Commercial Bank has hosted a closing ceremony for members of staff who completed the bank’s “Future Leaders Programme,” an academic course delivered by Cambridge University’s Judge Business School designed to fast-track young employees with the potential to fulfil leadership roles within the bank.

Attended by Commercial Bank’s Board of Directors and senior leaders from affiliate banks National Bank of Oman (NBO) and United Arab Bank (UAB), the closing ceremony celebrated the achievements of a group of young employees who began the Future Leaders Programme in May 2013.

A total of 20 Commercial Bank staff, plus five employees from NBO and two from UAB completed the programme, which involved continuous work and coaching over the course of more than one year.

The Future Leaders Programme is an academic course custom-designed for Commercial Bank and was jointly-developed by the bank and the Judge Business School at Cambridge University.

The programme involved seven business modules taught by highly-respected Cambridge University academics on subjects, including innovation in financial services, leading change, and leading others. In between the modules, participants received additional group coaching sessions from Cambridge University professors.

The Future Leaders Programme also involved practical work on real life business scenarios as identified by Commercial Bank’s Executive Team.

Each employee worked on one of six different business projects for three months, requiring the application of knowledge and skills learnt earlier on the programme, such as robust research methods and team working.

The business projects culminated in the presentation of a detailed report of the employee’s research and practical recommendations for Commercial Bank, NBO, and UAB to add value to the regional banking group.

Through its staff career advancement programmes, Commercial Bank invests heavily in human capital and the Future Leaders Programme is firmly in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030 by providing talented young employees with the encouragement, skills, and training they need to take ownership of the future direction of the bank.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Commercial Bank chief executive officer Abdulla Saleh al-Raisi said, “I’m delighted that our second batch of young employees have completed this demanding course and made a significant step in their journey towards leadership. This achievement is due to the participants’ dedication and the continuous support from the bank’s management.”

He added that the Future Leaders Programme demonstrates Commercial Bank’s commitment to providing world-class education and career development programmes for its employees.

“Commercial Bank is a Qatari bank for the Qatari people and on-the-job training schemes such as the Future Leaders Programme are vital to delivering the Qatar National Vision 2030 by helping Qataris to reach their full professional potential as highly-skilled leaders in a thriving private sector,” al-Raisi added.

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