MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the flagship financial services provider in the Sultanate, in step with its vision ‘To serve you better, everyday’ and commitment to partnership in sustainable development of human resources, has made major headway with its Jadara Academy programmes to build a potential leadership pipeline. The Jadara Academy serves as a comprehensive platform for all staff learning and development programmes in the bank. The unique management development programmes launched in collaboration with Harvard Business Publishing, Duke Corporate Education and INSEAD Business School are among some of the most ambitious initiatives by the bank to equip Omani employees with the best in class development opportunities to attain higher levels of professional competence and skills.
The Jadara Academy offers a wide range of soft skills, leadership and functional development programmes. The bank has designed and launched special functional development programmes that span across most job roles in branches and departments in the bank. The bank also organises preparation tuitions for major professional certifications such as Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Financial Analyst (CFA), Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and Association of Financial Markets Diploma (ACI). The bank provides special scholarships for employees to complete their undergraduate and post-graduate studies both locally and internationally. The Ministry of Manpower has endorsed the Jadara Academy as an authorised training centre.
Ahmed Faqir al Bulushi, DGM – Human Resources, said: “Bank Muscat is happy to see the steady progress of the Jadara Academy programmes. In line with the vision of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos for a qualitative shift in national workforce, the bank is committed to providing career growth opportunities for competent Omani employees and the Jadara programmes are designed to further energise the bank’s human resources in its quest for greater achievements.”
Ahmed Faqir al Bulushi added: “As a leader in the financial services sector and in line with the bank’s commitment to providing rewarding learning opportunities, Bank Muscat is proactively working with a number of executive education providers to ensure that our managers at all levels are well-equipped with the skills, tools, knowledge, behaviours and attitudes that are required in this ever-changing environment.”
Bank Muscat has the distinction of outstanding leadership at all levels and has achieved 94.57 per cent Omanisation, giving priority for Omanis to occupy key positions. Of the total 3646 employees, the number of Omani employees presently stands at 3453. Omanis form 75 per cent in the higher management and 92.6 per cent in the middle management cadres.
The bank encourages diversity at the workplace in terms of gender, age and skill set. The human resources strategy is notable as 48 per cent of employees are women holding various positions, including senior management positions.
The bank recently launched the first batch of Middle Management Programme by Cambridge faculty. Forty-three participants from various departments are attending the Jadara programme aimed at taking participants on a learning journey consisting of assessing global best practices to interpret emerging trends in the financial services industry, and apply this knowledge to the markets in which the bank operates.
Early this year, the bank launched a top-notch Management Development Programme in partnership with INSEAD Business School, the world’s leading business school ranked No.1 by the Financial Times in 2016 and 2017.
The main objective of the programme is to support the bank’s executives and future leaders to develop fresh perspectives and innovative thinking about business challenges; build and manage high performance cultures; understand customers and further build on the bank’s capabilities.
The programme has leveraged INSEAD capabilities from all its campuses in France, Singapore and Abu Dhabi to engage employees on key topics related to Banking, Strategy, Marketing, Innovation, Leading change, Communications and Leadership so as to enhance the capabilities that support the ongoing development of Bank Muscat.
The Jadara Management Development programme for branch managers is a 9-month training scheduled to cover all branch managers, including a pool of potential branch managers. The bank has also launched a special version of the programme for Meethaq Islamic banking branch managers.
The Jadara programme participants from various departments expressed gratitude and appreciation for the great learning opportunities provided by the bank.
Afaf al Humaid, Unit Head Auto Trading — Corporate Banking, said: “Working in the largest bank of the country gives a great sense of pride and the culture within the bank makes the experience all the more enjoyable. I have learnt much and continue to learn every day and that is what I appreciate most about my job. The exposure and experiences I have gained in my career has played a significant part in who I am today. It has made me realise how we all play our part in the bigger scheme, and with that rests a big responsibility that I aim to fulfil every day.”
Mohammed al Numani, Head of Business Demand Management, said: “Working for Bank Muscat, the largest bank in the Sultanate as well as one of the largest organisations in the private sector, is an honour. What makes the bank special is the fact that it offers a great professional environment to work which symbolises a family bond between staff. The bank pursues international standards and best practices, resulting in a great learning experience and career advancement opportunities, complemented by a variety of domain expertise and experienced resources.”
Assad al Kharousi, Head of Products & eBanking — Meethaq Islamic Banking, said: “Bank Muscat is the first organisation for me to work and after 10 years I look back with a sense of achievement at what I have gained in terms of knowledge in Islamic banking and development of my personal skills. The bank’s human resources development support has helped me reach where I am today. The bank invests in development of human resources to sustain its leading position.”
Bank Muscat’s HR practices focus on creating, nurturing and supporting people to meet the ambitious growth plans of the bank, through a wide variety of initiatives that cover all stages of employee life cycle.
Sami Bait Rashid, Head of Personal Banking — Meethaq Islamic Banking, said: “Working in Bank Muscat has enriched my experience, interacting with the Management Team and experienced colleagues. I am proud to be a part of this organisation which is committed to customer service excellence and sustainable development of the Sultanate by financing key development projects in different sectors.”
Azzan Masoud al Aisiri, Head of Audit and Strategy — Internal Audit, said: “I am proud be part of Bank Muscat which provides all support to employees to develop their personal and professional skills based on the needs of the bank. The skills that I gained from various training programmes have helped me perform better. I wish to leave a positive impression as well as support my colleagues with my experience and thereby contribute to the bank’s successful journey.”
Abbas al Lawati, Global Head of Commodities & Banks — Treasury Department, said: “I have been with Bank Muscat for the last 12 years and I can say that the journey has been exceptional. Looking back I can see my growth as a professional who is today confident, listens first, has courage to speak, helps others and takes initiatives. All these developments are the result of the academic and vocational training received at the bank.”
Wafa al Ajmi, Head of Transaction Banking, said: “My journey as a member of Bank Muscat family has added a lot to my personal and professional life to develop my skills and widen knowledge. The bank provides an enriching work environment to tackle challenges which has helped me gain new experience to take more responsibilities.”
For people looking for a rewarding career, Bank Muscat remains the employer of choice. The bank’s staff retention strategy stems from its commitment to offer the best opportunities to Omani staff. The bank focuses on refining and upgrading their skills to confront the challenges ahead.
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