TAQA, the international energy company from Abu Dhabi, has been recognised by one of the world’s leading accountancy bodies for its work in bringing on the next generation of business leaders.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), a world leader in the accountancy and finance profession with over 140,000 members across the globe, has presented TAQA with its Excellence in the Development of the Country’s Future Business Leaders, award.

HE Abdulla Al-Nuaimi, Vice Chairman of TAQA received the award at ICAEW’s prestigious Middle East Accountancy & Finance Excellence Awards ceremony at The Ritz Carlton in Abu Dhabi.

It was presented on behalf of ICAEW by the UK’s Ambassador to the UAE, Dominic Jermey.

TAQA beat two other shortlisted contenders on the basis of its work on a number of innovative talent initiatives designed to enhance vocational skills and facilitate continued personal development.

ICAEW noted that in 2012-2013 TAQA launched two new global talent development programmes at its Abu Dhabi HQ. The Talent Acceleration Programme provides opportunities for employees to focus on ambitions, learn new skills and shape behaviours and our Talent Leadership Programme develops advanced leadership skills and behaviours and best practice.

In its submission for the award, TAQA also highlighted its year-long graduate development programme, Tamkeen, which provides a clear path for Emirati graduates to develop a successful career. Involving a rigorous selection and a mentoring system, it enables network building and development of practical project delivery skills.

“The graduate development program is key to our strategy for increasing the number of junior UAE nationals employed by TAQA and ensuring that each of them has access to training and development which will qualify them to hold senior positions in the future, with opportunities to work at HQ, UAE domestic plant or an international business unit,” said Ahmed Al Sarrah, senior human resources manager, in support of the TAQA entry. “The idea of designing such a unique programme is to attract a high quality talented UAE national graduates and prepare them to have a better knowledge of the energy industry.”

TAQA also stressed its offer of internationally recognised ACA and CFA training programmes, providing a platform for career development for highly skilled finance professionals.

The Bahrain Institute of Banking & Finance (BIBF) and Dubai Financial Service Authority (DFSA), were the other entrants for the Excellence in the Development of the Country’s Future Business Leaders, award.

ICAEW’s Middle East Accountancy & Finance Excellence Awards were launched in 2011 to celebrate the very best in the accountancy and finance profession in the Middle East and have already become a key date in the annual calendar of regional business leaders.

The awards ceremony featured guest speaker Clive Anderson, a former UK barrister turned broadcaster, and as master of ceremonies, Shereen Mitwalli.

TAQA also sponsored its own award for Financial Journalist of the Year, which was presented by Gopal Gopalakrishnan, Chief Financial Officer - Oil and Gas at TAQA, to Joyce Njeri, Editor of Accountant Middle East. The other short listed candidates were ‘Business Breakfast’ Dubai Eye and Stefania Bianchi, a reporter for Bloomberg News. 

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