Dubai, 3 June, 2014: In recognition of its outstanding contribution towards human development, Commercial Bank of Dubai, one of the leading banks in the UAE, has been awarded the Dubai Human Development Award 2013.

The award was announced during the 20th anniversary of the Business Excellence Awards at the Madinat Arena in Dubai on June 2, which was held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.

The awards were given by the Government of Dubai’s Business Excellence Department in recognition of the HR initiatives taken by individual business organizations towards achieving Dubai’s Human Development goal. CBD, among other winners, were chosen from a list of 1,700 applicants.

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohmamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, presented the award to Mr. Peter Baltussen, Chief Executive Officer of Commercial Bank of Dubai and to Yaqoob Yousef, Deputy Chief Executive of the bank.  This prestigious award is yet another achievement by CBD, for performance excellence in several fields.

Commenting on the occasion, Baltussen said: “Winning this prestigious award embodies the huge success that the Bank’s Emiratisation strategy has achieved, and we are honoured to receive the Dubai Human Development Award 2013. We consider winning this award as an additional incentive for us to continue with our ambitious plans to train and promote UAE nationals specialised in the banking sector.”

Baltussen added: “Emiratisation is among CBD’s most prominent priorities. We have established a specialised unit to develop and implement an effective Emiratisation strategy that aims to consistently attract distinguished national cadres, to train and groom them to occupy leadership positions in the Bank. We are keen to provide an environment that stimulates job growth for Emiratis.” 

On her part, Shorouk Al Redha, Head of Human Resources at CBD said: “We are proud to have won this award that highlights CBD’s commitment to Emiratisation, and keenness to strengthen its leadership position in the banking sector.”
She added: “We follow an ambitious strategy that aims to achieve a quantitative and a qualitative growth in the Emiratisation process. We are working on implementing a wide range of training programmes within all levels and departments, to ensure providing the trainees with the professional skills and capabilities that enhance their performance and competence as well as groom them for a fast-track career development. This is based on our belief that human resources are our most valuable assets and that they are the foundation of our future growth, and play a vital role in supporting the progress in the UAE under its wise leadership.”