The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) has collaborated with the IE School of Global and Public Affairs (IE) and International Trade Centre (ITC) to launch the groundbreaking Executive Master Degree in Internationalization and Trade in Spain. 

 

Held at the IE School campus in Madrid, the event featured a panel discussion on the Challenges of Global Trade and International Business Expansion with panelists including Engineer Hani Salem Sonbol (ITFC CEO), Arancha Gonzalez (ITC Executive Director) and Isaac Martin Barbero (Cabify Chief Cities & Communities Officer).

 

The Executive Master in Internationalization and Trade is a co-designed program, originally initiated by the ITFC after it recognised the need for a specialised executive course capable of developing trade professionals with rounded knowledge and expertise in order to thrive in global trade and international business. 

 

The programme which focuses on trade, trade finance and trade development, is the first of its kind to be initiated by a multilateral financial trade institution, said a statement from ITFC.

 

The Executive Master in Internationalization and Trade has been designed for two complementary profiles: executives and entrepreneurs seeking to expand their global businesses, and professionals working in trade policy and regulation of global trade. 

 

This provides each with a unique opportunity to share experiences of addressing the universal challenges of making trade more inclusive and improving livelihoods to lift people out of poverty worldwide. 

 

Through collaboration with IE and the ITC, ITFC’s vision of shaping a comprehensive degree has led to the creation of a course built around a ‘blended methodology’, combining live videoconferences and interactive forums, with face-to-face sessions in Geneva and Madrid. 

 

This approach enables students to advance their career while simultaneously pursuing a valuable and meaningful education. 

 

Salem Sonbol said: "Shaping up a programme like the Executive Master in Internationalization and Trade is an answer to the needs of the dynamic and evolving landscape of Trade and Trade Finance."

 

"Partnering with prominent institutions like IE and ITC in this Program provides a unique transformational experience that combines academic excellence and practitioners’ leadership with the aim to push the frontier of learning beyond conventional practices and assumptions to new horizons…this is at the core of our mandate of Advancing Trade and Improving Lives," he stated.

 

IE Dean Manuel Muniz said: "We live in a time of exponential change. This is also evident in the space of trade. The digitalization of value chains, 3D printing and the use of cryptocurrencies or Blockchain technology is radically reshaping trade."

 

"We need policymakers and trade practitioners to understand this change, navigate it and make the most of the opportunities it brings," he explained. 

 

The Executive Master in Internationalization and Trade programme is a notable milestone for ITFC. It is the organization’s first foray into education and a major contribution to encouraging experienced professionals in the industry to take up the challenge of transforming trade.

 

Salem Sonbol pointed out that after witnessing the dynamics of global trade over the years, the need to equip professionals with the essential skills and latest trends has become a necessity. 

 

"Working everyday across the value chain of trade, we could tell the “Why”, but to get a mastery on the “What” and the “How” directed us to partner with IE and ITC; and together we designed the Executive Master in Internationalization and Trade to establish the excellent means to improve transformation of trade executives, professionals and experts," he added.-TradeArabia News Service