Dubai - MENA Herald: Al-Futtaim recently welcomed 42 top-tier Emirati candidates to its first Graduate Challenge Day as part of the company’s Future Leaders Programme, which focuses on developing UAE nationals for future leadership roles.
Held at the Intercontinental Hotel, Dubai Festival City, the day included candidate assessments through team task challenges and a speech by His Excellency Nasser Al Hamli, Undersecretary for Emiratisation Affairs, who shared his vision of the future of the UAE workforce and the importance of nationals joining the private sector.
“A professional career in the private sector holds a great amount of potential for education, experience, and progression for nationals,” said His Excellency Nasser Al Hamli. “Forward-thinking programmes such as Al-Futtaim’s are changing the way in how Emirati graduates think about and enter the workforce.”
Al-Futtaim’s Chief Human Resources Officer, John Harker and Human Resources Director of the company’s Automotive division, Abdulrahman Saqr, also made some opening remarks before launching into the interactive challenge session which included presentations by the candidates who demonstrated their innovative ways of thinking through real-world business challenges.
“It is critical that we attract and develop the next generation of business leaders, and our Future Leaders Programme is a fantastic opportunity to do so,” said John Harker. “Our Graduate Challenge Day was a way to discover high potential talent and it was an honour to have His Excellency Nasser Al Hamli speak on behalf of one of Al-Futtaim’s recruitment initiatives.”
Participants were selected from a pool of 450 applicants after a round of rigorous interviews. Throughout the day, they were assessed across a range of competencies as they worked on team challenges based on real business scenarios. Parents of the graduates were also invited to learn more about Al-Futtaim and the benefits of working for the company.
“The new generation wants to be a part of an international organisation that is innovative and empowering and the positive response to this event means we’re succeeding in listening to the voices of tomorrow and making way for future leaders,” said Mary Pratt, Group Head of Talent Acquisition.
“What makes our Future Leaders Programme stand out is that it allows for the graduates to learn through real, hands-on experience on the job,” added Debbie Chatten, Director of Talent and Leadership.
A chat group on the popular social media app, WhatsApp, was created as a means of communication between Al-Futtaim and the 42 graduates, encouraging engagement and excitement around the event.
Those participants who demonstrated the highest potential will be invited to proceed to the next level in the Graduate Programme.
