SHIELD
Founding cohort · GCC Business Resilience Program
The program, delivered live with a small cohort of GCC leaders.
SHIELD is the live format of the GCC Business Resilience Program. You work through the same eight modules and build the same eight assessed deliverables, with live facilitation, structured peer accountability and a cohort of leaders facing the same conditions.
Starts
Thursday 18 March 2027
Applications close
Thursday 4 February 2027
Format
Eight weekly live sessions, online
Cohort size
4 to 8 GCC leaders
Price
USD 7,500 per seat
Time
32+ facilitated hours
Apply for SHIELD
Apply for the founding cohort
The founding cohort takes 4 to 8 leaders, selected so that the group works well together. Send your application and you'll hear back within one business day.
Application sent.
We'll review your application and reply to within one business day. If you're accepted, you'll receive the payment details and onboarding information.
If you don't hear from us within one business day, please email [email protected] so we can check it arrived.
Review the full program →
What SHIELD is
A live, cohort-based program for building resilience into your business.
Each session is a structured working meeting. The facilitator takes you through the framework, and then you build your deliverable with support from the facilitator and your peers in real time.
You work alongside GCC business leaders facing the same pressures, in the same markets and under the same uncertainty. Their experience becomes part of the curriculum, and the relationships last well beyond the final session.
Sessions run live online over eight weeks. Every session ends with a working business document and one Next Action your organization carries out before the following week.
SIGNAL includes
Full 8-module digital library
All workbooks and assessment tools
Written assessor feedback on each deliverable
Certificate on completing 6 of 8 deliverables
12-month access to materials
SHIELD adds
Eight weekly live sessions with Dr. Mohammed Al-Mashraie
A founding cohort of 4 to 8 GCC leaders
Live review of your deliverables
Hot-seat problem solving every session
Between-session cohort channel
Priority access to future cohorts
SHIELD includes everything in SIGNAL, so there's no need to buy both. If you expect to want the live cohort, apply for SHIELD directly.
What the cohort adds
The peer cohort is a core part of the learning.
01
The hot seat
Every session includes a facilitated peer coaching exercise: one participant's live business challenge, worked through by the whole cohort. It puts a room of experienced GCC leaders to work on your problem.
02
Different sectors, shared conditions
The cohort is put together to mix sectors such as construction, trade, manufacturing, professional services and family business, so every framework discussion draws on more than one industry's experience.
03
Accountability
You bring your Next Action back to the group the following week. Committing to an action in front of peers, and being asked how it went, produces follow-through that self-paced study rarely does.
04
Guided build time
You build during the session, with the facilitator guiding each section of the deliverable in real time. The document is largely complete by the time the session ends.
05
Deliverable review and feedback
Every deliverable you submit is reviewed by a qualified assessor, who returns structured written feedback within five business days, written to help you improve the document.
06
A network that lasts
The relationships continue after the last session. SHIELD alumni stay connected for intelligence sharing, introductions and problem-solving long after the program ends.
Session structure
Every session is a working meeting.
Each SHIELD session is about four hours of structured work. The facilitator takes you through the framework, and you apply it to your business in real time, with input from peers and coaching from the facilitator throughout.
By the end of each session your deliverable is largely complete. You then have 72 hours to finalize and submit it for assessment.
Before each session
Complete the Pre-Session Readiness Check, sent 48 hours before each module. The facilitator uses your answers to tailor the session, so please make sure it's done.
0 to 30 min
Hot seat and last week's actions
One participant presents a live challenge and the cohort works on it. Last week's Next Actions are reviewed.
30 to 90 min
Framework introduction
The module's frameworks in GCC context, with case examples and open discussion.
90 to 120 min
Application exercise
A structured exercise applying the framework to each participant's business, in pairs, with peer challenge.
120 to 210 min
Deliverable build
A guided build of the session's deliverable, section by section, with peer review of drafts.
