The Developing Association between Wales and the UAE
A member of the Abu Dhabi ruling family has achieved outstanding success in his PhD degree awarded by Bangor University's Business School.
After gaining his MPhil at Cambridge University, Sheikh Hazza bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, enrolled on a PhD programme at Bangor Business School undertaking research in “Natural Resources, Economic Development and Security in the United Arab Emirates”, supervised by Dr David Law and Professor Phil Molyneux, Head of the Business School.
The timing of Sheik Hazza bin Zayed al Nahyan’s award coincided with a milestone in the history of Bangor Business School of being officially rated the No 1 department in the UK for Finance and Accounting Research, according to the results of the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.
Following his viva voce, Sheikh Hazza commented: “I inherited my Royal title but I am very glad to have gained my PhD independently. I have enjoyed the friendly and supportive atmosphere at Bangor, the encouragement of my family and the support of my advisor, Dr. Walid Al-Dargazelli.”
Reflecting on Sheikh Hazza’s success, Dr David Law said: ”Sheikh Hazza was a very good student, who was especially impressive in his articulate defence of his wide-ranging PhD thesis in the final viva voce examination. I am sure that his work will enable him to make a substantial contribution to the future development of the UAE.”
UK citizens will be most familiar with another member of Sheikh Hazza’s family, his uncle Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the owner of Manchester City Football Club, which is managed by the Wales ex-International footballer Mark Hughes, who is coincidentally an Honorary Fellow at Bangor University. Sheikh Hazza himself is not merely a successful academic; since childhood he has also been a keen sportsman, with especially active interests in falconry and horse-riding. In 2005 he won the World Championship in endurance horse-riding.
Bangor Business School also enjoys close ties with other countries on the Arabian peninsula. Students funded by the King Abdul Aziz Scholarships of Saudi Arabia enroll on Masters degrees in Accounting, Banking and Finance. Bahraini students also enroll every year on Banking and Finance bachelor degrees through a partnership agreement with the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance. Also members of the Qatari Al-Thani royal family have graduated from Bangor University in recent years.
Bangor Business School’s recent launch of a suite of MA and MSc degrees in Islamic Banking and Finance has proved to be extremely successful, attracting students not only from the Gulf States but also from a number of Islamic banking organizations. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Sheikh Hazza’s uncle and President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, helped to fund the Centre for Islamic Studies at the University of Wales, Lampeter in 1997.