Emirates NBD has launched the fifth edition of its flagship Ruwad graduate leadership programme, a core part of the bank’s Emiratisation agenda aimed at accelerating the rise of UAE National graduates into senior management and executive positions.
Introduced in September 2021, Ruwad runs over two years and combines exposure to Emirates NBD’s strategic initiatives with secondments at 15 leading partner organisations, including KPMG, Plug & Play, Visa and Dell. The programme also offers participants international placements across Emirates NBD’s global offices and those of its partners, supported by structured training, performance tracking and mentoring.
Eman Abdulrazzaq, Group Chief Human Resources Officer at Emirates NBD, said: “Now in its fifth year, Ruwad has become strategically important to our Emiratisation agenda and to Emirates NBD’s wider growth strategy. As our bank expands internationally, this programme is preparing Emiratis not only for leadership roles here in the UAE but also for opportunities across our growing global network in markets such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, India and Türkiye.”
The initiative has produced significant results, with nearly all participants advancing into managerial positions much faster than traditional timelines. Each intake has maintained an approximate 50-50 gender split, supporting the bank’s long-term female leadership objectives.
May AlMansoori, Head of Group Emiratisation at Emirates NBD, added: “Ruwad’s unique structure is what makes it stand out. It combines elite secondments, exposure to strategic projects, and world-class training and mentoring that has enabled participants to reach managerial positions at twice the speed of traditional career paths. With equal gender representation across the programme and an expanding network of global secondment partners, Ruwad is creating confident, capable Emirati leaders who will shape the future of banking.”
Alongside Ruwad, Emirates NBD runs Bedaya, another entry-level pathway for Emirati talent. The bank also invests in career progression through sponsored MBA programmes, executive education at Oxford University and other leading institutions, as well as mobility opportunities both within the UAE and internationally.
