Madinah, Saudi Arabia (June 19th, 2011):  The current political and social changes in the Middle East have forced many governments in re-evaluating numerous key assumptions and current operating  models. Governments in turbulent environments are seeking measures to transform governance while reducing corruption.

The Madinah Institute of Leadership & Entrepreneurship (MILE) is organizing a leadership program for senior executives at the public sector.  The event is under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Majed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Governor of Madinah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Governments are providing equitable justice with increasing accountability and transparency.  The mission of the Madinah Institute of Leadership & Entrepreneurship is to equip policy makers and government officials with necessary tools and methodologies in transforming into a High Performance Government (HPG.)  

The HPG program is sponsored by Madinah Knowledge Economic City, the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) and Saudi E-Government Agency (Yesser).
The program has been launched in collaboration with the National School of Government (UK) and “Civil Services College, Singapore”. It focuses on the apparent need for an analytical framework that can be applied to aid country’s current situations while identifying potential areas for improvement.

The HPG program features professional speakers and prominent facilitators who are proven leaders in their field from Harvard University, University of Toronto, University of Washington, Carnegie Mellon University, Columbia University, Civil Services College-Singapore, Abu Dhabi Government Center of Excellence, Government of Malaysia, Saudi Minster of Labour, Ex- Minister of International Development (UK), Accenture, Booz & Co., Oliver Wyman, Monitor Group and KPMG.

The program also offers the opportunity to share knowledge on general trends in public administration, benchmarks and best practices on public service from various regional governments.
The event provides insights on the strategies adopted by successful regional role models in creating high performance governments with growing economies. The HPG event will discuss how to create an interoperable, responsive and cost effective government by bridging the gap between strategies and mission success. Another major focus area shall be the contribution of e-government initiatives which are transforming government agencies and introducing efficiency and effectiveness to their practice.

HPG is the first-of–its-kind leadership program for public servants and government leaders in the region that equips them with the knowledge and tools to reshape their lives, cities, economies, region and countries.

The Madinah Institute of Leadership & Entrepreneurship (MILE), a non-profit institute and a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative of the Savola Group, Knowledge Economic City and SAGIA, aims at contributing to human capital development in developing countries.


Dr. Mohamed Moustafa Mahmoud, MILE Executive Director states “The HPG program aspires to transform senior public service executives into effective leaders while aiding governments in making the right decisions.  The HPG ensures greater success in today's competitive and volatile economy. It will provide a unique opportunity to participants to learn and network with leaders from top academic institutions, global consulting firms, multilateral donors, regulators, regional public service leaders, and role models from regional successful governments and developing countries”.

The program is scheduled for 17 September to 21 September, 2011.  The location of the HPG program will take place at The Knowledge Economic City in Madinah, Saudi Arabia.

Contact:
Dr. Mohamed M. Mahmoud
Executive Director
Wharton alumnus, 86
The Madinah Institute of Leadership & Entrepreneurship (MILE)
+966.4. 865 3046  Ext. 4013/4014
http://www.mile.org/hpg/

A new programme designed to develop management and leadership skills for business leaders in Arab and Muslim countries has taken an alternative approach to relaying important business techniques to its participants. The Programme for Advanced Leadership and Management, or PALM, has been designed by a Saudi Arabia college to develop intellectual, emotional, physical and spiritual relations in the Middle East business sector.

"For the first time, we tried to design and deliver an executive programme which addresses the mind, body, heart and soul," says Dr Mohamed Moustafa Mahmoud, of the Madinah Institute for Leadership and Entrepreneurship, MILE, host of the two-week event.

"Mixing activities that address the four areas resulted in unexpected outcomes. Some of the bosses and spouses of the some of the participants expressed to me the dramatic changes that participants experienced."

MILE is located in Madinah in Saudi Arabia and its first PALM programme featured business leaders, university professors, management consultants, professional trainers and practitioners from around the world, including US, Europe, South America and the Middle East to teach participants.

From a pool of 150 applicants, 60 participants from a wide range of business backgrounds were chosen.

"It was a very 'complete' experience. It was very holistic, and much more than just academia. I had the privilege to be with an elite group of people," says Abdul Hadi Chalak, one of the participants and a manager at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon.

MILE is a non-profit organisation that aims to provide top quality, affordable executive development programmes that are tailored to the local needs of senior executives in Arab and Muslim countries.

The next PALM meeting will be in October and MILE also plans to develop and offer more specialised PALM courses for other industry sectors such as health care, financial institutions, government.