• Ehab Hassan: “Our vision is not only to create unique career opportunities for UAE nationals, but to provide them with career paths that will ensure a bright future and enable them to unleash their full potential.”

• Fahad Al Hassawi: “The award is a result of the efforts made during the past years in the field of supporting Emirati talents and providing an attractive work environment for UAE citizens.”

• du aims to raise the Emiratisation rate to 35.5% by the end of 2019 with a long-term vision to increase the rate by 1.5% year on year.

Dubai, UAE, 19 October 2019:  In recognition of its significant efforts towards driving Emiratisation in the UAE, du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), has received the ‘Best Nationalisation Initiative in the GCC Award’ at the GCC GOV HR Awards 2019, held in Abu Dhabi. Fahad Al Hassawi, Deputy CEO – Telco Services at EITC, received the award on behalf of the company at the prestigious award ceremony, which was attended by a host of game changing and progressive Human Resources (HR) industry figures.

Aimed at bringing together the region’s brightest HR minds and key stakeholders, the GCC GOV HR Awards – running for the 7th consecutive year in 2019 – showcased and acknowledged leading organisations like du for their roles in placing national agendas at the heart of business frameworks’ geared towards economic diversification and the establishment of a robust and sustainable knowledge based economy.

As an exemplary regional leader, du’s transformative Emiratisation strategy is an integral part of the company’s focus towards providing career development for Emirati leaders and the aspiring national talent of tomorrow. For example, since 2006, the number of UAE National employees at du has doubled, with 66% of UAE Nationals currently holding leadership positions within the company.

Gaining momentum in its Emiratisation agenda by receiving a number of accolades and industry recognition, du is currently progressing towards a target Emiratisation rate of 35.5%, which is aligned with the company’s commitment to the Ministry of Human Resources & Emiratisation’s (MOHRE) Emiratisation directives.

‘Nurturing the Future ICT Talent Pipeline’

Fahad Al Hassawi, Deputy CEO – Telco Services at EITC, said: “As a driving force in the UAE’s telecommunications sector, du’s Emiratisation framework is an encouraging illustration of the formative feats that can be achieved by invigorating workforces and unlocking the full potential of homegrown talent. In adherence to the innovative policies and strategic imperatives of the UAE leadership, we place a strong emphasis on recruiting and empowering national talent to achieve the transformative visions of tomorrow. As the UAE leaders have reiterated time and time again, the country’s human capital is the most valuable resource towards achieving the future progress of the UAE, which is why we are honoured to be acknowledged for driving a talent pipeline that is fostering the economic imperatives of our knowledge-based economy.”

Ehab Hassan, Chief Executive Officer, Human Resources and Administration, EITC, said: “We believe that Emirati talents have proven their capabilities towards making a profound difference across various sectors. We pride ourselves on the efforts we have made to bring together not only national talent but also fresh graduates in order to provide them with world-class training programs and integrate them into our ICT business units.

“We are proud to reiterate our commitment of adhering to our strategic goals of increasing the Emiratisation rate in our company by 1.5% on an annual basis. This will enable us to position ourselves among the leading companies in this field and contribute to supporting the direction and vision of our wise leadership towards establishing a knowledge-based economy centred on Emirati nationals.''

‘A Roadmap to Emirati Empowerment’

du’s vested interest and support towards enriching the career pathways and prospects of emerging Emirati talent runs deep within the organization’s roots. Since its inception, the company has placed strong emphasis on hiring, inspiring, and developing Emiratis to steer the future growth trajectory of the company, the industry, and the nation. 

Organisation-wide, du is continuously working towards providing meaningful careers for UAE Nationals by creating jobs that increase the Emirati fingerprint across key developmental areas such as enterprise solutions, consumer business, and network proliferation.

This undeterred commitment has contributed to du being ranked 6th place in reference to its Emiratization Rate, as well as being awarded the Emiratization Award by MOHRE in 2018.

In 2019, du’s focus has remained driven towards hiring quality UAE national talents to occupy leadership positions within the company. du’s ongoing support and participation of Emirati career fairs such as Tawdheef and Careers UAE further boosts the company’s commitment to unearthing the next generation of pioneering Emirati telco stars.