Middle East

Dubai Office

Telephone: + 9714.401.9306
E-mail: Mideast@fuqua.duke.edu

Patricia McCall
Regional Director, Middle East
pjm29@duke.edu

Patricia McCall is Regional Director for the Middle East for The Fuqua School of Business. McCall's career includes working as an analyst for Merrill Lynch, as a financial consultant for an Internet company, and as an emerging market equity salesperson at ING Barings. She spent four years as a macroeconomic and equity analyst at Banyan Fund Management with a primary focus on emerging markets in Asia. She worked as a consultant to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, completing an in-depth analysis of foreign direct investment and corporate social responsibility in conflict areas and worked for the IFC - International Finance Corporation of the World Bank in Cairo, Egypt where she focused on regional investment climate and regulatory reform. Most recently, McCall was Head of Research at Jasper Capital, a Dubai-based consulting and corporate finance firm where she conducted regional economic and industry analysis for clients, consulted on various regulatory reform advisory for regional governments and advised on corporate finance projects.

McCall graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. She received her master's degree in international affairs, focusing on Middle East studies and economic development, from Columbia University's Graduate School of International and Public Affairs, New York.

Mohan Venkatachalam
Associate Professor
Academic Director, Middle East
mohan.venkatachalam@duke.edu

Associate Professor Mohan Venkatachalam is Academic Director for the Middle East region for The Fuqua School of Business. He has worked as associate professor of accounting at Fuqua since 2002. He was previously assistant professor at Stanford University from 1996 - 2002. He also was an audit executive at Suhail & Saud Bahwan, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman from 1988 - 1990. He worked as a business accountant at Chemicals & Plastics India Ltd., Madras, India, from 1987 - 1988. Venkatachalam's teaching and research interests include financial reporting and financial statement analysis. View his curriculum vita .

Venkatachalam earned a PhD in accounting in 1996 from the University of Iowa; he completed the exam requirements from the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), London, United Kingdom in 1990; he also earned an ACA degree in 1987 from The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. In 1986 he earned a BCom degree from the University of Madras in India. 

Lana Dajani
Regional Manager, Middle East
lzd@duke.edu

Lana Dajani is Regional Manager for the Middle East for The Fuqua School of Business. Dajani previously worked as a Research Associate within the Business Development division of the International Finance Corporation, World Bank Group, in Dubai. Her role involved supporting investment projects across various sectors and managing the region's knowledge base and client relationships. She recently published a children's book titled My Letter to President Barack Obama, and she is an active volunteer with humanitarian relief organizations.
 
Dajani graduated with a bachelor's degree in international politics from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. She also earned a master's degree in international law from Georgetown University's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in Washington, DC.

DIFC Centre of Excellence  

The Fuqua School of Business' partnership with the DIFC Centre of Excellence  calls for Duke University to establish an office and lease classroom space in the DIFC Centre of Excellence. Students of The Duke MBA—Cross Continent and The Duke MBA—Global Executive programs will attend classes at the DIFC Centre of Excellence. In addition, Duke will also offer programs at the Dubai Institute for Human Resources Development.

Duke and the DIFC Centre of Excellence will establish joint research centers, which will allow Duke's faculty and graduate students to pursue research topics related to the United Arab Emirates and the greater Middle East region, while contributing to scholarship within the UAE.

Mohammed Bin Rashid Programme for Leadership Development

Duke will offer a one-year Master of Management Studies in Government degree at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Programme for Leadership Development (MBRPLD). The program will be tailored to the educational needs of government officials throughout the Middle East, and will draw on the expertise of Duke's Fuqua School of Business and the Sanford School of Public Policy.

The MBRPLD is a program designed to develop future national leaders of Dubai, and was initiated by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.

Mohammed Bin Rashid al Maktoum Foundation

The Fuqua School of Business is an official partner of the Mohammad Bin Rashid al Maktoum Foundation (MBRF), a $10 billion dollar endowment from His Highness the Ruler of Dubai to support education, entrepreneurship and culture across the Arab world. Under the partnership, MBRF provides full scholarships to Arab students who are admitted into Fuqua, and who have a visible commitment to the region. More information about the scholarship program and Fuqua's partnership with the foundation can be found here.

