VCUarts Qatar Continuing Education Hosts Leadership Workshop for AmCham Qatar

VCUarts Qatar Continuing Education recently hosted “Inward Reflection as a Foundation for Leadership,” an executive leadership development workshop for the American Chamber of Commerce in Qatar (AmCham Qatar), bringing together 13 executives and senior professionals from across Qatar’s business community.

Facilitated by Dr. Sara Powell, a VCUarts Qatar alumna and art psychotherapist, the workshop explored how self-awareness, reflective practice, emotional intelligence, and psychological flexibility can support more intentional and authentic leadership.

At the core of the session was “My Leadership Landscape,” an art-based reflective exercise in which participants used the metaphor of a garden to visually explore the values, experiences, strengths, challenges, sources of support, and aspirations shaping their leadership journeys.

No artistic experience was required. Instead, creative practice was used as a tool for reflection, self-discovery, and professional development. Reflecting on the experience, one participant shared, “I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed the workshop. It gave me a completely different way to reflect on my leadership journey and helped me see aspects of myself and my leadership in a new light.”

Participants also took part in a strengths-based gallery walk, sharing observations and positive feedback on one another’s work before concluding the session by identifying practical leadership commitments to carry forward into their professional lives.

The workshop reflects the continued growth of VCUarts Qatar Continuing Education as a platform for professional learning, community engagement, and industry collaboration. Guided by five strategic pillars – Entrepreneurship in Design, Business in Design, Leadership in Design, Art Management, and Design Technology – the program explores how art and design can contribute to leadership, business, technology, sustainability, healthcare, and the wider creative economy.

Recent and upcoming Continuing Education programs include Design Thinking for Creative Problem Solving and Art Project Management, alongside other professional learning opportunities designed to connect creative knowledge, design methodologies, and contemporary professional practice.

Through collaborations with organizations such as AmCham Qatar, Commercial Bank of Qatar, Qatar Museums, WISH, Hamad Medical Corporation, Primary Health Care Corporation, and others, VCUarts Qatar Continuing Education continues to strengthen connections between academic expertise, industry, and professional practice while expanding opportunities for lifelong learning and professional development in Qatar.