Sharjah Chamber Opens Fifth Cohort of Its Strategic Business Leadership Program

The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry has opened the fifth cohort of its Strategic Business Leadership Program, the 2026–2027 edition of a course delivered through the Sharjah Training and Development Center. The programme is run in collaboration with the University of Navarra in Spain and carries the theme "Start Your Successful Leadership Journey".

Start Your Successful Leadership Journey

It runs for six months, from November 2026 to April 2027, and targets leadership, management and strategic decision-making skills among professionals in the public and private sectors. Department directors, deputy directors, section heads and employees nominated by their organisations are eligible to take part.

Seven training modules make up the fifth cohort. They cover situational leadership, strategic thinking, innovative business models, artificial intelligence in leadership and decision-making, business psychology, organisational behaviour and strategic integration. Further modules address the Institutional Innovation Readiness Index, design thinking, strategic problem-solving, and leadership strategies for volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environments.

Participants also receive specialised training at the University of Navarra on international strategic leadership and organisational management practices.

Maryam Saif Al Shamsi, Assistant Director-General for the Support Services Sector at the chamber, said the initiative reflects its focus on developing human capital and leadership capabilities so that institutions can respond to economic and technological change. She stressed the role of strategic thinking, innovation and decision-making skills in improving institutional performance and competitiveness.

Amal Abdullah Al Ali, Director of the Sharjah Training and Development Center, said the programme pairs academic instruction with practical applications and international expertise to prepare professionals for leadership roles. The fifth cohort, she said, includes specialised training sessions, advisory support, practical exercises and applied projects alongside the Spain component.

Those applied projects ask participants to assess the challenges facing their own organisations, identify where improvement is possible and develop solutions tailored to their institutions. Participants use leadership frameworks and strategic planning tools to work on management processes, operational efficiency and institutional performance.

The programme also sets out to strengthen critical and creative thinking, change management, data analysis and strategic planning, and to help participants recognise their individual strengths and the professional development opportunities open to them.

Classroom teaching, advisory support and the overseas stint are arranged so that the applied projects carry the learning back into the workplace. The expectation is that participants leave with something their employers can use, rather than a certificate alone.

The chamber places the initiative within its broader efforts to develop leadership talent and management capabilities across public and private sector institutions. For Sharjah, the calculation is direct: institutions that can absorb economic and technological change need managers who can plan, question and decide, and that capacity is built over months rather than in a single seminar.

The cohort opens in November 2026 and closes in April 2027. Nominations come through the participant's employer.