Young Arab Leaders (YAL) 

The Fuqua School of Business is partnered with Young Arab Leaders (YAL), a network of Arab men and women who are currently in prominent positions of responsibility and strive for extraordinary achievement. The partnership will assist YAL in its mission to tackle unemployment through the pillars of Education and Entrepreneurship. YAL's Education Programs help Arab youth meet the everchanging needs of the job market, while their Entrepreneurship Programs encourage entrepreneurial thinking among youth and provide much-needed support to burgeoning entrepreneurs. More information about Fuqua programs available to YAL members can be found here.

Duke Corporate Education

Duke Corporate Education (Duke CE) is Duke University's corporate education arm. It is ranked as the world's No. 1 provider of customized executive education programs since the organization's launch in July 2000.

In 2008, Duke CE teamed with the Dubai Women Establishment to hold a forum on Women Leadership in the UAE, an interactive session highlighting global challenges faced by woman leaders across the globe. Session topics included policy making, research and practices, the future of women in leadership, and the unique role of women in the UAE in fostering economic growth and development. View the press release .

Duke CE Clients in the Middle East include:

• The Emirates Bank Group
• EQUATE
• The Executive Council of Dubai
• The Jeddah Economic Forum
• Tatweer

Board of Visitors

Fuqua's Board of Visitors advise senior school leadership on all matters related to curriculum, programs, facilities, and operations while promoting better communication and relationships within the business community. One board member hails from the Middle East region:

• Ahmad Sharaf, Chairman
  Dubai Mercantile Exchange (DME)
   
  Head of Transition Management Office (TMO)
  Dubai Holding 
  Board Member since 2008
  United Arab Emirates

Ahmad Sharaf is a senior leader at Dubai Holding and is the Head of the Transition Management Office. He is responsible for driving the overall strategy and direction of the corporate change management process and works directly with the Group CEO Ahmad Bin Byat.

Prior to his appointment at Dubai Holding, Ahmad Sharaf held leadership positions in Tatweer which he joined in 2005. Mr. Sharaf was the Chief Executive Officer of Tatweer Investments, where he was responsible for leading the company’s long term growth strategy in the domestic and international arena. During his time in Tatweer, Mr. Sharaf held executive responsibilities for the energy, healthcare, food and beverage and real estate portfolios within the company. 

Mr. Sharaf is the Chairman of Dubai Mercantile Exchange, Chairman of the Board for University Hospital and serves as a Member of the Audit Committee of Dubai Holding.

Alongside his leadership positions in Dubai Holding, Mr. Sharaf is a Member of the Board of the Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC), a Member of the ENOC Audit Committee, and Vice Chairman of Dragon Oil. Mr. Sharaf serves as a Member of the Board of Visitors and a Group Member of the Global Partnerships Committee of the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University.

Prior to joining Tatweer, Mr. Sharaf held senior management positions with international and state energy companies in the United States and the Middle East. A petroleum engineer by training, Mr. Sharaf began his career with Conoco Inc. in Houston, Texas. Following the creation of ConocoPhillips in 2002, he was appointed General Manager and Director, Business Development, Middle East responsible for managing new growth opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Mr. Sharaf earned a B.Sc and M.Sc in Petroleum Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

Alumni Clubs

Fuqua boasts more than 30 alumni clubs around the world, including in Asia. Visit the Fuqua alumni club's page to learn more about the latest events and activities of the clubs. For questions about Fuqua's alumni clubs, please contact Katie Thomasson, Associate Director of Alumni Relations, at katie.thomasson@duke.edu.

Through an extensive recruiting network, Fuqua alumni work across the globe. Our alumni are currently working in positions at a number of fine organizations within the Middle East. A representative, but not exhaustive, list is below:

Two International MBA Options: Cross Continent and Global Executive

The Middle East has been part of Fuqua's curriculum for some time. We offer two distinct internationally-delivered MBA programs: the newly redesigned Cross Continent MBA, a dynamic program for young professionals who wish to keep their jobs yet get a top-tier MBA, and the Global Executive MBA, a program designed for senior executives with global responsibilities. Both programs include in-depth academic residencies in Dubai.

Additional International Options

Students in Fuqua's Daytime and Weekend Executive programs also have international education opportunities in the Middle East with the Global Academic Travel Experience (GATE) elective. Students study the business, culture, economy, and politics of a country or region before traveling to the area studied. Students gain exposure to international businesses through visits to multinational corporations, local enterprises, government agencies, alumni and others in the region. Visit the GATE page to learn more.