KUWAIT: The Human Resources Group at National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) remains integral to the bank’s continued success, focusing on the development of human capital and the nurturing of professional talent. By fostering a work environment that inspires creativity and innovation, the department plays a critical role in advancing the bank’s strategic goals. Additionally, it is committed to attracting and providing job opportunities for young Kuwaiti talent, ensuring a strong workforce that supports the group’s ongoing growth and aspirations.
Throughout the year, the Human Resources Group has tirelessly worked to foster creativity, innovation, and continuous development. Their unwavering support has been instrumental in helping employees build promising, sustainable careers, reinforcing the bank’s commitment to talent development and long-term success. The year 2024 marked a defining moment for the Human Resources Department at NBK, underscoring its central role within the group. The department achieved significant milestones, which were celebrated with multiple prestigious awards, further solidifying NBK’s leadership both regionally and globally.
Emad Al-Ablani, General Manager–Head of Human Resources Group at NBK, remarked: “Throughout 2024, we successfully achieved all of our interim objectives, which focused on enhancing the capabilities of our workforce across all levels. These initiatives promoted diversity and inclusion in the workplace, attracted and nurtured young national talent, and emphasized a healthy work-life balance by offering flexible working hours. Ultimately, our goal was to create a more prosperous and supportive work environment for all our employees.”
“The HR team played a crucial role in the bank’s successes this year, executing numerous initiatives with excellence that directly contributed to the achievement of our strategic goals and plans set at the outset of the year,” Al-Ablani added. Al-Ablani highlighted that the HR team spearheaded numerous initiatives throughout 2024. Furthermore, the team focused on enhancing educational infrastructure and expanding career development programs in collaboration with prestigious universities and global experts.
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
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
More than just a workplace
Al-Ablani emphasized that NBK is committed to cultivating a distinctive work environment, centered around the motto “More than just a workplace.” This approach not only enhances the overall well-being of employees but also prioritizes their mental and physical health, empowering them to perform at their best. Al-Ablani further highlighted that the bank’s human resources strategy is built on four key pillars: Ensuring the right competencies are placed in the right roles at the right time; preparing future leaders by fostering a culture of inspiration and empowerment; attracting top talent through effective recruitment, retention, and development practices; and creating a sustainable performance culture that supports diversity, inclusion, clear results management, and employee protection.
“NBK stands out as one of the few institutions in Kuwait that provides a unique and ideal work environment on par with global institutions. This is due to the exceptional professional development opportunities it offers, as well as its commitment to employee welfare. Notable initiatives include the adoption of flexible working hours and the introduction of paternity leave, allowing fathers to stay home and bond with their newborns,” Al-Ablani added.
He emphasized that education and training initiatives form a core element of NBK’s strategic plans. The bank has developed a robust framework prioritizing career development, mentorship, and a variety of professional growth opportunities. This comprehensive approach is designed to help employees shape their career trajectories and cultivate an environment where they can succeed and drive innovation.
Investing in human capital
NBK continued to support its young workforce in 2024 by offering top-tier training and development programs aligned with international standards. The goal was to cultivate a generation of highly skilled bankers across all fields, with a particular emphasis on digital disciplines. These fields have become increasingly essential as banking transactions evolve, driven by cutting-edge technologies and artificial intelligence.
In 2024, the Learning and Development Department intensified its focus on specialized training to refine employee skills. Through a combination of initiatives, workshops, and educational programs, the department aligned its efforts with the dynamic changes in the banking sector. NBK provided a total of 101,463 training hours across the group, with 86,374 hours dedicated to employees in NBK-Kuwait and 15,089 hours allocated to employees in international locations. This effort engaged 3,476 employees, including 2,913 at NBK-Kuwait and 563 at international locations. Notably, the employee satisfaction rate for all training courses and development programs reached an impressive 90 percent.
The first cohort of the NBK Tech Academy, the first initiative of its kind in Kuwait, successfully graduated 10 promising young Kuwaiti talents. Over a rigorous seven-month training period, these participants honed their skills in vital areas such as digital technology, data systems, cybersecurity, digital payments, and artificial intelligence. In addition to gaining technical expertise, the program also emphasized the development of personal skills, all aimed at equipping the graduates for impactful careers in the banking sector.
The bank has also launched two distinguished sales team programs, the “NBK Pioneers Program” and the “Prime Program,” engaging 79 employees. Specifically tailored for sales channel employees and leaders, these initiatives target a select group of talented NBK staff with a proven track record of exceptional performance and leadership potential. The core focus of the programs lies in management and leadership specializations. In 2024, NBK Group achieved a remarkable improvement in engagement, with the overall response rate rising to 86 percent, and sustainable engagement reaching 84 percent. These figures exceed the global average for the financial services sector by 7 percent.
As part of its commitment to advancing the capabilities of its workforce and fostering development based on the highest standards of excellence, the bank has entered an exclusive partnership with the renowned IE University, Spain. This collaboration focuses on several key areas, including talent development, driving institutional innovation, creating and implementing integrated solutions, and leveraging the university’s expertise in both applied and academic research.
Women empowerment
In 2024, NBK launched the second edition of the NBK RISE program, aimed at empowering and supporting women. The program saw the participation of 25 trainees from various professional backgrounds, including those from NBK-Kuwait, international branches, NBK Wealth, and several renowned regional companies. These included Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, Ooredoo, Kuwait Banking Association, Abyat, Gulf Bank, Kuwait Financial Centre (Markaz), J’s Bakery, and Intervest Capital Partners New York. This initiative further underscores NBK’s commitment to fostering gender equality and empowering women in the workplace.
