Dubai, UAE – The ESCP Business School, one of the world’s oldest and top ranked business and management schools, is set to commence its operations in the UAE, with the first batch of students to be enrolled this year.

In association with Al Rostamani Group, the ESCP will open its seventh campus in Dubai — first outside Europe after Paris, Berlin, London, Madrid, Turin, and Warsaw.

The flagship inaugural programme will be launched in May this year. A total of 200 of the brightest and talented Emiratis, following a vetting process by the university, are identified as the first cohort batch to be enrolled in the Master of Science degree in Big Data and Business Analytics.

Al Rostamani Group has offered grants for the entire batch in celebration of the UAE’s 50th jubilee, and in memory of the group’s founder, the late Abdulla Hassan Al Rostamani, who avidly supported and believed in the power of education and knowledge in advancing societies.

The ESCP leadership expects strong demand for enrolment in its UAE campus, given that it is a favourite destination for youth and students from around the world. It is also a testament to Dubai’s reputation as a global destination for talent, creativity, knowledge sharing, and capacity-building uniquely distinguished opportunities.

Additional degrees will soon be added in a number of areas including master degree in family business management, business analytics, AI, big data, cybersecurity, digitalisation, plus others, with plans for a full-fledged campus to be established in the future.

Philippe Houze, chairman of ESCP Business School, said the vibrant eco-system of the UAE and the distinguished spirit of innovation, talent honing, creativity, and diversity that Dubai and the Emirates are known for, make this a uniquely fitting destination for our joint educational and capacity-building innovation.

“We are particularly pleased to announce the inaugural launch of our first branch campus outside Europe in collaboration with Al Rostamani Group and the advent of our globally renowned business school programs in Dubai,” Houze said.

“This strategic collaboration that we announce in association with Al Rostamani Group and with the Inaugural Cohort designated as the ‘Abdulla Hassan Al Rostamani Inaugural Cohort’ in recognition of the late founder of the group , will encourage knowledge exchange and will bring best-in-class education closer home not only to the youth from the UAE but also for all the aspiring young minds from across the world who consider Dubai and the UAE as a favoured destination for their innovative ventures, their state-of-the-art businesses, and their educational pursuits. These reputable course offerings and innovative programmes will drive innovation and cater par excellence to the learning needs of the financial services industry, the technology and innovation hub, and the wide community of learners and aspiring talents in the UAE, the wider region, and well beyond,” he said.

“We are grateful for the UAE leadership for this opportunity. We are particularly pleased that our first campus to be established outside Europe is being launched in Dubai, which is deploying uniquely distinguished initiatives which are especially dedicated to nurturing global talent and establishing itself as the hub for talent enhancement, and knowledge sharing from world-class educational institutions,” said Houze.

Strong inaugural cohort

Professor Frank Bournois, executive president and dean of ESCP, thanked the UAE authorities for the uniquely warm welcome that had been extended to the school in the Emirates and expressed his gratitude to Al Rostamani Group in association with whom the school’s branch campus was being launched in Dubai.

He expressed his pride in the uniquely strong inaugural cohort which the school was particularly privileged to welcome for its inaugural launch in Dubai, a commemorative batch of the best and brightest young minds of the UAE emanating from across the UAE. It also reflected an impressive gender-balanced distribution of young men and women, which brings a wonderful testimonial to the preparedness these talented young leaders had received and their continued aspiration to learn and develop, excelling in gaining admission to the most reputable world-renowned institutions, on par with their best and brightest counterparts across the globe.

“I have no doubt youth from across our European campuses will yearn to join this newly inaugurated seventh campus in Dubai as a destination of choice,” said Bournois.

We are working to promot our national talents: Marwan Abdullah Al Rostamani

Marwan Abdullah Al Rostamani, chairman of Al Rostamani Group, said commitment to support education, Emiratisation and talent development have always been part of Al Rostamani Group’s principles.

“The collaboration with ESCP and our contribution to attract the school to the UAE and the region will bring great possibilities. We are grateful for the opportunity,” Al Rostamani said.

