Shared By Nabil Rizkallah, Professional Development Director, MSPA-AP

The landmark session, held after four months of careful preparation and coordination, brought together high-ranking officers of the Ministry who are responsible for shaping and overseeing customer experience across one of the UAE's most prominent federal institutions. Their team conducts mystery shopping, perception surveys, and designs service journey maps — making MSPA-AP's expertise a natural and powerful fit.

Eight Years in the Making, a Decade in the Delivery

The Operational Excellence workshop has been a cornerstone of MSPA-AP's professional development offering since 2016. Over the years, the curriculum has been continuously refined to reflect the rapid technological evolution and shifting market dynamics of the industry. It covers mystery shopping best practices, programme design, stakeholder management, and how to run efficient, insight-driven programmes that deliver real business impact.

While the training has been delivered to private sector organisations across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond, this engagement with the UAE Federal Ministry of Interior marks an entirely new chapter — the first time the workshop has been brought to a public service entity. It is a testament to the growing recognition of mystery shopping as a rigorous, professional discipline with relevance far beyond the commercial world.

A Distinguished Faculty and a Fitting Opening

The session was delivered by Mr Aftab Anwar, Founder of MSPA-AP, whose deep expertise and passion for the craft made for a compelling and highly practical learning experience for Ministry officers. His ability to translate complex programme management concepts into actionable frameworks was particularly well-received.

The workshop was formally opened by Mr Zaheer Ghani, President of MSPA-AP and current Global Chair of MSPA, whose opening remarks set a tone of ambition and collaboration. His presence underscored the significance of this engagement — not just for MSPA-AP, but for the global mystery shopping community.

Breaking Language Barriers with Innovation

To ensure the content was as accessible and impactful as possible, the session was delivered primarily in English, with a live Arabic translation integrated directly into the presentation slides. This dual-language approach proved highly effective, allowing officers to engage with the material in their preferred language while maintaining the flow and depth of the delivery — a model that could well serve as a template for future government engagements across the region.

Looking Ahead

This engagement with the UAE Federal Ministry of Interior is more than a professional achievement — it is proof of concept that the tools, methodologies, and standards that MSPA-AP has championed for decades have a vital role to play in transforming public services. When governments invest in understanding the experience of their citizens with the same rigour applied by leading private sector brands, the result is better services, higher trust, and more responsive institutions.

As Professional Development Director and an eight-year board member of MSPA-AP, I am immensely proud of what our association has accomplished here. We look forward to building on this foundation and exploring further opportunities to bring our expertise to public sector partners across the region and the world.