"At the present time I work for the UAE government as the Undersecretary Assistant for Training and Development, in the Department of Civil Service, a post I took up in 2005. My job is mainly concerned with corporate training for the senior offices of the government.

The UAE is developing very quickly; the objective is for it to become one of the top countries in the world within five years. Initially, when I first visited Oxford, it was to help forge a relationship between the business school and the Civil Service department in Abu Dhabi, so that we can train our executives in Oxford. But then it occurred to me that taking an Executive MBA at Saïd Business School would be a good opportunity to reskill and get up to date with the latest developments in management and leadership.

It's a very demanding and challenging programme, as would be expected from a top business school. In my 30 years of experience I don't think that I have ever worked as hard as I am doing now, studying for the EMBA.

I must also say that the programme met all my expectations. I enjoyed all the aspects of leadership and management we covered, and really learnt a lot from some of the leading educators in the world, which is a privilege. I also learnt a lot from my fellow postgraduate students, who came from all over the world.

At the age of 58, some might say that it is a bit late in life to be doing an Executive MBA. I would certainly disagree, however; the EMBA is highly relevant to my work and professional career, and I believe I can contribute more now than at any time in the past. The Oxford Executive MBA is an enriching experience, and one that I would certainly recommend to my colleagues."