NBK RISE stands as a pioneering initiative, being the first program of its kind designed specifically to support women leaders. Its core objective is to enhance the leadership roles of women, equipping them with the skills and qualifications needed for top executive positions. This program is fully aligned with the bank’s broader strategy to elevate women’s leadership both within the organization and beyond—extending its impact to the country, region, and globally.
Talent acquisition
The Talent Acquisition Department continued its efforts to build a dynamic workforce to support the bank’s growth trajectory, successfully recruiting 373 new employees in 2024.This marked a notable increase in the bank’s local hiring efforts, with new female employees accounting for 36.4 percent of the total workforce. Additionally, the department managed 98 internal recruitment announcements across various bank departments. The bank’s commitment to nurturing talent positions NBK as the employer of choice for fresh Kuwaiti graduates, providing a pathway for future leadership roles within the organization.
The bank remained dedicated to maintaining a strong Kuwaitization strategy throughout 2024, actively participating in seven career fairs where recruiting national talent was prioritized. Additionally, the bank took steps to exclusively recruit Kuwaiti nationals for certain specialized roles. The Kuwaitization rate rose to 77.1 percent in alignment with the Central Bank of Kuwait’s (CBK) requirements, reflecting the bank’s strategic focus on attracting and nurturing local talent. This approach ensures the sustainability of the workforce and supports the bank’s commitment to expanding the scope of national talent recruitment.
NBK also adopts a distinctive approach to ensuring equal opportunities, guaranteeing fairness for all its employees without exception. This commitment is reflected in the fact that women represent 44.6 percent of the total workforce, a remarkable achievement within both the banking sector and the regional labor market.
Sustainable practices
As part of its ongoing efforts to integrate sustainability practices across all its operations, NBK Group’s HR department has introduced NBK HR Pedia, a digital assistant designed to provide employees with 24/7 access to HR support and information. This tool offers instant answers to HR-related inquiries, streamlining communication and enhancing efficiency. In addition, the bank has implemented an integrated archiving program that digitizes and secures employee documents in a sophisticated electronic system. This initiative not only ensures efficient information management and easy access when needed, but also plays a crucial role in reducing paper waste, aligning with the bank’s broader environmental sustainability goals and efforts to lower its carbon footprint.
Furthermore, in 2024, the bank placed a strong emphasis on fostering a culture of continuous learning, leveraging automation and digital platforms to enhance performance quality. The Learning and Development team successfully rolled out the Prime Leadership Program, which focused on cultivating essential leadership competencies for branch and area managers. A total of 62 managers participated in this initiative, which covered key areas such as strategic thinking, market trend forecasting, informed decision-making for long-term growth, and developing high-performing teams. Additionally, the Professional Leader Program saw the participation of 106 leaders from various bank divisions.
Prestigious awards
Throughout 2024, the Human Resources Department’s continuous efforts were rewarded with six prestigious awards, further strengthening NBK’s global reputation for excellence. Notably, the bank received the Gold Award for “Excellence in Health and Wellbeing” from the US-based Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). This recognition highlights NBK’s initiatives in promoting employee health, demonstrating an understanding of the link between well-being and productivity. The bank’s commitment to this cause is reflected in its health and wellness programs, which foster an environment that not only prioritizes employee well-being but also contributes to enhanced organizational performance.
The bank was also honored with the title of Best Bank for Diversity and Inclusion in Kuwait by the global financial publication, Euromoney. This award highlighted the effectiveness of the NBK RISE program, reflecting the bank’s unwavering commitment to empowering women and promoting their advancement into leadership roles within the organization.
NBK also received the Excellence in Sustainable Investment in MENA award at the MEED Banking Excellence Awards 2024 for the third consecutive year. This recognition celebrated the NBK Academy program, a legacy of success spanning over 16 years. The program is designed to enable new university graduates from Kuwaiti youth to enter the banking sector. Furthermore, the bank received two esteemed accolades from the Brandon Hall Group of Excellence: recognition in the “Best Advance in Compliance Training” category for the NBK Highfliers program and as the Best Bank for Diversity and Inclusion in Kuwait. Additionally, the NBK RISE program was honored with MERIT’s Special Recognition for Developing Women Leaders, underscoring the bank’s commitment to cultivating leadership and championing inclusivity across all facets of its operations.
Added value for employees
To enhance employee satisfaction and provide additional value, the HR Department has introduced new financial benefits tailored specifically to employees. These include exclusive fixed deposit interest rates and an extended interest-free loan program, enabling employees to apply for a second loan upon full repayment of the first. Additionally, working hours on Thursdays have been reduced by one hour, and employees are granted three days of welfare leave, reinforcing the Bank’s commitment to promoting work-life balance and employee well-being.
The Strategic Business Support Partners Department has been instrumental in establishing the Digital Banking Group, a key driver of NBK’s digital transformation journey. This group is dedicated to developing innovative digital products, applications, and systems while attracting top-tier digital talent to the bank. By enhancing the expertise of these professionals and enabling them to adapt to the rapidly evolving digital landscape, the department ensures alignment with NBK’s strategic vision for digital innovation and transformation.
Moreover, the Human Resources Department has embraced Robotic Process Automation (RPA) technology to automate a variety of routine processes and procedures. By leveraging RPA as a digital workforce, the department has significantly enhanced operational efficiency, minimized human errors, and freed up employees to focus on complex, value-added tasks.
The Human Resources Department introduced a bi-annual performance self-review process to enhance alignment and mutual recognition of performance between managers and employees. This initiative fosters a culture of transparency within the bank, encouraging open communication and collaboration while ensuring performance expectations are clearly understood and consistently evaluated.