QNB helping develop future financial leaders: CEO

QNB Group chief executive officer Ali Ahmed al-Kuwari underscored the bank’s dedication to developing human capital at a lecture at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q). “We are committed to developing human capital as well as financial capital in Qatar: 54% of QNB employees are Qatari, and 56% have been with the bank for more than five years,” said al-Kuwari. “By hiring and training a diverse group of highly engaged employees, we are helping develop future generations of Qatar’s financial leaders, who will continue the important work that QNB has been doing since its founding.” QNB, which was the first Qatari-owned bank when it was founded in 1964, is now the top bank in the Middle East and Africa, according to financial metrics. As QNB continues to strengthen its business in Qatar and grow internationally, the bank has prioritised the development of knowledgeable and skilled finance professionals within Qatar.QNB offers scholarships to nearly 50 local university students, including students from Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar.Michael Trick, dean of Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, emphasised the many benefits of corporate and educational institutions working hand-in-hand. “Our approach at Carnegie Mellon is to give our students real-world problem sets, so they are learning both the theory and practical applications. Organisations like Qatar National Bank provide an excellent training ground for students to exercise their skills and apply their knowledge.”Within Qatar, QNB’s efforts include financing projects, such as those that support FIFA World Cup 2022, initiating projects focused on long-term economic self-sufficiency, providing specific lending programmes for small and medium enterprises, and offering local corporations supply chain and account management help.Al-Kuwari’s lecture was part of the CMU-Q Dean’s Lecture Series, a forum for leaders in business, government and technology to discuss topical issues. Carnegie Mellon Qatar offers degree programmes in biological sciences, business administration, computational biology, computer science and information systems.