Executive education: Accenture's Abir Habbal on preparing AI-savvy leaders

Gulf Business

14 hours ago

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The AI revolution isn't coming — it's already here. But for most business leaders, bridging the gap between AI hype and actionable strategy remains a challenge. Enter the Generative AI Scholars Programme, a joint initiative by Accenture and Stanford University, now being rolled out across the Middle East.
In this interview, Abir Habbal, Data and AI Strategy & Consulting lead at Accenture in the Middle East, explains what makes this programme more than just another executive course. From bite-sized modules grounded in Stanford's academic legacy to real-world applications tailored for the region's ambitious digital visions, this programme is designed to turn C-suite curiosity into capability.
Habbal also shares why the UAE and Saudi Arabia are ideal launchpads, highlights the top misconceptions around AI adoption, and offers a glimpse into the real business impact already emerging from this new generation of AI-savvy leaders.
In your view, what role can executive education like this play in accelerating the region's digital transformation — and what's still needed to close the gap between ambition and impact?
Executive education programmes are instrumental in accelerating the Middle East's AI transformation by comprehensively equipping leaders for the AI era. They are crucial for building AI-literate leadership, empowering decision-makers across the GCC to not only understand AI's potential but also to strategically apply it within their organisations. This involves a fundamental shift in mindset: moving from viewing AI purely as an IT function to recognsing it as a catalyst for business model transformation and sustainable growth.
By fostering AI fluency, these programmes bridge the communication gap between the c-suite and technical teams, enabling more productive dialogues and streamlined decision-making, which is vital for the region's ambitious national AI strategies.
However, to fully close the gap between this ambition and tangible impact, several critical elements are still needed. Beyond leadership, there must be a broader investment in role-based AI training across all levels of the workforce, ensuring everyone understands how AI integrates into their daily tasks and contributes to organisational goals.
Furthermore, the emphasis on responsible AI must be woven into the fabric of every initiative, with clear governance models addressing data privacy, bias, and transparency from inception, as this builds crucial trust for widespread adoption.
Ultimately, sustained success hinges on a commitment to scaling what works, fostering a culture of continuous learning and experimentation, and aligning AI innovation directly with national economic diversification and digital transformation priorities across the region.
There's growing awareness of AI across industries — but a notable gap when it comes to implementation. What are the most common misconceptions or barriers you see among business leaders trying to adopt AI?
Despite high awareness, a significant gap exists between AI understanding and real-world implementation among business leaders.
Accenture's research highlights that while 84 per cent of c-suite executives believe they must leverage AI to achieve their growth objectives, only 15 per cent feel their organization is truly ready to scale it. The most common misconceptions and barriers include:
Uncertainty about where to start: The rapidly evolving AI landscape makes it challenging to differentiate hype from achievable business value.
Lack of leadership alignment: If c-suite leaders (CIO, CFO, CHRO) don't operate from a shared understanding, AI initiatives often stall at the pilot stage.
Organisational unreadiness: Many businesses lack the foundational data infrastructure, skilled talent, or robust governance frameworks needed for responsible AI scaling. As Accenture's research indicates, 70-80 per cent of AI initiatives never move beyond the pilot phase, and while many focus on technical capabilities, successful AI implementation is predominantly a people and process challenge.
Misconception of AI as purely an IT initiative: Leaders often fail to see AI as a core strategic imperative for growth, innovation, and competitiveness, viewing it simply as a technological tool rather than a catalyst for business model transformation.
Risk avoidance over responsible risk-taking: Concerns around ethics, trust, and governance, while valid, can lead to a paralysis of innovation if not balanced with a strategy of embracing innovation with built-in guardrails and responsible AI practices from day one.
Lack of clarity on ROI: A significant barrier is establishing ROI on identified opportunities and making a business case for scaling initiatives, which are often perceived as more challenging than technical limitations
Can you walk us through what makes this programme distinct from other executive education offerings — particularly in how it blends Stanford's academic insights with real-world application?
The programme includes easily digestible, bite-sized modules, industry spotlights, case studies, and reflection activities, ensuring participants not only grasp complex concepts like technical fundamentals, foundation models, and prompt engineering but also develop the generative AI strategy and technology know-how for real-world application.
This approach aims to spark reinvention agendas that can profoundly transform businesses, enabling leaders to drive innovation and navigate the digital economy effectively.
Why was the Middle East chosen as the next region for the rollout of this programme, and how has the regional business landscape influenced its evolution or delivery?
The Middle East, specifically Saudi Arabia and the UAE have emerged as prime focus for the rollout of programmes like the Generative AI Scholars Program due to the country visions and their unparalleled ambition and strategic commitment to becoming global leaders in AI. This region is not merely adopting AI; it's actively leading its development and integration into national visions. Both nations are making substantial financial commitments to AI infrastructure, research centers, and digital ecosystems. This includes significant government-backed AI R&D funds, free zones offering incentives for AI businesses, and partnerships with global cloud technology organisations. The region is not just investing in technology but also in building a modern digital core, which Accenture sees as essential for continuous reinvention and for organisations to rapidly seize every opportunity presented by AI.
Recognisng that technology adoption requires human capital, these nations are heavily investing in developing AI fluency across their workforces, from top leadership to technical teams. We are working with MCIT Saudi Arabia in an Accenture artificial intelligence training programme organised by the Accenture LearnVantage Academy.
These programmes directly address human capital requirements by equipping senior officials and business leaders with the mindset and skills needed to lead with AI responsibly.
As the programme moves from theory to action, what kind of real-world business outcomes are participants expected to achieve? Can you share any early examples from previous rollouts globally?
The expected real-world business outcomes are centered on driving measurable value and competitive advantage. Accenture identifies these outcomes as broader and more strategic than just cost savings. Participants are expected to achieve:
Enhanced decision-making: AI tools help leadership teams make faster, more informed decisions, leading to improved strategic agility.
Increased employee productivity and empowerment: By leveraging AI, leaders can free up time for their teams to focus on high-impact work rather than being buried in manual analysis or reporting. This contributes to a positive human-AI relationship, which Accenture believes is a key priority for leaders.
Tangible business impact: Strategies informed by AI insights are expected to translate into winning new business, improving customer satisfaction, and accelerating the launch of initiatives. Accenture's AI Achievers report indicates that 63 per cent of high-performing companies say they've already achieved measurable ROI from their AI investments within three years.
Accelerated organistional agility: AI helps organisations react faster to market changes, or spot opportunities we would've missed before, fostering a state of continuous reinvention.
Business model transformation: Rather than just incremental gains, organizations are expected to achieve step-change improvements in revenue, efficiency, and customer experience by integrating AI effectively, as leaders rethink how digital systems are designed, how people work, and how they create products and interact with customers.
Innovation at scale: The programme aims to unlock creativity and accelerate progress, sector by sector, by empowering people to reimagine what's possible with AI.