Innovation Workshop Held for Leadership Development Program Alumni at Emirates Institute for Banking and Financial Studies

Dubai-UAE: 18 November 2019 – The Emirates Institute for Banking and Financial Studies (EIBFS), a regional leader in banking and finance education and training, recently hosted the alumni of its Leadership Development Program (LDP) – held annually at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business in the United States.

The 40 UAE nationals, who graduated from the LDP, attended an interactive workshop titled “Leading Innovators: How to engage and accelerate innovation in your bank”, conducted by Dr. David S. Ricketts, Innovation Fellow, Technology and Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard University.

The graduates were chosen from a cross-section of UAE-based banks, including RAK Bank, Noor Bank, Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Emirates Islamic Bank and ADCB.

At this workshop Dr. Ricketts discussed about how innovation is playing a major role in the growth of the banking and finance sector. He also spoke on the need for banks to be more creative and innovative.

Addressing the graduates, Jamal Al Jassmi, General Manager of Emirates Institute for Banking and Financial Studies, said: “We welcome our annual Leadership Development Program graduates. Organized in association with the Darden School of Business, the LDP is one of the most sought-after programs among the UAE banks, and involves training and upskilling of banking employees in the areas that are changing the landscape of the industry. It provides educational opportunities to the UAE nationals to be the banking leaders of tomorrow.”

“We are also happy that an innovation expert such as Dr. Ricketts was amongst us to host a session with the LDP graduates. These workshops help elevate the growth of banking employees and to advance their careers. As part of our responsibility to provide best-in-class education to our students, we spare no effort in building a forward-thinking banking workforce. With the increased adoption of technology-based solutions, it has become critical that we equip our industry professionals with the right skills,” he added.

Speaking about his session on innovation with the LDP alumni, Dr. Ricketts, said: “Innovation is key to building any industry. Implementing the right educational efforts to create an understanding of thinking outside the box is extremely vital. The banking and finance industry is no exception and is undergoing a massive transformation. The onus is on us to be aligned with the latest in the sector. These graduates from Darden are keen to advance their knowledge in the sector. This not only creates a very well-informed group of people but also the ones that will take ownership of educating their peers.”

Dr. Ricketts, who is a renowned technology, entrepreneurship and innovation speaker, has been associated with Carnegie Mellon University, Harvard University, MIT and North Carolina State University. For the past decade, he has been taking courses at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. In addition, Dr. Ricketts is an award-winning scientist and engineer whose innovations have been featured by Popular Science, Smithsonian, NBC News, CBS News, Fox News, ESPN, and many other science news outlets. He is the recipient of the National Science Foundation Career Award and the U.S. Defense Advanced Projects Agency (DARPA) Young Investigator Award.

Over the past few years, EIBFS has established an extensive network of strategic international partnerships. In addition to the Darden School of Business, the institute has initiated collaborations with educational institutions in the UK, such as Bangor University.