Professor Ghassan Aouad, Chancellor, Abu Dhabi University, has been a supporter of the MENA Higher Education Leadership Forum for many years and so it was with great pleasure, Józefa Fawcett was able to catch him in between his speaking and role on various panels to talk about the work being done at Abu Dhabi University (ADU) with a focus on engagement with stakeholders and students to continually work towards HE standards of excellence, and the subsequent multiple awards they have earned. ADU have actively embraced technology, digitial transformation, and sustainability - which is one of their core pillars. Professor Ghassan explains that we need to create custodians for the future and whereas we might not predict what this future might look like, Universities have a role in helping cuture citizen be best prepared.