First Gulf Bank named among top ten best employers in the Middle East

The award honors leading organizations in the region as outstanding places to work.

"In an age where the most successful businesses run on ideas, it is the human capital that drives businesses forward," said André Sayegh, FGB's Chief Executive Officer.

"At the heart of our success are our people. Banking is no longer defined by conventional functions and local practices or needs. As a financial institution, we are in the business of selling skills. The human element is therefore the single most important factor which differentiates us from competition,"

added Sayegh.

Over 250 organizations from across the Middle East have participated in the survey, covering Banking and Financial Services, Hospitality, Manufacturing , Real Estate and Infrastructure, Retail, Telecom and Government services sectors.

The representative employee base registered for the study crossed the 150,000 mark, making this the largest employee research project ever undertaken in the region. The parameters used are strong commitment of the leadership, compelling promise to employees, alignment between the company strategy and the HR strategy, a high-performance culture, and aligned people practices

"We have been building on our reservoir of performance oriented and engaging employee solutions every year and we have come a long way. This award is a testament to the fact that our people practices are among the best in the region," said Sayegh.

"A growing number of organizations around the world have come to recognize that human capital is rapidly replacing physical and financial capital as the key source of competitive advantage. It is simple: people create organizations and help accomplish organizational goals," said Gopikrishna Madhavan, FGB's Head of Human Resources.

"The FGB journey exemplifies an amazing success story of a fledgling bank, whose leadership transformed it into a great organization. Over the years, FGB has grown to amazing heights and owes its success to the untiring efforts of its employees, its top management and the vision of its Board. As an organization, FGB has stood the test of time and its business success has been a landmark achievement in the banking industry in the UAE," Madhavan added.

"We will continue our efforts for the development of human capital by offering unmatched and attractive growth opportunities." concluded Sayegh.