“This endeavour comes in honor to our late father Abdulla Hassan Al Rostamani, the founder of the group, as the first inaugural cohort of the school’s educational programme will bear his name. He received basic schooling and began working at around the age of 14 to support the family out of hardship. All he learnt was due to his persistent determination and personal aspirations.

“And this was reflected when he established Al Ahliya Library in Dubai in 1954-56. It was the foundation to build his business which grew to become Al Rostamani Group. Throughout his life, our father gave education care and continuous support in the belief that knowledge and education are essential in opening the doors of opportunities and progress for individuals,” he said.

Al Rostamani concluded by saying: “As one of the leading local family businesses, and as part of our responsibility and social role, we are keen to work towards promoting our national talents, who have proven their ability to progress, develop, learn, and compete, regionally and globally. We are also particularly proud of the UAE and Dubai’s capability to attract this prestigious international educational institution, and express our earnest gratitude to the UAE government for welcoming this step and providing full support to the School. We also want to thank ‘ESCP’ for its confidence in the ecosystem of the UAE, and we are honored to be part of it as it based on our foundational belief that education is for all.”

From the library to the university: Abdullah Hassan Al Rostamani remains a beacon of light

Born in Shindagha area in Dubai in 1931, the late Abdulla Hassan Al Rostamani believed that education and knowledge are core to an individual’s growth as it powers the progress of societies. He gave education special attention and unlimited support because it enabled everyone greater opportunities and possibilities in life.

Abdulla received basic schooling during a time when formal schooling was not yet established in the UAE. He attended Al Falah school in Dubai, and used to teach his peers math.

He started working at the age of 14 to support his family, and to change the harsh living conditions at the time. Abdulla used to teach Arabic language in exchange for learning English. He believed the latter to be essential to reach out to the world, a language he mastered eventually through practice and reading.

In 1949, he worked as an accountant and clerk for a salary of 30 rupees (the currency in use at that time) for a major pearl dealer, importer, and supplier; Ali bin Abdullah Al Owais, father of the renowned writer, poet, and merchant Mr. Sultan bin Ali Al Owais, with whom he became close friends.

He realised early on that his ambitions and aspirations were broader than the job, so he opened a kioskp with a capital of 200 rupees.

He later on established Al-Ahliya Library in Dubai between 1954-56, as the first modern bookshop, after contracting with Farajallah Press in Egypt, to distribute Egyptian and Lebanese newspapers, magazines and books.

At the beginning of the sixties, he sought and obtained multiple agencies to import several electronics and products. In 1957, the “Central Trading Company” was opened as a general trading enterprise, which was the first building block for the establishment of Al Rostamani Group.

He was recognised and honoured by numerous educational and cultural entities and establishments, and was awarded the “Distinguished Personality of the Year” for the year 2000-2001, by the Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Educational Excellence. The late Abdulla Hassan Al Rostamani passed away in 2006, after a life full of giving.

Key takeaways

• Inaugural programme launched in Big Data and Business Analytics

• Inaugural lecture to be held in newly-inaugurated Museum of the Future Auditorium with Foundational Cohort of 200 young Emirati leaders named after the late Abdulla Hassan Al Rostamani

• The ESCP Business School, one of the world’s oldest and top ranked business and management schools, is set to commence its operations in the UAE, with the first batch of students to be enrolled this year.

• The ESCP Business School is a pioneer of business, entrepreneurship, and management, for the past 200 year.

• Pan-European institution is consistently ranked among the best business schools globally, with France recently issuing a commemorative stamp in celebration of its bi-centennial anniversary

• ESCP’s new campus outside Europe is the seventh for the school globally, electing Dubai as their new global destination for a vibrant hub for innovation and talent development

• The first cohort will include 200 of the best and brightest of Emirati talents from across all of the Emirates, and gender-balanced distribution of young men and women

• Selected from amongst the up-and-coming young talents of the most competitive talent hubs, such as MBRCLD, the UAE Young Economist Programme, and the Ministry of AI designees, the inaugural batch will offer a unique co-development set of learning opportunities