210 to 240 min
Next Action and close
Each participant commits to one Next Action with a deadline. The cohort channel stays open between sessions.
Founding cohort dates
Four dates to plan around.
Thursday 4 February 2027
Applications close.
Thursday 18 February 2027
Confirmation that the cohort will run. If fewer than four places are confirmed, you're told that day and refunded in full.
Thursday 4 March 2027
Full payment due, 14 days before the first session.
Thursday 18 March 2027
First live session. Eight weekly sessions follow.
House rules
SHIELD depends on trust and candor. These rules protect both.
Confidentiality: what's said in the cohort stays there
Participant names, business details, financial information and personal disclosures are confidential. You may apply what you learn, but you may not share who said what, or details of another participant's business.
Attendance: your presence affects everyone
Attendance at all eight sessions is expected, and sessions start on time. If an emergency prevents you from attending, tell the facilitator at least 24 hours in advance.
Setup: camera on, laptop ready
Join from a laptop, with your camera on and a quiet place to work, since you build documents during the session. Recording sessions is not permitted without the facilitator's consent. You may use AI tools to help with drafting, but the analysis must be your own.
Respect and candor: challenge ideas, not people
Challenge the frameworks rigorously. A participant who has lived through a supply chain crisis has as much to teach as the facilitator. No recruiting or selling to other participants during sessions.
Who SHIELD is for
Leaders who want the full program with peers and accountability alongside them.
CEO or Founder
You want peer accountability and the hot-seat format as well as the content, and you expect to learn as much from the cohort as from the facilitator.
Managing Director
You need to show your board or owners a structured, credible approach to crisis management, backed by assessed work.
CFO or Finance Leader
You want Module 03 built with facilitator guidance and peer challenge. The cash model and trigger system are strongest when tested against other leaders' real situations.
COO or Operations Director
You are dealing with supply chain disruption now, and the cohort's combined experience in Module 04 applies directly to your situation.
Family Business Principal
The confidential setting lets you discuss your real situation, including succession, family dynamics and exposure across several businesses, in a way a public training forum does not.
If SHIELD isn't the right fit
SIGNAL may suit you better.
SHIELD may not be right if you
- Can't commit to attending all eight sessions
- Need to start now rather than in March 2027
- Prefer to work at your own pace without peer accountability
- Aren't ready to discuss your business situation with a small group of peers
Consider SIGNAL instead
SIGNAL gives you the same eight modules, the same eight assessed deliverables and the same certificate, at your own pace, starting today.
Enroll in SIGNAL for immediate access →
SHIELD questions
Do I have to attend all eight sessions?
Full attendance is expected. The certificate itself depends on passing 6 of the 8 deliverables. If an emergency prevents you from attending, tell the facilitator at least 24 hours in advance and we'll agree how you catch up.
Are sessions online or in person?
The founding cohort runs live online. In-person delivery can be arranged for organizations enrolling a full leadership team; see the team and corporate page.
How does the application work?
Send the form above and you'll hear back within one business day, usually with an invitation to a short call. Accepted applicants receive the payment details and onboarding information. The cohort is kept small, so not every applicant is offered a place.
What if the cohort doesn't fill?
The founding cohort runs with at least four participants. If fewer than four places are confirmed by Thursday 18 February 2027, we'll tell you that day and refund any payment in full.
What are the payment terms?
Full payment is due by Thursday 4 March 2027, 14 days before the first session. Prices and invoices are in USD, with local-currency equivalents available on request, and invoices are available for corporate procurement.
Can my organization enroll a team?
Yes. Team rates are available on request for three or more leaders from the same company, and a private cohort for your leadership team can also be arranged. Visit the team and corporate page or email [email protected].
"The window to capture the future opens before the crisis ends."
The founding cohort takes 4 to 8 leaders and starts on Thursday 18 March 2027. Applications close on Thursday 4 February 2027.
USD 7,500 per seat · founding cohort of 4 to 8 · application required · certificate on completion