NBAD employee wins Learner of the Year Award

The National Bank of Abu Dhabi’s (NBAD) Adrian Goh has been named Learner of the Year by the Institute of Leadership & Management.

Mr. Goh, Group Leader of Banking Solutions in Information Technology Division (ITD) at NBAD, the number one bank in the UAE, is one of five international recipients of the prestigious award. He was selected the winner from nominations received from the Institute’s 2,500 learning centres worldwide.

The Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) is the UK's premier management organisation with an extensive partner network delivering accredited corporate development programs throughout the world. Its key training partner in the UAE, biz-ability, was appointed by the Bank in 2010 to provide leadership training for the NBAD Academy, the Bank’s dedicated staff learning centre.

Mr. Goh nomination and selection was based on the level of applied learning and personal growth he exhibited while undertaking the ILM Certificate in Leadership course.

This award is not only a fantastic achievement for Mr Goh, but also underscores NBAD’s commitment to realising Abu Dhabi Vision 2030 through the development of human capital.

“We are extremely pleased and proud of Adrian’s success and accomplishments. His selection as a Learner of the Year reflects the NBAD culture of investing in learning and development of our best talent and most important assets,” said Ehab Anis Hassan, the Group Chief Human Resources Officer at NBAD. “The NBAD Academy, which the Bank inaugurated last year as a facility wholly dedicated to learning, has allowed us to enhance the learning culture of NBAD to help achieve the human capital goals outlined in the Abu Dhabi Vision 2030.”

Michael H. Tomalin, the Group Chief Executive of NBAD; and Srood Sherif, the Group Chief Information Officer of NBAD, attended the ceremony honouring Mr. Goh.

Mr. Goh was nominated for the award by ILM training partner biz-ability for his aptitude in coaching and mentoring his team through a complex situation.

“Adrian was not only a very enthusiastic learner, but also applied his training to guide his team through a challenging business issue, delivering a complex technical solution while dealing with a very large volume of financial transactions against tight deadlines. He displayed exceptional leadership and positively contributed to the company’s business,” said Hazel Cowling, Program Director and Partner of biz-ability.

As an ILM Learner of the Year Mr Goh will receive the Medal for Excellence from City & Guilds, the UK's leading vocational education organisation for work-related qualifications. He is also shortlisted to win the Overall ILM Learner of the Year award, to be announced at City & Guild’s Lion Awards ceremony in London on 26 May.

Mr. Goh, who received his ILM Certificate in Leadership last week, commented: “While I’m very proud to receive this recognition, I owe much of my success to the structure and relevance of the ILM course. I learned many things: about myself – my strengths, weaknesses and how to manage them; about leadership styles, the aspects of good leadership – and what is expected of a leader; about teams and performance management – and the tools I need to draw out the best in people.  But the most important thing that I have gained from this course is the awareness of my responsibilities towards the men and women I work with, especially to those who regard me as their leader.”