A graduate of King’s College London and a former projects specialist at Qatar Airways, Maryam Alkhalaf expects HEC Paris’ Specialized Master’s to enhance her professional as well as personal skills.
Featuring an all-new curriculum, HEC Paris in Qatar will start its next Specialized Master’s in Strategic Business Unit Management (SBUM) program in January 2021. The updated SBUM degree program has been specially designed for participants looking to enhance their leadership and management skills and further accentuates HEC Paris’ position as one of the leaders in executive education, for which it was ranked #2 worldwide by the Financial Times in 2020. So it comes as little or no surprise that 26-year-old Qatari professional Maryam Alkhalaf has jumped at the opportunity of enrolling for the Specialized Master’s. Maryam has a Bachelor of Arts in International Politics from King’s College London and has worked as a corporate sales projects specialist at Qatar Airways. And she knows exactly what to expect from her stint at HEC Paris in Qatar.
“Having HEC Paris in Doha is a great opportunity for me to pursue my education along with my work,” says Maryam, who is currently serving as a Research Associate at the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), an initiative of Qatar Foundation. “It is important to connect my studies with my everyday work. Moreover, HEC Paris is considered to be one of the top institutions for executive education in the world, and I feel that I will also benefit from the experience of my colleagues over there.”
With a total work experience of four years now, Maryam believes that developing basic business skills are crucial and would be greatly beneficial in carrying out daily activities related to her work. “I can apply multiple business practices to my professional requirements like designing a strategy, developing leadership skills, and managing human capital and decision-making, which are essential for my career development,” says the 26-year-old.
Commenting on her expectations from the SBUM program, Maryam says that she is looking forward to a solid program, which requires a lot of effort on part of the participants to derive maximum benefits. She further adds: “The Specialized Master’s will of course improve my professional skills. Apart from that, at the personal level, it will teach me how to manage my time between work and studies and how to perform and succeed under pressure. It will also enhance my communication skills as I will more often than not have to work with different people from different industries and backgrounds, which is very important.”
Maryam also feels that undertaking the Specialized Master’s degree will enable her to attain a senior level position at WISE. Her goal is to become a research manager in the organization within two to three years. “The SBUM program will give me the responsibility to explore different research areas including writing and co-authoring research reports,” says the 26-year-old. “It will also enable me to maintain regular contact with international organizations, in addition to providing me with a platform to organize and participate in local and international outreach events either with WISE or other partners.”
And talking about whether the program will have any drastic implications on her overall life, the King’s College graduate says: “I believe that if you have time-management skills then you will be able to find the right balance between work, studies and personal life. I don't think it will be easy but it is doable if you prioritize your goals. For me personally, compromising on my social life would allow me to devote more time to studies, so I will be working or studying on weekends in order to keep track of the program.”
The HEC Paris in Qatar Specialized Master’s is delivered in a flexible 15 to 18-month modular format starting with a core curriculum focused on strategy, finance, leadership and change. The program reflects HEC Paris’ commitment to contribute to the development of a knowledge-based economy in Qatar and to strengthen corporate competitiveness in the region.