For those embarking on an EMBA, we spoke to Rabat Business School’s EMBA programme manager to find out more about them and what people should really expect from an EMBA. 

Here’s what Tarik Zouadi had to say:

Tell us about yourself and your career to date.

I’m Pr. Tarik Zouadi, EMBA Programme Manager at Rabat Business School and Associate Professor in Supply Chain. My career has always been driven by one idea: learning can completely redefine a leader’s trajectory. I’ve worked across programme design and executive development, shaping experiences that push professionals to grow, challenge themselves, and discover new leadership potential. At RBS—an AACSB- and EQUIS‑accredited school, and ranked Top 20 worldwide by the Financial Times for our MiM—I’m responsible for ensuring our EMBA remains ambitious, international, and truly transformative. Every year, I have the privilege of guiding a diverse group of senior professionals through a journey that reshapes how they think, decide, and lead.

What should people expect when they start an EMBA?

They should expect a genuine turning point. An EMBA is demanding, but it is also incredibly energising. Participants quickly realise they are not just joining a programme—they are joining a community of peers who bring different industries, cultures, and life stories into the classroom. The discussions are intense, the perspectives are global, and the personal growth is unmistakable. Many describe it as stepping into a new mindset. And beyond the academic content, something powerful happens: people build bonds that feel less like networking and more like joining a family.

Please share something that your EMBA programme does particularly well.

Our strength lies in offering a truly international experience that remains deeply relevant to African and regional realities. The curriculum is global, the faculty is multicultural, and the class profiles bring together leaders from across industries and continents. But we don’t stop there.

Every year, we organise two immersive international residencies—this year in Shenzhen and London—allowing participants to experience tech ecosystems, global finance hubs, and new business cultures firsthand. And because RBS has a vibrant community of participants and alumni, the programme becomes a living ecosystem where ideas, opportunities, and collaborations continue long after graduation. This is also why we are preparing to join the EMBA Consortium, a network of world‑class business schools that will open even more doors for our executives.

Why do EMBA programmes remain relevant today?

Because the world is moving faster than ever. Leaders face digital disruption, global tensions, new business models, and shifting employee expectations. What worked yesterday often doesn’t work today. An EMBA gives professionals the space to step back, analyse complexity, and rebuild their strategic toolkit. It reconnects them with the bigger picture. In a programme like ours, where the cohort is very diverse and the experiences are global, executives don’t just keep up—they stay ahead.

What hopes do you have for your EMBA graduates?

I hope they leave with a stronger sense of purpose and a renewed confidence in their ability to lead change. I want them to carry with them not only knowledge and tools, but also the relationships they’ve built throughout the programme. Many of our participants stay connected for years; they become collaborators, mentors, business partners. My biggest hope is that they use this experience to elevate their organisations, contribute positively to society, and continue growing as leaders anchored in integrity and impact.

How do you envisage the EMBA evolving in the years ahead?

I see the EMBA becoming even more global, even more personalised, and even more immersive and multidisciplinary. Technology, sustainability, and geopolitics will continue shaping leadership, and these elements will naturally take more space in executive education. At RBS, we are already anticipating this shift: we are expanding international mobility, strengthening experiential learning, and developing new global partnerships—including our recent membership to the EMBA Consortium. The future of the EMBA will belong to programmes that combine academic excellence, worldwide exposure, and deep human connection. And that is exactly where we are heading, here in Morocco.

For additional insights, announcements, and perspectives, visit the conversation on business school leadership.