Today's Edition
ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
The Stern School of Business at NYU Abu Dhabi held its first Convocation ceremony on December 12, graduating the inaugural Class of 2025 from its one-year, full-time MBA programme on the main stage of Abu Dhabi Finance Week.
More than 50 students representing 25 countries were honoured at the ceremony, a media statement said.
The event was attended by university leadership, UAE officials and industry representatives.
The ceremony featured a keynote address by Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, who spoke about leadership, ethics and purpose in a complex global economy. “It is a privilege to celebrate this milestone in Abu Dhabi – a city that is shaping the future of humanity through innovation and diversity,” Neves said.
Addressing the graduates, he added: “Your generation is AI-ready, purpose-driven, and prepared to lead with intelligence, empathy, and resilience. The future is yours – embrace it with courage and curiosity.”
Fabio Piano, Interim Vice Chancellor of NYU Abu Dhabi, reflected on the expansion of the university’s academic offerings. “As the University continues to grow, it is natural to broaden its academic offerings to serve the business leaders the world will need in the years ahead,” he said, adding that the MBA signified graduates’ readiness to lead organisations and communities through global transformation.
Robert Salomon, Dean of Stern at NYU Abu Dhabi, said the launch of the MBA programme represented both an institutional milestone and a commitment to developing a regional talent pipeline.
“We welcomed you, more than 50 remarkable students from 25 countries. You brought experience and imagination, and we prepared you with business fundamentals, analytical skills and tools, and leadership capabilities,” he said.
Bharat Anand, Dean of the NYU Stern School of Business, highlighted the partnership between Stern and NYU Abu Dhabi. “You are the inaugural class. You manifest a collaboration between Stern and Abu Dhabi that reflects the best of what any partnership stands for,” he said, describing the collaboration as bold and forward-looking.
The ceremony included welcome remarks from Emirati student May Al Hajeri, who will join BlackRock in January, and an address on behalf of the class by Emirati graduate Faisal Eraiqat, who will return to his role as a management consultant with Bain & Company. “We learned how to balance ambition with humility, confidence with curiosity, and individual goals with collective success,” Eraiqat said.
According to the release, the Class of 2025 earned a fully accredited MBA degree jointly conferred by NYU Stern and NYU Abu Dhabi and will join a global alumni network spanning more than 130 countries.
The cohort has an average GPA of 3.6 and an average of five years of professional experience, with graduates moving into roles across consulting, finance, technology, entrepreneurship and the public sector.
Stern at NYU Abu Dhabi will welcome its second cohort of full-time MBA students in January, with applications open for the MBA Class of 2027. Applications are also being accepted for the inaugural part-time Executive MBA programme, scheduled to begin in August 2026.
