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This edition of QRDI’s cornerstone program fostered innovation leadership in a group of senior executives from Alijarah Holding, Aljazeera, Baladna, Es’hailSat, and Sidra Medicine

Doha, Qatar, October 3, 2022: The Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Council (QRDI) closed the second edition of its Corporate Innovation Leaders Program with innovation and collaboration training for leaders from Large Local Enterprises (LLEs) in Qatar. Held from 25 - 28 September, the program was developed by QRDI and its Silicon Valley partner, Alchemist Accelerator, for senior executives from Alijarah Holding, Aljazeera, Baladna, Es’hailSat, and Sidra Medicine to strengthen Qatar’s innovation ecosystem.

This edition of the Corporate Innovation Leaders Program focused on developing an innovation mindset for leadership at LLEs and highlighting the importance of partnerships between LLEs and SMEs for mutual and innovative business growth that address competitiveness and help create a robust network for collaborative innovation adoption for businesses in Qatar.

Highlighting the importance of LLE and startup collaborations, the program speakers included Mr. Mohammad Hourani, co-founder and COO of EMMA Systems, and Forbes’ Top 10 Inspiring Business Persons to watch in the Middle East 2022, Mr. Hesham Elfeshawy, who is the co-founder and CEO of the homegrown At Home Doc startup. Mr. Rashid Al Rahimi, Director of Tarsheed – the national program for conservation and efficient use of water and electricity, and Mr. Samer Abdelhamid, Head of Grid Service Business at General Electric, also shared updates from their innovation partnerships with startups.

Mr. Faraj Abdulla, RDI Program Manager of the QRDI Council, said: "We would like to thank our partner organizers and participating executive leaders for another successful edition of QRDI’s Corporate Innovation Leaders Program. This initiative is part of our efforts to realize the QRDI 2030 strategy of creating a thriving innovation ecosystem for Qatar that ensures the synergistic success and growth of local industry and SME’s by fostering top talent, high value job creation and developing innovative technologies in Qatar.”

The four-day long training program comprised workshops on Corporate Innovation Models, best practices and industry insights, and understanding and leveraging innovation opportunities. It also offered networking opportunities to drive collaboration between LLEs and SME’s.

QRDI oversees the development of innovation talent in Qatar’s business and governmental landscapes through its Qatar Innovation Leaders Program which comprises the Corporate Innovation Leaders Program and the recently held Government Innovation Leaders Program.

Realizing the next chapter of Qatar’s socioeconomic growth, QRDI recently held various training programs and webinars to drive Qatar’s transformation into a knowledge-based economy. To learn more about upcoming QRDI programs, visit the QRDI Council.