Cross-Cultural Leadership, Strategy & Negotiating Skills Explored by Influential Speakers
The Deputy Secretary-General of NATO, His Excellency Mircea Geoană, was among a high-profile panel of speakers in Qatar this week during the first module of the incoming Class of 2022 Specialized Master’s Degree in Strategic Business Unit Management (SBUM) of HEC Paris, ranked #1 in the most recent Financial Times European Business Schools Rankings. HE Geoană, the former Romanian Minister for Foreign Affairs, participated in the guest speakers’ session of the leadership module held at the HEC Paris in Qatar premises in Tornado Tower.
The first module of the SBUM Class of 2022 was delivered by Dr. Guido Gianasso, Professor of Leadership at HEC Paris in Qatar and an acclaimed leadership and cultural intelligence expert who is also Senior Advisor to the Cambodian Minister of Post and Telecommunications. Dr. Gianasso brings 35 years of international management, teaching and consulting experience to the HEC Paris SBUM program.
“In our program, the NATO Deputy Secretary-General focuses on negotiating across cultures and shares his extraordinary experience with high level political leaders from around the globe,” explained Professor Gianasso. “He also emphasizes the importance of cultural intelligence and explores how it is critical to the success of cross-cultural negotiations particularly when there is a lot at stake, such as major crises or military conflicts.”
HEC Paris in Qatar regularly invites leading national and international experts to share their experience with participants to expand perspective and ensure the relevance of its programs.
During this leadership module, Professor Gianasso guided participants through exercises exploring the relationship between leadership and personality, and the challenge of leading culturally diverse teams. “All participants complete both the NEO personality and the CultureCompass tests, which provide them with clear understandings of their own personality profile and its implications in terms of leadership style, as well as of their own cultural profile as opposed to the profile of their own country,” he explained.
Well-known leadership expert Professor Karl Moore, Canada’s McGill University, shared his ground-breaking research on introverts as leaders. “Professor Moore’s message challenges conventional wisdom – that great leaders are always extraverted individuals – and offers an interesting developmental perspective to participants who are high in introversion,” explained Professor Gianasso.
The HEC Paris Class of 2022 SBUM cohort counts 50 participants from nine nationalities and diverse professional backgrounds and sectors, all seeking personal development and career acceleration. The new participants occupy senior positions in some of the most esteemed companies in Qatar across a wide range of sectors such as energy, education, technology, aviation, health, finance, construction and banking, bringing valuable diversity to the learning experience.
Apart from developing leadership qualities, the HEC Paris in Qatar Specialized Master’s enables individuals to apply the latest business practices to designing a strategy, decision-making and managing human capital, which are all essential for business success and long-term career development. Since joining Qatar Foundation in 2010, more than 400 participants have graduated from the HEC Paris Specialized Master’s program in Qatar.
