LUISS Business School has recently hosted the GBO 2016, an educational and cultural programme for entrepreneurship and social impact

On August 1, GBO’s the last long day took place at LUISS Business School. In the morning participants presented their projects, and in the late afternoon the programme finished with a beautiful closing ceremony.

The GBO programme, an outstanding learning and life experience designed by Al Ahli Holding Group CSR division, took place in Italy for the first time since its foundation. LUISS Business School hosted the event in Rome, and greeted participants from Italy, Argentina, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates, which was present with numerous students from Khalifa University of Abu Dhabi.

The aim of the initiative is to give groups of 25-30-year-old students from different countries and cultures the tools to identify business opportunities and develop entrepreneurial skills. GBO 2016 was born in cooperation between the CSR Division of Al Ahli Holding Group, based in Dubai, LUISS Business School, and its Alumni Association. The programme gives its participants the opportunity to meet top business and academic leaders, to visit major local businesses of the hosting country, and to widen network in an international environment. The final aim is to provide students with knowledge and tools to realise their own business ideas generating high social impact, while bridging the gap between the Arab Region and other cultures. The first sessions of the programme took place at LUISS Business School, where, among other speakers Olivier Lavinal, the World Bank’s Advisor to Vice President in the MENA Region held a session on business strategy and social impact.

After a few days, the class moved to Spoleto (in the Italian region of Umbria) thanks to the cooperation with its City Hall, which gave the patronage to the initiative. The aim was to leverage on an outdoor concept and the experiential path, and to allow the students to strongly focus on their commitment. They lived an intense experience through lectures, real business cases, business visits to companies such as Monini Olive Oil and Urbani Truffles, and cultural nights, which was all combined into an amazing and unique competition. Each country’s delegation had to organise an event with a limited budget, including food, music, and a show related to the most relevant cultural phenomenon of each country. Judging criteria for the cultural nights were the use of budget, time management (the event could not be longer than 3 hours), problem solving, and creativity of the show.

After the first sessions, the class started to work in teams. Each team developed a business plan with the support of the programme mentors. The 9 teams presented their projects to the judges that assessed innovation, sustainability, and the plan’s capability to generate a high social impact.

According to the participants and the organisers the experience was unique. “I want to see the transformation of students in entrepreneurs and business leaders, who are able to deeply affect social issues,” said Lina Hourani, Director of the CSR Division of Al Ahli Holding Group, the founder and “soul” of GBO.

The programme was definitely a success and a big opportunity for the students: the LUISS Business School delegation won the Cultural Night Contest and the 9 team members were awarded by CSR Al Ahli with the free participation in the next Global Conference for Youth Development in Abu Dhabi, taking place in November 2016. “An experience, which quite changed my life and my mind-set,” said Andrea Grossi, student of the LUISS Master in Corporate Finance programme and winner of the Best Speaker Award. “A unique path, which deeply affected myself and which I will never forget,” said Edoardo Carboni, also a Master in Corporate Finance student, who was given an opportunity to have an internship at the CSR Al Ahli Office in London.

GBO Italy was a win-win event for everybody: the students, the LUISS Business School delegation, the partners, the Alumni Association who provided the programme with speakers. But with no doubt the most relevant feature of the programme was the high commitment to cultural integration and social growth. “Instead of fighting and struggling, you are the most powerful proof of how people may be in peace, and that brotherhood really exists. You are a good hope for our future since you are good leaders,” said Paolo Boccardelli, Dean of the LUISS Business School.

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22/08/2016