Emirates Islamic, one of the leading Islamic financial institutions in the UAE, and the preferred bank for UAE nationals, has successfully concluded an exclusive coaching programme to prepare high-potential UAE national employees for leadership roles.

As part of the bank's continued commitment to foster local talent in the banking sector, nine promising UAE national employees were selected to participate in a 10 month coaching and 360 feedback programme with prominent Executive Business Coach Doug Lambert to develop leadership competence and readiness for career progression. Line managers further supported the journey by providing additional opportunities to learn and grow, encouraging participants to move out of their comfort zones and develop their own unique leadership styles.

Salah Mohamed Amin, CEO of Emirates Islamic, said: “The banking industry plays an integral role in the UAE's economy and is one of the country's most vital business sectors. As one of the leading Islamic banks in the UAE, and the preferred bank for UAE nationals, we want to ensure that our Emirati talent plays a leading role in shaping the industry's future and driving innovation in the competitive global financial services landscape. The coaching programme was tailored for our high-potential Emirati employees to provide them with a solid foundation to empower their professional growth to become business leaders of tomorrow.”

Emirates Islamic’s initiative is part of the bank’s commitment to support the UAE’s Emiratisation agenda.

The bank runs a series of industry-leading training programmes in coordination with the Emirates Institute for Banking and Financial Studies (EIBFS) to train Emirati youth and give them an opportunity to contribute to the growth of Islamic finance in the UAE. ‘Al Mustaqbal’, a six-month programme for school graduates up to the age of 20, includes both class room and on-job training, with successful trainees then being deployed permanently across various divisions of Emirates Islamic. The bank’s Future Relationship Managers programme is a seven-month training designed for Emirati university graduates with the aim of developing them into Relationship Managers roles in the Wealth Management division of the bank. In addition, the bank also offers NASA, a 9-month training fast-track career development initiative for Emirati college students interested in a banking career.