In a candid conversation with students at Carnegie Mellon, Qatar Airways CEO, Akbar Al Baker, spoke about the future of the airline, the New Doha International Airport and keys to success during the Dean’s Lecture Series.
With opening of the New Doha International Airport delayed until 2013, many students were eager to hear the CEO’s perspective on recent developments with the airport, the airline and his broader outlook on business.
Al Baker denied rumors that the airline was joining the oneworld™ alliance. This after an article published in the Financial Times on Tuesday stated that Qatar Airways was set to be the “first of the fast-expanding Gulf carriers to become a member of one of the global airline alliances.
Moving away from the headlines, the CEO shared with Carnegie Mellon students his leadership philosophy, calling on them to excel in an era of ever-increasing global competition.
“We compete in an era where geographical boundaries are being blurred as businesses embrace globalization. To stay relevant, the onus is on us to embrace these changes or risk being changed,” Al Baker said to an audience of 400 students, educators and community members.
“As I stand before all of you, I see myself standing before future CEOs, Chief Marketing Officers, Chief Information Officers and Chief Financial Officers of some of the best and biggest organizations in the world. I say the world because we live in a time where markets are changing faster than marketing,” he added.
Ilker Baybars, dean of Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, who recently hosted both the CEO of HSBC Qatar and Qatar’s Minister of Education, reemphasized the importance of the series in bringing senior executives to campus to share their views with students.
“The Dean’s Lecture Series and the Dean’s Leadership Series connect students with industry leaders so that they may become inspired to succeed and innovate in their own right,” Baybars said.
Maha Al-Meer, a third-year business administration student appreciated a question-and-answer session that followed Al Baker’s talk. “I have a strong interest in the aviation industry so I have been looking forward to Akbar Al Baker’s lecture for a long time. I did an internship with Qatar Airways, and I did not have the opportunity to meet Al Baker, so for me this was particularly great.”
The Dean’s Lecture Series will continue next month with a panel on banking in the GCC featuring the Qatar’s top banking officials.
