Stern School of Business at NYU Abu Dhabi Inaugurated; Welcomes First MBA Cohort
- The inauguration was marked with a formal ceremony attended by HE Shamma bint Sohail Al Mazrui, HE Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Rima Al Mokarrab, and Linda G. Mills alongside notable UAE officials and University leadership
- The first cohort of Stern at NYUAD’s inaugural MBA program comprises 54 highly accomplished candidates, each bringing diverse global perspectives and valuable professional experiences
- The program is taught by distinguished faculty members who joined Stern at NYUAD from some of the world’s leading business schools
- Degrees are jointly conferred by NYUAD and NYU Stern, the highest globally ranked business school to offer a full-time MBA in UAE and MENA
Abu Dhabi, UAE — The Stern School of Business at NYU Abu Dhabi (Stern at NYUAD), a collaboration between the NYU Stern School of Business (NYU Stern) and NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), announced its official inauguration. The milestone moment was marked with a formal ceremony and a VIP tour of its state-of-the-art facilities on NYUAD’s campus.
The ceremony was attended by HE Shamma bint Sohail Al Mazrui, Minister of Community Empowerment; HE Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, NYU Trustee and Managing Director and Group CEO of Mubadala Investment Company; Rima Al Mokarrab, NYU Trustee and Chair of Tamkeen; HE Yousef Al Otaiba, Minister of State and UAE Ambassador to the US; HE Ahmed Tamim Al Kuttab, Chairman of the Department of Government Enablement; HE Martina Strong, US Ambassador to the UAE; Linda G. Mills, President of New York University (NYU); John Tate, CEO of Tamkeen; Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, CEO of Masdar; Ala'a Eraiqat, CEO of Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank; Professor Fabio Piano, Interim Vice Chancellor of NYUAD; Arlie Petters, Provost of NYU Abu Dhabi; J.P. Eggers, Dean of NYU Stern; Robert Salomon, Dean of Stern at NYUAD, and Fatima Abdalla, Senior Vice Provost for Strategy and Planning at NYUAD.
NYU Stern is the highest globally ranked business school offering a full-time MBA in UAE and MENA. Stern at NYUAD graduates will earn a fully accredited MBA degree, jointly conferred by NYU Stern and NYU Abu Dhabi, connecting them to a global alumni network spanning over 130 countries.
Commenting on the inauguration of Stern at NYUAD, Rima Al Mokarrab said: “The launch of the Stern School of Business at NYU Abu Dhabi is a testament to the dynamic and longstanding partnership between NYU and Abu Dhabi, underscoring a mutual commitment to cultivating innovators and leaders of tomorrow. This groundbreaking new school contributes to Abu Dhabi as a hub for business and innovation. Together, we are creating an environment where world-class talent, cutting-edge research, and industry collaboration converge.”
Stern at NYUAD’s inaugural program offering a one-year full-time MBA welcomes a cohort of 54 highly accomplished candidates with a competitive average GPA of 3.6. The cohort represents 25 countries, with the largest groups from the UAE and the United States, along with strong representation from India, China, and Pakistan, bringing a diverse and global perspective to the classroom.
On average, the candidates have five years of professional experience. 100% of the cohort have strong work experience, with the majority of them having worked in top-tier international companies and public sector organizations, including Aldar, Bain & Company, Intel, KPMG, JP Morgan, and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi.
“The inaugural cohort of MBA students at Stern at NYUAD embodies the future of global business leadership,” said Linda G. Mills. “This program reflects NYU’s commitment to delivering transformative global education and equipping exceptional students with the skills, networks, and experiences needed to drive progress and innovation in a rapidly evolving marketplace.”
Stern at NYUAD boasts an exceptional faculty, holding PhDs from some of the world’s leading business schools, including NYU, MIT, London Business School, HEC Paris, Harvard Business School, Wharton, and INSEAD. It has recruited 11 prominent full-time faculty from some of the world's most ambitious academic and professional institutions who will teach and conduct research in Abu Dhabi.
“The opening of Stern at NYUAD is a pivotal milestone in NYU Abu Dhabi’s mission as a leader in global higher education contributing to the UAE’s growth,” said Fabio Piano, interim Vice Chancellor of NYUAD. “Over the past 15 years, NYUAD has redefined academic excellence, and the launch of this program signals our ambition for even greater achievements by broadening our academic offerings to include a world-class MBA. This program will help fuel the knowledge economy of the UAE by preparing graduates to lead with purpose, innovation, and a global mindset, reflecting NYUAD’s enduring impact in the region and beyond.”
With 54 credits, Stern at NYUAD’s inaugural MBA program matches the rigor of two-year MBA programs while allowing students to complete their degree in just one year, in response to both student and market demands. Designed for early-career professionals, the program equips graduates to capitalize on the region’s dynamic growth across private and public sectors.
