du partners with INSEAD Alumni Association UAE to grow innovation ecosystem and drive technology advancements in the UAE

• MoU commemorates du’s commitment to innovation ecosystem and strengthening national and ICT credentials
• The year-long community partnership will be met across collaborative events to promote interdisciplinary knowledge transfers and drive disruptive technologies such as AI, IoT and 5G
• The signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding coincided with the event launch of the first INSEAD Technology, Media & Telco Alumni Club UAE
• The event hosted a gathering of leading tech industry experts and featured fireside chats, panel discussions, and masterclasses about Design thinking, AI, Digital work and 5G driven innovation in the UAE

Dubai, UAE, 3^rd March, 2022: du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), has signed a memorandum of understanding with INSEAD National Alumni Association in the UAE (NAA UAE) to stimulate collaborations  with the alumni network on thought leadership, academia and disruptive innovations that drives technology advancements in the UAE. The signing ceremony followed an event that gathered experts in the fields of tech and academia to stimulate discussions around 5G, AI, Design thinking and the future of digitization in the workplace.

The partnership aims to strengthen UAE’s position as an innovation hub and attract start-up from the global INSEAD alumni network to further stimulate knowledge transfers and accelerate the deployment of 5G, IoT and AI in the country. du and INSEAD NAA’s newly launched Technology, Media & Telco (TMT) Alumni Club will build an ecosystem of partnerships  and experts across a sharing platform for ICT innovation in the UAE,  whilst enhancing collaborative prospects among INSEAD alumni members and  du. In that capacity, du and INSEAD NAA UAE will organize expert events across the fields of Technology, Media, Telecoms to exchange knowledge and expertise.

Saleem AlBlooshi, Chief Technology Officer, du, said: “du is a futuristic innovative telecom pushing 5G and IoT advanced in UAE to a new heights. As an active innovation leader in the country and wider region, du is committed to support the local community to push technology excellence and innovation to new heights by partnering with world-class academic academia, as the latter shows key potential for effective acceleration.”

Natalie Sleiman, INSEAD alumna from the 2014 Global Executive MBA programme, President of the INSEAD Alumni Association in the UAE, said:  “As the global business landscape moves towards a digital age, major paradigm shifts are expected in the fields of technology with a growing need for candidates who understand this shift and possess the ability to maneuver through these situations. As an association, we are committed to building global and local professional networking opportunities with our partners as well as a sharing platform that enables our members to stay on top of cutting-edge theories and practices, communicate effectively with each other and explore industry-specific issues.”

Onur Kirazci, the Ambassador for the Association’s Technology, Media and Telecoms (TMT) Club added, “our ambition is to foster an environment that helps creating value to our partners and the

community at large. We look forward to working with du to expand the tech-enabled innovation eco-system in the UAE while accelerating learning and professional development for our members”.

Entitled ‘Leading Innovation and Technology Frontiers’, the event that ran prior to the signing ceremony ran a varied format of discussion opportunities including two masterclasses, panel discussions and a fireside chat with Saleem AlBlooshi, who in turn shared his thoughts on the role of technology, its challenges and opportunities and how to foster readiness in the industry.

For more information and visit: www.du.ae/