San Francisco - MENA Herald: A delegation of 29 young leaders of the ‘Sharjah Leadership Program’ (SLP) has successfully concluded a trip which took place in San Francisco in the United States. Organized by ‘Sharjah Tatweer Forum’ (STF), the visit comes in line with its aim to keep young leaders updated with the latest technologies and global trends related to innovation. The move also reflects the great effort placed towards improving it into a smart, integrated and sustainable city. The 10-day tour, which was held from April 17 to April 27, 2016, covered many prominent stops, including a summit on the ‘Internet of Things (IoT)’ that focused on extensive discussions on how to further develop IoT products.
The trip allowed the visiting 29 delegates an opportunity to interact with pioneers in the technology sector and learn more about best practices that can help accelerate adoption of this advanced technology--further utilizing it as an effective tool towards the smart transformation. The young leaders were also able to meet senior officials from leading IT companies like Twitter, Netflex, UC Berkeley, 500 Startups, Silicon Valley, Nordic Innovation, SAP Innovation Centre etc. The delegation also actively participated in key workshops like the 'SRI International' program, while also taking part in meetings and lectures about important timely topics like emerging trends, modern technological innovations, big data analysis, smart cities, cloud computing and information security.
“The San Francisco tour formed an ideal platform to enable the SLP members to view the best international practices that are related to the smart shift and to identify leadership concepts in the era of innovation, which serve the objectives of the ‘National Innovation Strategy’ aiming to position the UAE as one of the most innovative countries in the world,” said Jassem Mohammed AlBlooshi, Chairman of Sharjah Tatweer Forum. “The tour's success is a strong boost to our efforts to deepen and enrich the knowledge of the young future leaders from the public and private sectors, as well as to stimulate creativity and create an incubator and suitable environment to transform innovative ideas into quality projects that serve the journey of comprehensive and sustainable development in Sharjah and the UAE.”
“Participating at the IoT Summit proved to be very significant as it allowed the SLP delegation to see innovation from a more global perspective. The visits and meetings with major prestigious companies in the field of technology and innovation in California created a positive experience for the participants who are showing interest in adopting best practices that will help enhance their managerial leadership performance. This success has prompted and inspired us into planning and organizing more international tours that support our initiatives and focuses on establishing a culture of innovation among the young generation of leaders,” concluded AlBlooshi.
STF was founded in 2005 through an Emiri decree issued by His Highness (H.H.) Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. The forum aims to introduce the most important global and local trends while reinforcing the role of young leaders and linking ties between the economic sectors in order to improve Sharjah and consolidate its position as a highly competitive emirate. STF’s framework is based on several concepts, which includes innovation, economy knowledge, entrepreneurship, and support for innovative projects that serve as key tools towards comprehensive development, stimulating community outreach, volunteer work and CSR. The forum also seeks to promote fruitful cooperation with major consulting firms, research centers and international and local universities in order to ensure the improvement of future generations in the field of leadership and management.