The program includes modules in Abu Dhabi and New York City, providing students with international exposure and drawing on industry expertise from prominent UAE and global business leaders.
A key feature of the program is its hands-on experiential projects with top-tier corporate partners, including Microsoft, Hub 71, ADGM, and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, providing students with practical, real-world business experience.
“Collaborating with NYU Abu Dhabi to design and deliver a first-of-its-kind MBA in the MENA region that creates opportunities for both students and employers is exactly the kind of innovation we get truly excited about at Stern,” said J.P. Eggers, Dean of the NYU Stern School of Business. “Built on our high standards of teaching and research excellence, this unique MBA offers students a dynamic, immersive, accelerated educational experience in two of the most exciting cities in the world.”
At the helm of the program as Dean is Robert Salomon, an award-winning scholar and educator with over 25 years of experience in globalization and global strategy. Salomon, a faculty member at Stern since 2005, where he served as Vice Dean for Executive Programs, is the author of the highly regarded Global Vision: How Companies Can Overcome the Pitfalls of Globalization.
“Our vision for Stern at NYUAD is to cultivate a world-class talent pool that will drive the UAE and MENA economies forward, addressing the growing need for industry leadership in this dynamic region,” said Salomon. “By blending NYU’s global network, Stern’s reputation for academic excellence, and Abu Dhabi’s strategic position as a global business hub, we have created a transformative MBA program that attracts diverse and exceptional professionals. The goal is to equip the next generation of leaders with the academic tools, skills, and perspectives necessary to harness innovation and shape the future of global business.”
For more information about the MBA program, visit stern.nyuad.nyu.edu.
About Stern at NYUAD
Stern at NYUAD Full-time One-year MBA program is a first-of-its-kind MBA program in MENA from a top US Business school. Stern at NYUAD is an academic enterprise that is uniquely positioned to influence management and business in the region. The program offers a premier, internationally distinguished business degree, tailored for aspiring leaders in the UAE and abroad. Stern at NYUAD gathers a global community of learners and talented professionals to equip them with a strong business and management foundation through an innovative curriculum taught by esteemed faculty. Through dynamic coursework, innovative teaching avenues, and real-world opportunities the program aims to accelerate careers in a dynamic global economy.
About NYU Abu Dhabi
NYU Abu Dhabi is the first comprehensive liberal arts and research campus in the Middle East to be operated abroad by a major American research university. Times Higher Education ranks NYU among the top universities in the world, making NYU Abu Dhabi the highest globally ranked university in the UAE. NYU Abu Dhabi has integrated a highly selective undergraduate curriculum across the disciplines with a world center for advanced research and scholarship. The university enables its students in the sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities, and arts to succeed in an increasingly interdependent world and advance cooperation and progress on humanity’s shared challenges. NYU Abu Dhabi’s high-achieving students have come from over 120 countries and speak over 100 languages. Together, NYU's campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai form the backbone of a unique global university, giving faculty and students opportunities to experience varied learning environments and immersion in other cultures at one or more of the numerous study-abroad sites NYU maintains on six continents.
About NYU Stern School of Business
New York University’s Stern School of Business, located in the heart of Greenwich Village and deeply connected with the City for which it is named, is one of the nation’s premier management education schools and research centers. NYU Stern offers a broad portfolio of transformational programs at the graduate, undergraduate and executive levels, all of them enriched by the dynamism and deep resources of one of the world’s business capitals. NYU Stern is a welcoming community that inspires its members to embrace and lead change in a rapidly transforming world.
Note on the photo:
First row (L to R): Ala'a Eraiqat, CEO of Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank; HE Yousef Al Otaiba, Minister of State and UAE Ambassador to the US; HE Shamma bint Sohail Al Mazrui, UAE Minister of Community Empowerment; HE Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, NYU Trustee and Managing Director and Group CEO of Mubadala Investment Company; Linda G. Mills, President of New York University (NYU); Rima Al Mokarrab, NYU Trustee and Chair of Tamkeen; HE Ahmed Tamim Al Kuttab, Chairman of the Department of Government Enablement; HE Martina Strong, US Ambassador to the UAE; Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, CEO of Masdar.
Second row (L to R): Fatima Abdalla, Senior Vice Provost for Strategy and Planning at NYUAD; Arlie Petters, Provost of NYUAD; Raghu Sundaram, Senior Vice Chancellor and Head of Global Strategy at NYU; Professor Fabio Piano, Interim Vice Chancellor of NYUAD; John Tate, CEO of Tamkeen; J.P. Eggers, Dean of NYU Stern; Robert Salomon, Dean of Stern at NYUAD.