QNB Human Capital Division receives the ISO 9001:2008 standard

In a new step within its expansion plans, QNB, a leading financial institution in the Middle East and Africa, has been awarded the ISO 9001:2008 standard by the British Standards Institution (BSI), thus becoming one of the first human capital division in major financial institutions to receive this international standard. ISO 9001:2008 is the world's most widely recognized Quality Management System (QMS). An ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System helps an organization continually monitor and manage quality across all operations, and outlines ways to achieve, as well as benchmark, consistent performance and service by putting in place processes that allow it to improve the way it operates at all levels.

During a special ceremony held at QNB’s headquarters, in which she handed the ISO 9001:2008 certificate to QNB’s officials, Ms. Jacqueline Lawson-Smith, Deputy British Ambassador to Qatar, said: “Achieving certification to ISO 9001:2008 is a milestone and an important recognition for the hard work that QNB has put into this endeavour”. The  Deputy British Ambassador to Qatar also praised QNB’s efforts to constantly improve the standard of service it provides, as well as continuously upgrading and improving its range of products and services.

In turn, QNB’s officials expressed their appreciation, assuring QNBHCD’s commitment to ensuring consistent quality in the product and services the division provides within the Group, stemming from their belief that investment in human capital is the best form of investment.

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In-depth assessment and review

Gaining the distinguished ISO 9001:2008 standard requires a lot of hard work and dedication to pass the multiple reviews that span all operational procedures and service channels. QNB’s Human Capital Division underwent an in-depth evaluation process conducted by the ISO body represented by BSI that included quality management system development, a management system documentation review, pre-audit, initial assessment, and clearance of non-conformances, all of which work to identify corrective actions that eliminate non-conformance to the quality management standard.

The QNB HCD team exerted great efforts during the audit and review process with the BSI team to reach this accomplishment. The achievement is considered a great triumph for QNB Group, representing an important development in the services and standards within the international group that operates in more than 27 countries with a total number of employees more than 15,200 providing a comprehensive range of advanced products and services through more than 635 locations across three continents.

Human capital considered one of QNB’s most important areas of focus

The development of Qatari human capital is considered one of QNB Group’s most important areas of focus. It is a purpose the Group dedicates great effort to achieve, in line with Qatar’s 2030 national vision, which calls for the development of the Qatari national workforce to help them achieve their noble purpose through the nurturing of their professional skills and honing their capabilities at the highest development levels, as well as enabling Qatari professionals to develop their decision making skills, so that they can assume leading positions in the Group.

The Bank is also keen on maintaining high Qatarization ratios across all its operations, thus helping it achieve one of the highest Qatarization rates in the banking sector, with a ratio of over 50%. The HCD also works consistently to raise the above ratio and develop the skills of the qualified national workforce.

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Staff and department development

QNB’s Human Capital Division believes in the importance of integrated development in all areas, which is why it has cooperated with major financial institutions in the MEA region to offer some distinguished training programmes. One of these programs is the Harvard Business School's Leadership Development Programme for Banks, which consists of two main axes: “Strategic Management” and “Leadership”.

The HCD also delivered in collaboration with Franklin Covey a specialized development programme entitled “The QNB Group Leadership Development Programme (LDP)” for Senior Management in Qatar. This International best practice programme specializing in modern leadership theories and techniques will both help develop leadership skills within the framework of a long-term Talent Management Strategy and assist QNB with its matrixed leadership needs now extending across 27 countries of operations and 3 Continents. Importantly, it is also viewed by QNB as an important retention tool in developing key employees that make up the Senior and Executive Leadership teams.

The Group has received multiple global awards and certificates recognizing the quality of its services, as well as its constant growth and improvement. This includes several ISO certifications, notably that QNB were the first bank in Qatar to be awarded both the ISO 22301:2011 certification in Business Continuity Management (BCM) and the ISO 27001 certification in Information Security Management for Datacenter Operations.