Information about MBA program provided to applicants

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KUWAIT CITY, Nov 1: Alghanim Industries, one of the largest, privately owned companies in the Gulf region, hosted and sponsored their second annual MBA admissions event in coordination with Harvard Business School (HBS). The event took place at Jumeirah Messilah Beach hotel on Oct 21, 2015, and provided aspiring applicants with key insights into Harvard Business School’s full-time MBA program.

Information about one of the world’s most prestigious institutions, Harvard Business School, was provided by Philip Andrews who represented HBS Admissions Office. Special guests included Dr Brian J. Hall, the Albert H. Gordon Professor of Business Administration at HBS, who spoke on the topic: “Are you a value creator or value claimer?”. The agenda also included a panel discussion which featured five prominent HBS alumni who spoke about their experience at the university: Faisal Al-Hamad, Managing Director of NBK Capital, Mohamed Eissa, Managing Director in Gulf Investment Corporation, Abdullah Al Zabin, Founder and CEO of Lumba (mobile gaming company), Khaled Jafar, Director at Kuwait Bruckner Contracting Company Faisal Al Meshal, Director in Alghanim Industries.

Harvard Business School alumni and Vice-President in Alghanim Industries, Hashim Gillani (MBA 2002), introduced the event on behalf of the company. Gillani said during his opening remarks, “We are truly honored to have with us some of Kuwait’s best and brightest Harvard Business School alumni to tell us their stories and what their higher education meant to them. It is also a distinct pleasure to have Dr Brian J. Hall, one of Harvard’s finest educators, with us tonight to transport us to the Harvard Business School classroom”.

The keynote speech was then delivered by Omar K. Alghanim – Chief Executive Officer, Alghanim Industries – who received his MBA from Harvard Business School in 2002.When reflecting on the benefits of higher education, Alghanim said, “It’s to teach us how to think.  It’s to develop our critical faculties. It’s to teach us how to research, how to analyze, how to reason and how to form independent judgments. But that’s not all.  It’s also to teach us how to be and how not to be; and what to do and what not to do.  It’s to make us stronger, bigger, better people. It’s essential to be able to form independent judgments, but it’s not enough.  You’ve also got to know how to trust and defend them. To put it another way, higher education exists, in part, to make us more courageous”.

At the opening of the panel discussion, NBK Capital Managing Director, Faisal Al-Hamad said, “I would like to encourage you all to apply for your MBA and attend universities such as Harvard. The education you receive there prepares you, not only for challenges you face at work, but those you will face throughout your life. It enables you to think quickly and communicate efficiently, and gives you access to a range of perspectives that eventually make you a better leader.

Finally, an institution such as Harvard allows you to benefit from the experiences of the best and brightest throughout your two year journey and form lasting relationships that I value to this day”. Al-Hamad went on to say,  “I would like to thank Omar Alghanim and Alghanim Industries for hosting this event. I would also like to thank Hashim Gillani for taking the initiative and organizing this event every year”. Al-Hamad received his MBA from Harvard Business School in 2005.

On his part, Mohamed Eissa, Managing Director in Gulf Investment Corporation commented, “Top tier universities such as Harvard allow you to explore different career opportunities and paths that exist to become successful.

You gain access to alumni and their experiences. Feedback on your progress from predecessors can guide you to selecting the path that suits you best. This guidance extends beyond learning about careers, and even prepares you in how to present yourself to potential employers, whether it is through assistance in creating resumes or advice on the interview process. It is much more than higher education. What you gain is the ability to plan your future with some of the most capable experts in the world”.

Prior to the presentation and speakers, the attendees interested in applying to Harvard Business School enjoyed a reception where they got to interact with the hosts, the guest speakers and the representative from the admissions office, who traveled from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to be at this event. Alghanim Industries’ second Harvard Business School MBA Admissions event was open to the public and enjoyed an attendance of more than 130 youth interested in pursuing a higher education.

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