Why this conversation now

Executive education leaders are juggling geopolitical tensions, shifting learner expectations, tighter university budgets, and the rapid rise of AI—often all at once. In this first session of UNICON’s two-part series, Dean Sherif Kamel (Dean of the Onsi Sawiris School of Business at AUC) and Associate Dean Nigel Phang (Nanyang Business School) shared grounded, region-specific realities and what’s actually working on the ground to keep programs relevant, resilient, and growing.

Region matters: turbulence, opportunity, and the case for blended

Egypt & the MENA/Africa lens (Sherif Kamel):

Operating for decades amid regional volatility has shaped AUC’s approach. Travel frictions and visa issues affect international mobility and demand—so AUC leaned early into online and blended formats to stay mission-driven and expand reach. Fully online isn’t the goal, Sherif stressed, but smart blends—where a small in-person component anchors learning—have enabled growth despite constraints.

Singapore & ASEAN/China dynamics (Nigel Phang):

Geopolitical uncertainty created unexpected upsides for Singapore:

• Faculty recruitment: A safe, globally connected research hub with competitive compensation and strong funding makes Singapore attractive to top scholars.
• Participant mobility: As travel plans and immersion destinations shifted, Singapore’s “east–west” position drew more universities (from Europe to China and India) to host immersion programs at Nanyang Business School.

Adapting Education to Market Challenges

Nigel discussed how declining undergraduate enrollment due to an aging population in Singapore has led to increased reliance on executive education and postgraduate programmes to maintain revenue streams. This shift underscores the critical role of flexible, targeted educational offerings in addressing demographic and economic challenges.

Flexible Education Programs and Innovation

Nigel discussed innovations in education, highlighting the evolving landscape of executive education. As he explained about their unique approach:

“We have actually created a kind of a learning pathway. For them to start with a graduate certificate, is not a degree-bearing program. But the content that they learned can actually enable them to transfer the credit to another program that we have. We call it the Flexi Masters… And the candidate actually will have a 5-year candidature to decide whether they want to pursue a full master’s.”

This innovative approach exemplifies the growing trend of flexible, stackable credentials in executive education. Nathalie expressed admiration for the agility shown by Nigel’s institution in combining degree programs with executive education.

What clients want now: relevance, flexibility, stackability

Key insights included:

• ESG remains a business imperative in export-driven markets.
• AI is both a capability and a risk.
• Micro-credentials and stackable pathways are rising fast.

Meet the Speakers

Nathalie Nawrocki

Board Member, UNICON | Executive Director of Corporate Partnerships, INSEAD

Sherif H. Kamel

Dean, Onsi Sawiris School of Business | Professor, American University in Cairo

Nigel Phang

Associate Dean, Nanyang Executive Education | Nanyang Business School