The Emirates Family Office Association (EFOA),the unique independent body supporting UAE and global Family Offices, announces a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)–for a strategic partnership with United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), the UAE’s flagship university.
The collaborative partnership will co-launch various initiatives to educate the next generation on the role and importance of Family Offices and businesses in the UAE’s economy. Via carefully curated training and panel sessions, UAEU students will learn from leading figures in the region’s Family Office ecosystem.
Under the terms of the MoU, EFOA and UAEU will launch an internship programme allowing UAEU students to gain valuable experience in the highly competitive Family Office and business sectors, to provide compelling insight and foster the next generation of home-grown leaders.
EFOA and UAEU will also collaborate on research into the region’s Family Offices and businesses, identifying influential trends within the sector’s exploding expansion.
This partnership follows last month’s webinar hosted by UAEU’s College of Business & Economics – titled ‘Family Business as Value Creators’–in which EFOA’s Executive Director – Aisha Al Mansoori –spoke about characteristics distinguishing family businesses; challenges they face; and factors fueling the sector’s growth in the UAE to date.
Aisha Al Mansoori, Executive Director of EFOA, stated:
“A core tenet of EFOA is promoting knowledge sharing and collaboration in the region’s Family Office and business ecosystems. We are excited to partner with UAEU to enhance our work in this area. Educating next gens on the role and importance of Family Offices and businesses is essential to the ecosystem’s success and also the UAE. Family-owned businesses contribute up to 70% of the country’s GDP.
“With a host of initiatives to educate and inspire the next generation of leaders, we will strengthen further the influential position of Family Offices and businesses within the UAE’s economy.”
Professor Mohamed Madi, Dean of UAE University’s College of Business and Economics, added:
“Family Offices are crucial in shaping wealth management and investment, overseeing trillions of dollars across approximately 10,000 family offices globally. The UAEU College of Business and Economics is delighted with the opportunity to collaborate with the Emirates Family Office Association (EFOA), which is a premier resource for Family Offices and family businesses in the UAE, and their stakeholders. Our faculty is keen to collaborate with EFOA in researching the challenges and opportunities in this important sector of the UAE economy.”
