The second edition of the International Conference on Technology, Innovation, and Sustainability in Business Management (ICTIS 2023) was held from 3-4 May 2023 and organised by leading faculty from Middlesex University Dubai’s Business School. Building on the success of the inaugural 2019 edition, this year's hybrid conference showcased over 110 presentations across 18 tracks and welcomed over 200 industry and academic presenters and speakers from more than 20 countries. 

The diverse, multidisciplinary papers presented at the conference covered contemporary topics such as Artificial Intelligence, Smart Tourism, Fintech, Sustainable Consumer Behaviour, and Data Analytics, revealing exciting insights about how technology, innovation and a focus on sustainability is powering the future of the Business Management discipline. 

The conference welcomed three distinguished keynote speakers to lead the proceedings. Bashar Kilani, Managing Director at Accenture, delivered the first address, sharing his insights from industry on “Innovation in the Digital Economy”. Professor Balbir Barn, Academic Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology at Middlesex University London, provided a global perspective on the topic of “Sociotechnical Digital Twins for Complex Decision-Making”. Finally, Dr. Janya Chanchaichujit, Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Sustainable Logistics and Supply Chain Management at Prince of Songkla University, took participants on a journey into how industry-academic collaboration is key to success on the road to COP28, which is being held in the UAE in November 2023.

Over 20 Middlesex University Dubai faculty members, over 40 of the University’s students and alumni, and two faculty members from Middlesex University London presented at the conference, in a fantastic display of innovative faculty and student research. The Best Paper Awards were presented to:

• Does Risk-Return Tradeoff Exist in the GCC Stock Markets - Chinmaya Narayany Satish Kumar and Faisal Nazir Zargar
• Impact of Data Visualisation on Accurate Interpretation of Data Analysis – Chandreie Mukherjee and Bhargab Chattopadhay 
• Transforming ‘Information Search’ using the Metaverse: Understanding the Effect of System Design, User Experience, and Perceived Information Quality on Behavioural Intention - Dharun Kasilingam

Featuring a global audience of participants, the conference has already sparked exciting ideas for further research collaboration between academics in the UAE and institutions around the world.

The conference was chaired by Dr Sreejith Balasubramanian, Chair, Office of Research and Associate Professor, and Dr Supriya Kaitheri, Senior Lecturer in the Business School. The Programme Committee included Middlesex University Dubai faculty members Professor Cody Morris Paris, Professor Ajit Karnik, Rory McConnon, Dr Nitin Vihari, and Dr Fehmida Hussain. Further faculty members chaired sessions throughout the two-day hybrid event.

Middlesex University Dubai remains committed to supporting faculty and student research. Building on the success of ICTIS 2023, the University has several exciting research events scheduled for later this year, including Faculty and Student Summer Research Boot Camps and several conferences.

On Saturday 14th January, over 100 past students of Middlesex University Dubai came together to celebrate their successes at our Alumni Association Event. 

The Dubai Knowledge Village Campus opened its doors in the early evening and the alumni of all programmes immediately began filing in, with familiar face after familiar face being welcomed by the MDX faculty. 

During some initial mingling time, there was the lovely opportunity to speak with ex-students about their experience and where their journey has taken them since university. Some, such as Deepak Mirchandani and Vrunda Sharma who both graduated with a BA Hons in Accounting and Finance, have gone on to forge careers in the industry they set out for. 

After working as a Senior Consultant, Deepak is now Assistant Manager at Grant Thornton, one of the world's largest professional services networks of independent accounting and consulting member firms. He talked about how it felt to be back on campus for the first time since 2016:

"It's definitely nostalgic, coming back. It's been five or six years now and the university has grown… Aside from the technical elements of our degree, one of the things we learned here was how to be around people, how to interact and work with different groups of people with different backgrounds, goals, and aspirations. I think that's very important for anyone's future."

Some students, however, had taken their degree skills and applied them to achieve completely different career paths. Maryam Ather Ali, who graduated in 2013, studied BSc Psychology with Counselling Skills and is now a freelance photographer. When asked what she took from her degree into her entrepreneurial life, she said:

"What I learned as a Counselling student was to never judge anyone, and I have developed the skill of being a great listener. That's something I've carried forward since graduating that has really helped me in my career; just being a good listener, being there for people."

Once the foyer began to fill with excited Alumni, the crowd moved to the Barnet Auditorium where they were greeted with a warm and welcoming introduction by Pro-Vice Chancellor and Director of Middlesex University Dubai, Dr Cedwyn Fernandes. Dr Cedwyn has had personal involvement in the education of many of these students, and following the event, he said of the evening: 

"It was great to meet with our Alumni and share their success stories; nothing gives educators more joy than seeing their students happy in their careers and life. Our Alumni shared with us how Middlesex University Dubai prepared them for their careers, and many mentioned the rigorous syllabus and top-class teaching. They were able to acquire professional certifications while studying at the University, and they had the opportunity to develop their interpersonal skills by volunteering and taking on internships in a multicultural environment. The University provided them with amazing opportunities to interact with industry and organisations in their field, and their time at Middlesex University Dubai equipped them with critical thinking and lifelong learning skills to deal with rapidly changing technology and job roles successfully. We all are so very proud of our Alumni."

Following their welcome from Dr Cedwyn, the Alumni were invited by the Chair of the Office of Alumni Relations Dr Fehmida Hussain to participate in an engaging short panel discussion, where four ex-students talked through their degrees and career progressions. The panel consisted of Saher Khan (LLB Hons Law, class of 2018); Chuka Ekweogwu (MSc Engineering Management, class of 2014); Priyanka Awatramani (BA Hons Accounting and Finance, class of 2020); and Dana Akkad (BA Hons Public Relations, Creative Advertising and Branding, class of 2021), all of whom now have professional roles in law, acting and film, finance, and TV production respectively.

After the engaging panel discussion, the MDX faculty took some time to award the 'Recognition of Self Determination' award to Jainesh Thadhani from the class of 2022, acknowledging his exceptional determination in graduating from MDX's BSC Honours Business Information Systems Program with a first-class degree. 

Nicely warmed up, the crowds then gathered back in the atrium area to watch some performances from current MDX students, and play a spot of Alumni Bingo, in which they were tasked to network around the room and write down the names of people they met who fit criteria on their bingo cards; a fun way to get to know some new faces in the crowd! 

As the evening came to a close, Dr Fehmida Hussain distributed a few more awards and prizes, and told us: 

"The Office of Alumni Relations was delighted to welcome so many alumni back onto campus. Alumni and faculty got an excellent opportunity to reconnect and reminisce about life at MDX, reunite with old friends and expand professional networks. We hope [attendees] enjoyed the mix of games, talks and the alumni panel! 

This event will herald a series of alumni events and reunions we hope to organise over the next couple of months."

Middlesex University Dubai plans to develop a whole calendar of special alumni events in the coming future, in order for our students past and present to connect and form bonds that mutually benefit their careers and opportunities.