Bank Muscat, the flagship financial services provider in the Sultanate, has won the GCC Best Employer Brand award by the Employer Branding Institute, CMO Asia, in recognition of a distinct identity visible through innovative HR strategies.
Salim Al Kaabi, DGM – Human Resources, said: “Bank Muscat is proud to win this prestigious award which elevates the bank as the best employer brand in the GCC region. The bank enjoys the legacy of moulding the finest Omani talents and has adopted innovative strategies to equip them to take up leadership positions in tandem with future challenges. Bank Muscat has achieved qualitative advance in the human resources sector and is reckoned the employer of choice as it attracts the best Omani cadres for employment at all levels.”
Over the years, the bank has completed the transition into a competency-based organisation. In execution of the Royal directives by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, which emphasise the need to pay attention to training and development of human resources, Bank Muscat has recorded notable achievements which reflect positively on the performance of the bank not only in the Sultanate but also in the region.
Bank Muscat has developed a comprehensive Learning & Development strategy for skill and knowledge enhancement vis-à-vis the requirement of various departments. The multi-skill development programmes have benefited a large number of employees.
Bank Muscat is proud of its co-operation with international academic and training institutes as a result of which it has succeeded in providing first-grade training for employees, which has in turn contributed to their performance and development of skills and capabilities, which essentially form the basic objective of the HR training and development programmes.
Al Kaabi added: “The bank’s Development Centre has been instrumental in grooming Omani employees on the different business functions. The bank provides niche learning opportunities for employees to enhance knowledge and skills. As a result, Bank Muscat has the most talented banking employees in the country with a vast knowledge in functional and leadership competencies.”
The number of employees at Bank Muscat is constantly growing as per the requirements and approved plans in this respect. Presently, 3554 employees are working with the bank, with a high level of 93.75 per cent Omanisation, giving Omanis priority to occupy important positions.
Scripting benchmark human resources development processes, the HR role primarily serves as a planner and change agent. The Learning and Development programme follows modern systems and techniques and takes into account the future plans and programmes of each department of the bank. It seeks to provide all types of training programmes that meet the overall requirements as per the latest standards in the Sultanate and abroad.
The bank’s women empowerment strategy is notable as 47.5 per cent of employees are women holding various positions, including senior management positions. Bank Muscat is committed to developing its leadership pool from among young Omanis, thereby contributing to Oman’s future by investing in talent which is the real wealth of the nation.
 Over the past 33 years, Bank Muscat has supported the ambitious career growth of Omani employees, enabling them to adopt an entrepreneurial approach in running the business, thereby creating a culture which encourages creativity/innovation, faster decision-making and better utilisation of resources. Bank Muscat’s human resources strategy focuses on one major objective – reinforce the bank’s position as the employer of choice.