Sharjah: Winners of the Human Resources Development Awards were honoured at the opening of 20th edition of the National Career Exhibition on Wednesday at Expo Centre Sharjah.
The exhibition was inaugurated by His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. Shaikh Sultan cut the traditional ribbon that marked the official opening of the event, and then toured the exhibition, where he met a number of officials from the participating establishments.
The officials briefed Shaikh Sultan on the fields of employment, job opportunities and training programmes offered by their institutions to Emirati graduates.
The exhibition aims to connect graduates with various public and private sector institutions, as well as facilitate their recruitment, training and development.
Banks, ministries, government departments, all wings of the Armed Forces, investment companies, private institutions, insurance companies and others are among the entities that are offering employment opportunities to Emiratis.
Shaikh Sultan honoured Saqr Ghobash, former minister of human resources and emiratisation, for his support and efforts to strengthen Emirati human resource and boost Emiratisation.
He also honoured the UAE Central Bank for supporting Emiratisation in the banking sector and presented the award to Saif Hadaf Al Shamsi, assistant governor for Monetary Policy and Banking Supervision, who attended the event on behalf of the governor.
Shaikh Sultan presented the Human Resources Development (HRD) Awards for the banking and financial sectors and presented the Best Emiratisation CEO Award.
“The award of the Best Emiratisation CEO, which was introduced in 2007, is aimed at encouraging CEOs to develop effective and ambitious strategies for Emiratisation in the banking and financial sector, and is an appreciation of the role they play in the development of Emiratisation and human resource development,” said Jamal Al Jasmi, general manager of the Emirates Institute for Banking and Financial Studies (EIBFS) and head of HR Development Committee in the Banking and Financial Sector.
The HRD Awards were presented in two categories. The first category comprised banks who hired a total number of 1,000 employees and above. The honour was awarded to Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank and was presented to Khamis Bou Haroun, deputy chairman and acting CEO of the bank, as well as Sharjah Islamic Bank, whose CEO Mohammad Ahmad Abdullah received the award.
The second category comprised banks who hired a total of 500 employees and above, and the award was won by Commercial Bank International (CBI) and it was received by Mark Robinson, CEO of the bank.
Mohammad Ahmad Abdullah of Sharjah Islamic Bank won the Best CEO award, while Magda Al Suwaidi, head of Integration of Retail Banking at First Abu Dhabi Bank, won the Outstanding Woman Award in the Banking and Financial Sector.
“The Outstanding Woman Award aims at empowering Emirati women working in the banking and financial sector and motivating them to take leadership positions, as well as highlight their role in supporting and developing the banking and financial industry in the UAE,” said Al Jasmi.
The awards aim to enhance Emiratisation efforts and have been particularly successful since their inception in 1999. They hold a special place in supporting human resource development and Emiratisation policies.
The exhibition is open on Thursday exclusively for women from 10am to 2pm and is open to nationals from 2pm until 8pm and on Friday, from 4pm to 8pm.
