National Bank of Abu Dhabi To Hire Over 100 UAE Nationals In 2014

National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) is planning to recruit over 100 Emiratis this year, as part of an aggressive emiratisation campaign, the lender announced on Sunday.

“Emiratisation is a top priority in UAE,” said Ehab Hassan, Senior managing director and group chief human resources officer at NBAD.

“This year, we plan to recruit over 100 UAE nationals,” he said.

His remarks were made ahead of the Tawdheef Career Fair in Abu Dhabi, which showcases job opportunities for UAE nationals.

NBAD plans to offer onsite interviews to the candidates during the event. It will also bring representatives from different divisions to offer insights into career opportunities.

But its not just UAE nationals; the bank has also stepped up hiring across the board.

Late last year, the bank’s CEO said that NBAD plans to add around 900 jobs to its current headcount of 6,500 across 18 countries in 2014.

“Net target for next year [2014] will be an increase of 14 per cent in headcount including direct retail sales, trade finance specialists and contractors,” Alex Thursby told Reuters in December 2013.

“We believe we can grow here and overseas.”

The new staff will help the lender grow its commercial business and tap the “enormous opportunities” created by Dubai’s successful 2020 World Expo bid, he said.

NBAD, the UAE’s largest lender, recently announced that net profit for 2013 rose nine per cent to Dhs4.73 billion.

Announcing the results, Thursby said, “We have laid out a new mission to be ‘core to our chosen customers’, and we are now focused on capitalising on our unique positioning at the heart of the ‘West-East Corridor’.

“Going forward, our strategy is to grow our wholesale, wealth and retail and commercial businesses with concurrent growth in CASA (Current accounts and savings deposits) as we expect continued margin pressure.”