Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, was named winner of the ‘Nationalisation Initiative of the Year’ award at the Middle East HR Excellence Awards 2015.

The award was presented during a gala reception held in Dubai, attended by senior professionals from across the Middle East HR sector. The airline was also shortlisted in two other categories, including HR Team of the Year and Innovation in Executive & Leadership Development.

The Middle East HR Excellence Awards recognise the outstanding achievements of individuals, teams and organisations that have contributed to the development of the HR profession in the region. The awards showcase best practice in HR and talent management in the Middle East, and honour HR professionals in the public and private sectors for their contributions in creating a high-performing workforce.

Ray Gammell, Etihad Airways’ Chief People and Performance Officer, said: “It’s an honour to be recognised by the Middle East HR Excellence Awards. Our People and Performance team of more than 300 professionals has worked exceptionally hard this year, and I’m delighted to see the efforts of the team acknowledged by our peers in the human capital sector.

“We continue to invest in developing UAE nationals into future aviation leaders through our highly successful training, business exchange and educational opportunities, which is our top priority. This year alone we welcomed more than 1,000 UAE national employees, and we are delighted to be appreciated for the way in which we source and develop our local workforce.

“UAE nationals are now ranked the number one nationality group within the airline, as well as amongst employees at manager level, executive level and within the pilot community.”

More than 2,700 Emiratis are employed by the airline across a range of positions, within the UAE and in 45 cities in 25 countries. Under plans to accelerate its employment of UAE nationals over the next five years, Etihad Airways is expected to recruit more than 6,000 UAE nationals by 2020.

As one of the fastest growing airlines in the world, Etihad Airways has over 25,000 employees worldwide and prides itself on offering exciting opportunities for personal development and internal progression to its workforce, through a culture of performance, recognition and reward.

Wissam Hachem, Etihad Airways’ Vice President Learning and Development (left), with colleagues Ahmed Al Khaja, Etihad Airways’ Manager Talent Acquisition Emiratisation (second right), and Majed Al Balooshi, Etihad Airways’ UAE National Development Performance Manager (right), at the Middle East HR Excellence Awards 2015.

 

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