News Desk
DUBAI: The internationally acclaimed CEO Academy, hosted for the first time in Dubai under the SHRM MENA umbrella, concluded this week with resounding success, bringing together 30 CEOs and senior business leaders from across the GCC and global markets for two days of deep, closed-door leadership dialogue. Held on December 10–11, 2025, the Dubai edition marked a significant milestone for the region, reinforcing the UAE’s growing position as a global convening ground for executive leadership, strategic foresight, and cross-border collaboration.
Recognised globally as one of the most respected CEO-readiness and leadership platforms, the CEO Academy is intentionally designed as a high-trust leadership laboratory where senior leaders can engage openly and candidly on the most pressing challenges shaping the future of business. Participants in the Dubai edition explored critical themes including artificial intelligence acceleration, geopolitical volatility, economic uncertainty, workforce transformation, evolving board expectations, and the growing complexity of stakeholder leadership in an increasingly interconnected world.
Unlike traditional conferences, the CEO Academy offers an immersive learning environment that allows CEOs to step away from operational urgency and focus on reflection, strategic judgment, and peer-to-peer exchange. Across the two days, leaders examined how organisations must rethink strategy, redesign operating models, build leadership resilience, and navigate disruption at a time when predictability is no longer guaranteed. Sessions blended global leadership frameworks with real-world case discussions, enabling participants to translate insights directly into their own organisational contexts.
The inaugural Dubai edition featured an exceptional lineup of internationally respected faculty and leadership voices, including Dennis Carey, Ram Charan, Tiger Tyagarajan, Peter Cappelli, Sandy Climan, Barbara Humpton, and Roger W. Ferguson Jr., among others. Each session was designed to provoke honest reflection and rigorous debate, encouraging leaders to move beyond incremental thinking and confront the realities of leading in an increasingly volatile, complex, and ambiguous environment.
Reflecting on the success of the Academy, Achal Khanna, CEO of SHRM APAC & MENA, said: “The first CEO Academy in Dubai represents a defining moment for leadership dialogue in this region. Today’s CEOs are operating in an environment shaped by unprecedented shifts in technology, talent, and economic models. What made this edition special was the depth of engagement; leaders showing up not just to speak, but to listen, reflect, and learn from one another. This is precisely the kind of leadership capability-building the region needs at this moment.”
Christopher D. Lopez further highlighted the leadership mindset required for the years ahead, noting: “In a world defined by volatility, the leaders who succeed are not simply those who attempt to predict the future, but those who are intentionally built to adapt to it. Resilience, agility, and the ability to lead through uncertainty are no longer optional; they are core leadership capabilities.
Vivek Arora, Managing Director of SHRM MENA, added: “The Middle East is entering a defining era of innovation and economic expansion. The success of the CEO Academy in Dubai demonstrates the strong appetite for global-scale leadership insights grounded in regional realities. SHRM MENA is proud to create a space where CEOs can engage in candid, strategic conversations that genuinely shape the future of business.”
