Ministers, Experts Attend Georgetown University's Emergency and Disaster Management Event

Ministers, government officials, ambassadors, industry experts, students, and invited guests gathered at Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) this week to discuss leadership and resilience in emergency management. The event, hosted by the Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies, also celebrated the launch of the University’s new regionally focused executive master’s degree in emergency and disaster management.

The keynote address at the beginning of the symposium was given by His Excellency Dr. Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry in Qatar. Dr. Al Sada’s address focused on leadership during crisis, emphasizing the need to continually work on improving safety practices and creating a culture of preparedness in order to ensure stability in the face of challenges and disasters.

“The best safety systems are not fully effective unless they are part of a broader culture of preparedness,” said Dr. Al Sada. “Developing such a culture is a journey rather than a destination.”

The keynote address was followed by a panel discussion with industry experts John Galt, the country emergency and security manager for Qatar Shell, Dominic Genetti, vice president and joint interest manager at ExxonMobil Qatar, and Khalid Al Hashmi, assistant undersecretary for cybersecurity at the Ministry of Transportation and Communication.

“At ExxonMobil, we have learned that safety is too important to be considered proprietary. This is why we have been committed to working within our industry, as well as with governments and other stakeholders here in Qatar and around the world to share our best practices,” said Genetti.

“I would like to thank Georgetown University for bringing us together with other industry players in today’s panel session so that we can share all that we know about safety, and discuss lifesaving information and techniques. By combining our expertise and capabilities, we can continue to improve safety performance while meeting the needs of Qatar’s growing LNG industry,” he added.

The symposium formed part of the first of five residency sessions for the students, who began their studies towards the Executive Master’s in Emergency and Disaster Management degree this month. The unique one year program aims to educate the next generation of emergency and disaster management professionals to help Qatar and the broader Middle East region meet the needs of their nations in the face of a diverse range of natural and manmade events.

More information about the degree is available on the website: scs.georgetown.edu/gcc